Grit Region Finals: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook

The Prep Hoops Grit Region Finals continued on Saturday in Indianapolis. We took in the action from Fishers High School. Here are the 17U games we caught in Grit Region Finals: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook!   St. Louis Cobras Guard Drops 37 Points vs Illinois Storm The St. Louis Cobras knocked off Illinois Storm in a fun opening game of the day. The story was Tre Bell. The St. Louis Cobras star went for 37 points. He was magnificent scoring in every way imaginable. Deep threes, transition, pull ups, and was so good at finishing at the rack around defenders. The Parkway West wing was in a zone on Saturday morning. Adrian Lee is a 6’5” power forward from Liberty High School in Missouri. Good size at 6’5” along with athleticism and defensive capabilities. Illinois Storm was pushed by their guard play. Anthony Munson is a 5’11” point guard from Lockport that was a sound shooter from three off his own creation and crafty finishing around the hoop for 15 points. Deon Bomar (Hinsdale South), Julius Smith (Lockport), and TJ Griffin (Stagg) are three other small college senior guards to track.   3-0 Day for M14 Advancing to Elite 8 Very successful day for M14 as they reached the final 8 in the 17U bracket by going 3-0 recording wins over Indiana Red Storm, Titans Elite, and South Cook Jaguars. A variety of their prospects had their moments. Marmion Academy shooting guard Sean Kavanaugh drained several huge shots throughout the day. Plus plus shooter off the catch that moves well without the ball. Oswego East power wing Patrick Robinson had some clutch buckets as well. Big bodied physical slasher that gets downhill through contact and hit a few threes. Naperville Central combo guard Jonah Hinton is primed for a major jump in the rankings after his play over the last month. Fluid guard that gets where he wants with his smooth handles, sets up teammates, and was really good with his pull up shot. Oswego East point guard Devon Oregon is the unsung player of this group. The slender guard makes sound passes and allows everyone to fit in their roles.   Mid Mo Elite Passes and Shoots It at High Level Mid Mo Elite out of Missouri was very impressive in the two games we caught. They are led by Luke Northweather inside. The Blair Oaks 6’9” five man has legit size and skill around the hoop. Mobile and soft touch in the paint. Runs the floor and is a good passer. That works well with his running mates as they can shoot it at a high level. Qunin Kusgen is also from Blair Oaks and was the most consistent of the sharp shooters. Moves well without the ball to get open for shots. Lee Veslues and Nate Brandt also drained a ton of shots on the day. Fun group to watch as they share the ball and get better looks for each other.   South Cook Jaguars Have Strong Day The Jaguars reached the Sweet 16 in the 17U bracket where they fell to M14. Mt. Carmel’s 2023 point guard DeAndre Craig stock keeps going up and up every time he hits the floor. Tough guard that just gets the job done. He was fantastic off the bounce getting downhill where he was often fouled. Also shot it at a better clip than we had previously seen. Unsigned senior AJ Williams went for 19 points against Hoop Phi. Well built off guard that had a nice looking jumper. Their forwards from Whitney Young Matt Somerville and Kanye Smith each had their moments. Somerville is a good sized small forward that excels in transition along with quick slashes from the perimeter. Kanye Smith has played more consistently and with a better motor over the last month. The long and athletic four man rebounded pretty well and showed versatility on the defensive end.   Hoop Phi Athletic Trio We got a look at an interesting trio of prospects from Hoop Phi. The St. Louis based program had two prospects from Missouri that are reclassifying to 2022 that presented upside. Omar Henry is a 6’7” power forward that is from Normandy. Strong and athletic four man that threw down some monster dunks. Slashed it with force on his way to 19 points. Cole Farrell is another superior athlete that is explosive off the bounce and in the open floor. Also hit a few tough jumpers for 19 points. Lynoel Hodges is a 6’7” power forward from TF South in the south suburbs. Projectable four that rebounds, can hit a baseline jumper, and had a nice hook shot.   IE Blaze Inside and Outside Duo Blaze Select moved to the Elite 8 with a strong day. Two prospects on their squad really stand out. Marco Fitch is a shooting guard that has a crisp game and silky smooth shot from deep. Went for 15 points in their win over Sports Prep. JQ Roberts is a bouncy 2023 four man that has a ton of upside. Quickness around the hoop and on the offensive glass were his calling cards. Can face up and do some damage as well off the dribble. Mid-major plus talent with high-major upside.   Hoops 4 Health Knocks Off Next Generation in In-State Clash It was a nice win for Hoops 4 Health over Next Generation in playoff action. DePaul Prep combo guard Julian Green looks prime to have a breakout year in the Catholic League. Lefty is a creative ball handler that has a crisp jumper that he hit from three and mid-range for 16 points. Karlo Colak from New Trier is a skilled scorer with size that has a lethal three point game, but is more than just a shooter. Niles Notre Dame power forward Sherod Dent is a big bodied power that showcased his ability to stretch the floor. Next Generation got a boost from unsigned senior Amarion Molette from Plainfield South. The 6’3” wing was excellent at bullying his way to the hoop using his strength and crisp handles. Homewood Flossmoor 2022 combo guard Luis Acevedo has had a strong last month back to the high school live periods. Strong ball handler that wins off the bounce for scores and finishes well in the paint. He had 13 points.   Kessel Heat Quartet Defeat DV45 in Front of Pair of NBA Players It was a compete effort for Kessel Heat in a win over DV45 where they were watched by current NBA and former Michigan State players Denzel Valentine and Gary Harris. Zion Benton shooting guard Kenneth Hayes stock is soaring over the last few weeks with Kessel Heat. Athletic two guard that can defend all three perimeter positions and offensively the rangy wing is so good putting it on the deck and maneuvering the ball where he needs to at the rim. Also hit a pair of threes for 19 points. His high school teammate Mark Williams is a plus rebounder and good defender. Lake Forest Academy shooting guard Darius Duff is a smooth scorer that can get buckets from all three levels as he showed in a 20 point outing. Matthew Volkening from Marengo is fitting in nicely with this Kessel Heat squad. Skilled shooter notched 19 points while making several nice defensive plays. For DV45 they got 18 points from Gerald Crawford. Power wing that can also be an undersized post. He did the majority of his damage in the paint and in transition. Nick Ellis is a center that dropped 15 points running the floor and hitting the offensive glass.   Defense and Shooting Prevail for Illinois Attack over NEBC Illinois Attack put on an absolute show against NEBC. They were led by John Riva who notched 15 points. The lefty two guard is a plus shooter that drained an array of threes and showed grit as well. Class of 2023 combo guard Josh Farmer was a force on the defensive end. The scrappy guard from Metea Valley recorded several steals and turned them into points. Mason Delaney (Plainfield North) and Charlie Nosek (Metea Valley) each had solid games as well contributing to the victory. For NEBC it was all about their big man Declan Ryan. The 2023 wide bodied post used his size and touch around the hoop for 18 points.   Guards Go Back and Forth in RISE vs M&M Playoff Game RISE and M&M Boyz had a fun contest on Saturday evening. RISE got a monster 26 point outing from Chaz Harvey. Athletic prospect from Brooks that is headed to Don Bosco Prep next season. He was dynamic scoring from all three levels. Spinning layups, scoop shots, mid-range jumpers, and threes. Did it all. De La Salle point guard Jalen Brown is a smooth shooter that let it fly with confidence for 13 points. Fellow Meteors rising senior post Caleb Jenkins rebounded well in his area, swatted shots, and even hit a pair of threes in the win. M&M from Michigan gave them everything they had especially Aidan Lambert. The combo guard was a human bucket getter on Saturday. He dropped 25 points with his relentless nature getting to the hoop over and over against for acrobatic finishes. One of the best drivers we have seen in July.   Pair of Physical Upside Prospects Lead Grind Family Chicago to W over Chicago Lockdown Richards unsigned senior Anthony Taylor is a long and rangy 6’6” combo forward that would be an excellent late addition to a small college or JUCO. He put it on the deck and was a great finisher in transition. Brooks 2022 five man Kyle McElroy is an athletic shot blocking presence that rebounded well in his area and flashed offensively with a mid-range jumper, but is still pretty raw. Sebastian Blachut is an athletic 6’2” combo guard that threw down a huge baseline dunk along with several other acrobatic finishes. St. Francis combo guard Sebastian Miller got points in the paint and in the mid-range. Mt. Carmel power forward Elijah Jointer is a broad shouldered post that rebounds very well in his area.