Blue Storm Tournament: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Hoops Illinois was at the Blue Storm Summer Tournament which is annually one of the top summer shootouts in the metro east.&nbsp; There are numerous elite prospects I saw here for the first time including EJ Liddell.&nbsp; Saturday we were at Belleville West High School all day for games!&nbsp; Here is what we saw in <strong>Blue Storm Tournament: Scotty B's Saturday Notebook</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Althoff Has Well Rounded Team Behind Star in Hill</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We caught two games from Althoff and they were excellent in each winning over O'Fallon 51-37 followed by a victory against Belleville West 60-45 to close out the day.&nbsp; Their go to player is [player_tooltip player_id='2105165' first='Dierre' last='Hill'] Jr who is the #2 football recruit in Illinois.&nbsp; The running back is headed to Oregon, but he has some work to do on the hardwood before going west.&nbsp; Hill is a power combo guard that plays well with the ball in his hands creating with his strength, handles, and is a solid passer.&nbsp; Can also shoot it spotting up from three.&nbsp; Class of 2026 combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1977254' first='Luke' last='Smith'] is a plus shooter that has really developed into a playmaker on the ball or as a connector with his passing.&nbsp; Had quite a few dimes on the day along with scoring in transition and some soft touch finishes.&nbsp; Class of 2025 sharp shooter Zach Winkler emerged with a strong showing at the event as he was lights out from the perimeter.&nbsp; Plus three point shooter hit four of them in one game.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2323329' first='Kyle' last='Johnson'] is an intriguing 2026 as the four spot with a long and lanky frame to go with bounce around the hoop.&nbsp; Quick second jump, can seal, and once he plays with more strength will be really good.&nbsp; Small college senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2105302' first='Bryden' last='Gryzmala'] provided a spark with his handles and shooting in their games Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top 5 2026 Akoro Continues to Show Promise for O'Fallon</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>O'Fallon 2026 small forward [player_tooltip player_id='1501486' first='Ben' last='Akoro'] made noise when we saw him a week ago with the Panthers and the Principia transfer continues to impress.&nbsp; Minted as a top 5 prospect in the 2026 class earlier this week he continues to show flashes of what his long term potential is.&nbsp; Rangy small forward that can play some four as well.&nbsp; Handles it super well especially off the defensive glass.&nbsp; Excellent passer for his size who makes great reads in the half court.&nbsp; Long strides and accelerates to the hoop.&nbsp; Struggled at times finishing, but when he did miss often was there to put it back in with his elite second jump.&nbsp; Didn't see much of the jumper as he was mostly doing damage on the glass, straight line takes, and in transition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alton Has Go to Junior and Depth to Back Him Up</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Really liked what we saw out of Alton on Saturday going 2-0 in the games we saw winning 66-45 over East St. Louis along with a 45-40 victory against MICDS.  It does all start with their star 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2376270' first='Semaj' last='Stampley'], but there is more to this team.  Let's start with Stampley.  Took him a bit to get going in each game, but once he did he really shined.  Strong and athletic combo guard that can really shoot the ball pulling up or off the catch from the corner.  Like how he can create his own shot and is so explosive with the rock in his hands especially in transition.  Did a nice job playing through contact and getting to the charity stripe as well.  His 2025 running mates Hassani Elliott and [player_tooltip player_id='2375631' first='Kobe' last='Taylor'] will give him a couple veterans in the backcourt to rely on.  Elliot is a lefty scoring guard that can knock in an open shot.  Taylor is a rangy two guard that is also a southpaw.  Liked how he can hit shots off the catch, pass off a live dribble, and be disruptive defensively.  [player_tooltip player_id='2540086' first='Jamarion' last='Green'] is a 2026 post at about 6'7” that made a name for himself.  Strong body and broad shoulders.  Rebounds at a high rate in his area, finishes out of the dunker spot, and protects the rim!  One to watch moving forward!  Another young prospect to monitor is [player_tooltip player_id='2540188' first='Ryan' last='Howard'].  The two guard at about 6'2” in the 2027 class has projectability, got on the offensive boards for second chance points, and converted in the paint with athleticism.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East St. Louis Talent, Size, and Length Undeniable</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the two games we saw the Flyers on Saturday they went 1-1.&nbsp; Still trying to get the chemistry down with a lot of new pieces on this team, but their roster has prospects all over it.&nbsp; The one that has jumped out the most to us this month including on Saturday is [player_tooltip player_id='2323266' first='Alex' last='Johnson'].&nbsp; The Althoff transfer is a 2026 two guard that is becoming their most consistent go to offensive weapon.&nbsp; Smooth pull up jumper, spot up shooter from three, and can take it off the bounce on slippery takes.&nbsp; Also really like how he gets after it defensively creating multiple turnovers every game leading to points.&nbsp; Has some secondary playmaker in his bag as well.&nbsp; In the backcourt [player_tooltip player_id='2427992' first='Montreal' last='Stacker'] showed in their first game some of the tools that make him a top 60 rising senior.&nbsp; Can hit a spot up three from the corner and has shake for days off the bounce.&nbsp; Fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='1766471' first='Arlandis' last='Brown'] has a ton of upside.&nbsp; The 2025 small forward is a plus shooter that can be a bit streaky with it at times settling for it too much.&nbsp; When he is on he can really knock them in from the corners off the catch and create with elevation in the mid-range.&nbsp; Fought though and injury in the second game to put together a nice all-around performance defensively, scoring, and passing.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2454165' first='Lawson' last='Bynum'] is an emerging talent in the 2026 class.&nbsp; Big and physically built small forward can spot up shooting off the catch, drive and kick as a passer, and score in the open floor.&nbsp; Class of 2027 6'6” big man [player_tooltip player_id='2458184' first='Tyrik' last='Barnes'] continues to flash!&nbsp; Against MICDS the pogo stick four man was active on the glass, blocked shots, and even surprised us with a top of the key three!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1-2 Backcourt Punch Lead Way for Host Belleville West</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Maroons went 1-1 in the two games we saw them play on their home floor.&nbsp; Youth will be served with this squad as their top two players are 2026 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2823498' first='Nick' last='Hankins'] and 2027 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='2458187' first='J'dyn' last='Lloyd'].&nbsp; Hankins was the star of their victory against O'Fallon.&nbsp; Lefty is so shifty off the bounce getting to the rim with ease.&nbsp; Acrobatic finishes consistently throughout the game.&nbsp; Finished well through and around contact.&nbsp; Turned defense into offense fast and has some passing flair!&nbsp; Went for 16 in that first game.&nbsp; Lloyd is a two guard who has nice size and athleticism.&nbsp;&nbsp; Likes to get to his mid-range pull up game along with using his athleticism.&nbsp; Class of 2026 smaller scoring guard Rickey Salmond also provided a spark with his lefty shot making from distance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MICDS Junior Duo Continue to Show Intrigue out of St. Louis</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just like last weekend when we saw them MICDS was led by their 2026 wing pair of Brandon Clemens and Jason Stokes.&nbsp; It was Stokes who was the standout in the first game as he used his length defensively, got out in the open floor, and hit a corner three.&nbsp; Clemens also showcased his three point marksmanship along with being able to mix in some attacks for soft touch finishes along with several nice dishes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->