On the Sidelines

In this series On the Sidelines Prep Hoops Illinois analysts Scott Burgess and Steve Parham breakdown the latest happenings in the world of high school basketball and recruiting. Check out this week’s On the Sidelines below!   Who has been the breakout 2021, 2022, and 2023 prospect for you in this abnormal fall and winter time? Steve My 2021 is Grant Newell of Whitney Young. He has been the break out player this fall for me. As a legit 6’7 wing Grant has shown he is a consistent player on the court. He has improved on his shot and ball handling skills. From this summer to now I haven’t seen many players compete on both sides of the ball like Newell. His improvements raised him from a low major prospect to a mid plus guy depending on the schools style of play. I think it goes without saying that my 2022 player has been Nick Martinelli. Nick can score from all three levels. Around the rim he is crafty and can finish with either hand. Martinelli plays with a continuous motor and his nose for the ball is in fact a skill in itself. Nick finds ways to keep plays alive or find ways to extend offensive possessions. last measured at 6’6 he is looking more 6’7 now and really sneaky athletic. For the 2023 class I think guard Yarell Greer has gone under the radar in what is a deep class of skilled guards. But Greer stood out with getting things done on the defensive side first. Yarell guards 94 feet and literally locks guys down at 5’9”. He gets your attention with defense turning steals into transition buckets. Greer can go toe to toe with guys on offense as well. He has the ball on a string if you try to get too close he can break you down fast and uses an array of crafty finishes along with passes around bigger defenders at the rim. The Bogan guard knows he has to stand out in such a deep class of lead guards.   Scott In 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="1049508" first="Matas" last="Deksnys"] out of Lockport has emerged from unranked to inside the top 100 and could get another bump in the next update. This skilled lefty has plus size and is a lights out perimeter sniper. Every time we see him he knocks down shots and flashes playmaking. We recently watched the Thanksgiving Throwdown from St. Louis and Mt. Vernon 2022 post NJ Benson broke out. After not being seen since February we were very impressed with his size, strength, rebounding, and post scoring. As for 2023 I will give you two names. First Chikasi Ofoma is a prospect that we had never seen before his play at the Hoops 4 Health Fall League. He flashed power, production, and athleticism. Recently transferred to Simeon where next year he will be very impactful. The other name is Owen Freeman of Bradley Bourbonnais. Made his debut in the rankings last season based on sophomore tape. He wasn’t seen by many evaluators since, but wow was he impressive at Pangos. The athletic post is a high level rim runner that can finish with both touch and power.   Which event do you miss the most from the first half of the high school basketball calendar that we will not have? Steve I think the two events I look forward to each year is definitely the Chicago Elite Classic. It is maybe the premier event that kicks off the beginning of the season for most of the elite teams in the city and suburbs. The mix of in state rivalry games and out of state elite prospects has always been a big draw for Chicago high school basketball fans. Second would be the Team Rose Shootout. This event has 28 of the better teams the state has to offer in one weekend. It’s another great chance to see the best group of talent in one setting over a two day period.   Scott I am a huge fan of the Team Rose Shootout every December. It is a must attend event for high school basketball scouts in the state of Illinois. Mike and Jerrel Oliver put together a tremendous event which allows us to evaluate 14 games over two days each year with intriguing matchups. Fun environment, great talent, and a chance to see a ton of top Chicago talent in a short amount of time. For a holiday tournament I would have to say Pontiac Holiday Tournament. There are so many great events, but there is just something different about Pontiac. I usually attend on the second day and every year there are close games in a unique setting with people who live for those three days! Who is the unsigned senior that at the point guard, wing, and post positions that would have benefitted the most from a senior campaign? Steve At point guard I think Jalen Houston would have had a really good senior campaign at Bogan this season. Houston wouldn’t have had to shoulder the load at the point guard spot which would free him to get better looks at the rim to showcase his improved jump shot that he showed in the High IQ Fall League. The wing I think who would have been big this season is James Dent of Springfield Southeast. Dent has shown he is a deep threat over the summer with Illinois Hoopstars. In the Fall League he was a consistent 20+ points per game scorer. Dent would have had a really good senior season that would have college coaches heading to central Illinois. At the forward position I had two prospects both would have flourished for the same reasons. Ola Ajoboye (Evanston) and Sincere Malone (Lincoln Park) are both players who made moves to well-known high school contenders and both wouldn’t have to be focal points of the team’s success allowing them to play games without any added pressure.   Scott I am going to go with Whitney Young point guard [player_tooltip player_id="920945" first="Jaehshon" last="Thomas"]. The Dolphins point guard is playing his best basketball right now. After transferring from Aurora Christian he struggled a bit last year finding his way with [player_tooltip player_id="528833" first="DJ" last="Steward"] and Tyler Beard. This year would have been his show to lead! For the wing position my pick is Danville small forward [player_tooltip player_id="830601" first="Tevin" last="Smith"]. He has a ton of talent, but always seems to be injured. The strong and athletic wing could have racked up the offers if he put together a monster and healthy senior campaign. As far as post prospects my pick is the top unsigned big man in Evanston’s [player_tooltip player_id="652731" first="Ola" last="Ajiboye"]. He would have been on a state champion caliber team and the difference maker inside the Wildkits have missed the last few years with his scoring, rim protection, and rebounding.