SWIC Blue Storm Team Camp: Illinois Standouts (Underclassmen)
Here is a look at the top underclassmen from last weekend’s Blue Storm Team Camp at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, IL. There are some pretty talented players coming up in the metro east area. Tommie Williams 6’3″ Belleville West…
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Continue ReadingHere is a look at the top underclassmen from last weekend’s Blue Storm Team Camp at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, IL. There are some pretty talented players coming up in the metro east area.
Tommie Williams 6’3″ Belleville West (’21): The lone returning regular from last season’s team that repeated as the Class 4A state champions, Williams is ready to step into a major role and it showed in his play over the weekend. What helps is that he is big enough and versatile enough to play anywhere on the floor. He is athletic and he can attack the basket and make perimeter jumpers. He will also rebound and play tenacious defense. He plays with a lot of energy and intensity.
Shawn Riley 6’7″ O’Fallon (’21): A much improved post player who has grown physically over the past year and his game has grown as well. He is wiry strong, which enables him to handle the physical play on the inside. He has a nice moves and a good touch around the basket. He also has the ability to step out and make 15 footers and put the ball on the floor and get to the basket on the drive, where being a lefty also gives him an advantage. He is also an aggressive rebounder.
Braxton Stacker 6’4″ Belleville East (’22): A talented young wing who stepped in and showed a lot of promise as a freshman. Not only does he have good size, but he is very skilled and he plays with a lot of poise. His handles were good and he could create his own offense with pull up jumpers and tough drives to the basket. He was also very good in the transition game. His upside is big and his future is bright.
Caleb Burton 6’1″ O’Fallon (’22): Another talented young guard who made an immediate impact as a freshman last season. He knows how to get buckets. He was able to get to the basket and score on layups, floaters and a couple of nice running hooks, which he made look easy. He can also knock down open 3-pointers. He has a good, strong body that can take the contact for a young player.
Drew Beckman 5’9″ Roxana (’21): A solid point guard who plays the game with a lot of savvy as a ball handler and scorer. He’s small, but he gets low on the dribble and gets to where he wants to go. Like many of his teammates, he has good 3-point range, plus he can pull up and hit mid-range jumpers, even when he was off-balanced.
Chris Porter 5’11’ O’Fallon: A talented wing player who was one of the most impressive perimeter shooters at the team camp. He was excellent on the catch and shoot and he does it from deep range and with a pretty quick release. He does a good job of moving to open spots in the half court and running in transition to get to his spots as well.
Jadin Brazil 5’10” Belleville West (’22) The younger brother of graduated point guard standout Lawrence Brazil, young Jadin looks ready to follow his brother and provide more good point guard play at West for the next three years. He is smooth with the handles and he makes good decisions. His court vision was very good as he located open teammates for buckets and his pull up game in the lane was very effective.
Gavin Huffman 6’2′ Roxana (’21): A very capable 3-point shooter who was very good at moving without the ball. I liked the way he comes off screens and he’s ready to shoot it when he catches the ball. He does his work before he gets the ball and he’s shot-ready when he catches it.