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Parham Perspective: Holiday Preview Pt 2

Parham Perspective: Holiday Preview Pt 2
Steve Parham
Steve Parham December 25, 2022 @ 09:00 AM
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In this article:

Vincent Davis
Vincent Davis 6'5" | SF | 2023
IL
Will Hamilton
Will Hamilton 6'3" | SF | 2023
IL
Tre Davis
Tre Davis 5'9" | PG | 2023
IL
Tsvet Sotirov
Tsvet Sotirov 6'7" | PF | 2023
IL
Quentin Jones
Quentin Jones 6'4" | SG | 2023
IL
Aaron Brown
Aaron Brown 6'4" | PF | 2023
IL
Austin Kulig
Austin Kulig 6'7" | SF | 2023
IL
Nathan LaPlant
Nathan LaPlant 6'6" | 2023
IL
Matas Castillo
Matas Castillo 5'11" | PG | 2023
IL
Mark Nikolich-Wilson
Mark Nikolich-Wilson 6'7" | C | 2023
IL
Mekhi Lowery
Mekhi Lowery 6'5" | SF | 2023
IL
Meyoh Swansey
Meyoh Swansey 6'3" | SG | 2024
IL
Jaylan McElroy
Jaylan McElroy 6'7" | PF | 2024
IL
Dekwon Brown
Dekwon Brown 6'4" | PG | 2024
IL
Zack Hawkinson
Zack Hawkinson 6'4" | PF | 2023
IL
Jake Hamilton
Jake Hamilton 6'3" | SG | 2023
IL
Troy Cicero
Troy Cicero 6'2" | PG | 2023
IL
Khalil Ross
Khalil Ross 6'6" | SF | 2023
IL
Ahmad Henderson
Ahmad Henderson 5'10" | PG | 2023
IL
Cameron Christie
Cameron Christie 6'4" | SG | 2023
IL
Asa Thomas
Asa Thomas 6'6" | SF | 2023
IL
<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>** Written by Steve Parham</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With most of the early season shootouts over this&nbsp;week we now get prepared for a bevy of Holiday Tournaments across the state. I breakdown some of the top Chicagoland tournaments, teams, and players to catch next week. We look at Proviso West, The Big Dipper, and Pontiac in&nbsp;<strong>Parham's Perspective: Holiday Preview Part 2</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>Hinsdale Central&nbsp;</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Team&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oswego East is a really tough squad who recently dealt with some injuries. Should be back and ready for Hinsdale. East has good guard play and size with this team.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dark Horse&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marian Catholic has a chance at any game with the duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1371065' first='Quentin' last='Jones'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1371074' first='Tre' last='Davis']. Jones athletic slasher and Davis court savvy PG that can score.&nbsp; Could be a scary out for teams.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Player&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1215289' first='Mekhi' last='Lowery'] (Oswego East) is the Swiss army knife on the court. The Towson commit can do many things well and is capable of playing multiple positions. Look for Mekhi to have a good showing over the next four games.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1157352' first='Jaylan' last='McElroy'] (DePaul) is a player that DePaul Prep needs back in the lineup soon. At 6'7 Jaylan is skilled forward who can impact the game on both sides of the ball. He missed early season games due to injuries. Fingers crossed that he's able to make a return at Hinsdale.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Unsigned Senior&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1537995' first='Vincent' last='Davis'] (Homewood Flossmoor) &nbsp;is a tough senior who was under the radar and has a chance to make a name for himself during this tournament.&nbsp; Davis plays with a motor constantly and always seems to be around the ball or able to make a play. Could become a solid D2 pick-up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>Jack Tosh (York HS)</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Team&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rolling Meadows is maybe one of the better teams in the state. They dropped a tough match up a few weeks ago when starter [player_tooltip player_id='1371064' first='Tsvet' last='Sotirov'] went down. But a load front court of Sotitov, Mark Nikolich‐Wilson, and [player_tooltip player_id='939055' first='Cameron' last='Christie']. Could be just all they need to walk into a championship and win.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dark Horse&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lemont has that Castillo brothers and they have been on a roll to start the season. [player_tooltip player_id='1279762' first='Matas' last='Castillo'] and Rokas Catillo have been a favorite duo for me to cover since they were sophomores. Now these two are bringing an undefeated but yet underrated squad to Jack Tosh. And on a good day, these two can give any team a run for their money.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Player&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='939055' first='Cameron' last='Christie'] (Rolling Meadows)&nbsp;&amp; [player_tooltip player_id='989263' first='Asa' last='Thomas'] (Lake Forrest). Both of these guys have committed to high major universities. Both of these players are capable of exploding for 30+ or even 40+ games at York. Both of these players are due for a major high school moment this season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player to watch&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1295570' first='Austin' last='Kulig'] (Andrew) is a very skilled player that we saw at our showcase in the fall. He has had a rather slow start to the season but can easily put it together because he's so talented. Kulig is athletic and can shoot really well at 6'7. He and teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1295502' first='Nathan' last='LaPlant'] are a formidable duo for Andrew. Let's see how Austin asserts himself over the span of 5 days.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Unsigned Senior&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1215298' first='Mark' last='Nikolich-Wilson'] (Rolling Meadows) is maybe one of the better passing bigs in the state since Cam Krutwig left. Mark is a big forward who has slimmed down a little but is still very skilled as a passer and playmaker for his team. He knows the game and would think many D2s should be out trying to catch him this week.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>State Farm Classic</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Team&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sacred Heart Griffin as the defending state champions will get a little taste of some city flavor in Bloomington for the State Farm Holiday Tournament. With all the key players returning [player_tooltip player_id='989267' first='Jake' last='Hamilton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1113521' first='Zack' last='Hawkinson'] are the top guys for this squad with help from guards Bryce Musgrave and [player_tooltip player_id='1476137' first='Will' last='Hamilton'].&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dark Horse&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Romeoville after seeing this team for the first time last week they have some pieces to upset teams out in Bloomington. Guard [player_tooltip player_id='1158757' first='Meyoh' last='Swansey'] is a skilled player who can score from all three levels and is a solid athlete. [player_tooltip player_id='1048315' first='Troy' last='Cicero'] (Loyola MD commit) has an above average IQ of the game and can lead this team in tight games. Forward [player_tooltip player_id='1313851' first='Aaron' last='Brown'] handles the dirty work for this team.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Player&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1048307' first='Ahmad' last='Henderson'] (Brother Rice) can become the talk of the town with some huge scoring performances at the Shirk Center. Henderson has proven he's not afraid of big moments and has already had some early season success in big match ups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1157205' first='Dekwon' last='Brown'] (Peoria) has always been one of the better prospects in the state. Brown is a volume scoring guard that can take over a game in spurts. He will be a talent that the locals would gladly pay to watch.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Unsigned Senior&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='939074' first='Khalil' last='Ross'] (Brother Rice) is player who still has upside to his game. Very long and agile player who is exceptional on the boards. Ross has improved his shot and has shown more determination to block shots when playing defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->

** Written by Steve Parham

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