Riverside-Brookfield: Teddy's Sunday Notebook

Another successful year at riverside-brookfield in the books. I believe it's my seventh year covering this showcase and it has yet to disappoint. Stay tuned throughout the upcoming week for evaluations. Here's my notebook for Sunday.     Deerfield Impresses vs Joliet West   Runners-up in 3A Deerfield made a solid statement in their opening same Sunday vs Joliet West. This a is a group that plays with a ton of tempo. Leading the way in the early stages was [player_tooltip player_id='2369868' first='Charlie' last='Yellen'] who found the bucket from all three levels. In the second half, senior [player_tooltip player_id='2125685' first='Tommy' last='Donahue'] got going with a spot-up three pointer followed by another tough drive to the rim. Stepping in to another three-pointer in transition later on which grew their lead to double figures. Sophomore 6'5" F [player_tooltip player_id='2798656' first='Zach' last='Newman'] was a tone-setter as he snagged rebound after rebound and played incredibly fast. [player_tooltip player_id='2403346' first='Drew' last='Schnurman'], another sophomore, created a handful of buckets for Deerfield in the second half which included a baseline drive and another three-pointer. A transition slam from Donahue sealed the deal.   Leo is a CCL Dark Horse   Leo is gonna be a very interesting group this upcoming season. They got off to a very nice start against Ridgewood as [player_tooltip player_id='2532329' first='Jeremiah' last='Echols'] nailed a pair of threes in the games opening stages. As the game went on, the center duo of Bolu Larewaju and [player_tooltip player_id='2964028' first='Elon' last='Henderson'] got going with tons of rebounds and forced misses. Henderson also showed his range with a catch-and-shoot triple in the corner with numerous buckets on the inside glass. Even 6'3" F Nate Stephens was incredibly agressive on the glass for Leo as he snagged away several tough boards. Echols got hot again late in the contest with C&S finishes in each corner as well as a strong transition take. Even making plays as a passer. A fifth player to catch my eye was [player_tooltip player_id='2323606' first='Asa' last='Harris']. The 2027 point guard showcased electrifying speed in transition as well as a nice midrange game.   Walter Payton Downs Rolling Meadows   Walter Payton could also be a dark horse in the public league this upcoming season and have a team with decent quality around them. They played a very good start against Rolling Meadows with everyone contributing. The length on display from Lare Aliu, [player_tooltip player_id='2801630' first='Olaolu' last='Owolabi'], and [player_tooltip player_id='3010128' first='Carter' last='Slaise'] caused miss after miss defensively. On offense it was [player_tooltip player_id='2396333' first='Sean' last='Souter'] who found his grove attacking the rim and nailing a triple. Later showing pace in transition with a few more scores and finding sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2947403' first='Orlando' last='Bohlen'] in the corner for another three. Payton rolled past Rolling Meadows 60-47. Bohlen led the way with 23 points in a big second half.   Mt Carmel Outlasts Lincoln Park   A physical, gritty game between Mount Carmel and Lincoln Park. Jr was very defensive in the first half with good perimeter and interior defense form both team. Making a big impact for Lincoln Park 2028 big [player_tooltip player_id='2822666' first='Derrick' last='Moore'] Jr with elite physicality as a rebounder and defender. Guard Terrell Eason was also a factor with his three-level scoring capabilities. Knocking in a deep three while dribbling past another defender for a tight finish. On Mt. Carmel, everyone was getting involved. Top football recruit Marcus Thornton had an effective showing which included a seal leading to a fast-break dunk while also being unfazed getting to the rim. Star sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2915584' first='DK' last='Heard'] continues to show promise as a star in the 2029 class. Adding a bit more length and explosiveness since the last time I watched him. Fellow sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2767906' first='Ronald' last='Johnson'] converted a highly difficult layup to give the Caravan their largest lead of the contest at that point. But a rising senior to really look out for is [player_tooltip player_id='2403910' first='Logan' last='Wessel']. The 6'5" combo looks incredibly bouncy and can let it fly when needed. A tough scorer on the inside, he was the Caravan's MVP of the game. Using a big second half to get them a solid win over Lincoln Park.   Ignatius continues to reload   Matt Monroe has made the Wolfpack a high-level program in Illinois over the past several years. They've had several great players on their roster over the years. This group is one to watch. [player_tooltip player_id='2531962' first='Amir' last='Tucker'] is the headliner who's a top prospect in 2028. Showing off great length to frustrate opponents defensively on the ball. Shooting was smooth from Tucker as well as 6'6" forward [player_tooltip player_id='2125620' first='Duke' last='Ross'] and 6'2" guard [player_tooltip player_id='2839874' first='Chris' last='Chittaro']. The three of them plus several others started moving the ball around a bit more which led to a solid lead from easy buckets. [player_tooltip player_id='2531962' first='Amir' last='Tucker'] was probably the most productive player for the Wolfpack with his three level scoring capabilities as they rolled over Stevenson

Another successful year at riverside-brookfield in the books. I believe it's my seventh year covering this showcase and it has yet to disappoint. Stay tuned throughout the upcoming week for evaluations. Here's my notebook for Sunday.