The Platform: Steve’s Saturday Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are the standouts from Saturday's games in Chicago at Prep Hoops The Platform.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2835732' first='William' last='Laidig'] 6'6 [player_tooltip player_id='2391665' first='Kessel' last='Heat'] 2028&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Laidig is a fundamentally sound big man who has excellent footwork in the post. Keeps the ball alive by tapping it to himself off the glass and then catching it for a put-back. William plays through contact and battles several times to get to the loose balls. He was a solid presence in the paint as a rim protector.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2675420' first='Quinn' last='Carroll'] [program_tooltip program_id='2078448' first='Illinois' last='Wolves'] 2029</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Quinn is a lights out shooter who hit 6 threes in the morning game. He is high quality catch and shoot guard who has good size for an incoming freshman. Carroll makes plays with the ball also. A few of his passes were right on the money to teammates and one of his better assists was a dart to cutters that he scored. Quinn finished with 20.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2563241' first='Xavier' last='Williams'] Geek Squad 2028</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williams had a very good start to the game. He hit a pair of three pointers to get him going then that energy transferred right back to defense because he started getting steal after steal. He would eventually have 5 takeaways that all became points. He is a slender guard who is improving the handle but has the confidence to hit shots from deep. He finished with 13 points and 5 steals in the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Peen Seeley REAL Basketball 2028&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seeley is an ultra-competitive guard who is constantly around the basketball. Shows good instincts with the ball. Makes the right passes each time in transition. Has scored a bunch of his points either off fastbreaks or open spots in the zone when the game was slowed down to more of a half-court game. On defense he gets after the ball showing good instincts. A play that stood out was a chase-down block that he ran down after losing the ball. Peen has the tools and mindset it takes to be a scholarship player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2369940' first='Will' last='Foley'] [player_tooltip player_id='2391665' first='Kessel' last='Heat'] 2028</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Foley is a compact guard who plays with speed and agility near the basket. He can drive through small tight spaces to score. Foley will make a play for others, but for his size he struggles at times making the kick out. When left wide open Will made shots from three. He is a player to monitor going forward.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eric Foster Team Herro 2029&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Foster is a slick ball handler who made some big plays for Team Herro. It started with a few iso drives to the basket for layups then a three from the top of the key. Eric was impressive as a passer as well making plays to the basket and drop-off passes to the big man for easy baskets. Foster led his team with 14 points in a win over the IL Wolves&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grayson Castro Team Herro 2029&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grayson is wide wide-bodied post player who uses his wide frame to get post position. He is already ahead of the curve because he knows that if he battles and gets good positioning first it's much easier to score at the basket. Castro kept things simple with drop step moves and short hooks. He scored 10 points in a very intense and low-scoring battle.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Deuce Johnson IL Wolves 2029</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson is a bigger guard who handles the ball well and makes a living off mid-range pull-ups. Duece is shifty on the crossover and has a good command of the rock when looking to score. He has some areas to improve like decision making and what's a good and bad shot but he has a tremendous upside to his game and will be an impact player in high school.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->