5 Takeaways: Vikings United Fall League

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Monday night I finally made at trip to Homewood Flossmoor to catch the [program_tooltip program_id='2830289' first='Vikings' last='United'] Fall League. With four courts going on I was able to catch a few glimpses of some teams. Here are some observations from evening.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marist Forward Duo are Mismatches</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marst's pair of 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2125658' first='Kendall' last='Meyers'] and 2026 Charles Barnes wings looked very good playing with one another. With [player_tooltip player_id='1845350' first='Stephen' last='Brown'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1552436' first='Karson' last='Thomas'] sitting out Meyers and Barnes did most of the scoring. Kendall has a high skillset and looked good driving downhill scoring over a much taller Hilcrest frontline. Barnes looked strong on the break a couple of times scoring with his length maneuvering around guys. When Marist gets closer to the season and they have a healthy roster these two players will be a handful to cover because they create a mismatch problem all over the court.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class of 2029 Already Making a Statement</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Watched 2029 guards [player_tooltip player_id='2947687' first='Dakari' last='Nesbitt'] (Thornton) and [player_tooltip player_id='2918205' first='Keiwon' last='Gulley'] (Bloom) both control the game in different ways. Nesbitt is a high-volume scorer who made some impressive shots from deep. As he saw his shots go in and became more confident he then got to the basket and scored tough shots. As for Gulley he looked to be a dynamic finisher and passer for a young Bloom backcourt. Keiwon has a very good burst on his handle and can zip passes to cutters or guys spacing out on the perimeter. I was impressed by how he controlled the pace at times for a player who had just entered high school. Both of these guards will be must-watch prospects in the South Suburbs.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lockport Strong Guard Play</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lockport guards were as good as advertised. The junior trio of the Venkus twins and big guard Nathan Munson have a bright future ahead of them. They all complement each other with good ball movement and spacing. [player_tooltip player_id='2125668' first='Nedas' last='Venckus'] is the athletic wing who always seems to be around the ball. Nojus Venkus helps initiate plays and keeps spacing on the floor balanced while Munson likes to plant himself around the post and put smaller guards on his back as he scores near the basket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dolphins Senior and Freshman Backcourt One of Best in CPS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whitney Young has two big guards who can create for others and themselves. We all watched [player_tooltip player_id='1552475' first='Marquis' last='Clark'] dominate games with his ball skills and ability to make shots from three levels of play. He has always been one of the top players in the state often putting on a one-man show. He now has help with incoming freshman TJ Jamison who is a big guard at 6'4 who can get to the basket in multiple ways but also is a terrific passer when on the move. When he plays off the ball he can knock down shots with ease. The addition of Jamison with Clark will be an exciting duo to cover this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Underclassmen Guards for Payton Standout</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Payton's young backcourt looks to be the future of the CPL. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2531979' first='CJ' last='Pittman'] leads the show with his playmaking ability and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2396333' first='Sean' last='Souter'] provides additional help as a combo guard with his shooting and toughness. Freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='2947403' first='Orlando' last='Bohlen'] is a marksman from behind the arc. This is a dangerous trio that could cause some damage the more they gel sooner or later.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->