The Last Dance: Bigs on Parade

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second live event of the Prep Hoops Circuit kicked into high gear in America's “second” city on Saturday. The Last Dance took place in shadows of Chicago's Midway Airport. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A slew of big man performances caught my eye during Saturday's wall-to-wall action. Following are five that caught my eye. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2119128' first='Greg' last='Robinson'] 6-7 2025 Hillsboro (MO) (pictured) </strong>Simply put, my top performer of the day. Multi faceted and versatile post who did so much for a five-man Hardwood Elite that went 2-0 on the day. Played well in a rather easy opening victory against a team from Michigan. However in the second tighter contest against Texas' 409 Wolfpack. He really came alive. 409 Wolfpack was an athletic but small squad. Robinson sought out mismatches and asserted himself down low. Established deep post position and sealed off well with his strong lower body. Showed strong hands and corralled difficult passes and rebounds. After the catch got off the ground quick and exploded to the cup. Played easily above the rim with a handful of dunks. Was a “grab and go” prospect. More than once grabbed a rebound and served as his own outlet pass. Showing his ball handling ability by driving the length of the court. Defensively showed good timing as a shot blocker. Including an impressive close out on the rare block of a corner three. At one point late in the tight contest. Scored seven much needed points in row. Finished with 24 points in that contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2469078' first='Alex' last='Sirbu'] 6-8 2027 Buffalo Grove (IL) </strong>The youngest player on this list— but didn't play like it. Showed advanced ball skills and was able to initiate offense for the [program_tooltip program_id='2078448' first='Illinois' last='Wolves'] from the high post. Was a good passer with anticipation and velocity. Has a stocky and well put together frame. Doesn't seem to mind contact and sought it out at times. Showed the soft touch around the basket you would expect with his ball skills. Might need to increase his foot speed a bit. I noted he did not play much late as Wolves went small to speed up the game and make a furious comeback against Minnesota Fury Zurn. Whatever he needs in his game. He has plenty of time left to develop and a lot to work with already.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2105204' first='Aidan' last='Anderson'] 6-9 2025 Okawville (IL) </strong>Manned the post for [program_tooltip program_id='2075532' first='Illinois' last='Bears'] Barrington. Anderson competed hard against a very good North Dakota Phenom frontline. Uses his length to effectively protect the rim. As much of NDP's points came from beyond the arc. Speaking of the arc, Anderson also showed the ability to stretch the floor. Had a unique release on his outside shot. However the mechanics were repeatable and it was effective. More importantly it was a high release point that was hard to block. Decent mobility for a 6-9 prospect and looks like he could easily add weight. Like Sirbu, could increase his foot speed a touch. As North Dakota Phenom really excelled in pick and pop situations. That being said, I wouldn't label him as unathletic or immobile. A lot of upside for this prospect from rural Southern Illinois.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1766476' first='Race' last='Hickey'] 6-10 2025 Marion (IL) </strong>Hickey isn't as dynamic offensively as his front court partner Anderson (see above) However his length and effort level made him effective in the contest with North Dakota Phenom. Was a major factor on the offensive glass. Getting a few much needed put backs as NDP's margin was starting to widen. Competed hard and did not shy away from contact. I did not see much offense outside the paint. However at a legitimate 6-10 with length. That might not be needed at the small college level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2492012' first='Andre' last='Stanton'] 6-11 2025 Oak Park-River Forest (IL) </strong>In the waning moments of Saturday night I kind of “stumbled” on this prospect on my way out. I use the word stumbled loosely. Stanton has the type of size that stops you in you tracks and immediately catches your eye. While he is skinny, I've seen much skinnier prospects at this height. I would imagine he could add weight to his frame pretty easily. With his lanky frame, it is fairly easy to surmise that he plays like player with 7-foot plus height. I won't sugarcoat it, he didn't get the ball much. But when he did, he showed a soft touch around the basket. Kept the ball high where no one could get it. Likewise with his soft hook shot. Ran the court fluidly with speed and purpose. Looked like a good athlete with decent lateral quickness. Kept fighting for position despite the lack of touches. The production might not be there at the moment. But there is a lot to work with. Could pop with a patient developmental coach at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->