Week 7 Evaluation: Eyes on the Underclassmen

<p>I had the chance to catch a couple of games this week, starting with a Northwest Suburban matchup on Monday between No. 10 Fremd and Wauconda. On Wednesday, I followed that up with a Kishwaukee River–Interstate 8 clash featuring Sycamore and Woodstock. Across both nights, all four teams showcased a mix of ranked prospects, under-the-radar players, and a few names you may be hearing for the first time. In this morning's article, we highlighted the top performers in the 2026 class. Now, we shift our attention to the younger grades in <strong>Eyes on the Underclassmen</strong>.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Results</h2>   <p>Fremd 84 @ Wauconda 51</p>   <p>Sycamore 60 @ Woodstock 54</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Against Fremd, he showed encouraging offensive feel with a clean step-through move on the block—just missing the finish—and soft pull-up touch out of the post. Active in the half court, he flashed to the blocks with purpose, displayed soft hands on entries, and finished through contact. A difficult matchup due to his ability to score inside while also stretching the floor to the three-point line. Playing through Carlsen in the post should continue to open up opportunities for the guards. He's been the most consistent defensive rebounder according to head coach Weidner. A promising underclassman trending in the right direction.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Leo showed shooting range from deep while playing unselfishly when attacking the paint, consistently looking to set up shooters. Flashed touch on a floater. Displayed strong vision when jumping skip passes and the ability to push pace in transition. Defensively, he has the burst to blow up passing lanes, create turnovers, and rotate effectively on the help side. High-motor player with active hands who never takes plays off. Reliable on both ends of the floor. His energy and confidence stoof out versus Fremd. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">An under-the-radar guard who deserves more attention, bringing a scorer's mentality throughout a constant battle against Woodstock. Strong and poised with the ball, quick attacking closeouts, and crafty on drives—adjusting at the rim and consistently drawing fouls (9-for-10 at the line). Showed good touch on a baby hook, knocked down two threes, and finished with 21 points. Played with confidence and competitiveness, projecting as a point guard who could fit well at the D3 or JUCO level.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Against Sycamore, he was a force on the boards, creating second-chance opportunities on offense and attacking the ball on the defensive glass. Flashes nicely to the post, seals defenders effectively, and uses his pivot foot well. Showed touch on a baby hook in the paint and glimpses of smart cuts and passing to cutters. An efficient, high-upside young prospect with a strong feel for the game. Finished the game with a double-double, 11 points. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BlueStreakHoops/status/2009103196296511741 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">Against Sycamore, Beard was quiet in the first half but impacted with a solid seal on a BLOB finish and smart back-cut actions. Once the second half started, he came alive, hitting three threes in a row to open the third—one off his own offensive rebound, another after flaring off a down screen, and a third from the top of the arc. In the fourth quarter, he attacked more aggressively, a baseline drive, a spinning layup, and finishing off a back-cut. His scoring in the second half kept Woodstock in the game, energizing his teammates and the defensive end. Finished with four second-half threes and 22 points total.</p>

I had the chance to catch a couple of games this week, starting with a Northwest Suburban matchup on Monday between No. 10 Fremd and Wauconda. On Wednesday, I followed that up with a Kishwaukee River–Interstate 8 clash featuring Sycamore and Woodstock. Across both nights, all four teams showcased a mix of ranked prospects, under-the-radar players, and a few names you may be hearing for the first time. In this morning's article, we highlighted the top performers in the 2026 class. Now, we shift our attention to the younger grades in Eyes on the Underclassmen.