Scouting the State: Friday Takeaways

Great slate of games on Friday night across the state of Illinois. We took an array of games including Lincoln Way Central vs Bradley Bourbonnais, Glenbard West vs OPRF, Rock Island vs Quincy, and Kenwood vs Perspectives. Here are our thoughts from the night in Scouting the State: Friday Takeaways! Small College Seniors Shine In the first game it was Lincoln Way Central shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id="1049060" first="Nick" last="Tingley"] who lit up the nets with a high voltage shooting performance. He drained several incredibly deep triples in the first half to well beyond the college arc. Tough kid that can mix in finishes at the hoop and was active defensively. The Elmhurst commit went for 19 points. In the second game we saw it was a Carnegie Mellon commit that shined in [player_tooltip player_id="1049580" first="Aidan" last="Murphy"]. The floor spacing four man did just that as he stepped up in a major way with several of their frontline pieces out including Huff. He drained three spot up threes in the first half along with a pair of put backs. Active on the boards and can shoot it. Bodes well for the next level as he netted 25 points. In the Rock Island game we liked the rock solid play from shooting guard Colton Sigel who is going to Carthage. Plus shooter that has active hands on the defensive end.   2023s Show Potential There were a pair of sophomores we wanted to see in the pair of early games we caught. Bradley Bourbonnais 2023 power forward [player_tooltip player_id="989265" first="Owen" last="Freeman"] had a strong fall and winter at Pangos Camp and then at Rock N Ball. The sophomore power forward is a skilled four that has some strength along with mobility. The skill was shown in flashes in the first half as we thought he dished it very well off the bounce and out of the post. Offensively he had a back in where he converted a baseline shot. Also had a steal which he took coast to coast for a dunk. Big fan of how this kid rebounds the ball. Snatches them with two hands and is aggressive going after them. We only saw the first half, but he finished with 16 points and an insane 22 rebounds! [player_tooltip player_id="939068" first="Sam" last="Lewis"] is another potential D1 prospect in the 2023 class we wanted to check out. Long and projectable wing from Oak Park River Forest that has the tools to project long term. Despite getting blown out by Glenbard West he managed to show flashes in the first half as he put it on the deck several times getting fouled. Smooth ball handler that glides by his man. Didn’t shoot it particularly well from three. Intriguing tools here to continue to track as we will see if the production will match the potential.   [player_tooltip player_id="996060" first="Caden" last="Pierce"] & [player_tooltip player_id="996070" first="Paxton" last="Warden"] Do Bit of Everything with No Huff With [player_tooltip player_id="925183" first="Braden" last="Huff"] out for Glenbard West it was their 2022 wing duo that stepped up in their blowout 78-41 win over OPRF. [player_tooltip player_id="996060" first="Caden" last="Pierce"] has really played well the last two times we have seen him. Plays some on and off the ball. Really like the passing feel he shows from his two guard spot along with his toughness. Took it to OPRF off the bounce several times for difficult scores. Also got to the line on his way to 14 points. [player_tooltip player_id="996070" first="Paxton" last="Warden"] continues to be productive each game. The sleeper 2022 wing has a nice combination of grit and skill. Put backs, threes, gets to the line. Does whatever his team needs. He had 15 points.   Rock Island LOADED at Guard Spot The depth that Rock Island possesses in their backcourt is a thing to behold. They have four guards that are ranked in either the 2021 class or 2022 class. It all starts with their senior leader and Illinois-Springfield commit [player_tooltip player_id="920962" first="Jordan" last="Rice"]. The quick and dynamic lead guard is an excellent distributor that passes with flair. Can also get hot shooting it as well which he did in this game connecting on four from beyond the arc in the first half en route to 15 points. Their 2022 trio of guards also played well. We came away extremely impressed with the effort out of 6’5” shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id="863612" first="Marieon" last="Anderson"]. He has grown and gotten stronger since we last saw him. In your face defense making every shot Talton took all night difficult. Offensively he finished inside with power on drives and converting junk points. Rebounds very well for a guard. He had 16 points. Point guard [player_tooltip player_id="863615" first="Amarion" last="Nimmers"] is a quick and shifty lead guard that brings athleticism to the position. Pushed in transition for himself and others. Scored late racking up 14 points, but it was more the way he managed the game that stood out to us. [player_tooltip player_id="996067" first="Elijah" last="Reese"] is the third of the 2022 trio. He only scored 6 points but displayed two way ability in this one.   Top 15 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="996059" first="Jeremiah" last="Talton"] Shows Out in Loss Despite the loss Quincy 2022 small forward [player_tooltip player_id="996059" first="Jeremiah" last="Talton"] did nothing in this game to hurt his stock. Currently checks in at #11 overall in the PHI 2022 rankings. At 6’6” he has a long and lanky frame with projectability. He is a player that at times has been streaky, but he brought his A game against a defense that was geared to stop him. Rock Island had Anderson face guarding him and playing very physical. Talton drained a couple of early feathery triples to get his night started including a slick step back. That opened up his driving game where he took his defender off the bounce on multiple occasions for scores or fouls. As the game went on the jumper started to fall again with a contested mid-range shot, three, and baseline 15 footer. Love the potential defensively with his length. Blocked a shot, had a couple steals, and a few more deflections. Went for 24 points in the game. Low-majors and mid-majors should be monitoring him going into the spring.   First look at the Kenwood Show Four games in one week and Kenwood has been opening eyes with their spectacular numbers. We took a look their film from their Friday night game against Perspectives. The 2023 trio went off again just as they did all week. All three prospects are ranked inside the top 10 overall. [player_tooltip player_id="939077" first="Javonte" last="Taylor"] is the #1 prospect in the class. He is a face up four that is an elite sniper from the perimeter. Takes and makes contested threes and deep ones. The ultimate bad shot, bad shot, good play guy as he makes difficult shots on a regular basis. Free and quick release both off the catch and creating on his own. Also excels in the open floor throwing down dunks and rim running. Has some passing flair as well. Went for 38 points in the 100-49 win. Kenwood point guard [player_tooltip player_id="939050" first="Darrin" last="Ames"] is a quick lead guard that changes directions on a dime. Slick handles through traffic and is a sound perimeter shooter as well knocking down several threes. Pushes well in traffic getting his team out and running. Went for 15 points and 4 dimes. [player_tooltip player_id="939069" first="Davius" last="Loury"] is a transfer from Simeon that continues to see his stock rise. Strong bodied power forward that mauls on the glass and has the ability to take it off the defensive boards pushing it down the floor on his own. Plays with a lot of physicality around the hoop and off the bounce. Gets to the line at a high rate. Finishes through contact and plays with such a high-motor. He had 18 points and 12 rebounds.