Illinois Tune-Up: Teddy’s Friday Notebook (Part 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's part 2 of my Friday notebook from yesterday's action in Romeoville. Stay tuned for player evaluations over the coming days.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>IL Jets 15u looks strong vs H4H</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>TheJets flew off to a fast 11-2 start in this matchup headlined by a pair of threes from [player_tooltip player_id='2865685' first='Jayson' last='Benton'] and solid interior play from [player_tooltip player_id='3604328' first='Revell' last='Gilbert']. 6'3" shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='2829682' first='Mykah' last='Johnson'] also impressed with his pace in transition and converted on two tough finishes through contact in those moments. A three-pointer from Brady Woodman further stretched the lead out past double digits. Recall Gilbert really stood out as the game went on for his playmaking, which was surprising to see from a center, with a handful of assists. One of which to Benton in the corner which was his third triple of the game. Then Benton took it himself in transition to score after a pump-fake near the rim. Overall, it was a tremendous all-around effort from Illinois Jets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ball Elite 15u&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ball Elite's 15u squad also has several prospects that will be on my radar in the future. They bounced back nicely after a slow start to this one led by some solid three-level scoring capabilities from Keith Pancock. He led the way with 10 first half points against Compete 15u with a pair of three-pointers. [player_tooltip player_id='2906817' first='Kaidan' last='Mporokoso'] probably has the most long-term potential in this group as he's got a terrific build at 6'4". Plays with great pace on the ball and was a threat attacking the rim on multiple instances. Also kept plays alive by fighting for loose balls and finishing a couple second chances. Mason Miller also has potential as a forward who can grow a bit and displayed a nice turnaround floater towards the end of this contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Work 17u vs FP Reyes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was my second time watching FP Reyes but my first covering [program_tooltip program_id='2075957' first='The' last='Work Foundation'] from the south suburbs of Chicago. The playmaking from [player_tooltip player_id='2125684' first='Tej' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2426050' first='Blair' last='Fagbemi'] was very impactful in the games opening stages for [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] as each dished out crisp dimes. [player_tooltip player_id='2834484' first='Nathan' last='Stephens'] also showed off some real explosiveness and flew in for a dunk early on. He followed that up with another creative layup after an explosive first step. To keep TW in it was some great post play from big man Kyree Tolar. Kamari Hamlin also flashed a strong euro-step finish to the rim as well as a three pointer. Point guard Sammy Childs also flashed crispy ball skills as a guard along with a nice floater in the second half. The Work stayed in it throughout the second half but it ultimately wouldn't be enough as [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] Reyes held on to win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lots of Athleticism on [program_tooltip program_id='2452456' first='Mac' last='Irvin Fire'] 15U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='2452456' first='Mac' last='Irvin Fire'] 15u got a nice warm-up in this weekend.  They were off and fluting right away with dunks from [player_tooltip player_id='2915584' first='DK' last='Heard'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2918205' first='Keiwon' last='Gulley']. Heard also impressed with a big rebound and a pass to an open [player_tooltip player_id='2767906' first='Ronald' last='Johnson'] in the corner. [player_tooltip player_id='2922280' first='Jalonny' last='Billingsley'] also had a great start defensively and on the glass. Complemented that with a really strong layup score blowing by two defenders in transition. Added another one with the opposite hand shortly after which was part of a key run to get them up 15 in the first half. [player_tooltip player_id='2918205' first='Keiwon' last='Gulley'] stayed aggressive in the second half with an acrobatic layup to begin the contest. Heard also had a strong finish attacking the rim. But the name to probably stand out towards the later stages of this game was [player_tooltip player_id='3472215' first='Zahari' last='Threatt']. The 6'5" wing is super lengthy and flew down the lane for a powerful dunk in transition. The long term potential is incredibly high. [program_tooltip program_id='2452456' first='Mac' last='Irvin Fire'] cruised.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->