UAA Finals: Steve’s Saturday Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are the players that stood out in Chicago at the UAA Finals on Saturday.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hakeem Weems - Atlanta Express 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Weems was one of the surprises of the day for me. Long and bouncy forward who had several dunks in the morning game against Team Thrill. Hakeem is a legit 6'9 athlete who has good timing and hands around the basket. He did a good job at containing 4-star prospect Marcus Jackson. Weems length was excellent for grabbing rebounds and detouring passes for lobs. He delivered some big momentum plays for the Xpress when they had command of the lead.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rashaun Porter - Illinois Wolves 2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Walked away a big fan of Porter and his work ethic in the paint. At 6'5 he plays hard no matter what the score is. In the afternoon game for the Wolves his team was down double digits for most of the game Rashaun didn't let up, crashing the glass on both sides of the ball, and scoring while in the lane. As a post player he relies on being physical to muscle through defenders from buckets. In the act he's often fouled and is very good at finishing the traditional three-point play. When on the perimeter Porter is skilled enough to hit the 16-footer or even a three-pointer if left wide open. His hard work and effort were a driving force for his team's late-game comeback, even though they fell short Rashaun had the attention of coaches.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jah Hatchett - Storm Basketball 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jah is a player I saw back in May but is now playing with his original team. I'm in awe of his change of pace with the ball. You don't see many guards move like he does and is a terrific passer when he's in his bag. Playing with a very talented Storm team Hatchett has many weapons to use when he drives to the basket. As a defender he is a ball hawk and his reflexes to play the passing lanes is unique. Jah is a low D1 prospect who doesn't score a lot to impact games.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Omarr Smith - Team Thrill 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith is a smooth-shooting lefty from Baltimore who made a trio of threes in the first half of its quarterfinal game against Atlanta Xpress. He's a 6'4 guard who can make shots in bunches when given space to operate. Omarr has the attributes to impact both sides of the ball. He has city toughness with sneaky athleticism. He is a low-to-mid prospect who has several schools interested in his talents.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cole Kelly - Breakaway 2028&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Big time shooting performance from Kelly. He was the talk of the day as he was the leading scorer in both games for a very talented Breakaway 16U squad. Cole who is playing two years up has consistently been the go-to guy for his team. The 6'6 wing has already made a niche for himself as a shooter on the perimeter and a very skilled low-post guy. He is athletic and not afraid to rebound and battle inside with the bigs. Kelly may be a couple of dribble moves away from being a complete prospect. He received his first division one offer from the University of Illinois on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Collin Paul - SOH Elite 2026&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Paul was one of the prospects I wanted to watch the most when researching the UA circuit. At 6'8 he's one of the most fluid and athletic wings in the event. Collin has guard-like skills on the perimeter and can finish with finesse or authority depending on his mood. I watched two different versions of him. In the early game he played with more pop and energy and was effective on both sides of the rock. In the second game didn't have much of a motor and didn't produce as much. If he figures out how to impact consistently, I believe he's an NBA prospect down the line.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>Other Notables players</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Theo Rocca - Fundamental U 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Theo is a bigger guard at 6'4 who shot the ball well against the Storm. Evanston product hit a trio of threes in the contest. He showed good patience in letting plays develop and moved well off the ball.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nick Allen - Illinois Wolves 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the better post players the class of 2025 has in the state. Very sound around the basket and tries to keep things simple and plain. At 6'9 Allen has improved his hands and coordination with his back to the basket.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Anton Strelnikov- Breakaway 2025&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the hardest-working players in the state. At 6'7 he battles hard for position in the post and has long arms to create space and opportunities when he catches the rock. Anton has developed into a for sure Division 1 prospect with his versatility in the post.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chase Barnes - Indiana Game 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Barnes is a stat-stuffing guard who does his best work from the mid-range. He's a dependable change-of-pace-guard who likes to create off pick/roll situations but has creative freedom in his handles to beat guys off the dribble. Chase does well shooting off the catch or stop-and-pop opportunities. He's a low D1 or high D2 caliber player.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->