Illinois Tune Up: Thursday Notebook (Part 1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yep, you heard that right. We got a Thursday notebook from the Tune Up down in Romeoville. it was an exciting first day back on the AAU circuit. Here's part 1 of my notebook. Part 2 will be out shortly.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] vs H4H</strong> <strong>Open With Exciting Matchup</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams played with tempo in the games early stages. For [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] Reyes, interior play was on-point in the early going as 6'9" F [player_tooltip player_id='2877543' first='Landon' last='Lethunya'] converted quite a bit on the inside along with [player_tooltip player_id='2632014' first='Boti' last='Szabo-Zsamba']. They complemented that effort with solid guard play from [player_tooltip player_id='2426050' first='Blair' last='Fagbemi'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2125684' first='Tej' last='Johnson']. On the other end, Hoops4Health saw a variety of different contributions from guys all over the floor. The shooting was highly efficient, headlined by [player_tooltip player_id='2839877' first='Elton' last='Jaegerskog']. Ball movement from guards [player_tooltip player_id='3662488' first='Samuel' last='Carter'], [player_tooltip player_id='2814168' first='Sam' last='Fuller'], and David Dobbins Jr allowed for a key H4H run ate in the first half which kept them up double digits. Later in the contest, [player_tooltip player_id='2829613' first='Danny' last='Ruffin'] found his way and showed impressive hustle on both ends of the floor to keep them in front. Sammy Fuller also knocked down some tough buckets to complete that. Shooting from the [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] guards kept them in the contest. But it wouldn't be enough as H4H held on for a good all-around win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ICE 17u Silver Survives Ball Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Illinois ICE 17U's silver squad put on quite the showing Saturday afternoon against BALL elite. It took no-time for them to go up 13-0 spearheaded by 8 points from [player_tooltip player_id='3597611' first='Ben' last='Sajuan'] who found his way quite a bit attacking the rim. To keep them in front, Sajuan continued to stay aggressive and found his way a bit more in transition as well as making plays as a passer. Finding guys open from deep on several instances. Later on, Waukegan's [player_tooltip player_id='2864932' first='Jayden' last='Harris'] started to stand out with his ability to defend well on-the-ball while also finding his way to the rim. Even 2029 guard [player_tooltip player_id='3597555' first='Chris' last='Jones'] got out and running in transition. Showing great pace in the open floor and flashed a nice euro-step finish at one point. Ball elite would make a nice run spearheaded by Romeoville [player_tooltip player_id='2531987' first='Deon' last='Grant']. But it was ICE who persevered and won 80-77.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Younger players on Dream Chasers 16u Beat Gametime</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A much slower, gritty, defensive matchup between these 16u teams early on. It was Game Time who got going in the games early stages led by Marcus Harris Jr's three level scoring capabilities. But Dream Chasers 16u squad countered that with a big run of their own headlined by 2029 Guards [player_tooltip player_id='3685210' first='Maddex' last='Eden'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2919789' first='Marquan' last='Pinkston']. Both playing up a level. Rickey Geouard is a third 2029 prospect who's super lengthy and defends at an incredibly solid rate. They also got strong interior play from Cory King Cunningham and Amir King to keep them in front in the 2nd half. Almost everyone on this team contributed in their own way as they cruised to victory Thursday afternoon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->