Riverside Brookfield: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook
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It was another full day of action at the Riverside Brookfield Summer Shootout with tons of college coaches in the house. We recap the day here in Riverside Brookfield: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook! Barrington’s Size Prevails over St. Ignatius…
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Continue ReadingIt was another full day of action at the Riverside Brookfield Summer Shootout with tons of college coaches in the house. We recap the day here in Riverside Brookfield: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook!
Barrington’s Size Prevails over St. Ignatius
The size for Barrington played a huge role in their morning win over St. Ignatius. Will Grudzinski Will Grudzinski 6'6" | PF Barrington | 2022 State IL saw a big leap in his ranking in our latest update after a strong spring on the PHC with Young & Reckless. The 6’7” combo forward is a lights out three point shooter which he put on display in the first half. Drained four of them along with multiple pull ups. When defenders closed on him he got in the lane for pull ups or a couple finishes at the cup. The 2022 prospect is putting himself on the high academic radar at the D1 and D2 levels. Nathan Boldt Nathan Boldt 6'9" | PF Barrington | 2022 State IL stands at 6’9” and the five man uses his size crashing the glass and skill around the hoop to score. On the perimeter senior guard Daniel Hong Daniel Hong 6'2" | PG Barrington | 2022 State IL drained a ton of mid-range shots and pull up threes along with mixing in some runners. St. Ignatius got solid play from their wing duo again in the loss. Rising junior Richard Barron Richard Barron 6'5" | SF St. Ignatius | 2023 State IL scored on spin moves, three ball behind a screen, and snatched rebounds. Class of 2022 wing AJ Redd AJ Redd 6'3" | SG St. Ignatius | 2022 State IL slithered his way through the defense for spinning layups on creative takes.
Rolling Meadows Continues to Roll Along with Win over Timothy Christian
It was another impressive performance from Rolling Meadows on Saturday. Once again it was Orlando Thomas and Foster Ogbonna Foster Ogbonna 6'4" | PF Rolling Meadows | 2023 State IL who got things going before Cameron Christie Cameron Christie 6'4" | SG Rolling Meadows | 2023 State #76 Nation IL took over. Ogbonna played with physicality on the interior converting in the high/low and using his quickness in the paint. Thomas is one of the biggest stock risers from the weekend. The lefty guard drained threes all game long for five total. Also displayed creative handles and passing. The 2022 guard caught the eyes of a lot of colleges this weekend. Christie more than proved he is a top 5 and high-major 2023 recruit. His feathery mid-range game was on point once again. Drained a ton of shots from all over the floor and scored in transition. On the Timothy Christian side it was a quality showing from top 10 senior Ben VanderWal Ben VanderWal 6'5" | SF Timothy Christian | 2022 State #201 Nation IL . The sharp shooting small forward actually didn’t hit a triple, but still went to work especially in the second half. Put his head down and got to the rim. Rebounded well. Trey Keizer Trey Keizer 6'2" | SG Timothy Christian | 2022 State IL knocked in threes and several scoop shots went in for the small college gem.
Meanstreets Teammates Martinelli and Avila Battle
Two favorites at PHI are Glenbrook South’s Nick Martinelli Nick Martinelli 6'6" | SF Glenbrook South | 2022 State #235 Nation IL and Oak Forest’s Robbie Avila Robbie Avila 6'9" | PF Oak Forest | 2022 State #225 Nation IL . They bring it every single time. Nick Martinelli Nick Martinelli 6'6" | SF Glenbrook South | 2022 State #235 Nation IL is a lefty combo forward that can score from all three levels. Hit from three, up and under inside, second chance points on the glass, and contested defensively at the rim. His teammate Cooper Noard Cooper Noard 6'2" | PG Glenbrook South | 2022 State IL is a D1 prospect in his own right. The point guard was on fire from three draining an array of them in the win along with controlling the game at his lead guard spot. Robbie Avila Robbie Avila 6'9" | PF Oak Forest | 2022 State #225 Nation IL did what he always does. Crafty moves around the hoop for buckets. He has touch and feel for scoring in the paint. Slices up the defense with his passing. Elite mid-major prospect that might get a high-major offer after his play over the weekend.
Riverside Brookfield Balanced Attack
Really liked what we saw out of host Riverside Brookfield. They are always super well coached and play team ball. This group does just that. Rising senior John Paul Hanley John Paul Hanley 6'2" | SG Riverside Brookfield | 2022 State IL is the heart and soul of the group. Plus shooter that brings toughness to the table. High level small college prospect. Brad Vaia ran the show at the point with Joe Gilhooley providing a spark in the backcourt. We came away intrigued with the long term potential of 2024 shooting guard Will Gonzalez Will Gonzalez 6'5" | SF Curie | 2024 State IL . Projectable prospect got it going in the second half with long strides slashing and hit a triple.
Oswego East Stuns Whitney Young
The biggest upset of the day came as Oswego East got out early on Whitney Young and held on for an overtime victory. Oswego East 2022 wing Patrick Robinson took over in spurts with his physicality as a slasher especially getting to the rim on the baseline. When his team needed a bucket he got it. Another prospect on the Oswego East squad that is opening eyes is Mekhi Lowery. The 2023 angular small forward has a lot of tools that project him well toward the next level as a two way wing.
Dolphins Bounce Back Against Loyola
Whitney Young came back with a solid win against Loyola. AJ Casey AJ Casey 6'8" | PF Whitney Young | 2022 State #55 Nation IL looked like the top prospect in the state with his quickness on drives from the mid-post and in the paint. Ran the floor hard and crashed the glass. Front court mate Xavier Amos Xavier Amos 6'7" | PF Whitney Young | 2022 State #233 Nation IL ran the floor very hard and was super active. Marcus Overstreet Marcus Overstreet 6'8" | C Whitney Young | 2022 State IL is a 6’9” 2022 prospect that is opening eyes of college coaches. The 2023 duo of point guard Dalen Davis Dalen Davis 6'0" | PG Whitney Young | 2023 State #167 Nation IL and Daniel Johnson Daniel Johnson 6'6" | SF Whitney Young | 2023 State #231 Nation IL had nice outings. Davis was at his best pushing in the open floor and getting to the cup. Johnson continues to elevate his stock each time out draining threes at a super high level with a quick release. Good athlete with three and D potential.
Brother Rice’s Henderson Shows Out in Win Over Curie
Dynamic Brother Rice rising junior Ahmad Henderson Ahmad Henderson 5'10" | PG Brother Rice | 2023 State #291 Nation IL was fantastic in their contest against Curie. He is only 5’9” but wow can he score it. Deep range on his three point shot making contested pull up triples look routine. Also won off the bounce finishing with floaters and scoop shots. Despite his lack of size he is without question a D1 point guard. His backcourt mate Nick Niego Nick Niego 6'2" | SG Brother Rice | 2023 State IL continued his sharp shooting from the spring draining an array of them. A prospect that presents some long term upside is 2023 small forward Jayden Watson. Curie’s frontline of 2023 Jeremy Harrington Jeremy Harrington 6'5" | PF Chicago Curie | 2023 State IL and 2024 Taevion Collier Taevion Collier 6'6" | PF Curie | 2024 State IL will present problems this upcoming season and beyond. Harrington is an undersized four that outworks opponents and can put it on the deck. Collier mauls on the glass and has a really nice right handed hook shot.
Skilled Posts vs Dynamic Guards as Batavia Took On Larkin
It was contrasting styles between Batavia and Larkin in their matchup. Larkin got the victory behind their strong guard play. Class of 2024 point guard Andre Blakely was outstanding with his shot making as he created a ton of shots for himself from deep along with getting in the lane for runners. Went for 32 points. Damari Wheeler-Thomas Damari Wheeler-Thomas 6'0" | PG Larkin | 2022 State IL was fighting through injuries, but still showed some of what makes him a D1 prospect. Shake off the bounce getting to the rim along with stop and pop mid-range game. Fernando Perez is a two guard with length to track in 2022. For Batavia their frontline of Ethan Ivan Ethan Ivan 6'7" | PF Batavia | 2022 State IL and Austin Ambrose Austin Ambrose 6'9" | C Ba | 2022 State IL had noteworthy outings. Ivan is a coveted D2 prospect at the power forward position. He was excellent in the first half in this one with his mobility scoring around the hoop showing touch, feel, and toughness. Can stretch the floor as well. Ambrose is a 6’9” five man that rebounds in his area and has skill on the block including a nice hook shot.
Lake Forest 2023’s Dominant Performance vs Proviso East
The best performance of the day was from Lake Forest 2023 shooting guard Asa Thomas Asa Thomas 6'6" | SF Lake Forest | 2023 State #91 Nation IL . He dropped 37 points in a lights out game against Proviso East. At 6’6” Thomas presents outstanding positional size with an elite three point stroke. He made threes over and over again. Quick and free flowing release. One of the best pure shooters in the state. Backed that up with improvement off the bounce getting in the lane and flashed athletic pop we hadn’t previously seen. Proviso East senior guard Javon Johnson Javon Johnson 6'3" | SG Proviso East | 2022 State IL had his moments displaying burst off the bounce and scoring in the lane while his brother Jaloni Johnson Jaloni Johnson 6'4" | SG Proviso East | 2023 State IL knocked in a few threes.
Bloom’s Defense Ignites Comeback Win
We got over to Bloom’s game against Morton to see them down by quite a bit at the half. In the second half they turned up the defensive intensity to a 10 and that ignited their comeback victory. KJ Cobb KJ Cobb 6'0" | SG Perspectives | 2023 State IL is a power two guard that that got to the hoop in transition over and over again off their defensive pressure. Rebounds well for his size and the 2023 guard also hit a key three. Jordan Brown Jordan Brown 6'2" | SG Bloom | 2023 State IL and Raeshom Harris Raeshom Harris 6'4" | SG Bloom | 2023 State IL used their length effectively getting steals and turning them into points on the other end. Emondrek Ford Emondrek Ford 6'8" | PF Bloom | 2022 State IL swatted shot after shot inside. Angular four is a 2022 prospect that D1s are intrigued by.
Fenwick’s Transfers Fitting in Nicely
Fenwick has added a pair of key transfers in top 2022 center Kyle Thomas Kyle Thomas 6'8" | C St. Joesph | 2022 State #183 Nation IL and 2023 point guard Hunter Duncan who moved in from La Lumiere (IN). They play well off each other. Duncan makes life easier for everyone on his team with his distributing to shooters and posts. Good feel for the game. Thomas had a rock solid day snatching rebounds and finishing dunks. Competed hard and didn’t settle for jumpers. Denium Juette Denium Juette 6'3" | PG Fenwick | 2022 State IL is an angular guard that can break down guys off the bounce and scores in transition. David Gieser David Gieser 6'3" | SG Evanston | 2022 State IL and Gabe Madej Gabe Madej 6'5" | SF Fenwick | 2022 State IL are the floor stretchers that knock down triples. Class of 2023 point guard Emory Marshall opened our eyes with a solid day as a scoring threat at the point.