High IQ Academy Fall League: Standout Performers

<p>It was the second week at the Pullman Center for the <strong>High IQ Academy</strong> hosting its loaded fall league. As far as talent goes it has many of the top 10 PHI players in each respective class. These are the players that I got a chance to see this Sunday.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Troy Glover  Glenbard West        6’7       2021</strong></p> <p>Glover was a new prospect that caught my eye. He’s a long and lanky forward that gets up and down the court like a gazelle. He used his length really well around the rim. Changing shots on the defensive side and collecting countless rebounds.  Troy caught the attention from most in attendance with a crazy one handed slam over a defender. Glover’s motor didn’t stop in a high level game. He made a good first impression for me. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Desmond Dunn      Kenwood      6’1       2021</strong></p> <p>Desmond is known in the city as a defensive dog to most CPS teams. This Sunday Dunn showed his progress from last season as he has expanded his shooting range knocking down six three pointers in a fast paced game.  Desmond has taken the steps to start getting attention from small colleges. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1048712" first="Tavari" last="Johnson"]      Lyons            5’11    2022</strong></p> <p>Johnson has been fun to watch since this summer. He was no different Sunday. Being an absolute floor general and scorer when he has the ball in his hands. Tavari is a wizard off the ball screen reading what the defense does before he makes the right attack. His long arms make him dangerous on defense swiping the ball from guys and taking it to the other end for easy buckets. He should be on many coaches radar. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="996066" first="Dajuan" last="Bates"]         De La Salle   6’2       2022</strong></p> <p>DJ started off hot in his game. He began with a three then he just attacked the rim hard with an array of finishes. Bates is a microwave scoring guard who heats up as soon as he sees the ball go through  the net. DJ can break defenders down off the dribble and makes some very exciting plays. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="920953" first="Jalen" last="Houston"]        Bogan          6’1       2021</strong></p> <p>The strong lead guard made some big plays in a close game. Houston does a lot of damage with his mid-range pull up jump shot.  Jalen has a tight handle making tough shots in the lane when he didn’t settle. Houston has good body control when going in the paint with the bigs.  He does a great job at taking hits and finishing though contact.  Jalen is a leader by action and not words. He can get Bogan over the hump a lot this season with his effort. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>James Brown          St. Rita           6’8      2024</strong></p> <p>Getting my first in depth look at James and I walked away impressed. Brown is an absolute beast on the boards. He clears the space around him very well. James has a good build on him for a freshman. He is able to play through contact when smaller players swipe at him. I was surprised with his ability to run the court and catch the ball on the run to finish in transition.  Brown is very coordinated for a young big man and he will be scary good as he becomes more athletic. This kid has a high ceiling. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="771516" first="AJ" last="Casey"]                  Whitney Young       6’7       2023</strong></p> <p>The top rated junior played really well in his matchup Sunday night. Casey was very aggressive on the boards keeping plays alive for his team. He made two really good moves in the lane. Where he caught the ball and made a quick spin to the middle of the lane and finished with a fading jump shot. Casey is starting to get a good feel with some of his new teammates. They are learning where to get him the ball especially during fast breaks. AJ finished with a strong two handed slam putting his game out of reach and sealing a win for his team. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong><u>Other Notables Players </u></strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="939074" first="Khalil" last="Ross"]</strong> who I didn’t get to watch a lot of is very active and long for a 2023 player. Made some good plays around the basket showing why he’s considered one of the top players in his class.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1048725" first="Malik" last="Jenkins"]</strong> of Hyde Park is starting to stand out as a for sure college prospect. He changes the game with his energy. Showing good leadership as he knows the younger guys on his team follow his leadership. The lefty forward made some good plays down the stretch for his team leading them to their win. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921019" first="Damarcies" last="Moore"]</strong> played well in his team’s victory.  Moore is at Longwood who is a fun scrappy teams that doesn’t back down from any competition. Damarcies led a strong scoring drive to pull out an impressive win. Longwood will be a scary team to face this upcoming season. </p>