Chi-Town Tip Off: Sunday’s Parham Perspective

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a recap of the games I watched on Sunday at Chi-Town Tip Off. It was the final day of play from Prep Hoops Chi-Town Tip Off and we dive into it here in <strong>Chi-Town Tip Off: Sunday's Parham Perspective!</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mac Irvin Fire National handles Indiana Rough Riders 73-52</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was the duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1373442' first='Jonathan' last='Calmese'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1978585' first='DJ' last='Bolden'] who did a lot of the work in this game. Bolden did a lot of the scoring. He made shots from just about every spot on the court. DJ made difficult layups and three-pointers in this one. Feeding mostly off the penetration of Calmese. Jonathan did an exceptional job at getting in the lane and drawing attention. He was very good at balancing when to score or pass. He shot the ball well en route to a double-digit win. Calmese had 17 points with 7 assists and Bolden led with 20 points.&nbsp;Both are unsigned seniors with Calmese telling PHI he is close to making a call.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2076029' first='Wisconsin' last='Crusaders'] Outlasted M14 17U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I went into this game expecting to highlight two players and ended up having my attention on a different set of guys. [player_tooltip player_id='1432910' first='Oskar' last='Kangas'] 6'6 of the [program_tooltip program_id='2076029' first='Wisconsin' last='Crusaders'] and Machi Nelson of M14 Adidas Gold caught my eye. First with Kangas he's a player who was been very consistent all weekend. He's a dual threat on offense displaying good touch and feel around the basket. Finishing most plays with tough defense in his face. Oskar is a sound shooter that didn't miss many open looks. His effort was never really matched as he competed often through the whistle. Nelson is a guard that I've seen several times and can say that he's taken his game to another level. He's quick with the ball in his hands and gets to his spots on the court. Machi scored very well from all levels showcasing good elevation on his shots. As a passer he gets the attention of defenders with his speed and usually drops a dime off when someone is helping out whoever is covering him.&nbsp;He's trending upwards for a big spring and jump in the next rankings.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2076904' first='Chicago' last='Hoops'] 16U defeat [program_tooltip program_id='2075385' first='Chicago' last='Grinders']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='2076904' first='Chicago' last='Hoops'] jumped out early on the Grinders with strong play from Jacob Rice. Rice is a physical wing player who was able to open up the game with shots from the perimeter and then added some skilled plays from mid-range. Former high school teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1545122' first='Caleb' last='Lindsey'] was helpful on the boards because the team doesn't have much size. [player_tooltip player_id='1766469' first='Khalil' last='Jones'] also played well. As a lead guard, he kept turnovers to a minimum against a very scrappy Grinders squad. Jones had 12 points and Rice led the team with 18 points.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Grinders guard Brad Johnson (Curie) had a strong weekend and he continued to show why he should be on the radar. Brad had a stretch in the game where he did most of the scoring himself. He went on an 8-0 run to help keep the game close. His athleticism and will to get to the basket fueled his play. Johnson led the team with 16 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>Other Notables from Sunday</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2105166' first='Vincas' last='Buzelis'] - [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] 17U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The athletic forward was testing the rims again with strong play from the wing. Buzelis is a stocky player who showed some skill by getting to the rim with one dribble blow-by moves. If defenders sat back to stop the drive he nailed the jump shot. It was a good way to close out the weekend. 16 points and 7 rebounds.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2323261' first='Pablo' last='Rodriguez']- SBT 17U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pablo is a 6'8 forward who is playing up a level for travel ball. He was very active at pushing the rock on fastbreaks and making sound passes with fluidity. When looking to score Pablo had some guard skills with the ball and broke bigger players down. His highlight of the day was a tough two-handed slam in transition.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2045301' first='Vaughn' last='Karvala'] - Team Herro 16U<br></strong>Karvala is that one player who just stole tour attention all weekend. He started the game with four dunks that he threw down with authority. The uber athletic wing player has a nonstop motor that pushes his teammates to play harder. I swear every time he dunked the ball he increased his team's momentum and their play got better and better. Vaughn also is a terrific shooter who made some shots from the perimeter that were in the flow of the game. He's for sure top prospect in the state of Wisconsin.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->