Parham Perspective: Chicago Elite Classic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 12th Annual <strong>Chicago Elite Classic</strong> wrapped up on Saturday and this year's games were really exciting to watch. As always Prep Hoops was "In the Gym" to cover this year's matchups. In the article, I speak about the items that caught my attention.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Bigs are Back!!!</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Long gone are of days of Sean O'Mara, Cliff Alexander, and Jahlil Okafor on this stage, but the current Illinois big man made a statement at the Chicago Elite Classic. OPRF 2025 center [player_tooltip player_id='1385310' first='Alexander' last='Vincent'] who is 6'10” played well with 12 points and 8 rebounds vs Fenwick. Lane Tech 6'9” junior [player_tooltip player_id='1545128' first='Dalton' last='Scantlebury'] had a strong double double performance on Friday of 16 points and 15 rebounds. Joliet West 6'9” senior [player_tooltip player_id='1404027' first='Drew' last='King'] provided a needed defensive lift with 9 points,15 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Riverside Brookfield big man [player_tooltip player_id='1285519' first='Stefan' last='Cicic'] held his own as well with 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks. In the main event high major commits Kenwood 6'10” center [player_tooltip player_id='1157346' first='Jaden' last='Smith'] (Arizona State) led the Broncos with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks while Thornton 6'9” power forward [player_tooltip player_id='1157230' first='Morez' last='Johnson'] (Illinois) had 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 block. Needless to say, the big men are making an impact this season and it's nice to have a brief resurgence of post-play back in Illinois.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>New Kids on the Block&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the biggest draws to this year's event was the matchup of the two of the top freshmen in the state in [player_tooltip player_id='2323624' first='Davion' last='Thompson'] (Bolingbrook) and [player_tooltip player_id='2323571' first='Jaxson' last='Davis'] (Warren). This matchup would live up to the billing as Thompson was amazing scoring every which way possible. His smooth demeanor and tight crossovers got him enough space to make shots. Davis was very poised using several set-up moves to get to spots on the court. He either scored or assisted on many of the Blue Devils key possessions. Thompson had 19 points while Davis had 17 points and 10 assists.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Unsigned Seniors Showcase Abilities</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Several seniors at the CEC made a case for being recruited at this year's event. RJ McKinne (Simeon) had a stellar 20 point and 5 rebound game against Hillcrest. With [player_tooltip player_id='1157205' first='Dekwon' last='Brown'] being ruled ineligible by IHSA and leaving the state this week RJ looks to be the scoring and defensive presence for Simeon's success this season. DePaul Prep 6'7” power forward [player_tooltip player_id='1157352' first='Jaylan' last='McElroy'] had 12 points, but did a lot of the things that don't show up in the box score. He has tremendous length and covers ground so well defensively that he can guard 1 through 5 on the court. Lane Tech wing [player_tooltip player_id='1373439' first='Shaheed' last='Solebo'] had some moments in the loss to DePaul. He showed his athleticism with a nice dunk in transition. His shot looked good as well hitting a corner three during an early game run. Warren's [player_tooltip player_id='1874672' first='Alex' last='Daniels'] is a prospect that I felt has been slept on since the summer. The 6'6” forward had a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Alex can play on the perimeter and score well around the basket. He plays with a strong motor especially when attacking for rebounds. Hyde Park small forward [player_tooltip player_id='1373451' first='Jurrell' last='Baldwin'] made his return to Chicago and even in the loss his 14 points and 8 boards were respectable numbers. Curie's [player_tooltip player_id='1157209' first='Will' last='Gonzalez'] is a lanky 6'6” wing with solid shooting touch which was shown in a loss to Sidwell Friends. He scored 11 points hitting some much-needed shots in a close game. By far the best performances from an uncommitted senior at the Elite Classic goes to Thornton guard [player_tooltip player_id='2083269' first='Chase' last='Abraham']. He did it all in the marquee game scoring 20 points in the win. He's a shifty guard who scores from all three levels Saturday night. He blew past defenders like they were training cones, finishing tough plays in a crowd of trees. Small colleges and JUCOs should start recruiting Chase.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->