Chi-Town Tip-Off Opening Night Standouts

Evan Flood

April 16, 2021 @ 10:08 PM

Which prospects stood out on opening night of the Prep Hoops Chi-Town Tip-Off?   [player_tooltip player_id="1029759" first="Jalen" last="Carlino"] - 2022 - PG - D.F. Elite Carlino is a terrific shot maker off the dribble. He looks really good going to his left and either stopping on a dime or creating space with a step-back dribble. Carlino is just extremely smooth with the basketball and reacts very quickly in traffic. The Kenosha Bradford standout can also make plays for others. He gets downhill and is an excellent dribble-drive threat. Carlino also surveys the floor well and can skip passes over the top to shooters. Carlino has the ball on a string and works really well in the pick n’ roll. He can also bail out bad offensive possessions with his long-range shooting ability, able to extend well past the arc. Carlino scored or assisted on nine-straight points for D.F. Elite down the stretch, but they couldn’t finish off a late rally. Carlino had a team-high 17 points and four assists in a low-scoring affair. [player_tooltip player_id="1089723" first="Dustin" last="Derousseau"] - 2022 - PG - Wisconsin Playmakers South Showcase May not always score a ton of points, but Derousseau is very basketball savvy. Just like his overall feel for the game and willingness to make the right basketball play. It’s evident he’s not out there to score points. Derousseau will turn down good shots for great ones. At 6-foot-3, he’s got excellent positional size for the Division 3 level. Derousseau is quick with the ball in his hands and can make something happen off the dribble when the offense is stalling. He’s also a hard worker defensively, a prospect that will fly around and try and make things happen. In a game that was very frenetic and out of control at times, thought Derousseau was noticeably poised and stayed within himself. [player_tooltip player_id="1173330" first="Ashton" last="Ferry"] - 2023 - SG - Wisconsin Academy Ferry is quick on the attack. He wastes no time after the catch, planting, and hitting gaps. Ferry knifed his way to the bucket with limited dribbles and got off to a fast start against All-In Athletics Friday night. When he can’t get all the way to the cup, Ferry does a great job of drawing contact and forcing the official to make a call. Ferry would end up scoring 14 of his team’s 23 points in the first half. The 6-foot guard also did some nice things defensively. He was very active in help situations, never glued to his man and coming to his teammates’ aid when needed. Showing the ability to finish with either hand and mix in a floater in traffic, Ferry finished with a game-high 20 points in a win over All-In Athletics. [player_tooltip player_id="1170559" first="Caiden" last="Lecce"] - 2022 - G - D.F. Elite One of the biggest stock risers of the spring thus far, Lecce had another strong outing during Friday’s win over Epic Hoopz. Lecce can score around the rim and pairs it with in-the-gym range as a shooter. A crafty guard with excellent touch, Lecce can float in off-balance buckets. The lefty plays fast, but never in a hurry. Lecce is undersized, but knows how to shield off defenders and release the ball away from his body. He’s one of those guys you hate guarding, because he’s constantly moving. On the ball, he’s difficult to stay in front of, playing low to the ground and using a tight handle. Lecce finished with 11 points in Friday’s loss. [player_tooltip player_id="1170541" first="A.C." last="Strok"] - 2023 - SG - Wisconsin Academy Strok has a really polished mid-range game. At 6-foot-4, Strok can get to his spots and uses some added length to finish against good shot contests. The New Glarus product came on strong in the second half, scoring 14 of his 16 points. Really liked Strok in Academy’s weave action where he can get to his right hand with a defender on his hip and pull-up from 10-14 feet. Strok suffered through some cold spells, but also liked his willingness to manufacture points on the offensive glass.