Rock N Ball Fall League: Steve’s Standouts

<p>With the pandemic most Illinois leagues have been cancelled or postponed.  So just right across state lines most Chicago hoop junkies flee to Hammond, Indiana Sportsplex to stay tuned up for the upcoming season. On Wednesday some big game were played here are the standouts from those games.  Here is <strong>Rock N Ball Fall League: Steve’s Standouts</strong>!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="863594" first="Xavier" last="Lewis"]            TF South (2022)</strong></p> <p>Lewis was very big in his team’s victory. He was aggressive on the boards and kept most guys from driving his lane. He made the biggest play of the game when he drove to the rim and split two defenders with a behind the back dribble and extended out to hit the game winning basket. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="920963" first="Hamahrie" last="Bowers"] Hillcrest (2021)</strong></p> <p>Bowers was very active in the intense battle of suburbs vs city prospects. He made big energy plays that kept his team in the game. A couple of block shots and dunks that made the city players think twice about attacking him. Hamahrie impacted on offense as well by staying close to the rim and finished a few plays off tough passes from teammates. In a close loss Bowers elevated his stock as a big game player. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="920942" first="Grant" last="Newell"]            Whitney Young (2021)</strong></p> <p>Newell has impressed me each time this summer when he has played. In a scrappy game Grant brought his team back from double digits with pure consistency. He made a couple of threes, but did most damage from mid-range and around the basket. He stayed active around the rim with the obvious height advantage scoring easy tip ins. Even in the loss Grant looked like a mid-major plus player. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="771517" first="Jaylen" last="Drane"]           Simeon (2022)</strong></p> <p>Drane was in his bag on both sides of the ball. He took the game over with his energy on defense. Jaylen was getting steals off passes and converting them into flashy plays on the offensive end. Drane got it done in the half court as well knocking down key shots from deep when his team needed them most. Jaylen had it rolling all game and was the definitive factor in his teams win. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921068" first="Kendall" last="Martin"]         Kenwood (2021)</strong></p> <p>Kendall just had it going off the bounce for his team. I would say this kid and the Huskies team he played with all summer has been under the radar to most. But I’ve watched them win events and go to the buzzer with some of the best players in the nation. Wednesday was no different playing one of the top teams in the city Martin was just as pesky and had his shot falling. Kendall had opposing guards second guessing themself with the intense defense he applied. He’s a small guard who just makes things difficult for anyone as you never know when he’s going to just swipe the ball from you. On offense he started with a three from the top of the key, but then went to work hitting mid-range pull up shots catching defenders off guard with his shifty handle. Huskies won the game despite a fierce comeback from the city powerhouse. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Mason Jones           Bogan (2021)</strong></p> <p>Mason again is another player who has been under the radar this summer traveling with the Huskies. He’s a skilled guard with size who has become bouncy since his return from prep school in Georgia. In the game Jones got to the rim off two dribbles and hit some nice runners and tough layups in the paint. It didn’t stop there. He is another player who gets after it on defense and swarms opposing ball handlers with his length and foot speed. He excelled on defense with being able to fly all around the court disrupting passes that turned into transition points.  Jones should fit right back in with the style of play at Bogan. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="920944" first="Julius" last="Rollins"]          Hillcrest (2021)</strong></p> <p>If anyone took his matchup serious it was Rollins. During his game he matched up against Michigan commit [player_tooltip player_id="920941" first="Isaiah" last="Barnes"]. Rollins took it to Barnes every chance he had the ball in his hands.  Driving right to the rim making strong finishes and tough passes to teammates. It is known that Rollins plays above the rim and it was shown in two huge plays when he first drove baseline with two guys at the rim. He jumped between both and slammed it home. The second play was following a missed shot by his teammate when Julius came behind him and two hand slammed it home sending the crowd crazy. In the end Rollins strong performance wasn’t enough as his team fell short by four points.  Very impressive performance from Julius as he definitely won his battle with Barnes in this game. </p>