Sleepers Shine at Illinois Youth Basketball Fall League

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday morning I took the liberty to go and check out the Illinois Youth Basketball Association Varsity Fall league games at Oakton College. There were a few blowouts and some close games today. Here were some standouts.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Maurice Thompson Zion Benton&nbsp;2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6'3 explosive wing asserted himself in the paint well scoring often with two-foot finishers under the basket. Then later he drained a mid-range jumper to show he was not just an interior player. Maurice also had a jaw-dropping block in the game showing his defensive side of the ball. With his team being blown out he still showed that he was the best prospect on the court.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2823605' first='RJ' last='McPartlin'] St. Patrick 2026&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RJ is a big man who has stability in the paint. At 6'7 he posts up with a wide frame and advanced footwork. Showed soft touch when near the basket. When setting screens at the top of the key he was able to show his skill as a shooter in pick-and-pop action. A highlight play for McPartlin was when he slashed down the middle for a strong two-handed dunk and the gym was all in shock. Small school prospect.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2849264' first='Josiah' last='Oaxaca'] Maine East 2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Josiah is a 5'10 change of pace guard who got into the paint repeatedly with his crossover and scored baskets with a light touch on the ball. He has some shift to his handle and likes to high arching shots off the glass.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2632005' first='Levente' last='Tallos'] Lake Forest Academy 2026&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Levente is a control-the-tempo guard who has good upper-body strength. Shot the ball well from three but was more effective getting in the lane with a quick first step and scoring on reverse layups. Tallos proved he was basketball tough by banging in the paint for rebounds on both sides of the ball. He had a solid handle to be a combo guard at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2959829' first='James' last='Hodrick'] Jr. UIC-CP 2026 6'2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tough and physical guard has made a living scoring off mid-range fadeaways. James fights to get to his spots and elevates over defenders. He was right-hand dominant but showed some flashes of getting to the left side to make a play. A JUCO or small school gem in Chicago.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DeAngelo Rodriguez Maine West 2028&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DeAngelo is a player to track. Skilled 6'1 guard who scored with ease from all three levels of the field today. Rodriguez possesses a tight handle and was fearless when getting downhill and scoring amongst the trees. He plays at a calming pace and doesn't seem rattled by pressure.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LeBron Rogers Michelle Clark 2027&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lebron is a 5'9 speedy guard who finds guys when getting deep in the paint. Rogers dropped on the money passes a couple of times while running fastbreaks. He is a gritty guard who picks up 94 feet a causes havoc on his opponent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2877543' first='Landon' last='Lethunya'] Lake Forest Academy 2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Watching Landon play with his high school team was a different experience from summer. More active around the basket as a rim runner. He caught a few passes and dunked them with ease. He is a 6'8 pogo stick who can cover lots of ground with his arm length. Besides the dunks the blocks he swatted were strong as well. Good timing on shots with two years to go he can put himself in that division 1 chatter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->