Summer Challenge: Steve’s Sunday Stars

Sunday finished off a loaded weekend of games in Chicago. As always the Prep Hoops Illinois scouts were in the building to cover all the action.  Here are the star players from the day.

Dekwon Brown Dekwon Brown 6'3" | PG Simeon | 2024 State IL 2024 Denard Bros
In the very last game of the event Dekwon put on a complete shooting performance in the second half. Brown hit seven threes, the first four was against man to man defense. After a timeout Flight switched to a zone. Dekwon continued to shoot and didn’t miss. In a very intense game his shooting performance was clutch. Brown finished with 30 points.

Darshan Thomas Darshan Thomas 6'6" | SF Marist | 2024 State IL 2024 Greater Purpose Athletics
Thomas was a big surprise for me because this was his first weekend with GPA and he didn’t disappoint.  Darshan looked the part of a three level scoring wing that kept defenders off balance. He would drive hard and just stop and pop once he saw the defense start to back peddle. Thomas made this shot look effortless each time. Another part of his game that I like was how well he rebounded on the offensive glass. He seemed to always be in the area of the ball and was able to get multiple second chance points. He led all scorers with 19 points and 8 rebounds in a win over Corey Graham Elite.

Jaiden Harrison Jaiden Harrison 6'3" | PG Bishop Timon | 2024 State NY 2024 Corey Graham Elite
For the second year I left Summer Challenge impressed with watching Harrison play. He has a college ready frame who plays with a second gear. Jaiden is skilled with a good IQ of how to play. I watched him get to the rim with a tight crossover and get layups and fouled often. If the team went zone Harrison made shot after shot. He is a tough cover because he has next level passing ability and is able to go get a rebound and push the break. It was good to see one of the top players from New York perform in Chicago.

Fontain Thomas 2024 The Work Foundation
Fontain had two really good games on Sunday. He paced the Work Foundation with steady full court defense that turned into points. Thomas is a very active guard who can swipe the ball when you least expect it. His toughness on offense is another strong aspect of his game as he is able to get in the lane and score with some athletic finishes in tight spaces.