Salem Invitational Tournament: 2020 Evals

<p>The <strong>Salem Invitational Tournament</strong> was this past week and this annual mid-winter tournament gave PrepHoopsIllinois a great opportunity to scout an array of prospects over a few days in southern Illinois.  Here are our evaluations of the <strong>2020 Prospects</strong> in attendance.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PG Jashawn Anderson (East St. Louis)</strong></p> <p>This smaller point guard is at his best in the open floor using his jet quick speed.  Goes coast to coast in the blink of an eye.  He gets in the lane where he loves to use his floater game over bigger defenders.  Pesky on ball defender who gets steals and turns them into points on the other end of the floor.  Went for 12 points in the semis.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PF Armond Williams (East St. Louis)</strong></p> <p>Williams is a 6’8” center that continues to see his stock go up every single time we evaluate him.  The long and lanky five man comes off the bench for ESL and brings a lot of athleticism to their front line.  Runs the floor so fluidly and his teammates find him for dunks when he does sprint the length of the court.  Got multiple dunks off just beating everyone down the floor.  Plus athlete that should develop into a nice rebounder.  Shows timing when hitting the glass.  Rim protector on the defensive end swatting anything that comes near him.  So much upside here!  He had 8 points in their first round win.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>SG Mitch Hardiek (Teutopolis)</strong></p> <p>This 6’3” shooting guard showed well in the second round.  The lefty is a crafty guard that can knock down shots especially from mid-range.  Good free throw shooter.  He had 12 points in their win.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>SF Julius Byrd (TF North)</strong></p> <p>Byrd has good length and a projectable frame.  He was outstanding in their second round contest against T-Town.  The 6’3” wing drilled silky smooth jumpers for days to open the contest from both mid-range and three.  As the game went along he was more aggressive attacking the hoop getting skinny through traffic and to the rim.  He had 20 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>SG Amir Spann (Mt. Vernon)</strong></p> <p>Spann is trending as one of the better junior prospects in southern Illinois.  The 6’2” shooting guard has a strong build and loves to get downhill.  He had a couple impressive takes showing burst and is excellent finishing through contact at the rim for and-1s.  Probably the biggest bright spot was to see him shoot and connect on a pair of 15 foot pull up jumpers.  Shot them with a lot of confidence.  He has to be a weapon from there and needs to continue to extend that range to be a D1/D2 prospect at the next level.  He has a lot of other really intriguing tools with his strength, athleticism, rebounding, and defensive potential.  Spann scored 15 points in their first round loss to Effingham.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>SF Simon Wilson (Mt. Vernon)</strong></p> <p>Wilson had some flashes in this game.  Size on the perimeter at 6’4”.  He is a floor spacer that hasn’t found a consistent touch on his shot in the games we have seen this year to date.  Did hit one corner three.  He shoots a good ball and we believe he will be a plus shooter at the next level.  Got on the glass for a put back and also had a nifty up and under on his way to 7 points in the opener.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>SG Nate Winslow (Triad)</strong></p> <p>Winslow was the leading scorer for Triad with 14 points.  This junior 6’4” shooting guard displayed some versatility with a mid-range jumper, deep catch and shoot three, and scored at the rim on an and-1.  Also got on the glass for a put back.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>SG Luke Cox (Triad)</strong></p> <p>Cox is probably the most projectable prospect on this team.  At 6’3” he has nice length and a clean stroke from three as he hit a pair of them for his 6 points.</p>