Under Armour Finals: Wednesday Notebook
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CHICAGO — News and notes from day one of the Under Armour Finals at Wintrust Sports Complex… Playground 17U Grinds Out Win Over Fundamental U Competing in the Invitational Bracket, Wisconsin Playground Club was able to hold off Fundamental U…
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Continue ReadingCHICAGO — News and notes from day one of the Under Armour Finals at Wintrust Sports Complex…
Playground 17U Grinds Out Win Over Fundamental U
Competing in the Invitational Bracket, Wisconsin Playground Club was able to hold off Fundamental U 49-43 in a grind-it-out affair. PGC jumped out to an 8-0 lead and led by 15 points in the first half. From there, it was pretty much a stalemate besides a late spurt from Fundamental U.
Highlights
Cal Klesmit Cal Klesmit 6'2" | CG Neenah | 2023 State #235 Nation WI (Neenah) scored 11 of his game-high 15 points in the first half. Klesmit also dished out four assists in the win. Continuing to show progress since he suffered a torn ACL last fall, Klesmit was particularly good with his pick n’ roll offense. He does such a great job of going shoulder-to-shoulder with the screen, forcing his man to trail and putting the help defender between a rock and a hard place.
Highlights
Another standout was forward William Whorton William Whorton 6'8" | PF Rufus King | 2023 State WI (Milwaukee King). The 6-foot-8 senior contributed seven points, including a late dunk to seal the victory. Whorton also rebounded and protected the rim well, tallying three blocks. A high-upside prospect that’s still just scratching the surface, Whorton flashes some skill and outside shooting ability, but makes his money as an impact player around the rim.
Potential Blow Up Candidate in Pennsylvania
He’s still a baby deer with a lot of room to get better, both physically and skills-wise, but Matt Gilhool Matt Gilhool 6'10" | C Long Island Lutheran | 2024 #254 Nation NY (Westtown, Pa.) has a chance to be an elite forward in the 2024 class.
The 6-foot-10 forward struggled early against KC Run GMC, but showcased some major flashes on Wednesday. Gilhool is a mobile, long, and athletic forward with some scary guard skills. He can take posts off the dribble and score with an exceptional face-up game. Put Gilhool in the pick n’ pop and he can stretch the floor from distance.
Needs work on the little things — hands, post footwork, keeping the ball high, etc. Probably somewhat comparable to Nolan Winter (Lakeville, Minn.) in the 2023 class, but a little more athletic and better guard skills.
Playground 15U Comeback Comes Up Short
Facing an undefeated Canada Elite squad, PGC dug themselves an early hole, trailing by 25-7 at one point in the first quarter. PGC battled back to get within one possesion, but couldn’t get over the hump, falling 62-50 in Wednesday’s opener.
Marquette, Valparaiso, and Kent State were all on hand, seeing point guard Juan Guerrero-Hernandez (Grafton) drop 21 points in his Under Armour debut. A top 10 prospect in the 2025 class, Guerrero-Hernandez was fantastic for large spurts and the one bright spot for PGC during a rough first half. Guerrero-Hernandez has excellent positional size for a point guard at 6-foot-3, long arms, explosive handles, and is an extremely active defender that gets his hands on the ball.
Highlights
Touted center Kai Rogers Kai Rogers 6'10" | C Wauwatosa West | 2025 State #41 Nation WI (Wauwaotsa West) really came on in the second half, finishing with 12 points. Rogers defended the pick n’ roll really well and generated stops at the rim. Thought he caught in traffic and finished against multiple defenders very well, despite getting a ton of attention from the opposition.
Jeremiah Johnson Jeremiah Johnson 6'3" | SG Marquette | 2025 State WI (Marquette) also had a strong second half for PGC to help spark the comeback. His outside shot wasn’t falling. Loved that he stopped settling, attacked the basket, and started creating easy buckets for himself and his teammates.