3 on 3 Questions: 2025 Rankings
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In our new series 3 on 3 Questions PHI’s Scott Burgess, Steve Parham, and Teddy Bahu examine three questions each that are relevant to what is going on in Illinois high school basketball! Today we focus on the latest 2025…
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Continue ReadingIn our new series 3 on 3 Questions PHI’s Scott Burgess, Steve Parham, and Teddy Bahu examine three questions each that are relevant to what is going on in Illinois high school basketball! Today we focus on the latest 2025 Rankings!
Who is a player at each position (PG, Wing, Post) that you really advocated for in this last rankings process to make a jump up the board?
Scott
At the point I am going to go with Kyrese Lukens. He played very well at the end of the summer for the Illinois Bears running the show while still finding spots to score. Think the Herrin guard should be on D2s radars. I am going to go with Donte Montgomery Donte Montgomery 6'2" | SG Oak Lawn | 2025 State IL of Oak Lawn on the wing. Smooth three level scorer that shined in every setting we saw him in. Up front lets take Jake Nosek Jake Nosek 6'8" | C Metea Valley | 2025 State #377 Nation IL of Metea Valley. He has a massive jumper with a ton of helium heading into the season as he shot up height wise and has a lethal three point shot.
Steve
Guard –
Elijah Lovemore
Elijah
Lovemore
6'2" | PG
Bloom | 2025
State
#344
Nation
IL
(Bloom) 6’2: Lovemore is a guard that really bloomed (No pun intended). As a bigger lead guard he gets things going with his transition plays. Elijah has some new weapons to move the ball to on offense. He has good
length on defense for on ball and off the ball capabilities. As a scorer he is smooth getting in the lane for layups. As a shooter he is much improved showcasing his touch from three at the Romeoville Live Period event.
Wing –
Jax Abalos
Jax
Abalos
6'7" | SF
Batavia | 2025
State
IL
(Batavia) 6’6: Jax has become one of the more efficient snipers from three-point range. As a bigger wing he is often a mismatch to defenders in high school. Abalos has a quick release on his shot which makes it tough for players to close out on him. Jax is also very good off the dribble at times showcasing his athleticism at the rim with acrobatic layups and dunks.
Post –
Nick Allen
Nick
Allen
6'9" | C
Bradley Bourbonnais | 2025
State
IL
(Bradley Bourbonnais) 6’10
Allen is maybe the only coveted traditional big man in this class. After a loaded 2024 class of big men, Nick is a back to the basket post guy who is fundamentally sound. He can finish with either hand at the rim and shows good touch on jump hooks. Allen is also expanding his game on the perimeter some and can be a versatile big man.
Teddy
PG:
Tristian Ford
Tristian
Ford
6'2" | PG
Chi-Prep | 2025
State
#158
Nation
IL
– Since watching him during his Rockford days, Ford has added so much to his game. He’s become more lengthier and came up with big plays defensively when I watched him in early July. He also became more crafty with the ball and displayed an excellent layup package at the rim. There’s so much more I can say about Ford, as it seems obvious that the decision to leave Rockford has paid off for him.
Wing:
Jake Nosek
Jake
Nosek
6'8" | C
Metea Valley | 2025
State
#377
Nation
IL
– From what I’ve seen, Nosek flashes tons of potential as both a big man and a wing. He’s very comfortable knocking down shots from all three levels while guarding all five positions. When I saw his ranking in June, I was shocked to see how low he was positioned.
Post:
Mike Jones
Mike
Jones
6'7" | PF
Chi-Prep | 2025
State
#164
Nation
IL
– Like Ford, the decision to leave Rockford has paid off for
Mike Jones
Mike
Jones
6'7" | PF
Chi-Prep | 2025
State
#164
Nation
IL
. He’s taken his game to new heights with Chi Prep and Mac Irvin Fire over the past few months. The way Jones impacts the game with Mac Irvin cannot be overlooked. He’s added more speed, bounce, and body strength to his
game that’s allowed Jones to make a big impact on the floor. Jones has also improved heavily with his playmaking, defending, and rebounding. He does more than you’d expect from a post player like him.
Which prospect or two do you feel is primed to make a major leap this season and could shoot up the rankings in our next update?
Scott
Vincas Buzelis
Vincas
Buzelis
6'5" | SF
Hinsdale Central | 2025
State
IL
from Hinsdale Central flashed returning to Illinois, but wasn’t consistent enough to get a higher ranking. The wing has the talent to be much higher and we could see him exploding in the first half.
Elijah Lovemore
Elijah
Lovemore
6'2" | PG
Bloom | 2025
State
#344
Nation
IL
out of Bloom is already inside the top 10, but it wouldn’t shock me to see him make a run at top 5 status as Bloom always has marquee games early in the season.
Bradley Longcor
Bradley
Longcor
6'3" | PG
Quincy | 2025
State
#337
Nation
IL
is a player we didn’t see a ton this spring/summer, but already being a plus shooter and then leading UAA
16U in dimes is a good sign he could be ready to breakout this season as a star.
Steve
EJ Mosley
EJ
Mosley
6'0" | PG
Romeoville | 2025
State
IL
– Romeoville. I expect a big season from Mosley. The move to Romeoville should pay off as he is now considered the top scoring threat for the team. EJ had a really good summer and the expectations are high for a lead guard who can score from all three levels and still keep teammates involved throughout a game.
Teddy
Vincas Buzelis
Vincas
Buzelis
6'5" | SF
Hinsdale Central | 2025
State
IL
– This was around the same time his older brother Matas soared up the boards. Hinsdale Central had a really strong summer and I’m confident that they can have the same success as last season. With Matas projected to go #1 in the 2024 draft, It will be intriguing to see what his younger brother Vincas can do this season.
Who is the player or players you are most looking forward to getting further evals on this fall/early high school season in this class?
Scott
Definitely want to see if
Terrence Smith
Terrence
Smith
6'5" | SF
West Aurora | 2025
State
#299
Nation
IL
can continue to make the leap that we saw in June. Big and athletic wing shined with West Aurora as a two way prospect with explosiveness and shot making capabilities. El Paso Gridley’s
Jonah Funk
Jonah
Funk
6'9" | C
El Paso Gridley | 2025
State
IL
was one of the standouts from last fall and high school season. Skilled shot blocker and rim runner that we have not seen since February. Belleville East big man
Savion Mitchell
Savion
Mitchell
6'6" | PF
Belleville East | 2025
State
IL
caught our eye in June enough to earn top 50 honors. A big start to the high school season
could boost him up even more!
Steve
Donte Montgomery
Donte
Montgomery
6'2" | SG
Oak Lawn | 2025
State
IL
– Oak Lawn. Donte is a player who I caught a glimpse of in the summer and had a huge boost in are latest ranking. Montgomery had a strong weekend at our Prep Hoops event. Now with the sudden notoriety I want to see Montgomery continue to score at a high rate this upcoming season. He shoots it well from three and is a really good passer if moved into a lead guard role. Excited to see if he can live up to the expectations.
Teddy
Christian Cummings
Christian
Cummings
5'11" | PG
Rockford Christian | 2025
State
IL
– I haven’t seen a whole lot of Cummings up at Rockford Christian the past two years. But when I do, he always brings so much energy to the floor. Cummings is a game changer and shows off so much skill with the ball. He makes difficult layups look easy while also showing plenty of
capabilities to break past defenders. I also like the speed and elusiveness Cummings brings to the floor. He’s got great footwork and gets up and down the floor at a fast rate.