Pure Sweat Back to School Camp: Evaluations

Wednesday night PrepHoopsIllinois was in southern Illinois for the Pure Sweat Back to School Camp. This camp run by Justin Barrington is a showcase for some of the top prospects in the classes of 2020-2023 from the 618. Let’s dive into what we saw from the prospects at the camp!   Luke LeQuatte (Herrin – 2020) Excellent night for this 6’5” small forward from Herrin. He has nice size and some projectability. Will find a home at the small college level because of the way he can stroke it from the perimeter. Knocked down mid-range jumpers and threes all night both in the games and drills. That opened up his drives where he often used a shot fake to fool his defender. Was an active rebounder throughout the night.   Austin Garbe (Carterville – 2020) We are big fans of this 6’2” two guard. So are several small colleges as he has a few visits scheduled in upcoming weeks. Strongly built wing that is super competitive. Always plays hard! He is an above average shooter with a quick release from both mid-range and three. No brainer at the D3 level!   Carson Lewis (Benton – 2020) Lewis is a two guard that has a bit of a push release on jumper. Was a solid pull up shooter especially from mid-range. Flashed as a driver, but looked most comfortable in the 15 foot range as a shooter.   Blake Pena (Ann Jonesboro – 2020) This 5’10” point guard is a crafty player that at times can be a flashy passer. As a scorer he was most effective hitting short jumpers.   Noah Livingston (Casey Westfield – 2021) Livingston is a scoring combo guard that first jumped on our radar during the second half of the high school season. This was our first time seeing him since then and he continues to prove he is a big time scorer. He isn’t a freak athlete, but has a solid burst on his initial step. Crisp ball handler especially on straight line takes. Plus shooter especially off the catch from three. Should put up crazy numbers as a junior in a small school conference!   Cameron Branmeyer (Trenton Wesclin – 2021) Branmeyer looked good in the early session using his length on the defensive end. Gave his opponents fits using his long arms to contest shots. Offensively he displayed a clean looking jump shot.   Joe Melton (NCOE – 2021) Melton continues to grow. The 6’7” post has been a prospect that has intrigued us over the last year. Projectable prospect that protects the rim on the defensive end. Swatted quite a few shots throughout the scrimmages. Rim runner that is active on the glass for tip ins. Improving his body control and athleticism. Hit several baseline jumpers.   Landon Zurliene (Fairfield – 2021) Zurliene is coming off an injury which held him out of the travel team season with the Illinois Bears in July. He didn’t look rusty at all as the Fairfield wing had his jumper absolutely on point all night! The junior looked so smooth connecting on feathery jumpers from both mid-range and three. Every time it lefty his hand it looked like it was going in. Quick second jump getting on the offensive glass.   Noah Franklin (Cobden – 2021) Franklin is an intriguing 6’6” small forward that serves almost as a point-forward at times. He is at his best with the ball in his hands as a playmaker. When doing that he can show off his excellent passing feel. Handles it well in the open floor and is a quality mid-range shooter getting elevation off the floor on his shot. Showed more athletic pop than we had previously seen including throwing down a couple nice dunks.   Eli Brown (Paducah Tilghman, KY – 2021) Brown is a high scoring two guard from Kentucky that has a smooth offensive game. He can score effectively from all three levels, but is at his best when using his pull up jumper which was on point as usual. Knocked in an array of them from 15 feet out to beyond the arc.   Dre Scott (Pinckneyville – 2021) Scott is an intriguing 6’4” wing. He is a plus athlete that plays above the rim which he showed off in the second round of scrimmages. Seemed to get better as the night went along. Explosive with the ball in his hands. Got to the rim on a regular basis both in the half court and transition. Rebounds well for a wing.   Haddon Lybarger (Salem – 2021) The Salem High School 6’0” two guard was pretty good in the scrimmages shooting it and threw a couple sweet passes. Should be a solid contributor this year for the Wildcats.   Justin King (Mascoutah – 2022) King was the best prospect in the 2022/2023 group. At 6’2” he has quality length and projectability. Should continue to grow and has the frame to add strength as time goes on. He has an effortless handle being able to weave in and out of defenders with ease as well as win off the dribble where he lived at the rim. Struggled finishing at times, but that will improve once he adds strength. Easy acceleration to the hoop. Slick passer showing a natural feel for the game. Jumper was streaky at times, but did drill a few. Also regularly got on the glass where he was able to push it off the glass down the floor.   Brady Moore (Breese Central – 2022) Moore is a 6’2” shooting guard that brings a lot of toughness and a high basketball IQ to the table. Well rounded player that does everything pretty well. Passes, can put it on the deck, and shoots it well. Had a couple nice moves off the dribble including a spinning layup.   Chase Altug (Marion – 2022) This Marion 5’11” point guard is a smaller guard that proved throughout he was a solid shooter especially from mid-range. Scrappy guard that scored on some tough layups. Finished with both hands at the rim.   Slayde Huntley (DuQuoin – 2022) Physically developed combo guard that did most of his damage in the lane. He made plays around the hoop using his strength to hit the glass for second chances and score on runners.   Darien Singleton (Mascoutah – 2023) I was impressed with this incoming freshman point guard. He will team up nicely with Justin King who we mentioned above to form quite a future backcourt for Mascoutah. This point guard is a crisp ball handler that works well around ball screens and can shoot it.   Kellen Scott (Pinckneyville – 2023) Scott is a 6’0” incoming freshman guard that has decent length. Active defender who made an impact on that end of the floor. Rebounded well and got out in transition for several scores.   Caden Hawkins (Carterville – 2023) Hawkins is a coach’s son and you can tell with his basketball IQ. The kid has a free flowing perimeter jumper that he loves to let fly!