Rockford East Summer League: More Top Standouts

PHI was in Rockford, IL on Monday catching some Northwest Illinois and Southcentral Wisconsin Basketball at the always competitive Rockford East High School Summer League. The League hosts 16 teams from the NIC10, Big Northern, NUIC, and couple of Wisconsin conferences. Each team plays 2 games per night on Mondays during the month of June. I caught glimpses of 4 games worth of action. Let's breakdown a handful of more players who showed some highlights throughout the evening's festivities.    High energy combo guard that possesses a lot of shiftiness with the ball. Was most impressed by his peskiness defensively to create turnovers in the 2nd half of team's first game. Will present a tough challenge on the ball with quick hands and good reaction timing. Really bouncy. Offensively created shots in various ways. Left hand take floater off the glass through traffic deemed efficient. Made a hard cut through the lane to retrieve it and score. Tough rip through baseline finish through contact. Pull up 10-footer from the free throw line. Last but not least finished on a breakaway with a two-hand slam off two feet. Overall had good rhythm and feel to find opportunities when presented.     Agile 4 or 5 man that utilizes lengthy wing span effectively in multiple facets of the game. Stays with it boarding wise on both ends. Creates a challenge in the paint defensively on drives. Converted on a couple And 1's to continue to provide team a spark. Most impressed by his ability to get out and run the floor. Drove it a bit more than I've previously seen. Made a cool spin move on the block and a cross over from the wing spot to drive and finish. Will be the main event on another solid Indians squad.     Took on a primary role with his other guard having a lot attention and filled the necessary requirements. Finished on multiple hard takes to the lane and possesses a toughness mentality on both ends. Maintained consistent activity rebounding the ball. Reads it well coming off and grabs it at its' highest point. Provided a spark converting on second chance opportunities. Took it coast to coast when there was not a lot of space to work with and still finished. Plays multi-positional. Most impressed with his aggressiveness and grit to keep team in it.     Was a part of a 3-legged back court in the first game of the night. Ran the sideline in transition at a good rate. Played off his two primary handlers but can handle it as well if needed. Got to his spots effectively in the ½ court setting with the ball. Created space on drives. Had the most pull ups from midrange out of anyone I saw in the league tonight. Went two to three dribbles across the lane multiple times to pull up from 6, 8, or 10 feet. Jump shot is smooth and shoots it at a high percentage. Got it going consistently in the 2nd half. Made a catch and shoot 3 from the corner in the primary break phase. I liked his overall feel for the game with the rock in his hands.     One of the more surprising players of the night that made sure his mark was made in the last game of the evening against tough competition. Scored it in a variety of avenues. Made a tough spin move on the block to finish over size and dribbled into a cool crossover from the elbow and splashed it in from mid-range. Pushed it ahead a couple times for a dish off and take himself. Liked his tenacity to grind it out in tough situations and will be a gamer this upcoming season for a squad looking to win it's 4th consecutive NIC10 conference title.

PHI was in Rockford, IL on Monday catching some Northwest Illinois and Southcentral Wisconsin Basketball at the always competitive Rockford East High School Summer League. The League hosts 16 teams from the NIC10, Big Northern, NUIC, and couple of Wisconsin conferences. Each team plays 2 games per night on Mondays during the month of June. I caught glimpses of 4 games worth of action. Let's breakdown a handful of more players who showed some highlights throughout the evening's festivities.