Riverside-Brookfield: Teddy’s Friday Notebook (pt 1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's part 1 to my Friday notebook. It was great seeing and catching up with so many people from the high school basketball scene in Illinois today. Part 2 coming at halftime of tonight's USA vs Paraguay Match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>First look at way-too-early #1&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There was no better way to begin this weekend the. Watching the way-too-early #1 team in Illinois square off. I missed a good chunk of the first part of this game, but Neuqua Valley made it a very competitive game against perennial powerhouse Benet. They were down for a bit of this game, but [player_tooltip player_id='2531981' first='Cole' last='Kelly']'s aggression kept them in it. Showing he can finish through tight windows as well as through contact. He cut the deficit to one point with a very sharp pass to a cutting [player_tooltip player_id='2839878' first='Mason' last='Martin']. Who contributed in a variety of ways as a playmaker and defender.&nbsp; As the game went on, I got to see more from Luke Balgro who knocked down back-to-back jumpers for the Wildcats. It was a tough loss to an elite Benet program, but it's a group I'll surely need to watch again to get a better look.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Growing more confident with [player_tooltip player_id='2323620' first='Ed' last='Stasys']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've grown more and more confident with Stasys's long-term potential the more I watch him. That showed in an exciting matchup against Neuqua Valley to open the evening. Offensively, he's guy what moves well off the ball and showed he can score from all three levels. Makes getting open while moving a lot easier than it looks. But his ability to get up and finish athletically at the rim cannot go unnoticed. Something I honestly didn't think he had before today. On the other end, I was intrigued with his ability to close off driving lanes. Blocked several shots against Neuqua valley, too. 6'7" forward will be the leader of Benet next season. He made a monster impact in a 61-50 win over Bolingbrook.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bolingbrook vs ESTL</strong> <strong>Recap</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bolingbrook and East St Louis was the next game to cover. It was a defensive battle in the beginning with just 9 combined points in the first five minutes. But it didn't take long for East St. Louis to go on a big run. Much thanks to the versatility of 6'0" G Deveice Johnson who showed he can finish creatively at the rim while knocking down a deep three-pointer. Then followed it up with a mid-range jumper to keep the flyers ahead quite a bit. 2028 F [player_tooltip player_id='3631783' first='Jamir' last='Allen'] showed so much promise with a powering slam to add to the lead. He became more active as a rebounder later on which surely made an impact while adding a blocked shot on the other end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But Brady Pettirgrew, the states top 2027 prospect, took over and led the Raiders on a huge run to stay in the game. Throwing down a powerful slam in transition before converting an and-one on the next possession. All of a sudden, a 14-point lead became just 5. Than just one with another fastbreak score. A catch-and-shoot three-pointer gave them their first lead since the games opening minutes. For much of the second half, the game went back and forward. But the flyers would come through at the end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>New-look Rams Dominate Fremd</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I can't believe I'm saying this. But this was the first time I had to look up a roster for my Alma mater, DePaul Prep. They put up a terrific showing against Fremd with their new faces. It's now [player_tooltip player_id='2842573' first='Blake' last='Choice']'s team, as the 2028 point guard made an impact on both ends of the floor with his on-ball defense and explosive abilities. Surrounding him is 2027 F Gus Johnson, a starter from last year alongside choice with string post-play. But there's lots of new faces to watch. One of which was 6'7" F Eli Ghattas. He waited his turn and made the most of his opportunity against Fremd. Isaiah Walker is a physically demanding prospect that plays with a ton of grit. While [player_tooltip player_id='2532311' first='AJ' last='Williams'] was knocking down numerous 3-pointers. Sophomore Kalob Hayes is a name to watch on the rams with long term potential. Showcasing blazing speed up and down the floor and can score in a variety of ways. DePaul dominated 58-18.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->