PrepHoops Prospect Showcase: Illinois Evaluations

The PrepHoops Prospect Showcase was on Thursday at Bloomington Kennedy High School in Minnesota.  There were quite a few Illinois prospects in attendance.  We break them down here in our PrepHoops Prospect Showcase: Illinois Evaluations.

PG Latae’vyon Taylor (Simeon – 2021)

Taylor made a name for himself with his performance on Thursday.  He is a smaller point guard at only 5’11”, but the kid has jets.  Pushes with athleticism in the open floor.  Slick ball handler and creative passer in the transition game.  Got to the rim on multiple occasions for acrobatic finishes.

PF Aaron McQueen (Lane Tech – 2021)

McQueen shined once again as the 6’6” power forward from Illinois has made a name for himself with the Illinois Jaguars on the PrepHoops Circuit.  Junk yard dog player that always seems to be around the basketball.  Rebounds well in traffic.  High points boards.  Runs the floor for scores.  High activity level!

PG Brandon Bryant (Brother Rice – 2021)

Bryant is thin and wiry slick handling point guard that has speed end to end.  Nice burst getting to the cup off the bounce.  Always has his head up looking to make a play whether that is taking it himself to the rim or dishing to a teammate.  So slippery with the ball in his hands.

PG Tommy Craven (St. Charles East – 2021)

Craven is a crisp and high IQ guard from St. Charles East High School.  He proved he was a high level passer especially in the drive and kick game finding his open shooters on the perimeter.  Also took it inside for scores himself on a regular basis finishing difficult layups in traffic.  Crafty point guard that also rebounds well for his position.

PG Ryan Boysen (Rockford – 2021)

Boysen is a guard that moves well without the basketball.  Can play both on and off the ball, but when playing off it he is open to more scoring opportunities.  Like what the kid brings the table as a jump shooter with a crisp and fluid mechanics.  He hit an array of them in the game we watched.  Sniper potential out of the Rockford product.

PG Dane Brazil (Fenwick – 2021)

Brazil struggled a little bit early in the day, but started to get going as the day went along.  In their last game he connected on a runner and a three.  Showcased good leadership skills and made the simple plays.

SG Connor Davis (Neuqua Valley – 2021)

Davis is a 6’5” wing with a strong frame.  He moves very well without the ball to get open.  Quick release on his pull up jump shot.  Showed more off the bounce than we had seen in the past including a sweet up and under.  Quality passer.  Rebounds very well for his position.  Got on the glass at a nice clip recording several offensive rebound put backs.

PG Jake Dimovski (Downers Grove South – 2021)

The 5’11” Downers Grove South 2021 point guard should see a bigger role this season for DGS.  He didn’t shoot it great from deep when we were watching, but we came away impressed with his passing feel and the way he hit the glass from his lead guard spot!

G Donovan Grunloh (Aurora Central Catholic – 2020)

The 6’1” combo guard is the true definition of a glue guy.  He understands how to do the little things to help his team win.  Made the extra pass, threw it ahead in transition, and played help defense.  Also hit the boards for second chance opportunities.

SG Jack Hays (Von Stueben – 2020)

This is an interesting prospect.  The Von Steuben 6’2” wing has a long and angular frame with broad shoulders.  Projectability that makes you think he isn’t done growing yet.  The lefty has a smooth looking jump shot knocking them down from mid-range and spotting up from the corners.  Like his upside as a two way player.

SG Ruben Howell (Belleville West – 2021)

Howell was the lone metro east prospect at the event.  The 6’3” wing has strength at the two guard spot.  He was most effective using that strength and his quickness getting on the offensive glass for put backs.  Did that on multiple occasions.  Capable mid-range shooter.  Prospect that could step up this season with a lot of minutes leaving to graduation for the state champs.

PG Demetrius King Jr (Lisle – 2020)

The Lisle 5’10” point guard pushed the pace when his team was in the open floor.  He always had his head up looking to make a play if it presented itself.  King was active defensively with his hands and was willing to take a charge.

G Josh Kruse (Christian Life – 2020)

Kruse brought the level of his play up throughout the day finishing off with a nice showing his last game.  Very good scoring guard in transition that got to the rim.  Also threw a couple sweet passes.  The combo guard definitely displayed potential as a passer and can hit an open shot when it presents itself.

SG Jamari McClendon (Orr – 2020)

McClendon is a strong bodied wing with broad shoulders that stands at 6’2”.  Burst with the basketball in his hands getting to the rim.  He won off the dribble at a very high rate on straight line attacks through his defenders.  Plays well in the open floor as a wing finisher.  Could develop into a nice scoring option for Orr the next two seasons.

F Aaron McQueen (Lane Tech – 2021)

McQueen stood out during the skills portion of the day.  He has more perimeter skills than his twin brother.  Showed that off with crisp dribbling and knocking down mid-range jumpers with relative ease.

SG Enari Thomas (Marshall – 2021)

Thomas opened up the day strong.  The Marshall wing is a scorer first and foremost.  Would have liked to see him be a little more open to passing the rock, but he was definitely aggressive.  Thomas is a thicker wing that gets to the rim.  Strong and assertive slasher that got to the hoop with force and had a couple buckets on offensive rebound put backs.  Should be a name to track over the next couple years.

SF Tyler Van Eekeren (Benet – 2021)

The Benet 2021 small forward is a plus athlete at 6’5”.  He is a very fundamentally sound wing that can score from all three levels.  His mid-range game is definitely one of his biggest strengths.  One and two dribble pull ups where he elevates over defenders for jumpers is an aspect he really exceled at during the camp.  High IQ wing that moves away from the ball and is gritty on the glass.

SF Terrance Young (De La Salle – 2021)

Young stands at 6’4” from Chicago Catholic League school De La Salle.  The wing has plus athleticism and he displayed that on a few nice takes to the rim where he finished through contact.  Also used his size and length getting in passing lanes for steals which he turned into points on the other end.