Rockford East Summer League: Statement Makers

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 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 players who showed some highlights throughout the evening's festivities.    If there was a board man of the night award, Marquise would take the cake. Not a huge big for his size but really fills the 4-or 5-man role appropriately with his hardnosed unselfishness demeanor. A true garbage man in the paint and grinder on the glass. Possesses good hands and feet as well. Finished a reverse layup in transition, caught it on the block and bullied his way through a couple defenders to convert, and had a couple put backs off O boards. Knows how to play efficiently off his two quick guards. The team glue guy that humbly executes his job.     Has a good frame for the point position at the next level. Possesses clean handles against quicker defenders. Eyes are peeled on the outlet for pitch ahead opportunities in transition off misses or makes. Can swing it or skip it quickly in the ½ court to get the defense moving and on their toes. With the ball, was able to split traffic on a dribble drive for an And1 and splashed in a 3 off a cross over from the wing. Defensively made a clean block on a breakaway, fought over a couple ball screens using lateral quickness and toughness, and had a steal on the ball converting into a transition layup. Will fill the primary point role who will have to make key plays to keep team competitive.     A floor general who took on full length court pressure with poise and control changing speeds while keeping on the ball defender off balance. Can dribble into his shot from long range with a really high rise and a pure release. Has the green light as team's main scorer but also made smart reads sharing it effectively in the ½ court dribble drive action or in transition to fill up the assist department. Eyes are peeled to see gaps when handling. Remained vital on the glass with an energetic drive and will. Highlights consisted of a cool step back 3 off the bounce, a cross over into a reverse soft touch lay in, and splitting defenders going into more traffic to convert. Continued team's run picking off a pass and finishing with a 2-hand slam off 2 feet for an explanation point to gut out a win.     A quick and nifty ball handler that plays a true pass first point guard role. Can slow you down or speed you up in a hurry when taking on pressure. Liked the way he created space when handling. Made multiple pitch ahead assists in the primary phase to keep defense on their heels. Will make post feed entries to bigs on the block or get in the lane and dish off. Remained a scoring threat throughout the 2nd game of the night as well. Spot up 3 deemed efficient off the catch and converted on a take to the cup in traffic off the glass for a soft touch. Runs the offense effectively for a well-coached selfless squad.     Can really get downhill fast in a hurry with a full head of steam. Garners a lot of attention to the table with his abilities. Face guarded the entirety of the last game of the evening but still created when he could. Will pull up from long distance off the dribble. Converted on a tough reverse layup in the teeth of the defense against more size. Retrieved a quick outlet off a make and beat the defense down the floor for a lay-up. Can fly with the ball at times once he gets going. Good reason why he's already committed to a D-1 program and will continue to have upside potential.     Comes off a conference MVP season as a junior and was playing right where he left off. Will have to handle it more so than last year with a couple guards graduating. Likes to get out and push the ball to speed the pace up. Rebounded it consistently off misses and looks for primary break options. His main ability continues to be shooting the rock at a high clip. Dribbled into a 3 off a ball screen, made a flash in the lane for an easy lay in, and splashed home another long-range deuce at half time as the buzzer rang. A gamer who will be poised for a standout senior year.

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 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 players who showed some highlights throughout the evening's festivities.