The HSAA Showcase's Top Performers

The Supreme Courts, LLC in Aurora was the site for the most recent installment of the High School All-American Showcase that hosts events around the entire country on various weekends throughout the year. Due to Covid restrictions and the weather, the number of players was restricted for this particular event. However, some 25 current high school players attended the five-hour showcase to work on their game, get film, and "polish up" before the beginning of many of their seasons as Illinois high school basketball finally gets underway this week. Top Performers: <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/William-Bates-rotated.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1130288 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/William-Bates-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a>William Bates 6’1 Senior 185lbs SG Bremen Bates (#478 pictured) had the most college ready combination of skills and physicality. The 6’1 guard controlled both ends of the floor. He used his quickness and ballhandling to get by his defenders, often going baseline, and then using his 185lb frame to finish against contact when encountering big men help at the rim. Defensively he communicated with his teammates well and overpowered his opponent with lateral quickness and tenacity throughout the event. William has range, but prefers to go to his mid-range pull-up when shooting the ball. Bates could have dominated the field with his scoring alone, but showed off his court presence as well, distributing to his teammates unselfishly. The senior from Bremen High School is intriguing because he has been "off the radar" for much of the last 12 months. He suffered a meniscus injury to his knee during his junior campaign and, combined with the Covid situation, was unable to perform at AAU events even prior to the pandemic. Bates is currently getting junior college recruitment. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Max-Love-rotated.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1130289 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Max-Love-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="1106928" first="Max" last="Love"] 6’5 Junior 190lbs SG Saint Charles North Love (#486 pictured) was by far and away the best marksman of the event, and also it’s most talented junior. The 6’5 guard torched the event from outside the arc. Max, the 86th ranked junior in Illinois according to Prep Hoops, connected on his first four 3pt shots in game one and never really cooled off. Far from a one-trick pony, he also flushed the most dunks at the basket. Love has good ball skills and handles with confidence against smaller defenders. If the junior continues to build up his body, and can strengthen his inside presence, he will have college suiters after his high school career at Saint Charles North concludes. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Matthew-McCallum-rotated.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1130290 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Matthew-McCallum-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a>Matthew McCallum 6’5 Senior 210lbs PF Harry D Jacobs McCallum (#161 pictured) was the post scorer of the event, no one else can close to anchoring the paint both offensively and defensively. Matthew also appeared at the December 13th HHAA Showcase event in Aurora, and the 6’5 PF showed improvement even since then. His rip-through and two dribble attack to the rim was quick and productive. Once he got his defender on his back he used his 210lb frame and kept them there. He also improved on his quickness getting the ball straight back up after several hard-fought offensive boards. Though McCallum doesn’t seem overly bouncy he was able to reject several shots with authority, surprising a few would-be scorers at the rim. The 6’5 senior showed a nice 15 foot touch, and if he works on his conditioning, that should come once the regular season opens up; he should have a quality final high school year. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Conor-Sukel-rotated.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1130291 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Conor-Sukel-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a>Conor Sukel 6’1 Junior 175lbs SG Joliet West In an event where everyone was giving their best efforts, Sukel (#64 pictured) worked the hardest for the longest. The 6’1 guard has a heart about the same size. He ran, rebounded, ran, scored, ran, passed, ran, defended, ran, helped, and then ran some more. In the championship game of the event Conor hit a three-point shot with 3 seconds to play to send the game into overtime. At 6’1 175lbs he plays with strength and tenacity, he also looks like he is 6’4 when competing on the glass. Do not be mistaken, Conor is not just a scrapper, he had "top ten" talent and skill in camp; but it was his effort to give everything he had that made him so notable. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Jude-Love-rotated.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1130292 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Jude-Love-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a>Jude Love 6’4 Junior 205lbs SG Saint Charles North Love (#160 pictured) is the yin to his brother Max’s yang. While Max bombed away from downtown, Jude bullied those in his way. The 6’4 guard was a combination of his brother’s skill and Conor Sukel’s toughness. Love is very strong with the ball and sees the floor well. He is a very capable shooter, but getting the "big stop" or 50/50 ball separates him from others. He already has a college built frame, and in two seasons should have a prep career to be pleased with, as well as some college suiters. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Trevor-Stampley-rotated.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1130293 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Trevor-Stampley-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a>Trevor Stampley 5’11 Senior 160 PG Holy Trinity In the title game with Jude Love and Conor Sukel’s efforts evened each other out, and William Bates and [player_tooltip player_id="1106928" first="Max" last="Love"] offensively dueled to almost a draw, it was the 5’11 guard that became the x-factor that Sukel and [player_tooltip player_id="1106928" first="Max" last="Love"]’s team didn’t have an equal to. Stampley (#29 pictured) ironically was the last player to report to the event, well good things come to those who wait. Trevor, along side Bates, dictated the tempo throughout the event on their way to a perfect 4-0 record. The senior from Holy Trinity was the most dynamic passer of the event. At 5’11 160lbs he was a bowling ball in the paint, drawing defenders in and either kicking or finishing. Stampley did knock down a couple shots from long range, but it's on the drive where he caused the most damage. Trevor is physically ready for basketball after high school, and as he extends his range and shot release quickness has, like the others mentioned, college ball possibly in his sights.