UAA: Scotty B’s Wednesday Recap

Prep Hoops Illinois was at Under Armour Association Session III in Atlanta on Wednesday. We caught several of the Illinois teams in attendance along with many other teams. Here is our recap of the day in UAA: Scotty B's Wednesday Recap!   Illinois Recap Team FVV Wins At Buzzer Over All Arkansas Red This was a rather interesting contest. It was low scoring in the first half as it was a defensive battle. All Arkansas Red held Team FVV to only two points in the third quarter. They got themselves back in the game in the fourth and won the game as Nikola Abusura finished a lob for the win at the buzzer. For Team FVV their new addition in Benet's Abusura made the difference late on both ends. He got stops and made plays on the other end. Struggled shooting but kept playing with confidence hitting a big three late along with putting it on the deck for scores along with and-1s. Plus defender that got some key stops while notching 14 points. Early on Marian Catholic shooting guard Quentin Jones came out blazing with a pair of picture perfect pull ups. He had 7 points. Leo's Tyler Smith showed creativity off the bounce and got to the line. Mt. Carmel star DeAndre Craig had his moments using his shifty handles to get in the lane for buckets. For All Arkansas Red's Gavin Shannon was a prospect that made an impression. The well built wing has plus size and showed he was capable of knocking down shots. His athleticism shined around the hoop finishing with 14 points.   Breakaway Falls to Houston Defenders Late It looked like Breakaway was going to knock off one of the staple programs from UAA in Houston Defenders until late when the Defenders came back to win 72-70. The team that lands former Glenbard West small forward Bobby Durkin after a year of prep is getting an elite shot maker. At 6'7” he is such a premier three point threat and that was shown all game long at a really impressive rate. Not to be out done Lyons 2023 wing Nik Polonoski made a ton of clean threes along with mixing in several mid-range jumpers and even got to the hoop in the second half showing he can put it on the deck some. There was a nice stretch in the first half for one of the hottest prospects among college coaches as Burlington Central's Drew Scharnowski hit the offensive glass, banked in a three, and knocked in a short jumper. Did most of his damage in the first half. We saw some of the tools that make Yorkville Christian's David Douglas an intriguing D2 prospect. Slithery takes off the bounce creating for acrobatic finishes. Houston Defenders were led by Chris Johnson who is a new addition to this squad. The top 50 prospect nationally showed why with his play. The scoring two guard got buckets from all three levels. Burst with the ball getting to the rim over and over again. Played with speed in transition and is a capable shooter. Also liked what we saw from Jaylen Benard. The Houston Defenders power guard knocked in threes in bunches along with using his frame inside to shield off defenders. Jake Pike is a skilled four man that used an array of scoring moves in the paint.   Christie Stars in Illinois Wolves 17U Loss The Illinois Wolves fell to WeR1 58-54. Rolling Meadows shooting guard Cameron Christie looked like a strong candidate for #1 in our post summer 2023 rankings. He can flat out get buckets. His jumper was flowing whether it was pulling up from two or three. He was getting what he wanted rising up for jumpers over and over again. He went for 16 points. His wing running mate Asa Thomas came out strong and then was a bit quiet until late when he dropped in a pair of threes and had a great spin move to keep the game tight. Went for 13 points. Romeoville combo guard Troy Cicero showed he can play at the D1 level against quality guards on the other side. Creative ball handler that shot it well, passed it, and got after it on the defensive end. He had 10 points. Besides a massive dunk in the first half WeR1 star Elmarko Jackson was held scoreless. That changed and fast in the second half as he essentially took over. Explosive scoring guard that got to the rim at a super high rate with burst and athleticism. He finished with a variety of athletic moves. Mixed in some on the point passing as well threading the needle a couple times. Thomas Haugh is a big man that made an impression with his skilled low post game utilizing hook shots and nifty finishes.   Illinois Wolves 16U Closes Night with Win In the last game we caught the Illinois Wolves 16U prevailed with a 57-51 victory over Canada Elite. The Wolves had to fight to get back in this one after Canada Elite jumped out on them, but they made play after play in the second half. Big time outing from Bloomington Central Catholic star Cole Certa. Combo guard that is such a smooth operator with the rock in his hands. He passed it well and was silky smooth getting to the rim. Will be a good shooter as time goes on and got to the line. He had 16 points. In the backcourt with him was Oswego East small forward Jehvion Starwood who drained a pair of threes and had a sweet baseline floater. Both played on the ball quite a bit. Mt. Carmel small forward Angelo Ciaravino is going to open a lot of eyes as the process moves along. Big wing with a lot of skill and toughness. He netted an array of layups on slashes or catches on the move. Drained a three and mid-range jumper. Showed some potential defensively as well. Went for 13 points. Up front it was Normal Community 2024 duo Jaheem Webber and Noah Cleveland who did the dirty work. Webber is a strong bodied center that ranks among the best prospects in his class. He is a volume rebounder that snatches them with his huge hands. Also swatted several shots. Couple nice finishes in the paint including an and-1 where he was being pulled down to the ground. Cleveland displayed a lot of toughness on the boards including put backs. His best move was on a face up shot fake where he drove past his defender for an and-1. Hensley Ward from Canada Elite was outstanding early for his squad. The bouncy forward got on the offensive glass and out in transition where he let his athleticism take over along with an elite second jump. Mikyle Malabuyoc was small scoring point guard that won off dribble penetration on a regular basis. On the wing it was Brayden Jackson who used his slashing and athleticism around the hoop for scores.   Quick Hitters Stephon Castle from Atlanta Xpress 17U was outstanding in the opening game of the day. The UConn commit lived up to his ranking with the way he played. Big time scorer that got buckets from all three levels. Top of the key threes, transition dunks, and crafty takes finishing with either hand. For Wisconsin Playground Club Cole Hansen and Jaquan Johnson caught our attention at the 16U level. Johnson is a smaller scoring guard with a compact build and knows how to score getting to the rim and using his body. Hansen is a sharp shooter that banked in a mid-range shot and showed range out to three. Team Curry out of North Carolina was led in the first half of their game by Riley Allenspach. The true five man was doing work on the block garnering deep post position where he was often fouled or finished easily with hook shots. Touch on short jumper and adequate finishing through contact. In that same game Jack Bachelor from Marcus Denmon Elite 17U caught our attention. When his team couldn't get it going in the first half he stepped up with a clean looking three along with getting to his float game over and over again.