Chitown Showcase: Top Upperclassmen

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Xposure Runs hosted an Invite only open run <strong>Chitown Showcase </strong>for some of Chicago's top prospects on Sunday. This event was held in the beautifully lit West Loop Roof Top Basketball court. An event space that has hosted some premiere events over the past year. Here is a look at the top upperclassmen players who played well at the event!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>RJ McKinney Simeon Jr.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the events MVP RJ was all over the place. The Simeon guard was very consistent.&nbsp; He finished plays at the rim off strong drives and knocked down a few shots from three. On defense he rebounded well and was able to get his hands on a few steals. McKinnie never seems to turn it off during play and that's why he was awarded MVP of the event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1562176' first='Jeremy' last='Fears'] Joliet West Sr.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top prospect in the state's 2023 class was in rare form Sunday. He proved to be every bit of a passer and scoring threat whenever he touched the ball. Coming into the event most knew how good Jeremy is as a player what we didn't know was how much better his vertical has gotten. Fears had some flashy dunks in the event that got the crowd hyped.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='939076' first='Xavier' last='Sulaiman'] Oak Lawn Sr.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As one of the top uncommitted seniors in the state Sulaiman thrives in these open runs. He is always at his best in the open court exciting the crowd with amazing dunks. An aspect of his game that he has improved is his court vision.&nbsp; Xavier made some spot on passes to his teammates for easy buckets. He is poised to have a successful senior year&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1048321' first='Joshua' last='Thomas'] Evanston Sr. </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the players who also stood out was Thomas. He seemed to be playing on pogo sticks because he was so bouncy. Thomas seemed to catch every lob at the rim. His game is starting to become well rounded as he also showed he can make a shot or two. He is another uncommitted prospect that will have a big season if continues to stay on course.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1048305' first='Wesley' last='Rubin'] Simeon Sr.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rubin had a stretch in the run where he could do no wrong. He had strong drives to the rim finishing with nice dunks and layups in the process.&nbsp; Wesley was also able to showcase his ball skills in the open court weaving around players in the process.&nbsp; With his perimeter skills improving we should see a versatile Rubin this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='989270' first='Richard' last='Barron'] St. Ignatius Sr.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Barron is similar to a freight train when attacking the rim. Most of the players see him coming and they move out of the way. Richard also shot the ball really well showing good range and shot selection.&nbsp; He looks to be an&nbsp;all stater again this season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1215286' first='Prince' last='Adams'] Evanston Sr.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Adams had some strong plays around the rim. He is an excellent rebounder and shot blocker. But Prince showed he has been working on his footwork around the rim. He made several moves out of the post that caught the crowds attention. Coaches will be on him heavy around the holiday tournaments.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1048379' first='Kyle' last='Olagbegi'] Lincoln Way East&nbsp; Sr.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kyle is another stronger forward that has perimeter and post skills. Olagbegi's game isn't suited for open runs but he made things work because he plays hard on both ends of the court. I was very surprised at how well he can beat players off the dribble for his size. Kyle is a relentless rebounding forward that has the capability to play on the wing at the next level.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='939057' first='Dalen' last='Davis'] Whitney Young&nbsp; Sr&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Davis let his passing and defense shine during the Chitown Showcase. He had the crowd excited to see his playmaking ability with needle threading bounce passes as well as lobs in transition. Dalen recently committed to Princeton and is known for being a scoring guard at times. Definitely showed how good of a distributer he is. I like that Davis guarded opposing players full court most of the time showing that he is willing to force guys to make turnovers with great ball pressure.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1295570' first='Austin' last='Kulig'] Andrew Sr.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kulig has been a player that I've been watching closely since his emergence at out PH 250 camp last month. He's another player that can play in an open run setting and not get lost. Austin does a good job of finding space on the court to make shots from three. In the showcase he was able to get a few dunks on fastbreaks because he runs the lanes well at 6'8. Should have a breakout senior campaign with tons of D2 looks before it's all done.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='939078' first='Bryce' last='Tillery'] Hilcrest Sr.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tillery has been a staple of the Xposure Runs since the pandemic. He is always a gritty on ball defender that changes the game with his defense.&nbsp; On offense he did a great job of facilitating early to teammates and in the later games he became more of a scorer mixing in floaters and pull up jump shots. Tillery has always been an underrated guard that can change the pace of any game. He had a solid showing at the showcase.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1048324' first='Daniel' last='Johnson'] Whitney Young Sr.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson looked strong running on the wing scoring a lot in transition.&nbsp; He had several dunks in play with most of his passes coming from high school teammate [player_tooltip player_id='939057' first='Dalen' last='Davis']. Daniel is a bigger wing player that has the tools to be a 3 and D type of player at the next level. Look for his recruiting to go up a notch during the high school season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->