Most Intriguing Prospects: Niles North vs Deerfield

Scott Burgess January 17, 2020 @ 09:16 PM

Friday night we checked out two of the top uncommitted prospects in the state going head to head as Deerfield traveled to Niles North. Deerfield features 6’11” center Brandon Lieb while Niles North has combo guard Aquan Smart. Both of the unsigned seniors showcased what they can do at the next level in Niles North’s 58-45 victory. Check out our Most Intriguing Prospects: Niles North vs Deerfield!   Aquan Smart (Niles North – 2020) Smart has become one of the prospects with the most buzz in the state after his decommitment from East Tennessee State along with his play as a senior. The 6’3” combo guard brought it again on Friday showing a well-rounded game. Immediately the first aspect that jumps off the floor to you when watching Smart is his athleticism and burst with the ball in his hands. Goes 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye. Super aggressive with the rock getting to the cup. Had a couple of his patented slick drives where he scored. High speed in transition. His jump shot has really improved so much over the last year. Knocked in a pair of them including a step back three early in the game. As a distributor he showed feel kicking to shooters and threading the needle in the paint. Defensively he is active getting steals and going the other way. Finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.   Jalen Butler (Niles North – 2021) Butler is Robin to Smart’s Batman. He is a 6’6” junior small forward that has wiry strength and brings a ton of toughness to the table. Butler drilled several threes off the catch. Flies in to get on the glass on both ends. Runs the floor in transition. Finishes well around the hoop on junk points. Quality multi-positional defender. He had 14 points.   Yosef Oliff (Niles North – 2022) Oliff only scored two points, but the 5’11” sophomore definitely had a major impact on the night. He was excellent as a facilitator throwing crisp dishes in the half court all night long. Advanced feel getting others involved. Drive and kick game was his specialty. Also liked what he did at the point of attack defensively moving his feet and making it difficult for the other team to get into their sets.   Moses Akinboboye (Niles North – 2020) Akinboboye is a super undersized post at only 6’2”, but his wide body allows him to create some space inside. Struggled defensively against Lieb’s height and length, but he fought all night in the paint making it as hard as he could on him.   Liam Graham (Niles North – 2021) Graham was the breakout player for Niles North. The 5’8” junior point guard was lights out from beyond the arc hitting four of them. Plus shooter off the catch that brought a lot of momentum to his squad when he hit them. Finished with 17 points.   Brandon Lieb (Deerfield – 2020) Lieb stands at 6’11” and had a significant height advantage over any defender all night. He used a variety of moves down low to score. Left handed hook shot, spin move, short jumper, drop step and dunk, and got on the offensive glass. He has become quicker with his moves and more fluid with his footwork. Needs to continue to add strength to finish through more physical defenders at the next level. Hit the glass at a nice clip and continues to show timing as a shot blocker. One of the state’s top uncommitted posts had 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks.   Josh Garland (Deerfield – 2020) Garland stands at 6’2” and brought scrappy perimeter play for Deerfield. He got loose in transition for a finish, had a tip in, and also hit a three off the catch for his 7 points.   Joe Shapiro (Deerfield – 2020) At 6’3” Shapiro was a quality wing scorer being able to hit an open shot from beyond the arc along with put it on the deck for runners and layups. He had 9 points.