UAA Finals: Scotty B's Saturday Notebook

The UAA Finals continued on Saturday with another great day of action.  PHI took in games from teams from the state of Illinois and beyond.  Here we dive into it all in UAA Finals: Scotty B's Saturday Notebook!   Ohio Basketball Club Opens with Win over Fundamental U 15U   In the opener on Saturday morning we saw Ohio Basketball Club 15U defeat Fundamental U 67-55.  Giorgio Jackson led the way for OBC with a strong performance netting 16 points in the win.  The point guard has slippery handles and scores with athleticism in the lane.  Finished with 16 points.  Also got a nice outing from Muhammad Manigat as the guard displayed a super deep pull up game from three en route to 12 points.   Fundamental U was pushed by Evanston 2027 6'4” shooting guard Vito Rocca.  Good sized two guard that scored on cuts off the ball and crafty drives to the hoop netting 19 points in the loss.  Rory Haas is another name on this squad to keep tabs on as the 6'4” wing with a plus shooter from beyond the arc.  Drained four triples in their loss going for 16 points.  Long term keep an eye out for Grant Smith.  At 6'3” the small forward has a nice frame and can score off the bounce.   Kelly Shows Off Elite Talent in Breakaway 15U Win   The 2028 debate between Ethan Vahl and Cole Kelly is going to rage on for the next year of who the top player in the class is.  We saw the Neuqua Valley 6'5” small forward Cole Kelly show out on Saturday where he dropped 20 points in pretty easy fashion leading Breakaway to a 68-62 win.  The strong bodied wing is a lefty with a sweet stroke that he lets fly from super deep.  Can also deck it on sweeping layups and tough one on one finishes off the bounce.  Later in the day he went for 28 points.  We also liked what St. Ignatius 2026 power forward Chris Bolte brought in their morning win.  Tough and physical four rebounded well on both ends of the floor cleaning up the offensive glass for second chance points along with being able to stretch hitting a three for 16 points.  TJ Williams is a two guard that kind of flies under the radar in the 2026 class, but he has game.  Fluid shot creator that made several from deep with a feathery touch netting 17 points.  Loyola 2026 lead guard Trey Williams just knows how to get things done.  Good leader at the point that sores in the paint on runners and spinning layups.   Anwar Shines in Fundamental U 16U Defeat   Despite the loss to Multi Level there were several nice performances by prospects on Fundamental U's 16U squad.  First among the was McHenry power forward Adam Anwar.  The floor spacing four man can really shoot the ball from beyond the arc with consistency.  He has a clean and quick shooting stroke.  Also crashes the offensive glass for second chance points and is mobile in the pick/roll game for 14 points.  New Trier point guard Christopher Kirkpatrick is an athletic lead guard that can really score it!  One of the more electrifying guards in the class with how well he can shoot from deep and create off the bounce for scores/fouls.  Went for 18 points in the loss.   Team Thrill Survives a “Thriller” to Advance over Atlanta Xpress   This was an up and down contest with a lot of exciting athletes on the floor.  In the end Team Thrill was able to hang on narrowly 59-57.  The highest ranked prospect Marcus Jackson showed flashes with his elite athletic ability up front swatting shots both on the perimeter and inside along with rebounding in bunches and throwing down dunks.  He had 6 points.  Omarr Smith came up huge for Thrill in the win as the southpaw hit some feathery threes one after another en route to 12 points.   For Atlanta Xpress the duo that made an impression was Davin Neal and Hakeem Weems.  Both are bouncy four men that bring length and pop around the rim.  Neal had 8 points while Weems dropped 12 points in the contest.   Illinois Wolves 16U Falls from Ranks of Unbeaten in Bracket   The Wolves 16U came in undefeated to the event, but lost to a really good Mountain Stars team 58-53 on Saturday afternoon.  The Mountain Stars had a ton of size and depth up front, but in the end it was the backcourt duo of Gavin Lowe and Madden Smiley that carried the day.  Lowe is a point guard that is super adept at making mid-range pull up jumpers along with stretching to three and being creative in the lane.  We had him for 16 points.  Smiley is a crafty guard that got big buckets one after another all game long as the lefty finishes through contact, got to the line, and made a couple threes for 17 points.   The Wolves got a big push late from Rashaun Porter.  The DePaul Prep standout is a power forward that plays with a ton of physicality inside.  He turned the motor all the way up and almost brough his team back.  The top 10 in-state prospect had put backs, finished out of the dunker spot, tip ins, and hit a three.  Defensively he snatched boards in his area and swatted shots finishing with 15 points.  Maine South forward Rico D'Alessandro had 10 points as did Mt. Carmel's point guard Noah Mister.  Rykan Woo of DePaul Prep sliced up the defense as usual with several outstanding dishes for dimes.   Seattle Select Knocks Breakaway 17U Out as Another Illinois Undefeated UA Team Falls   In back to back games we saw a team undefeated in the regular season go down as Breakaway who didn't lose in the UA Rise lost to Seattle Select 75-73.  Seattle Select is led by Gonzaga commit Davis Fogle who got off to a slow start, but then had it rolling late including banging in the game winner!  Natural bucket getter with size that has a good looking shot.  When he needed buckets in the second half he put his head down and got to the rim.  We had him for 18 points in the win.  Landen Birley was the other guy that made Seattle go.  Plus shooter from three that hit big shot after big shot in the win especially from distance.   Lake Zurich center Anton Strelnikov continues to show he is one of the more under the radar posts in the class.  That changed at Ridgewood and he continued to carry that helium into UAA Finals.  Skilled old school five man that seals on the low block, has excellent footwork, and loves the spin move.  Went for 13 points.  Stevenson point guard Aidan Bardic was the guy Breakaway trusted with the ball down the stretch.  He made some big shots including one to take the lead late.  Mid-range jumper was on point and he is just a crafty lead guard that makes plays off the bounce for himself and others.  Finished with 17 points.  Mt. Carmel shooting guard Grant Best scored on sweeping layups, and-1s, and baseline takes for 13 points.   Illinois Wolves 17U Comes Back Behind 31 Points from Top 2025 Center   The state's top 2025 center literally put his team on his back and carried them across the finish line in an Illinois Wolves 72-64 victory over Team Curry.  Nick Allen was phenomenal with his low post moves using great footwork, touch, power, and finished on dump offs with force at the rim.  He racked up 31 points in the most dominant performance of the Bradley Bourbonnais big man's career.  Marcos Gonzales of Brother Rice also had a great supporting performance in the win.  Went for 14 points with the majority coming in the second half.  He used his strength scoring in the lane taking it hard to the rack along with using his length to impact defensively.   Best we saw Treyvon Maddox of Team Curry this weekend.  The wing has plus size and athleticism.  Projectable wing that can score from all three levels, but in this game was at his best scoring out of the post on seals and from mid-range.  Went for 14 points.  Bryce Slay is another big wing to keep tabs on.  Plus shot maker from the small forward spot that has good strength being able to finish through contact as he had 11 points.   Rogers Showing Promise Inside for Wisconsin Playground   Kai Rogers from Wisconsin Playground was as good as we have seen him recently.  He seems to have trimmed down which has improved his conditioning.  Physical player around the hoop sealing extremely well and taking good angles on his finishes.  Finished well out of the dunker spot and was great in the high/low.   SOH Elite Trio Tops Illinois Wolves 16U   This was a fun matchup with a lot of talent on the floor as SOH out of Florida defeated the Illinois Wolves 16U 71-65.  Point guard Lloyd Swan was magnificent in the victory as he recorded 20 points and dished out numerous dimes.  Plus three point shooter that can make them both off the catch and pulling up.  Also had a nice mid-range and soft touch finishing package as well.  Mid-major programs should jump on him early in the 2026 class.  Samuel Hallas is a long and lanky combo forward that brings plus plus athleticism up front with his finishing out of the dunker spot, getting out in transition for slams, and slipping in the half court as he scored 15 points.  Collin Paul is the highest end recruit of this group.  The 6'8” power forward has a strong frame and plus athleticism.  Showed flashes with spin moves, transition conversions, and shifty takes with the ball in his hands.  Would like to see the motor run a little higher as he was clearly the most physically gifted player on the floor going for 8 points.   On the Illinois Wolves side they were once again led by Rashaun Porter who had a big day.  The top 10 in-state prospect is a powerful rebounder snatching them in traffic, rim running, and throwing down jams out of the dunker spot en route to 11 points.  Barrington wing Oliver Gray had his moments in this one as the spot up shooter with size showed he is more than just a three point guy as he attacked close outs for sweeping layups, runners, and floaters for 9 points.  Also up front it was solid games for 2026 Deerfield post Jake Pollack and Wheaton Academy 2027 power forward Hayden Schroeder.  Pollack finished dump of passes, had a hook shot, and scored off a shot fake for 7 points.  Schroeder is playing up an age level and had his best game of the weekend.  The four man who projects as a top 10 2027 in Illinois ran the floor with fluidity and had a nice euro step for 6 points.   Gulf Coast Blue Chips Close Out Night with Win over Illinois Wolves 15U   The last game we took in was a win from Gulf Coast Blue Chips out of Texas as their 15U team defeated the Illinois Wolves 56-45. Payton Jones was the story for the Texas squad as the 6'1” point guard dropped a cool 21 points in the win. Creative guard that can get to his shot puoling up along with hitting off the catch from the corners. Slick ball handlers who displayed burst to the rim for scores. Xavier Muhammad is an undersized post that mauled on the interior racking up 14 points including multiple put backs and carving out space.   St. Viator 6'1” shooting guard Dawson Charles is a strong bodied and athletic wing that played the best we have seen him early on in his career. Known as a power athlete that loves to get out in transition it was his sharp shooting from three that was noteworthy in this one as he had four triples in the loss while scoring 20+ points. Kristopher Mporokoso continues to be such an intriguing wing to us. The Waubonsie Valley small forward didn't shoot it well, but his versatility as a passer, low post scorer, rebounder, and defender helped him rack up 9 points.

The UAA Finals continued on Saturday with another great day of action. PHI took in games from teams from the state of Illinois and beyond. Here we dive into it all in UAA Finals: Scotty B's Saturday Notebook!