Morgan Park at Whitney Young (Public League Playoffs): Top Prospects

<p>In a rematch of the season opener, Morgan Park visited Whitney Young in the Chicago Public League playoff quarterfinal. Morgan Park, the 3A AP No. 7 team, held on to beat the Dolphins (4A No. 7) in overtime, 78-75.</p> <p>Morgan Park, now 18-8, advances to play Bogan in the semifinals, while Whitney Young drops to 18-9 on the season.</p> <p>In two star-filled matchups, Morgan Park emerged victorious twice. How did the top prospects fare in this battle of top Chicago teams?</p> <h3><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/dj-steward/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/dj-steward/">DJ Steward</a></a> (2020) | Whitney Young</h3> <p>Steward, the top-ranked senior in Illinois and a Duke commit, was at times the best player on the court. After a quiet first quarter that left Young trailing, Steward took over in the second, scoring 11 of his 13 first-half points. He knocked down three triples, including a step-back from straight away that brought the home crowd to its feet. Morgan Park tried to get the ball out of Steward's hands in the half court, but he wasn't to be denied.</p> <p>In the second half, Morgan Park came out in a three-quarters-court trap, and it neutralized Steward (as much as a team can). He had four points in the third, then four more in the fourth. The bigger concern was four turnovers combined in the fourth quarter and overtime. Ultimately, Morgan Park threw major pressure at Steward to force those turnovers, but they were a big part of why Young didn't advance.</p> <h3><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/adam-miller/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/adam-miller/">Adam Miller</a></a> (2020) | Morgan Park</h3> <p>Similar to Steward, Miller was up and down in this game. In the first half, you might not have known that Miller was the No. 2-ranked senior in Illinois (7 points, 1-of-3 from three). After halftime, it was a different story. Miller, a future Illini player, came out firing, scoring 12 points in the third and knocking down five of his first six shots. His prime moment came when he faked a drive with a jab step on <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jaehshon-thomas/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jaehshon-thomas/">Jaehshon Thomas</a></a>, then stepping back for three and drilling it. Miller missed his final four threes of the quarter, but he's the kind of shooter where you expect every single one to go in. </p> <p>Miller finished with 23 points, but the area where he might fly under the radar is on the glass. He's sly when an opponent lets a shot fly, picking his spots and catching an unsuspecting defender snoozing. Twice he grabbed a ball that missed long and put it back for an easy layup. It's not as sexy as his NBA-range threes, but that stuff really shows his basketball IQ.</p> <h3><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/marcus-watson/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/marcus-watson/">Marcus Watson</a></a> Jr. (2020) | Morgan Park</h3> <p>If there was one player who was most in control of this matchup, it may have been Watson. The Wake Forest commit and current No. 7 Illinois senior made his mark from the get go, scoring seven points in the opening quarter as Miller got off to a slow start. From there, it seemed like Watson was always driving to the basket, finding open teammates and grabbing key rebounds. He finished with 22 points, 5 assists and 3 boards. At the end of regulation, head coach Nick Irvin gave Watson the ball (he missed long, but still).</p> <p>Watson had the ball in his hands most of the game and was tasked with covering <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tyler-beard/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tyler-beard/">Tyler Beard</a></a> on the other end. That's a long night, and he made his mark on both ends. Watson is quite capable in the half court offensively, though his confidence from deep was lacking at times, and Beard sagged under screens all second half. But when Watson gets into the open court, he is gone. He's an absolute blur and is not scared to absorb contact at the rim against bigger players.</p> <h3><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tyler-beard/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tyler-beard/">Tyler Beard</a></a> (2020) | Whitney Young</h3> <p>Beard, a newly committed Georgetown Hoya and current No. 10 senior in Illinois, was a highlight machine. He had arguably the two most exciting plays of the game: the first a steal and fast-break flush, the second a dunk on the break off the feed from Steward. It's clear Beard is one of the most explosive players in the state, as he's been showing off this month.</p> <p>[embed]https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1225615867158896640[/embed]</p> <p>Beard and Steward have a clear chemistry, especially when Steward gets the ball off a rebound or turnover, with Beard immediately racing into the open court, looking for the big play. However, I thought where Beard was at his best was in the half court when he penetrated into the Morgan Park defense, causing chaos and finding open cutters. He has a couple of different hesitation moves with his right hand that catch defenders – even the ultra-quick Watson Jr. – flat footed, then blows right by them. Beard finished with 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting. </p> <h3><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brandon-weston/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brandon-weston/">Brandon Weston</a></a> (2021) | Morgan Park</h3> <p>In both matchups against Whitney Young, Weston seemed to be the one player the Dolphins had no answer to. Currently the No. 3-ranked junior in Illinois, Weston had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the first matchup; he finished with 23 points and 6 rebounds this time around.</p> <p>Weston can play on the perimeter, but as a 6-5 guard with a solid build, he's absolutely devastating once he gets into the paint. He drew shooting fouls four different times around the basket, including a powerful and-one in the first quarter. Perhaps the biggest play of the night came with Morgan Park down two: Miller missed a three, but Weston grabbed the offensive rebound. After dribbling beyond the arc, he drove to the rim and drew the foul, then knocked down both free throws. Without that rebound, Morgan Park may not have won this game. Weston showed that he was the biggest physical force in this matchup, exemplified by this one key play.</p> <h3><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jaehshon-thomas/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jaehshon-thomas/">Jaehshon Thomas</a></a> (2021) | Whitney Young</h3> <p>Thomas is normally a third option for Young behind Steward and Beard. Not against Morgan Park. Thomas was the guy the Dolphins went to early, scoring eight points in the first quarter on seven shots. He was quiet in the second while Steward went off, then scored another five points in the third. And as Young fell behind late, it was Thomas who brought them back to life, hitting threes on back-to-back possessions that helped send the game to overtime.</p> <p>On the night, Thomas was 6-of-9 from the arc, and he had people talking on the court after the game about the type of senior season he's setting up for. He's currently the No. 24-ranked junior in Illinois, but scoring 22 points in a big game like this can go a long way.</p>