Great Lakes Finals: Saturday's Impact Prospects

Saturday was day two of the Prep Hoops Great Lakes Finals in the Chicagoland area. I had the opportunity to watch teams compete throughout the day in Bedford Park at the Wintrust Sports Complex. It was a competitive day throughout the entirety as I watched teams in the 15U, 16U, and 17U divisions battle to move on in bracket play. In this article we will take a deeper look into some of the impactful players for their respective squads.    One of the quickest guards I saw throughout today's games. Really disrupted defensively in the back court with pressuring on the ball and finding ways to get into handlers comfortability. Maybe undersized but makes up for it with a lot of extra layers of effort throughout his play. Turned steals into transition buckets throughout. Creates on dribble drive action to change speeds with the ball and then hit angles quickly to get paint touches. Has some wiggle on the bounce to get crafty at times. Solid overall helping team grab a quarter final bid on Sunday.     Saw Simon play last year a couple times on the Prep Hoops Circuit and once during scholastic season. Continues to be an intriguing prospect with upside. His development to catch on the block with poise and confidence while remaining strong and mobile has become big vantage point. He sees the floor and lets plays work within flow. Stays active on the glass on both ends. Defensively stays down vs pump fakes or hesitations against similar size and remains balanced. Converted on multiple finishes around the rim in a variety of ways. Has an old school feel to game which is fun to see in today's basketball world. Helped lead team to two wins today and a spot in the quarters tomorrow.     A skilled offensive off guard that brings pace and scoring touch. Scores it from inside out with confidence and balanced demeanor. Knocked double a couple catch and shoot threes and showed ability at the rim with floaters or pull ups. Works well in transition game converting on the break or creating for others. Has confidence in the moment. Delivered a big runner in the lane off the glass for team to go up 3 in regulation during morning game. Competes vs more height in the lane. Versatility here as a two man combo guard role at the next level.     Playmaking guard that creates offense in transition and the half court. One of the more matured frames at the 16U division I saw today that can fit into a true point or combo roll at the next level. Pushes extremely well off of defensive rebounds and went coast to coast multiple times for scores using long strides. Has a matured passing feel to provide post feeds for assists or dribble drive action to collapse defense then make proper kickouts. Utilizes PNR game and has complimentary finishing touch in traffic. Ceiling should remain high.     High activity prospect with point forward like qualities and tendencies. Affects the game in multiple areas using length and poise to advantage. Showed solid defensive stances to wall up and contest beneath and provide rim protection. Communicated with teammates. Offensively handled the ball comfortably against pressure while consistently creating for others. Had smooth drive and kick reads or interior drop-offs to cutters. Adds a rebounding presence to further impact while running the floor hard. Like the upside here providing multi-positional action and scenarios.     If there was a save the best for last prospect award tonight it would go to Christianson. Brings a strong frame, active presence, and an outwork mentality to the game. Solid on a lot of fronts. Matured size for age with plus hands and feet that competes vs more size. Consistently got after it on both ends in early evening game Saturday. Defensively used solid wall-ups and continuously battled for rebounds while enduring physicality. Positioning was great. Kept the ball high on rebounds and set strong screens. On the offensive end was versatile with touch around the basket off crab dribbles or drop step finishes. Made a great slip read on a blob play. Layers of effort with a grind it out mentality to make winning plays.

Saturday was day two of the Prep Hoops Great Lakes Finals in the Chicagoland area. I had the opportunity to watch teams compete throughout the day in Bedford Park at the Wintrust Sports Complex. It was a competitive day throughout the entirety as I watched teams in the 15U, 16U, and 17U divisions battle to move on in bracket play. In this article we will take a deeper look into some of the impactful players for their respective squads.