Chi-Town Tip-Off: 12 Saturday Standouts
In this article:
Another day is in the books. After about 12 hours in the gym at the Romeoville Athletic Center on Saturday it is time to highlight some top performers. Let’s dive on in and take a look at ten standouts from…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingAnother day is in the books. After about 12 hours in the gym at the Romeoville Athletic Center on Saturday it is time to highlight some top performers. Let’s dive on in and take a look at ten standouts from Saturday at the Chi-Town Tip-Off.
Darrion Baker Darrion Baker 6'8" | PF St Rita | 2023 State #227 Nation IL (Hillcrest H.S. 2023/Team Rose 2023 3SSB): This 6’8″ forward lived above the rim in Team Rose’s win over Team GRIII Elite. Impressive physical tools and went for 20 points in the win.
Tre Dowdell Tre Dowdell 6'3" | PG Evergreen Park | 2024 State IL (Brother Rice 2024/Team Ten Jabari Park 2024): Dowdell is a strong, athletic guard that never gets sped up. He handles the ball very well, can score at the rim, and showed the ability to make jumpers as well. Very good prospect.
Cooper Farrall Cooper Farrall 6'5" | SF Culver Academy | 2023 State IN (Culver Academy 2023/Team GRIII 2023 Elite): There is simply no keeping the 6’6″ Culver Academy wing off of a top performers list this weekend. Despite Team GRIII Elite suffering their first loss of the spring, Farrall played arguably his best game pouring in 27 points on five three-pointers.
Tristian Ford Tristian Ford 6'2" | PG Chi-Prep | 2025 State #158 Nation IL (Boylan H.S. 2024/Team Rose 2024 3SSB): It was another day of impressive play from the 6’1″ point guard. Ford is an excellent creator off of the dribble that can make tough shots off of the bounce. Really nice prospect.
Logan Golle (Taylor Allderdice H.S. 2024/Pittsburg Pioneer Elite 2024): Golle went toe-to-toe with a very talented Mac Irvin Fire team and just about led his team to victory. He is a very good shot maker from every spot on the floor. One to follow coming out of Pennsylvania.
Isaiah Green Isaiah Green 6'1" | PG Thornton | 2024 State IL (Hillcrest H.S. 2024/Meanstreets 2024 EYBL): Explosive. Quick. Excellent finisher. Those are just some of the ways you could describe this electric guard’s game. Green is ranked as the #13 prospect in the 2024 class by Prep Hoops Illinois.
Bryce Heard Bryce Heard 6'6" | SG Homewood Flossmoor | 2025 State #86 Nation IL (Kenwood Academy 2025/Mac Irvin Fire 2025 EYBL): Heard is quite simply one of the best Class of 2025 prospects in the country. The explosive 6’4″ guard already holds an offer the in-state Illini and will be highly sought after for years to come. He was the leading scorer on Saturday afternoon in a Mac Irvin Fire 2025 game that I watched.
Khalil Jones (St. Laurence H.S. 2025/Chicago Hoops 2025): Chicago Hoops 2025 had an impressive win over Team Rose 2025 3SSB on Saturday and Jones was a big reason why. In the backcourt he has a quick first step, gets into the paint seemingly at will, and is a creative finisher from the intermediate range and in.
Trey McKenney (Orchad Lake St. Mary 2025/Meanstreets 2025 EYBL): McKenney will quite possibly debut as a 5-star prospect when those rating are placed for the 2025 class. An extremely physical, athletic 6’4″ guard, McKenney can truly do it all on both ends of the court. Elite prospect.
Josh Pickett Josh Pickett 6'5" | SG St. Laurence | 2024 State #277 Nation IL (West Aurora H.S. 2024/Mac Irvin Fire 2024 EYBL): A 6’5″ guard, Pickett has the ability to physically dominate the game while also being extremely skilled. Pickett was making pull up threes from beyond the arc and finishing above the rim all day long.
Calvin Robins Jr Calvin Robins Jr 6'5" | PF Kenwood | 2024 State IL . (Kenwood Academy 2024/Mac Irvin Fire 2024 EYBL): If there was a bouncier, more purely athletic prospect at the Chi-Town Tip-Off than Robins Jr. I did not see him. The 6’5″ forward had countless dunks between the two games I saw.
J.J. Taylor (Donda Academy 2023/Mac Irvin Fire 2023 EYBL): What a day it was for this 5-star prospect. Taylor lived up the hype by not only delivering 26 points but also the game-winning basket to finish off an epic comeback against M14 Hoops.It was clear why the 6’6″ wing is considered one of the best prospects in the entire country.