Ridgewood Shootout Takeaways

On Sunday PHI took in the Ridgewood Shootout which is always a must attend early season event. This year had the best group of prospects, teams, and crowd in its history. We break it all down in Ridgewood Shootout Takeaways!   Small College Prospects for Maine South In the first game of the event we saw Maine South pick up the win behind the play of a pair of small college prospects. [player_tooltip player_id="1295643" first="Julian" last="Triffo"] is a 2022 6’7” power forward that was excellent scoring on crafty moves around the hoop and passing it well. Also an effective rebounder in his area that went for 14 points and 11 rebounds. Their 2023 6’0” two guard Kaden Karstens also caught our attention with his catch and shoot ability along with overall toughness netting 13 points.   Potential for St. Viator in Backcourt St. Viator has several upperclassmen guards that are potential college prospects in the 2023 class. [player_tooltip player_id="1295536" first="Hunter" last="Duncan"] struggled in the first half but the flashy lead guard got it going in the second half changing gears and making slick plays off the bounce. Sometimes tries to make plays too difficult. Went for 13 points. [player_tooltip player_id="1215317" first="Eli" last="Aldana"] is a point guard that knocked in a pair of threes off the catch en route to 6 points.   Trio of Seniors D3/NAIA Gems for Taft Taft looked impressive in their win over Ridgewood. In the first half it was Michael Dempsey that caught our eye. The 6’1” 2022 point guard has a good feel for the game reading the defense and exploiting mismatches with his passing and driving. Crisp ball handler and capable three point shooter went for 10 points. His running mate in the backcourt is [player_tooltip player_id="1276176" first="Gideon" last="Adewole"]. The Taft two guard has a nice frame and athletic pop which was shown as he threw down a big dunk. Handles it off the bounce and in transition. Hit a three, but is a bit of a streaky shooter going for 7 points. In the second half it was [player_tooltip player_id="1049055" first="Joseph" last="Rodriguez"] who went to work on the block. Big bodied undersized post that understands positioning and mauls on the offensive glass. Finished with 16 points. All three should find homes at the small college level.   Jocic Veteran Leader for Young Ridgewood Squad Host Ridgewood did a tremendous job putting this event on. Head Coach Chris Mroz has a young squad with several prospects to keep an eye on down the line. Their veteran presence was [player_tooltip player_id="1295520" first="Nikola" last="Jocic"] who ran the show from the point. The 2023 guard is a crisp passer that makes sound decisions with the ball. Glenbard West’s Depth and Star Power Shines Through in First Test of Season The Fab 5 showed up and showed out in their narrow win against Glenbrook South. Gonzaga commit [player_tooltip player_id="925183" first="Braden" last="Huff"] looked the part of a blue blood prospect in stretches displaying his advanced skilled game at 6’11”. He can shoot it from three and put it on the deck from the mid-post as he had 16 points. The lone unsigned prospect among the starters [player_tooltip player_id="996070" first="Paxton" last="Warden"] made a statement with a strong performance draining an array of triples and crashing the glass for 20 points. Look for him to be a nice find a home at the small college level. Like what we saw from [player_tooltip player_id="863598" first="Bobby" last="Durkin"] in this game. He got out in transition, used his length in the pressure D, and drained a three for 7 points. The other Army West point commit [player_tooltip player_id="1106936" first="Ryan" last="Renfro"] was tough and physical as always in the paint sealing and using a lefty hook shot for 6 points.   Glenbrook South 1-2 D1 Punch is the Real Deal The two senior D1 commits for Glenbard South shined in their close loss. Cornell point guard signee [player_tooltip player_id="925190" first="Cooper" last="Noard"] shot it about as well as we have seen anyone all season. He was pulling up from super deep connecting on bomb threes. Finished with 21 points all coming from beyond the arc on seven triples. [player_tooltip player_id="925224" first="Nick" last="Martinelli"] didn’t shoot it as well as he usually does from deep, but got in the lane for his float game and pounded the offensive glass with his quickness en route to 16 points. Martinelli is headed to Elon next year.   Duke Commit Leads Way for Perimeter Oriented Yorkville Christian Yorkville Christian had their high octane offense on full blast against St. Patrick. The main scorers were getting buckets and as always they were led by Duke commit [player_tooltip player_id="863582" first="Jaden" last="Schutt"]. The top prospect in the 2022 class is an elite shot maker with the ability to create on his own, hit off the catch, and move without the ball. Gets elevation on his shot and has athletic pop at the rim. Drained five from beyond the arc. Crisp passing and as always contributed on the glass. Finished with 23 points. His senior running mate [player_tooltip player_id="1210394" first="KJ" last="Vasser"] did what he is best at draining threes off the catch hitting three of them for 14 points. High end small college prospect. Class of 2023 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id="1194341" first="David" last="Douglas"] continues to help his stock game after game. The lanky and slender two guard has really proved to be a consistent shot maker from deep along with using his handles to get in the lane working well in the mid-range as he had 21 points. D2s should track him! [player_tooltip player_id="1157349" first="Jehvion" last="Starwood"] is a sophomore that has significant upside. Angular lefty that has bounce and burst in the open floor including throwing down some dunks for 9 points.   St. Patrick Undersized 2022 Posts Bring Value at Next Level Yorkville Christian took it to St. Pat’s in the first half, but there were some positive signs in the second half for St. Patrick. [player_tooltip player_id="771543" first="Timaris" last="Brown"] is a strong bodied undersized four that struggles shooting it with consistency from deep, but his tenacity in the paint is great. He uses quickness and power to score as he threw down some huge dunks and converted through contact in the paint. Can put it on the deck a couple times from the mid-post. Finished with 22 points and would be worth a look for a D2 program. Bryant Handley had a solid outing. The 6’4” angular four man brings athleticism around the rim finishing difficult shots in the paint for 15 points. Small college post.