Parham Perspective: Top Weekend Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first Saturday of 2023 means back to high school shootouts in Illinois. And this Saturday we had some pretty big matchups to start the year off. Here's a look at the best players from this weekend's games I took in.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1562176' first='Jeremy' last='Fears'] (Joliet West) 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maybe one of the better scoring performances from Jeremy. In a highly competitive game, Fears was able to score many different ways. He showed great athleticism with some downhill transition dunks, mixed in some floaters, and even hit multiple threes showing he's more than a passer when he shoots with confidence. Jeremy also scored the final basket that gave his team the win. I would say that was an elite level performance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='939055' first='Cameron' last='Christie'] (Rolling Meadows) 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Christie was pretty good as well in the loss. The guard had his shot going from the mid-range and extended. Cam is so smooth that he was able to get to his spots effortlessly at times. As Joliet West started to hit him with hard fouls Cam didn't let that affect his game as he started getting solid screens from teammates [player_tooltip player_id='1215298' first='Mark' last='Nikolich-Wilson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1048317' first='Foster' last='Ogbonna'].&nbsp; Christie led Rolling Meadows with 19 points and 6 rebounds.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1215298' first='Mark' last='Nikolich-Wilson'] (Rolling Meadows) 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mark continues to show he's one of the best unsigned seniors in the state. Mark had one of his best performances since the summer. He scored well off dribble drive&nbsp;often in crowded spaces. The footwork and vision from a player his size is tremendous. As a center he may be the best passer from the position.&nbsp; Mark made some really difficult passes look easy. Hitting teammates in some tight spots for easier buckets. Nikolich-Wilson also rebounded the ball well especially on the offensive glass. He finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1048307' first='Ahmad' last='Henderson'] (Brother Rice) 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Henderson has been in many wars this season, and each time, he's come out the victor. His latest battle was against Miami (OH) commit [player_tooltip player_id='989271' first='Mekhi' last='Cooper'] and the Bolingbrook squad. Ahmad was spectacular again scoring in multiple fashions, hitting some tough runners in the lane, challenging the much taller defenders, and hitting open threes. Henderson continues to dazzle crowds with his strong scoring performances. Ahmad led all scorers with 21 points and the win.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1385291' first='Jeremiah' last='Fears'] (Joliet West) 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jeremiah is always proving that he's one of the better prospects in his class when competing in marquee games. The younger Fears is doing well as a combo guard. He is a superb scorer but showed he can set his teammates up while still being a scoring threat. Jeremiah had a couple of strong crossover moves that shook his defenders when getting to the cup. He knocked down several shots and was able to get to the line often. Jeremiah finished with 16 points 5 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>Other Standouts&nbsp;</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1371064' first='Tsvet' last='Sotirov'] - Rolling Meadows&nbsp;2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6'7 "stretch forward made some shots from deep and rebounded well. He is more than just a shooter and proved that by doing a good job at keep Joliet West bigs off the boards.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='989271' first='Mekhi' last='Cooper']- Bolingbrook&nbsp;2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With his team down double-digit Cooper made some tough shots to get his team back into the game. He scored in bunches during Bolingbrook;s run. Talented point guard that is quick and scores easily.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2104840' first='Tyler' last='Wooten'] - Thornwood&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6'4 wing from South Holland made some tough shots from three, with multiple defenders running at him. Wooten is an active wing that can make shots from beyond the high school line. It's a great showing in a loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1048386' first='Jaloni' last='Johnson'] - Proviso East&nbsp;2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson is another unsigned senior who scores the ball well. He started slow but picked it up in the second half. Jaloni was good at getting to the rim off strong drives. He made several shots from the mid-range knocking down a smooth looking shot. His scoring output opened up the lead to double digits and it put the game away in favor of Proviso East.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->