Burish's Last Dance Sunday Stars

Day 3 of The Last Dance came to a bittersweet end as Prep Hoops Circuit concluded its course here in Chicago. I was back at Romeoville Athletic Center covering a diverse range of 17U and 16U competitions, taking notes, and familiarizing myself with new prospects. It was difficult to choose my stars of Sunday, but the athletes I narrowed down to made a great impact for their respective teams. Here are the five prospects from The Last Dance's finale, so check them out in Burish's Last Dance Sunday Stars!   Darius Chestnut 2023 6'2" PG / Sun Prairie West (WI) / RIT Elite   The unsigned point guard from the Madison area of Wisconsin put on an absolute show. He is an explosive athlete vertically and laterally. Chestnut showed the competency to pick up ball handlers the entire length of the court where he produced constant pressure and stress. With a high and springy vertical, Chestnut elevated to tip lazy passes, or achieve timely steals. That exact talent was portrayed in a contest against the Illinois Bears Snider 17U squad where Chestnut tipped a pass, secured the steal and lifted for an emphatic tomahawk dunk. During a later possession, Chestnut showcased his lateral quickness to wreak havoc on a guard, rip the ball out of his hands, and dashed his way to a posterizing one-handed slam. He's a shifty ball-handler himself and it was a challenge for defenders to slow him down once he had a head of steam going downhill. Chestnut utilized his strength and muscle from the post to body smaller defenders, and execute on a few smooth post fade-aways. His shiftiness and explosiveness towards the rack was complemented by acrobatic finishes, twisting his body mid-air to place himself at an angle for effective shot making. Spot up threes are in his arsenal as well, which puts defenders in a pickle to either play him tight or leave enough space to combat Chestnut's superb driving tactics.   [player_tooltip player_id='2359964' first='Jade' last='West'] 2024 6'5" SF / Shakopee (MN) / [program_tooltip program_id='2075685' first='Minnesota' last='Select'] - McGuire   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/jade_west-crop-2717x1784-1689097312.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/jade_west-crop-2717x1784-1689097312.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2079614" width="240" height="158" /></a></figure>   An unranked, 2024, small forward out of Minnesota is [player_tooltip player_id='2359964' first='Jade' last='West']. His long and lean frame benefits him in denying passing lanes to cause deflections or gather steals. West's help side defensive IQ was a phenomenal area of his game as he provided backup security around the rim, and elevated vertically to block a handful of shots without fouling. Offensively speaking, West has the skills to be a reliable open court ball-handler, because he can avoid a defense with a beautiful array of crossovers. He exhibited the ability to back down defenders in the post and cooly shoot over either shoulder, plus the concentration to finish with contact. West ran the floor well in transition and placed himself in open passing windows for immediate scoring opportunities. Within the half court, West used smooth head and ball fakes to gain an advantage past his defender, and finish tough layups along the baseline or plant himself inside the key drawing multiple eyes. West is also capable of broadening his game to the perimeter where he can sink open spot-up threes.   Tre Willis 2026 6'3" F / Hutto (TX) / Pure Ambition   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/tre_willis-crop-2274x1493-1689097738.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/tre_willis-crop-2274x1493-1689097738.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2079617" width="239" height="157" /></a></figure>   I truly enjoyed watching Willis compete because of his never ending effort and persistent battle within the paint. Willis displayed the mindset and tenacity to hunt down offensive rebounds, or at least keep the ball loose for another possession. He was always the first one on the floor, who provided exceptional hustle to secure and/or save possessions, and he wasn't afraid to put his body on the line. Willis contributed effectively from the offensive post position as he proved himself to be a reliable scoring option from around the rim. In transition, he darted ahead of opponents to gain a superior advantage and seal defenders in the post for quick entry passes. His energetic play style, strong and scrappy hands, assisted with inhaling defensive rebounds. For a young prospect, Willis showed great timing to block weak floaters and layup attempts. Willis possesses the ability and strength to defend larger opponents surrounding the key, or transfer his length and quickness to guard along the perimeter.   Tommy Rowland 2025 6'4" W / Bloomington Jefferson (MN) / [program_tooltip program_id='2075674' first='Minnesota' last='Heat'] Academic   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/tommy_rowland-crop-2978x1955-1689100532.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/tommy_rowland-crop-2978x1955-1689100532.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2079789" width="241" height="158" /></a></figure>   As a rising junior, Rowland is a quick and skillful lefty who fills the wing position productively. He was able to slice his way into the lane where he presented controlled spin moves to separate himself from defenders, dish pocket passes to teammates by either post, or nail mid-range jumpers with a brisk pull-up game. Rowland demonstrated his knowledge as a wing player because he identified soft spots in defenses, and slashed his way to those open islands. When the ball was in his hands Rowland did a splendid job of poking into gaps, or penetrated aggressively, which opened cutting lanes for teammates. Plus, with a burst of energy, Rowland cruised past on-ball defenders, and glided into seamless shots at the rim. Late in the second half, against a frisky B&B Academy Black team out of Colorado, Rowland went on a one-man scoring spree. He nailed a beautiful step-back three from the top of the arc, and provided timely self-created shots from mid-range, which helped push [program_tooltip program_id='2075674' first='Minnesota' last='Heat'] Academic into an OT battle.   Cooper Kent 2024 6'2" CG / Gallion (OH) / Midwest Basketball Club Central - Hassan   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/cooper_kent-crop-2274x1493-1689103177.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/cooper_kent-crop-2274x1493-1689103177.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2079880" width="244" height="160" /></a></figure>   The 6'2" combo guard Cooper Kent out of Ohio was an outstanding three-level scorer and overall team player. Kent's shooting artistry is as pure, legitimate, and accurate as they come. He has a tight shooters pocket, smooth rise, and soft touch from anywhere along the three-point line. But, Kent was also impressive in scenarios with the ball in his hands, as he showcased his proficiency to squeak past defenders, collapse a defense, and storm his body willfully to the hoop. Against [program_tooltip program_id='2075685' first='Minnesota' last='Select'] McGuire, Kent helped lead the charge with a 24 point comeback win where he totaled six three-pointers, and a couple strong attacks and finishes at the rim. Throughout the same game, Kent played like a genuine floor general at times where he effectively shared the ball and involved each of his teammates, and successfully distributed accurate assists.

Day 3 of The Last Dance came to a bittersweet end as Prep Hoops Circuit concluded its course here in Chicago. I was back at Romeoville Athletic Center covering a diverse range of 17U and 16U competitions, taking notes, and familiarizing myself with new prospects. It was difficult to choose my stars of Sunday, but the athletes I narrowed down to made a great impact for their respective teams. Here are the five prospects from The Last Dance's finale, so check them out in Burish's Last Dance Sunday Stars!