Prep Hoops Chi-Town Tip Off - Ramsey's Saturday Notebook

<p>What a day of basketball! Aside from a brief mid-day fire alarm issue, it was an incredibly smooth day of hoops at the Romeoville Athletic Center. Throughout a 12+ hour day in the gym we had the opportunity to get eyes on a lot of different prospects from all across in the Midwest in the 15u, 16u, and 17u age divisions. As always, now that the day is in the rearview mirror, let's empty out the notebook and take a closer look at all of Saturday's action at the Prep Hoops Circuit Chi-Town Tip Off.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">8:00 a.m. Crew Standouts</h2>   <p>The 8:00 a.m. crew was back and better than ever at the Romeoville Athletic Center on Saturday morning. We stared out by watching [program_tooltip program_id='2078449' first='Meanstreets' last=''] National 17u take on [program_tooltip program_id='2076904' first='Chicago' last='Hoops'] 17u. 6'7" unsigned senior [player_tooltip player_id='2461653' first='Eion' last='Ikner'] (Thornton Fractional South H.S. 2025) was the first standout of the day. In fact, he is the type of prospect that stands out in the layup lines. His combination of his, length, and athleticism make him a very intriguing unsigned prospect. Ikner attacks the glass aggressively on both ends and has the athleticism to play above the rim both as a finisher and shot blocker. Fellow unsigned senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2403833' first='Logan' last='Arteaga'] (Palatine H.S. 2025) flashed some intriguing skills for [program_tooltip program_id='2078449' first='Meanstreets' last=''] National 17u as well. The 6'5" big man displayed sound footwork and a soft touch when finish around the basket. Like Ikner, his best skill likes is rebounding the basketball.</p>   <p>As [program_tooltip program_id='2078449' first='Meanstreets' last=''] National started to pull away, we also bounced over to check on Manitowoc United Gold 17u in the 8:00 a.m. time slot. 6'2" wing Donovan Cowley (Manitowoc Roncalli 2026) was the star for them scoring 24 points while connecting on six three-point shots. However, Ben Prochnow (Reedsville H.S. 2026) and Carmine Moctezuma (Kohler H.S. 2026) both stood out as well in the second half while we were watching.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Indiana Reign Supreme 16u Goes 2-0 on Saturday</h2>   <p>We were in attendance for much of Indiana Reign Supreme 16u's first game of the day when they defeated BIG3 Basketball 16u-3 58-51. They went on to beat ALL IN Athletics 16u Wisconsin 56-48 as well.</p>   <p>This was the second straight Prep Hoops Circuit event where [player_tooltip player_id='2509687' first='Zakiah' last='Baker'] (Greenwood Christian 2027) has caught our attention. The 5'10" guard plays with such great pace as a ball handler. He never gets sped up, absorbs contact well, and showcases a very high basketball IQ. That translates to when he is playing off of the ball as well where he is an outstanding cutter. However, it was [player_tooltip player_id='2560632' first='Isaac' last='Garner'] (South Putnam H.S. 2027) who really stood out on Saturday morning. The 6'2" wing had a stretch in the first half where he simply took over the game. Garner has a sneaky burst when getting downhill to the basket, displayed the ability to finish with both hands at the end of his drives, and completed multiple offensive rebound putbacks. He would go on to score a team-leading 14 points while Baker and [player_tooltip player_id='2682814' first='Griffin' last='Beasley'] (Greencastle H.S. 2027) each added 13 points in the victory.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='2452456' first='Mac' last='Irvin Fire'] 15u vs. Wisconsin Playground Club 15u</h2>   <p>Arguably the best game of the day, Wisconsin Playground Club 15u came back from a sizable early deficit to take a lead midway through the second half, but [program_tooltip program_id='2452456' first='Mac' last='Irvin Fire'] ultimately came out on top 52-46.</p>   <p>Down the stretch it was [player_tooltip player_id='2531961' first='Amarion' last='Smith-Holley'] (Peoria Richwoods H.S. 2028) that took over for [program_tooltip program_id='2452456' first='Mac' last='Irvin Fire']. The talented 6'0" guard showcased his high-level ball handling ability throughout the game, but really turned it on when it mattered most. Smith-Holley beat a hard hedge around the corner and knocked down a pull-up three-point shot to put [program_tooltip program_id='2452456' first='Mac' last='Irvin Fire'] up 47-46 and they never looked back from there. A tough, creative finish from Smith-Holley had tied the game at 44-44 as well. He went on to finish with 16 points to lead the way.</p>   <p>Despite the loss, the performance of J'Cobi Mathis (St. Augustine Prep 2027) was the most impressive in this one. The dynamic shot-making guard finished with an unofficial 24 points. He was, without a doubt, one of the best individual players that we had the chance to evaluate on Saturday.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='2452456' first='Mac' last='Irvin Fire'] 16u vs. Wisconsin Playground Club 16u</h2>   <p>The 15u game between these two shoe circuit programs was outstanding. However, the 16u matchup turned into a blowout. Broken up by a fire alarm that sent everyone out of the Romeoville Athletic Center, Top 25 national prospect [player_tooltip player_id='2125612' first='Devin' last='Cleveland'] (Kenwood Academy 2027) and [player_tooltip player_id='2140359' first='Elijah' last='King'] (South Bend St. Joseph H.S. 2027) led the way for [program_tooltip program_id='2452456' first='Mac' last='Irvin Fire'] 16u in a 72-37 route of Wisconsin Playground Elite 16u. Cleveland finished with 22 points after lighting the nets on fire from three-point range early in the game. Meanwhile, King finished with 14 points while dominating with his combination of strength and athleticism.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">17u College Prospects Take Center Stage</h2>   <p>Some of the top 17u programs rolled into the Romeoville Athletic Center at 5:45 on Saturday night and we had eyes primarily on the [program_tooltip program_id='2452456' first='Mac' last='Irvin Fire'] versus [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] Black matchup. [player_tooltip player_id='2105360' first='Lincoln' last='Williams'] (Kankakee H.S. 2026) quickly stole the show with his physical tools and athleticism. Unsigned senior [player_tooltip player_id='1766460' first='Al' last='Brooks'] Jr (Rich Township H.S. 2025) who brings similar physical and athletic tools to the table, dominated defensively and then got to the rim consistently as the game went on.</p>   <p>As for [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] Black, it was [player_tooltip player_id='2834460' first='Tommy' last='Moffett'] (Fremd H.S. 2026) who stood out early on displaying his quality size not he perimeter and high-level three-point shooting ability. 7'0" center [player_tooltip player_id='2105376' first='Colin' last='Stack'] (Benet Academy 2026) certainly showed his defensive ability as well. His size always is intriguing, especially because he moves pretty well within his 7'0" frame.</p>   <p>In the end, [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] Black fell to [program_tooltip program_id='2452456' first='Mac' last='Irvin Fire'] 62-48.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Notes</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2396333' first='Sean' last='Souter'] (Walter Payton H.S. 2028) had no issue getting things done from the point guard position while playing all of the way up at the 17u level for the Chi-Town Bulldogs.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1552439' first='Logan' last='Luxem'] (John Hersey H.S. 2026) came on strong in [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] Black's second game of the evening. The super skilled 6'2" guard can score it from all over the floor.</p>   <p>JJ Martin (Beliot Memorial 2027) and [player_tooltip player_id='1874854' first='Myles' last='Bates'] (Rockford Guilford H.S. 2026) were among the standouts for Slam City Elite this evening. 6'7" Jayden Gray (Hiawathia H.S. 2027) is definitely one to watch as well.</p>   <p>It doesn't take long to notice why Precious Sam (AZ Compass Prep 2027) is such a high-upside prospect. The 6'10" center is a bit raw offensively, but he absolutely dominates the game defensively and on the glass.</p>   <p>Treaton Loeffelholz (Iowa Grant H.S. 2026) was the standout for Wisconsin Hoops Select 17u - Johnson in a win earlier in the day on Saturday. The 6'4" forward was excellent around the basket.</p>

What a day of basketball! Aside from a brief mid-day fire alarm issue, it was an incredibly smooth day of hoops at the Romeoville Athletic Center. Throughout a 12+ hour day in the gym we had the opportunity to get eyes on a lot of different prospects from all across in the Midwest in the 15u, 16u, and 17u age divisions. As always, now that the day is in the rearview mirror, let's empty out the notebook and take a closer look at all of Saturday's action at the Prep Hoops Circuit Chi-Town Tip Off.