Romeoville Live: Teddy’s Friday Takeaways (Part 2)
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Kankakee Blows Out LWE I was highly inyrigued to watch Larenz Walters Larenz Walters 6'2" | PG Kankakee | 2024 State IL after he scored 28 points in their first contest. He started right where he left off with two…
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Continue ReadingKankakee Blows Out LWE
I was highly inyrigued to watch Larenz Walters Larenz Walters 6'2" | PG Kankakee | 2024 State IL after he scored 28 points in their first contest. He started right where he left off with two three’s from the top of the key and a turnaround jumper on the elbow. His smooth shooting stroke made the shots he took hit nothing but net. Walters also excelled early on with playmaking in the pick and roll and converted multiple assists to 6’6” F Eli Stipp down low. Walters reached 13 points with a contested drive to the hoop with over nine minutes left in the first half, while Stipp continued making big plays on the interior. The 2025 Forward is a tremendous athlete with lots of strength and underrated speed. He also shines on the football field.
After Kankakee held a 37-15 halftime lead, Damonte May and Lincoln williams stepped up. Both show tremendous speed up the floor and the ability to make plays with one another. May, a 2024 guard, also shot the ball well and hit a handful of threes in the contest. While Williams, a 2026 wing, is an excellent defender who threw down two transition dunks and created a mecca of points off of turnovers. His lengthy frame definitely contributed to this as he displays some of the longest arms I’ve seen from a player like him. Kankakee cruised past Lincoln-Way East with Larenz Walters Larenz Walters 6'2" | PG Kankakee | 2024 State IL scoring 20 points to lead the way.
No Jerseys, No Problem for Kenwood
This is the first time I’ve seen a team start a game without their jerseys. But that didn’t stop Kenwood from starting hot against West Aurora. Jaden Smith Jaden Smith 6'10" | C Kenwood | 2024 State IL was the top option early on and displayed an excellent ability to break away from defenders and score inside. He opened the game with a pair of dunks while also coming away with numerous rebounds on the defensive end. Aleks Alston Aleks Alston 6'9" | PF Kenwood | 2025 State #170 Nation IL started strong too and converted a very difficult midrange jumper. 6’6 SG Chris Riddle Chris Riddle 6'5" | SF Kenwood | 2024 State #204 Nation IL also had a big second half and showed plenty of athleticism and a strong burst to the hoop. He went on a run scoring a string of Kenwood buckets in a row capitalized by a dunk driving baseline. In addition to the strength and athleticism he displays, Riddle also showed he can be a solid defender and ball-handler. He even hit a pull-up jumper in the closing minutes of the game. A mid-major coach I talked to had a lot of confidence in Riddle’s potential as a prospect and his capabilities on the floor. Kenwood held on to win.
Terrence Smith Terrence Smith 6'5" | SF West Aurora | 2025 State #299 Nation IL Has Elevated His Game
After some excellent performances last weekend, 2025 wing Terrence Smith Terrence Smith 6'5" | SF West Aurora | 2025 State #299 Nation IL put on a terrific performance against Kenwood. He started the game on the bench, but was an immediate difference-maker one he got on the court. Smith makes terrific off-ball runs and can get open both inside and beyond the arc. He showed that with nine quick points in the opening half. By the second half, he was showing bounce and got up for a big one-handed dunk in transition. There’s a lot to like about Terrence Smith Terrence Smith 6'5" | SF West Aurora | 2025 State #299 Nation IL as he’s become an elite prospect to watch in the class of 2025.
Jamson Coulter Jamson Coulter 6'2" | SG Rich Township | 2026 State IL is an Explosive 2026
He was the player to watch from the start of this game. Coulter displayed a tremendous burst and converted several big time buckets attacking the basket early on. He also showed a terrific vertical early on with a couple tough rebounds and a chase-down block. As the game went on, Coulter started to thread the needle and make convert some difficult passes to defenders in the block. Unfortunately, he got hurt early in the second half and did not return to the game.
St. Pats used big second half
The Shamrocks used a bug second half to come from behind and beat Rich Township. A pair of 2024 prospects really stepped up with their athletic abilities and their consistencies scoring inside. 6’7” Forward Neveah Hawkins made big-time plays on both ends. He showed off the hops with an alley-oop finish cutting baseline while also blocking a handful of shots on defense. Another prospect, AJ Thomas AJ Thomas 6'3" | SG St. Patrick | 2024 State IL , is a high-IQ wing that displayed excellent decision-making and great confidence slashing to the hoop. He lets the game come to him and doesn’t force anything. Throughout the game, he used a mix of speed and length to get to the rim and led the Shamrocks on a big run to begin the second half. Pats won 44-37.