PH Chi-Town Tip Off: Mike's Saturday Stars From Romeoville

The Prep Hoops circuit had it's first stop in Illinois for the 2026 season today. I had the opportunity to see a plethora of basketball in Romeoville and checked out teams from the 16U, 15U, and 14U divisions. Let's take a look at what players stood out during today's action.    In 1st game of morning on Saturday Walker made most of his buckets in the primary phase working off of other's turnovers and speeding ahead of transition defense. These were give me buckets in the open floor. In the second however, the volume was turned up in a significant way and he showed why he is the starting point on an overall talented [program_tooltip program_id='2078449' first='Meanstreets' last=''] squad. Off the bounce he was changing speed with hesitation, craftiness, and wiggle on the dribble. Tough ball handler to stay in front of and shared it effectively. There was a long stretch in the 2nd half where he was either scoring or dishing for assists. This was all done while playing against an entire 2029 team.     Got a chance to see Decari last summer and he has upped his game in a couple facets. Wingspan has continued to increase with height. Utilizes both of these attributes defensively to get into the waist of ball handlers and create turnovers. Offensively he was unphased from 3 land knocking down a couple that were a few feet deeper than the arc line. Has a smooth stroke with range. Quick on the bounce getting to spots efficiently with some wiggle to compliment. Continues to be a well balanced scorer while shooting it at a high clip.     Got a chance to see Kayden play last summer and he continues to make strides. He was competitive as it was and that drive has been maintained. He is the most well rounded attacker on this 2031 [program_tooltip program_id='2078449' first='Meanstreets' last=''] squad. From the tip whether it's in half court or in transition, he will do what it takes to find gaps and get to the cup. Defensively he shows stamina with aggression at the top of the trap. With his continued growth and wing span, he finds increased consistency on the glass. Overall the definition of toughness.     Brooks has a matured feel and IQ for his game. He competes at a fast pace yet is comfortable doing so. Offensively he gets to the rim and finishes at a high reach each time. For team he gets inserted in a small forward spot but he'll be an efficient wing as he grows. Defensively walls up to force tough shots around the rim while arms are always active. Plus rebounder with wingspan and reads it well off of misses. One of the highest motors I watched today from any any age group.     Another wing on the 2030's Meanstreets squad that was a tough out in team's first game of morning. High mobility and activity defensively in passing lanes and while guarding the ball. On the offensive end, DJ can score in a multitude of avenues. He has driving ability with a floater or runner and was successful on more than one And1 during the game I saw. Was impactful shooting the basketball as well from different spots beyond the arc. An athletic prototypical 2 man that will continue to turn heads.     Had an opportunity to see PJ play once last summer and along with the other talented back court players, he has made strides as well. What's most impressive about him is his selfless play. On outlets his eyes are always up looking ahead for pitch passes to teammates. Does so in a composed and confident manner. In the 2nd half of team's first game of day he turned it up on the defensive end utilizing wing span to get into ball handler's dribble and create turnovers. Consistently turned D into positive O on a handful of plays with one stretch being back to back for a big momentum swing.

The Prep Hoops circuit had it's first stop in Illinois for the 2026 season today. I had the opportunity to see a plethora of basketball in Romeoville and checked out teams from the 16U, 15U, and 14U divisions. Let's take a look at what players stood out during today's action.