Ridgewood Live Event: Friday Notebook
The second high school live period opened up on Friday night and there was an incredible amount of D1 coaches at Ridgewood High School for the 72 team tournament! Let’s dive into what we saw in our Ridgewood Live Period:…
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Continue ReadingThe second high school live period opened up on Friday night and there was an incredible amount of D1 coaches at Ridgewood High School for the 72 team tournament! Let’s dive into what we saw in our Ridgewood Live Period: Friday Notebook!
St. Laurence Tops OPRF in Wing Battle
We were really looking forward to the first game of the night and it lived up to the billing. St. Laurence led throughout the game and pulled away to win 52-43 over Oak Park River Forest. Top 15 2020 prospect Jeremiah Williams was very impressive in the win scoring 15 points. He is a tough cover when he gets his shoulders turned to the basket and going downhill. Burst with the rock in his hands. He was excellent on the glass and had several crisp dishes. Darius Wilson put his name on the map with a strong outing. The 2021 shooting guard is a power guard that scored at the hoop with strength. St. Laurence has an underrated 2020 backcourt in Finn Walsh and Trey Davis. Walsh pushes with speed and Davis is a sound spot up shooter. For OPRF their star 2021 prospect Isaiah Barnes is starting to garner high-major interest and offers. He had a slow start, but did show flashes as the game went along. Positional size and length at 6’6”. He finished some drop off passes and knocked down a pair of threes for 10 points. His junior running mate Josh Smith is an intriguing prospect in his own right with his athleticism and ability to get to the rim. Angular wing that plays with a high-motor and has his stock going up! A sleeper 2020 prospect is Justin Cross. The long and angular rising senior was excellent blocking shots using his length. Very quick second jump to the offensive glass.
Curie Gets Comeback Win Over Glenbard East
Glenbard East was blowing Curie out of the gym early in their opening game of the event. They were rolling and Curie just could not make a shot. For Glenbard East Alijah Nelson had it going hitting a couple threes and scoring on runners in the lane. At his best as a smooth slasher. Can be a bit too flashy at times, but showed promise scoring 14 points. Top 10 2020 Ramean Hinton turned it up late when his team needed him the most. Hinton was the catalyst of the comeback getting to the rim and finishing in transition. His jumper wasn’t falling, but he played off his motor and toughness to get 12 points including a rip through and layup to tie the game and send it to OT where they ultimately won 43-41. A couple other standouts for Curie were Saivon Williams and Nick Owens. Williams is a transfer from South Carolina who has size on the wing and was a force on the glass and defensively. Owens pushed the tempo, got to the rim, and was a pesky on ball defender.
Bloom Looks the Part in Opener Against Walter Payton
There is a lot of hype for Bloom after they had such a successful year last season and return their core four 2020 prospects. Each shined in a 67-30 win over Walter Payton. Let’s start with the game high scorer Dante Maddox. He is a microwave scorer that can heat up in a hurry! He was in the zone Friday night with his perimeter shooting knocking down an array of threes pulling up and off the catch. Also had a couple tough takes to the rim for 17 points. Martice Mitchell is one of the premier big men in the state and when he plays with the motor he did on Friday he is one of the most unstoppable forces in the state. The long and lanky center is a versatile offensive weapon. He showed that off with a shot fake, blow by, and monster dunk. Knocked down a baseline jumper and converted a reverse layup. Defensively he is a high-level shot blocker swatting shots left and right including three point attempts. The highest rated of the four Keshawn Williams displayed a complete game. He defended at a high level on the perimeter against Chiphe locking him down for a good portion of the game. Williams dished well especially in the drive and kick. Threw down an alley-oop and shook his defender on a cross/step back three. Donovan Newby is a rock solid point guard that makes sound decisions with the ball, hits floaters, and drills open shots pulling up. Justin Moore is a sleeper small college prospect at the point guard spot. Pushes the tempo and plays his role. An intriguing prospect to track down the line is Emandrek Erkins at 6’6” with a projectable frame. Payton’s 2020 wing Jabari Chiphe had a quiet start, but started to roll once the game was already in hand. He was scrappy on the glass and hit a three. Liam Dillon connected on a couple threes early showing smooth shot.
Hillcrest Beats Hyde Park in Game of Night
The best game I saw on the opening night was Hillcrest vs Hyde Park. Hillcrest won a thriller 57-52. The breakout player of the evening was Jakobi Heady. The 6’6” 2021 small forward jumped off the floor with his long and lanky frame. He displayed a feathery jump shot hitting a couple threes. Smooth slasher, defended all over the floor, and was a solid rebounder. He had 17 points. Julius Rollins is an intriguing combo forward with his length and athleticism. He was a bit up and down on Friday, but he is still a D1 prospect that has upside. Kenton Wright is a speedy point guard that uses his quickness and shot making in the mid-range. Hyde Park’s backcourt of Jalen Houston and Julian Price were fantastic in the loss. Houston is a 2021 guard that is explosive with the ball getting to the rim. Quick twitched prospect. Julian Price is a 2022 guard who made some noise this spring on the circuit. Scrappy defender that scores with toughness on the interior.