National Open Championship: Illinois 2026 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the weekend PHI was at the National Open Championship in Indianapolis.&nbsp; We saw a ton of Illinois teams play and here are the prospects that stood out in the 2026 class!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2407868' first='Tyler' last='Oakley'] (Illinois Mavericks)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oakley is a big and physical wing from Charleston that has been on the radar for a while now.&nbsp; What he does best is shoot it from the perimeter.&nbsp; He was lights out in the game we saw pouring in jumpers from two and three consistently.&nbsp; Gets to his spots and rises up along with knocking down threes off the catch.&nbsp; Super high level small college prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2847854' first='Zander' last='Cessna'] (Illinois Mavericks)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cessna is a creative guard from Lawrenceville that at 5'11” is a skilled ball handler.&nbsp; Good passer off live dribbles, makes difficult layups, and is a capable shot maker from three.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2481675' first='Jayden' last='Goff'] (Illinois Mavericks)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Goff has some upside as a 6'4” four man with length and projectability to continue to grow.&nbsp; He is a plus shot blocker that can also really stretch the floor with his long ball.&nbsp; High points rebounds in traffic.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552415' first='Maddox' last='Ritzel'] ([program_tooltip program_id='2075532' first='Illinois' last='Bears'])</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ritzel just produces!&nbsp; The Nashville shooting guard is a pure bucket getter that consistently gets it going at a high level game in and game out.&nbsp; He is a strong bodied two guard that is a quality shooter knocking in an array of threes along with mid-range shots in the game we caught.&nbsp; Plays with physicality downhill getting to the foul line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552416' first='Gavin' last='Peppenhorst'] (Capital City Teamwork)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Skilled wing that has a lanky frame.&nbsp; Can post up, score in transition, and slash off the bounce.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2907583' first='Camarie' last='Richmond'] (Capital City Teamwork)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First look at this 5'9” point guard from Springfield Lanphier and he was solid.&nbsp; Liked what he brought playing with nice pace and had shot making in his bag from two and three.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2387516' first='Connor' last='Brown'] ([program_tooltip program_id='2075532' first='Illinois' last='Bears'])</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brown is a solid sized 6'2” combo guard that has a nose for the ball.&nbsp; He is at his best scoring off the bounce with nifty layups and scoring in the open floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2105369' first='Jacob' last='Thompson'] (Chi-Town Bulldogs)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thompson is a prospect that popped early in his career with his frame and length.&nbsp; He was pretty raw and didn't get much playing time early in his high school career.&nbsp; He has filled out his frame and shined on the defensive end with his rim protection, spin moves, and crashing on the offensive glass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2435304' first='Ledarrel' last='Goss'] (Chi-Town Bulldogs)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Goss caught our eye in the spring and the Lakeview High School product is a super athletic wing that plays with a ton of speed, burst, and pop above the rim.&nbsp; Excels in transition where he flies down the floor and as a slasher getting to the rim off the bounce.&nbsp; Puts a lot of pressure on the hoop.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->