Chicago Elite Classic: 2022 Evaluations

The Chicago Elite Classic was held this past weekend. The event featured many of the top players from the Chicagoland area. Time to breakdown what we saw from a scouting perspective. Here is Chicago Elite Classic: 2022 Evaluations!   Ty Rodgers (Thornton) The recent Illini commit made his debut in Chicago on Saturday. Big and physical combo forward is one of our favorite players to watch because of how he can dominate a game in so many ways! That is exactly what he did at the CEC. Straight line takes where he shielded the ball finishing in traffic. Such a tough cover going one on one downhill. Excellent passer from his forward spot making passes on the money to his teammates with flair. Great rebounder that always seems to be in the right place especially on the offensive glass. Versatile defender that can check multiple positions. Impact get from day one for the Big 10 program. He went for 10 points (4-6 FG), 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.   Montreal McCullough (Thornton) This angular 6’3” shooting guard caught our eye with his play for Thornton. The senior provides perimeter shot making for this Thornton squad as he went 2-3 from distance. Pushes with nice speed in the open floor as a secondary ball handler. Nice small college or JUCO prospect. Dropped 11 points (4-6 FG) in the win.   Kelsey Tarver (Thornton) Tarver is a lanky 6’7” power forward that has nice length. Face up forward that can shoot it from mid-range and even stretched to three on one occasion. The lefty shoots a good ball. Bouncy around the hoop as a finisher with quick twitched explosiveness. He had 11 points (5-10 FG). Small college/JUCO gem.   [player_tooltip player_id="1210369" first="Trey" last="Pettigrew"] (Kenwood) Pettigrew is a top 5 prospect in the state who is headed to Nevada next season. Combo guard plays some on the ball and some time off it. Splashed home several triples in the win along with doing a nice job getting to the rim for scores including a nice dunk for 13 points (5-9 FG), 3 rebounds, 3 dimes, and 3 steals. Like what he showed defensively as well turning up the heat with active hands in the Broncos press.   [player_tooltip player_id="1276139" first="Darius" last="Robinson"] (Kenwood) Robinson is a rangy point guard that showed some flashes. Hit a couple threes and was effective in the open floor. Solid defender that should be a quality guard for the team this year. He had 10 points (4-15 FG) and 3 dimes. Projects as a small college or JUCO prospect.   [player_tooltip player_id="771517" first="Jaylen" last="Drane"] (Simeon) Drane is primed for a big senior season. He did exactly what we wanted to see out of him in their opener. Got dribble penetration and found his teammates often with excellent dishes in the paint. Did it over and over during the game. Also hit a corner three early on, but it was his passing that left the biggest impression. He had 6 points and 6 dimes. Low-majors should watch his progress this year.   [player_tooltip player_id="925193" first="Avyion" last="Morris"] (Simeon) Morris is so much fun to watch. Absolute pit bull on the defensive end. He gets in his opponent’s grill and makes it hard for them to work. The smaller guard shot it very well from distance in this game going 3-5 from deep along with getting to the line where he was 5-6 finishing with 14 points. Small colleges star and would also be a dynamic player at the JUCO level.   [player_tooltip player_id="863585" first="Xavier" last="Amos"] (Whitney Young) Northern Illinois got an impact player in Amos. He has been getting better and better every single time out. That continued into the first game of his senior campaign. He was fantastic working from the high and mid post over and over again putting it on the deck and getting to the rim. Was super aggressive taking it on straight line takes for scores finishing around the hoop with efficiency. Also mixed in some spin moves and mid-range jumpers for 28 points on 14-19 from the field.   [player_tooltip player_id="771516" first="AJ" last="Casey"] (Whtiney Young) Casey is a Miami commit and top 5 prospect in the senior class. He had a very quiet first half as he wasn’t really looking for his shot. Struggled with turnovers in the game. He did hit the defensive glass for quite a few rebounds. Got loose for a couple of transition finishes in the second half. Finished with 7 points (3-6 FG) and 10 rebounds.   [player_tooltip player_id="863613" first="AJ" last="Redd"] (St. Ignatius) Redd is a slender built two guard that is the heart and soul of this Iggy squad. He stuffs the stat sheet and is at his best using his ball handling slicing through the defense and finishing in traffic. Most of his points come off the bounce and in transition. Really struggles as a shooter at this stage. Went for 9 points (4-13 FG) and 7 rebounds. Worth tracking this season at the D2 level for a program that is willing to take a chance his shooting develops.   [player_tooltip player_id="925217" first="Kolby" last="Gilles"] (St. Ignatius) Gilles is headed to Air Force next season. Physically built undersized post that has a football like build and great intangiables. Physical rebounder and competes on the defensive end. Limited offensive player that hit a mid-range shot and was fouled on a take. Went for 5 points (2-8 FG).   [player_tooltip player_id="1276141" first="Vincent" last="Mayes"] (North Lawndale) Mayes put his name on our radar with an efficient outing for North Lawndale against Vashon. The power forward skied for rebounds on the offensive glass, displayed good hands in the paint converting dump off passes, and even hit a mid-range jumper. Was really good on the defensive end swatting multiple shots. Small colleges and JUCO’s put him on your watch list! Went for 12 points (6-7 FG), 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks.