Friday Doubleheader: Scouting Takeaways

On Friday night Prep Hoops Illinois watched two games.  Waubonsie Valley was seeking to stay undefeated at home against Naperville Central.  That was followed by a double OT thriller between Metea Valley and Dekalb.  Read all about the games and our takeaways on the prospects here!   Waubonsie Valley Overcomes Woes to Roll Late   This was quite a game of swings.  Waubonsie Valley came in 18-0 at home against a well under .500 Naperville Central squad.  You would have thought blow out city.  Nope.  They jumped out strong behind their star junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2326960' first='Tyreek' last='Coleman'], but then went 10 minutes only scoring 3 points to see Naperville Central storm back to lead 24-18.  It was all Waubonsie Valley from there as they blew it open the rest of third and into fourth winning 44-27 and moving to 19-0 on the season.  Here are our takeaways!   [player_tooltip player_id='2326960' first='Tyreek' last='Coleman'] to Make 2025 Rankings Debut   There was two reasons we wanted to see this one.  One was to get our first glimpse of the undefeated Waubonsie Valley squad.  Second was to see if the buzz over the last week about 2025 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2326960' first='Tyreek' last='Coleman'] was warranted.  That it was!  Wow was the 6'0” point guard impressive.  He got off to a hot start in the first quarter banging in a pair of threes and using his burst off the bounce to score in the lane.  Later in the contest he ignited his squad with a dunk on a back cut along with several dishes that led to dunks for others.  High points rebounds for a guard and overall is an explosive athlete at the point guard position.  He had 19 points.  Expect to see a pretty high debut for him next week in the 2025 rankings!   Length on Wing and Defense Waubonsie Strength   Waubonsie held Naperville Central to 27 points in this one.  They did a lot of the same over the weekend at the MLK tournament including against Normal Community.  It is their press and zone defense that does the magic.  It was fun to watch how well they move as one.  Also helps when you have length especially in 2024 unsigned senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1295644' first='Treshawn' last='Blissett'].  One of the better uncommitted wings in the state has a long and thin frame.  He gets after it defensively racking up the steals.  Slow start in this one offensively.  A top of the key three got him going along with an athletic sweeping take to end the 3rd quarter where he took it to the rim with authority.  He had 10 points on the game.  [player_tooltip player_id='2326966' first='Moses' last='Wilson'] is another name worth keeping an eye on in the 2025 class.  Long and super athletic combo forward that was a monster defensively.  Hit a three early and had a pair of massive dunks late for 7 points.   Naperville Central Balance and Fight   Naperville central game into the game at 7-13 with not many thinking they could give Waubonsie a game.  They took control of the game early in the 3rd quarter, but just couldn't hold on.  Credit their spirit though for fighting hard in this one.  Jack First is a tough hard nosed post that rebounded and scored in the paint for 6 points.  Alex Liabo is a crafty guard who notched five points.  No real star on this team, but a lot of solid high school players.   Parker Pushes Metea Valley to 2OT Road Win at DeKalb   What a game here!  Metea Valley and Dekalb were within a few points of each other for the entire game.  Neither team could get distance from each other for six quarters as it went to double OT.  Metea Valley broke through late winning 65-60.   Metea Valley 2024 Duo Carry Team   What a show that the seniors put on for Metea Valley. Early on it was their senior combo forward [player_tooltip player_id='1978583' first='Will' last='Ashford'] who had it working. Strong bodied forward that can play inside and out. He did an excellent job of getting to the foul line, scoring on post ups, and hitting mid-range jumpers for 18 points. D2s need to be on him! [player_tooltip player_id='2374459' first='James' last='Parker'] continued his breakout senior campaign. The point guard took his team across the finish line sending it to OT and getting key buckets to win the game. Shifty ball handler that shakes opponents off the bounce and has a killer soft touch finishing game converting several of them for and-1s. Dynamite on ball defender and good passer who had 23 points. Small colleges and JUCOs would be wise to recruit him! Kid is a winner! Inside/Outside Tandem for DeKalb Produce   Dekalb has a pair of highly ranked prospects in 2025 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='1545123' first='Sean' last='Reynolds'] and 2026 forward [player_tooltip player_id='2105355' first='Davon' last='Grant'].  Both showed flashes of what makes them so intriguing in this one.  Reynolds is a lights out shooter who hit four of them in this one.  Moves extremely well off the ball transitioning from catch to shot quickly.  Also scores on movement inside the arc catching on curls for floaters.  Tough kid that also proved to be a good passer especially on entries to the post while netting 20 points.  A lot of those entry feeds went to Grant.  The combo forward plays mostly in the post at this stage.  Powerful frame with big time athleticism.  It popped early as he was snatching rebounds and getting after it defensively swatting shots.  Seals well on the block for dunks and layups.  He had 11 points and 10 rebounds.   New Names to Keep Tabs On   A few new prospects caught our attention in this one.  For Metea Valley it was 2026 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2334404' first='Tre' last='Watkins'] who made noise early and late.  The lead guard had a floater, got to the line, and hit a big three for 12 points.  Dekalb 2025 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='2326964' first='Jackson' last='Kees'] is a lights out marksmen that connected on four of them along with a couple of sweeping layups for 16 points.  Justin O'Neal is an undersized post for Dekalb that plays taller than his height as he mixed it up inside for 7 points.

On Friday night Prep Hoops Illinois watched two games. Waubonsie Valley was seeking to stay undefeated at home against Naperville Central. That was followed by a double OT thriller between Metea Valley and Dekalb. Read all about the games and our takeaways on the prospects here!