3 Takeaways: Monday Night Storylines

<p>Monday night Prep Hoops Illinois took in a pair of contests from opposite ends of the state.  First was Metro East Lutheran vs East Alton Wood River followed by Marmion Academy vs Montini.  What did we learn?  See in our <strong>3 Takeaways: Monday Night Storylines!</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Unsigned 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="652790" first="AJ" last="Smith"] Dominant Performance</strong></p> <p>Big and athletic 2021 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id="652790" first="AJ" last="Smith"] from Metro East Lutheran absolutely put on a clinic in the first half against East Alton Wood River.  The strong bodied Smith took it at the defense over and over again for transition scores along with powerful straight line takes.  Has some niftiness around the hoop as well being able to maneuver his body.  Finishes so well through contact.  Also knocked down a corner three and got on the offensive glass for second chance points.  He had 22 of his game high 32 points in the first half along with 15 rebounds.  The younger brother of Mizzou guard Mark Smith still remains uncommitted.  His teammate 2022 center [player_tooltip player_id="863610" first="Damarkus" last="Bean"] is an interesting prospect.  The lefty has a long and athletic build.  Moves well running the floor with ease.  The lefty had a nice hook shot and flashed feel around the hoop.  Also handled it once going coast to coast for an and-1.  Shot blocking presence and quality rebounder.  Still refining his game, but has a chance.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Shooters All over Floor for Marmion Academy</strong></p> <p>Marmion Academy rained tons of threes ruining Montini’s senior night picking up a 73-58 win.  They were paced by a trio of snipers making three after three.  Let’s go in order of class.  Senior <strong>Nick Reid</strong> is a thick bodied two guard that knocked in three triples along with a scoop shot for 14 points.  Class of 2022 <strong>Sean Kavanaugh</strong> put himself on our radar with a strong performance.  The 6’2” junior is a crafty player that knows how to get open and has a quick release netting 22 points on threes and crisp pull ups.  Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1048322" first="Collin" last="Wainscott"] we have known for a while can stroke it from three.  Did just that hitting an array of them while mixing in some step backs and runners for 26 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Stokes Shows Potential</strong></p> <p>Montini 2022 6’4” wing [player_tooltip player_id="925191" first="Andrew" last="Stokes"] is a prospect that will be one to watch this summer to see if his game takes that next step.  There are a lot of intriguing tools with his frame, athleticism, and skill potential.  Showed some of that off with clean looking jumpers and got to the rack with consistency in the second half.  Good first step where he glides by his man.  Also has two way potential with a couple swats and seems to has a nose for the ball as he is willing to dive after loose balls.  Went for 24 points in the loss.</p>