Midwest Best Hoops First 48 Semis: Standouts

Prep Hoops Illinois recently evaluated a group of quality prospects from central Illinois at the Midwest Best Hoops First 48 Event. Here are our top performers from the semi final games in Midwest Best Hoops First 48 Semis: Standouts!   [player_tooltip player_id="821764" first="Devon" last="Vanderheydt"] (Washington – 2021) Vanderheydt was very impressive in the semis. The 6’7” face up four has a lot of the tools that colleges are looking for in their versatile front court players. He is a plus shooter with a quick, concise, and high release. Effective spotting up, pick/pop, along with running into them in transition. Brings bounce to the position as well with his athleticism which was shown off on one dunk where he literally put his knee through a defender. Like how well he rebounded on the defensive end and consistently got it and went on his own handling it with ease in the open floor. Solid defender that can switch on the perimeter and look comfortable doing it. D2 programs should take a serious look here.   [player_tooltip player_id="925212" first="Andrew" last="Lewis"] (Washington – 2022) Lewis is a left-handed floor general that combines athleticism and basketball IQ at the lead guard spot. Shifty ball handler that does a nice job of changing gears when on the take. He works well in ball screen situations. Solid pull up shot from mid-range and can hit from three on occasion. Pushes in the open floor with his head up looking to make a dish.   Mason Funk (Normal U-High – 2023) Funk opened our eyes with a strong performance. Plus three point shooter with a quick release. Moves well without the ball to finish passes in the paint. Defensively he competes moving his feet on the perimeter and the 6’3” wing contests shots.   Diego Sanchez (Champaign Central – 2021) Sanchez is not the most athletic wing, but he brings a solid skill package to the table at 6’4”. Thick bodied wing knocked down several jumpers from beyond the arc and was a quality passer hitting his teammates on the move.   [player_tooltip player_id="1049588" first="Henry" last="Hamelberg"] (Champaign Central - 2021 Hamelberg has nice size at 6’6” with broad shoulders. Sharpshooter from beyond the arc that knocked down an array of triples along with baseline twos. Finished dump off passes and ran the floor hard in transition.   [player_tooltip player_id="863602" first="Jamauri" last="Winfrey"] (Peoria Richwoods – 2022) Winfrey is a 6’2” powerfully built wing that physically looks like a strong safety on the gridiron. He is a small forward on the hardwood that was very productive in this setting. The strong bodied and athletic wing was highly active throughout the game. He was consistently on the glass and assertive putting his head down getting to the hoop whether in the half court or transition. Shot it better than we had seen in the past knocking in an array of jumpers including a sweet crossover into a pull up. To max out his ability at the next level he will need to knock that down like he did in this contest. Quality defender that knows how to use his strength on that end.   [player_tooltip player_id="1048720" first="Wes" last="Hunt"] (Peoria Christian – 2022) Hunt is a prospect who intrigues us. The 6’7” power forward is a super bouncy power forward that is a high-level shot blocking presence. Swatted them time after time at the rim. Competes hard on the defensive end and has mobility to switch all over the floor. Offensively his bounce is shown running the floor hard and finishing on the offensive glass.   Dekwon Brown (Peoria High – 2024) It was my first opportunity to see Brown and I came away extremely impressed. The 6’1” point guard was playing against all upperclassmen and he was not fazed at all. Plays with a maturity beyond his years. Crisp passer in both the half court and transition making passes off live dribbles look easy. Gets to the rim with his quick handles. Lived in the lane either scoring or dishing to shooters. Pushed in the open floor with speed and mixed in a nice looking pull up jumper. One of the better young point guards we have seen in 2024 to date.   Michael Womer (Peoria Richwoods – 2022) This Richwoods 6’1” two guard was a sniper in the semis. He drilled an array of spot up threes off the catch. Exceptionally good catch and shoot threat that has consistent stroke time after time.   [player_tooltip player_id="996059" first="Jeremiah" last="Talton"] (Quincy – 2022) Talton was the prospect I was most excited to see in this setting. The D1 small forward has good size on the perimeter at 6’6” and looks like he has added strength since we last saw him. His usually reliable three point shot was not there as he struggled shooting from deep only connecting on a couple in the second half. He has a nice looking stroke, but they didn’t go down hardly all day. Talton used his long strides and athleticism to get to the rim for finishes and trips to the charity stripe. When he was aggressive using straight line takes he was so effective scoring at the cup.   Gabe Calhoun (Dunlap – 2021) Calhoun is a crafty left-handed wing that pushes in transition and had several nifty finishes at the cup. Scrappy guard has a nose for the ball and is a solid passer that should help a small college program.     Quick Hitters Tyler Bass (Washington – 2021) Bass has some projectability for the small college level at 6’5” with a long and lanky build. Flies in for offensive rebound put backs.   [player_tooltip player_id="1049064" first="Isaac" last="Demosthenes"] (Normal West – 2022) This Normal West combo guard is a sound shooter that is most effective knocking down shots.   Brady Rupert (Quincy – 2021) Rupert put his name on our radar with a solid game. The gritty guard knocked down an assortment of mid-range jumpers including one where he was fouled.