Evolution Fall League Week 3 Standouts

<p>The Evolution Hoops fall league continued over the weekend in Kenosha, with a handful of Kenosha and Racine area teams competing. These are seven of the prospects who stood out most in the four games I was able to watch!</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1289113" first="Kaleb" last="Shannon"] (5’11 2023 G, The Prairie School)- </strong>Think Kaleb has a shot to be a breakout player in the Metro Classic Conference this winter, as the junior guard enters his third year at the varsity level. Against a loaded Westosha Central squad, he showed improved touch on his jumper as he was able to pull-up from mid-range and knock down a few contested shots. He’s also a strong athlete able to turn the corner off screens or drive baseline and get to the rack to score. Defensively he’s someone who can move his feet with guards but isn’t afraid to guard bigger players on the wing and use his physicality. Set to step into a much bigger role this season as a junior. </p> <p><strong>MJ Stackhouse (6’6 2024 F, Kenosha Indian Trail)- </strong>MJ has been nothing less than dominant at just about every camp and league he’s played in this fall. The 6’6 sophomore is an explosive athlete who was finishing above the rim with ease, including throwing down a dunk over a defender without even stepping into his jump. That type of athleticism makes him a force at the high school level, but it’s not all he brings to the table. His perimeter game is constantly improving, and he was crossing over into outside jumpers and knocking them down at a high rate. Defensively he has the shot blocking ability of a 6’9+ defender as he has great timing and long arms that allow him to send shots flying all over the court. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1134929" first="Devin" last="Griffin"] (6’ 2022 PG, Westosha Central)- </strong>Even in a backcourt that’s as deep as any in Division 2, [player_tooltip player_id="1134929" first="Devin" last="Griffin"] still managed to standout last weekend. Each year he’s continuously gotten more athletic, and that showed as he threw down a two hand dunk in transition in the first half against Prairie. He continued to be a threat in transition as he weaved in an out of traffic or picked off passes and took them the other way for uncontested lay-ups. In the half-court he has a nice hesitation move that allows him to get by his man, and he does a nice job of hanging in the air to finish some tough looks. He never seems to have an off game with Central as he’s a steady floor general who won’t turn the ball over much and can get all of his teammates involved.</p> <p><strong>Jalani Hudnall (5’11 2022 G, Kenosha Tremper)- </strong>Jalani played a small role at the varsity level last season, and if fall league is any indicator he’ll be a key player for them this winter. He’s a dangerous outside shooter who has some shiftiness with the ball in his hands allowing him to create the space to get off a clean look from deep. His release is quick off the dribble which makes it difficult for defenders to get back and contest him when he’s able to shake them off a bit. With [player_tooltip player_id="1012672" first="Will" last="Starks"] providing a constant threat to get to the rim to finish, Jalani’s perimeter presence compliments him well.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1012672" first="Will" last="Starks"] (6’4 2023 SF, Kenosha Tremper)- </strong>Speaking of [player_tooltip player_id="1012672" first="Will" last="Starks"], he proved difficult for opposing defenders to keep out of the paint on Sunday. Whether it was off the dribble or pulling in offensive boards, Will just found ways to get into dangerous spots around the rim, and even through contact he finished off just about every shot he put up inside. Defensively his work rate makes him a versatile player as he can get up in passing lanes on the wing, but he has the fight and intensity to scrap in the paint against taller opponents. In for a big junior year after averaging 13.3 ppg as a sophomore.</p> <p><strong>Dre Jennings (5’10 2023 G, Kenosha Bradford)- </strong>Don’t have an official height on Dre Jennings so going with an eye-test estimate. The junior guard looks ready to break into a role at the varsity level, and took home a game MVP award with a strong performance last weekend. He has a quick handle to get into his spots, and is dangerous pulling up from mid-range. Hit a handful of jumpers against rivals Kenosha Tremper to help his team to a win in a low-scoring battle.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1170559" first="Caiden" last="Lecce"] (5’11 2022 PG, Kenosha St. Joseph)- </strong>Caiden just seems to produce every time he steps on the floor. He always appears to be a step or two ahead of his defender, and he makes quick decisions to react to whatever his defender does. Utilizes jab steps and shot fakes well to freeze his defender or get him leaning one way before Caiden takes a couple of dribbles in the opposite direction before pulling up. His mid-range shot was falling consistently against Indian Trail, and he also made plays attacking the basket and finding open teammates from the paint.</p>