5 Takeaways: HoopHall Central

<p>PHI checked out games from Hoop Hall Central in South Dakota on Friday night featuring two of the premier Illinois programs.  We took in Simeon vs Minneapolis North and Kenwood vs Sunrise Christian.  Also caught quite a bit of the Totino Grace vs Corona Centennial clash.  Here are our <strong>5 Takeaways: HoopHall Central</strong>!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1048305" first="Wesley" last="Rubin"] Shines Solo on Friday</strong></p> <p>There was just one Rubin twin for the Wolverines and that was enough in Simeon’s 48-47 victory over Minneapolis North.  [player_tooltip player_id="1048305" first="Wesley" last="Rubin"] held things down inside with his brother Miles being out.  Wes is one of the most skilled posts in the class of 2023 in Illinois.  He consistently finished inside through contact, converted dump offs, nifty reverse layups, and rim ran for points.  Also is an excellent passer and proved he can dominate the glass.  Went for 15 points and 12 rebounds.  Look for him to make a move up the rankings mid-season as he looks every bit a mid-major prospect!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Wolverines Backcourt Step Up When Needed</strong></p> <p>Limited bench for Simeon in their win, but it was the Jaylen and Jalen Show!  [player_tooltip player_id="771517" first="Jaylen" last="Drane"] is one of the top uncommitted 2022 prospects in the state of Illinois.  Early on he was sharing the rock getting Rubin and his other teammates involved with his passing after drawing defenders on dribble penetration.  Slender guard has a burst getting to the rack and made some key buckets in the lane for scores en route to 9 points.  Low-majors should get involved here.  [player_tooltip player_id="939059" first="Jalen" last="Griffith"] is a 2023 point guard who brings tremendous quickness off the bounce and gets in the paint with consistency where in this game he made a reverse layup, runner, and-1, and a pull up.  Also drained two key free throws late in the win scoring 14 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Standouts in Totino Grace vs Corona Centennial</strong></p> <p>We saw first half of this Minnesota vs California match up.  Jared McCain jumped off the floor to us.  The 2023 combo guard was fantastic dishing the rock in both the half court and in transition.  Made sound decisions and worked well around ball screens.  Clean looking jump shot from mid-range and three.  Not a freak athlete, but the efficient scorer and savvy guard showed why blue bloods are coming after him.  Iowa State commit [player_tooltip player_id="958638" first="Demarion" last="Watson"] is a strong and athletic wing that brings pop above the rim and can hit open looks from deep.  Potential to be a nice defender at the next level.  The other Totino Grace (MN) prospect that we liked was [player_tooltip player_id="962203" first="Tommy" last="Humphries"].  The 2023 wing has a good build being able to get north and south.  Decent shooter.  Bright future. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Pettigrew Shines for Kenwood in Loss to National Power</strong></p> <p>When this game was scheduled Kenwood thought they would have the top two juniors in Illinois in Taylor and Ames.  One is out in Cali and Ames got injured at the end of Kenwood’s game on Thursday so they were without the potential top prospect in the 2023 class.  It looked like they were going to get routed early, but they settled down and [player_tooltip player_id="1210369" first="Trey" last="Pettigrew"] got it going from the perimeter.  The Nevada commit took the initiative to be the go to scorer and playmaker for Kenwood as he hit four triples creating his own shot for 16 points.  There were some glimpses from top 5 in-state junior [player_tooltip player_id="939069" first="Davius" last="Loury"] as he rebounded pretty well and had a nice baseline take finishing with 9 points and 7 rebounds.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Mitchell Leads Way for Sunrise Christian</strong></p> <p>Recent Duke commit Mark Mtichell was super impressive against Kenwood in their 56-34 win.  Long and lanky combo forward went to work scoring 15 points.  Works well from 15 feet and in making super quick moves around the hoop.  Really good at putting it on the deck and maneuvering around the hoop finishing around defenders.  Passes well and is a versatile defender.  Layden Blocker is a 2023 combo guard that drained an array of threes in the win along with getting loose in transition for 14 points.    </p>