Summer Challenge: Wilk’s Top Shooters (16U)

<p>The Prep Hoops Circuit made its’ annual stop in Chicago over the weekend for the Summer Challenge, and prospects invaded gyms across the area for an action packed event.  The field was certainly not lacking for long-range marksmen.  Thankfully, local sporting goods stores had just enough nets in stock to replace those that were burned down by some impressive sharpshooters.  Here’s a look at a handful who impressed the most:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="920943" first="James" last="Dent"] - A.I.A</strong></em></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="920943" first="James" last="Dent"] is an absolute sniper.  Off the catch, off the bounce, off a ballscreen, it really doesn’t matter for Dent who filled it up from range all weekend.  He repeatedly told his opponents they couldn’t guard him, and that was certainly true at the Summer Challenge.  In an epic semi-final performance against a loaded Wisconsin Playground Club, Dent rarely hit any rim at all and buried 8 threes in route to a game high 27 points.  He is one of the most prolific shooters in the state of Illinois.  Honorable mention shout-out to his teammate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1152921" first="Tyler" last="Johnson"]</strong> who also shot it particularly well in a pair of games I saw over the weekend.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921004" first="Terrance" last="Moncrief"] - Illinois T-Wolves</strong></em></p> <p>Terrance is an electric point guard with blazing speed that really does a lot of things well.  Friday night at Benet Academy, he had the jumper going knocking down several jumpers with an effortless release.  Always on the move, he was able to find his open looks in transition and position himself well to receive kick-outs and bury his opportunities.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1049595" first="Dylan" last="Harkins"] - SW IL Jets</strong></em></p> <p>Dylan was huge for the Jets in a touch Saturday match-up against Wisconsin Playground Club.  With his team battling, he did an excellent job of staying active and getting loose for open looks, cashing in three big time triples to keep things close.  </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1049607" first="Carson" last="Loepker"] - Illinois Bears </strong></em></p> <p>Carson, a Breese Mater Dei product, can really, really shoot it and he was red hot Friday night at Benet Academy.  He is a shifty ballhandler that does a nice job of creating space off the bounce to free himself up for a shot and is a knock-down drive and kick specialist.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Jeremiah Lovett - Indiana GAME Chemma</strong></em></p> <p>Jeremiah impressed in a match-up against a very talented SW IL Jets squad on Saturday.  The wing has nice size and athleticism and is able to score in a variety of ways, but his jumper in particular was very smooth in that particular game and kept his team close.  Very intriguing prospect overall.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Zac Johnson - Wisconsin Playmakers</strong></em></p> <p>I quickly became a big fan of Zac’s game as I watched them take on the Illinois T-Wolves on Saturday from IBA.  He is really a swiss-army  offensive player who can score off the bounce, screen or catch, from range or attacking the cup, and has a high IQ as evidenced by his ability to read screens and dime cutters at will.  He shot it well against the T-Wolves burying a pair of clutch three-pointers pulling up from the top of the key.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1049598" first="Brandon" last="Bryant"] &amp; [player_tooltip player_id="1210432" first="Cameron" last="Lewis"] - Illinois Jaguars</strong></em></p> <p>I was able to catch the Jags against A.I.A at M14 in Sunday for some quarterfinal action.  They got out to a nice lead before running out of gas late largely due to excellent back-court play from their scrappy and extremely quick group of perimeter players.  Brandon and Cameron, though, came up big from behind the arc with both hitting a pair of big three-pointers under pressure.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Brayden Dailey / Cade Meyer / Hayden Doyle - Wisconsin Playground Club</strong></em></p> <p>Wisconsin Playground Club was in my opinion far and away the best overall shooting team in the 16U division, with multiple sharpshooters on the floor at multiple positions at all times.  Hayden is a smaller scrappy guard who is crafty off the bounce and can light it up from beyond the arc.  Brayden has great size at 6’5 with a versatile skill-set.  He is an elite scorer for them and has a very quick trigger that requires only limited space or time before he cashes in.  Cade is a lethal stretch-forward who serves as a crucial floor spacer.  All three were excellent all weekend.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Other noteworthy sharpshooters</strong></span>:</p> <ul> <li>Corey Camper Jr - All Arkansas Red</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="920972" first="Jaden" last="Terrell"] - RWA</li> <li>Carter Mims - Team Flyght</li> <li>Aaron Tennies - Wisconsin Rap</li> <li>Josh Crubaugh - JH1 Elite</li> <li>Vincent Lynch - Sharks Basketball Academy</li> </ul>