Freshman Showcase: Team 7 Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We continue our examination of each team from the Prep Hoops Illinois Freshman Showcase with my evaluation of the top performers from Team 7!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Roosevelt Thomas (De La Salle) 6'3</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thomas is a physically imposing guard who is blessed with strength, skill, and court awareness. He dominated the opposing team bullying his way to the rim repeatedly. Roosevelt had a plethora of assists and rebounds in the game. I know he told me he could dunk but his one attempt fell just a bit short.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bonheur Balita (Lycee Francais De Chicago) 6'4</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another physical player who bodied players around the rim. Was a heavy force on the glass and was too much of a load along with Thomas to stop. Balita has post and wing moves that set him apart from the other players with his body type. He's aggressive and effective, something you just don't see often with younger prospects.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kalvin Johnson (Racine Lutheran WI) 6'0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker guard who plays through the whistle. Johnson is a set shooter who still needs a little more time to get the shot off. Flourished on transition plays where he was able to get layups and get to the foul line. Kalvin calmly knocked down a stop-and-pop three in the final minutes of the game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2369868' first='Charlie' last='Yellen'] (Deerfield) 6'1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I like the potential of Yellen. He's a combo guard who has a unique skill set as a passer and scorer at his size. Charlie is good on ball screens when getting in the lane. A very court savvy player that will only get stronger and more consistent as he gets older.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rafael Roberson (Yorkville) 5'10</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A talented guard who has the long arms and tenacity to be a ball hawk on defense. He racked up several steals and blocks in the first game. Rafael had a couple of strong drives to the rim where he scored while being fouled. Rafael forced some tough shots but was also fouled in the process.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2369854' first='Landon' last='Reiner'] (Loyola) 5'6</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smaller guard who can get shots up with the quickness. Landon had several layups in the game I watched to go along with some flashy passing. He made shots from three which never touched the rim. A sneaky defender who has good basketball instincts.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2522885' first='Lyle' last='Taylor'] (Pekin) 6'3&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor is a big wing who found some success scoring around the basket against smaller players. He seemed a bit timid at first but played with confidence as the game slowed down some. Lyle has good shot mechanics on the shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->