Show Me Showdown: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook

Prep Hoops Show Me Showdown continued on Saturday with another fun day of hoops. We examine what went down in Show Me Showdown: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook!   Team 1848 17U Brings Heat to STL Against Rush Academy We kicked of the day with Team 1848’s 62-38 win over Rush Academy at the 17U level. The Wisconsin based 1848 has been a strong group all spring and continued to show that on Saturday. [player_tooltip player_id="1289011" first="AJ" last="Lieuwen"] is a point guard that made big shots all game long with threes, turn around jumpers, and an array of layups for 16 points. [player_tooltip player_id="1043749" first="Emmett" last="Lawton"] also was right there as his running mate in the backcourt as he hit several threes off the catch and a smooth pull up game to go with it. He netted 16 points. Overall this group shared the ball, played excellent team defense, and cut without the ball better than any team we saw all day. Rush Academy was led by [player_tooltip player_id="1165298" first="Tracy" last="Harris"] with 8 points as he hit a couple of threes early on.   JH1 Indy Elite 17U Scores Narrow Victory over Illinois T-Wolves to Open Day This was a close contest between a pair of quality Midwest squads that JH1 Indy Elite won 60-56. Josh Williams led the way with his athleticism off the bounce. Got to the line and had a nice pull up game for 11 points. Their other go to player Ian Stephens had 14 points including several threes and got on the offensive glass. Lincoln Way East 2023 small forward [player_tooltip player_id="1048379" first="Kyle" last="Olagbegi"] has had an outstanding spring. Strong wing that seals his man on the block. Rebounds well for a wing. Plays with physicality around the hoop finishing dump off passes and was a plus defender. He had 16 points getting to the rim.   Sky Ice Elite 17U Tops Illinois Basketball Club in Central IL Clash It was a nice 60-53 victory for Sky Ice Elite 17U on Saturday against Illinois Basketball Club. Two players jumped off the floor to us for Sky Ice Elite in Jabryn Anderson and Nicholas Cunningham. Both guards from Decatur MacArthur. Anderson has good size and length as a lefty guard. He can slash with the best of them showing burst getting in the lane as he had 13 points. Cunningham topped him with 18 points in the win as he also was a jet attacking downhill with his quickness off the bounce for scores. Continue to like what we see from Champaign Centennial 2023 forward Sathvik Thatikonda. He is a bit undersized, but he plays with such a tremendous motor and is so efficient around the hoop as he had 12 points. Jackson Adkins again chipped in with 12 points as well.   Gateway UA 16U Flexes Against Illinois Bears Shubert This once wasn’t really ever close as Gateway played at a super high level winning over the Illinois Bears 70-41. Andre Aaron of Vashon had an epic performance with 19 points including five triples. The southpaw loved to let it rip from deep as he hit an array of them including several heat checks. His fellow Vashon teammate in 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1428009" first="Jordyn" last="Richard"] also caught our attention. Strong wing that has a nice frame and elevated right in front of us a pair of times for easy threes with a sweet stroke.   ET21 Buckeyes 16U Guards Dominate in W Over Team EVOL The Chicago battle went to ET21 Buckeyes as they were pushed by their point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1436161" first="Cale" last="Cosme"]. The Brother Rice lead guard is one of the most fun players to watch in the Illinois 2024 class because of his playmaking as a passer setting his teammates up in perfect spots to do damage while also scoring when he needs to like in this one hitting four triples and pushing off steals for 22 points. [player_tooltip player_id="1428948" first="Ryan" last="Runaas"] of Mt. Carmel is a combo guard that has emerged this spring. Slithery ball handler that gets in and out of creases for layups at the rim and makes difficult layups as he had 15 points in the 76-45 win. Saw more out of Santana Flowers on the offensive end in this one as the Bloom 6’4” 2024 wing had 12 points. Projectable prospect showed well early with a couple of create drives in traffic, dunk, and a three.   Big Time Post Makes Name in 2023 One name that popped off the floor to us on Saturday was 2023 power forward Brandenn Robinson. The 6’6” power forward is an explosive rebounder that snatches them out of the air with authority. He also finishes above the rim with monster dunks and runs the floor hard. Upside four man from Springfield High School to track. Also on his Big Time team were a pair of Williamsville players that caught our attention in sharp shooter Tyler Beck and 6’8” center Jacob Finley who will be a great combo during the high school season.   Illini Magic Battle St. Louis Tigers We saw the Illini Magic lose a heart breaker earlier in the day. Peyton Cook was the Illini Magic’s top performer throughout the day. The Lincoln 6’6” small forward has excellent size and athleticism on the perimeter projecting toward the next level. Clean shot that he made pulling up and from three throughout the day although he was a bit streaky at times with it. Would like to see him put it on the deck more using his tremendous physical gifts. [player_tooltip player_id="1467212" first="Josh" last="Jones"] is another wing that emerged in the spring as the 6’6” Glenwood small forward is a well-rounded wing that cuts away from the ball and is nifty finishing at the cup. St. Louis Tigers standout was Duchesne combo guard [player_tooltip player_id="1443778" first="Ethan" last="Kissell"]. He was a fun player to watch with how he got his shots off from difficult angles and was adept converting scoop shots and floaters. Everything he did was precise and with a purpose.   Illinois Bears Parr 17U Takes Care of Business vs I AM 3 Prospects As always it was a collective effort by the Illinois Bears Parr 17U squad as they secured a 55-46 win over I AM 3 Prospects. Carterville combo guard [player_tooltip player_id="1113525" first="Caden" last="Hawkins"] continues to bring it each and every outing this spring. He has gotten stronger, grown, and become a much better all-around player. Playmaking skills along with his lethal jump shot led to 17 points. Cobden four man Tyler Franklin has also made strides this spring as the Appleknockers power forward is a stretch threat off the catch while being able to finish on rips going baseline like he did in this one. Gritty rebounder and competes defensively. He scored 11 points. Highland point guard [player_tooltip player_id="939049" first="Cade" last="Altadonna"] has long been a small college favorite of ours. The thick bodied lefty is a crafty scorer that uses his strength to finish through defenders and get to the line as he had 10 points. Mason Belcher is a 2022 6’6” point forward who played on the ball quite a bit of the time making plays for others along with hunting his shot where he was lethal from distance especially when moving to get open as he had 26 points including five from beyond the arc.   Illinois T-Wolves 16U Closes Out Day with Impressive Win over ET21 Buckeyes The Illinois T-Wolves finished the night strong with a 51-40 victory against ET21. [player_tooltip player_id="1437017" first="Ehi" last="Ogbomo"] from Plainfield East was fighting through an ankle injury that would eventually cause him to leave the game, but when he was in there he was masterful. The 6’0” 2024 guard drained a plethora of 15-18 foot pull ups with ease and pushed with his bounce in the open floor for 13 points all in the first half. After the injury they got several wings to step up including Michael Smith from Joliet West who dropped 19 points being relentless attacking the cup on straight line takes while also nailing a trio of triples. Antonio Zabala and Jaeshawn Brown also made several key plays to secure the win.   Quick Hitters Evan Orr (Southern Illinois Storm 16U) is a wide bodied five man that showed flashes early in their game against Team Iowa Blue. He had a nice looking hook shot and rebounded well in his area. [player_tooltip player_id="1177351" first="Colin" last="Vieth"] (E2E 17U) shined against Big Time in an 82-66 win. Athletic two guard that was all over the offensive glass, defended at a high level, and was a capable shooter.