Swish N Dish: 2018 Scouting Pt 1
PrepHoopsIllinois was at the NY2LA Sports Swish N Dish in Mequon, Wisconsin this past weekend for the premier grassroots kickoff event featuring all of the best Illinois teams. Now it is time for our extensive scouting report on the event. Check out part one of our report on the 2018 Illinois Prospects in attendance.
PG DeAndre Heckard (Hoops4Health 17U)
Heckard lived up to his top 10 2018 ranking Saturday against a high level Team Harris squad. He is a 6’2” lead guard with broad shoulders, strength, and fluid athleticism. The point guard has smooth handles that allow him to get where he wants on the floor. Puts combination moves together that make it impossible to stop most of the time. Got in the lane at will with an explosive first step against opposing quick guards. Scored in the paint throughout the contest. Jump shot was a bit streaky, but overall sound as he connected on multiple mid-range jumpers and even a three off the catch. Pure mechanics on his shot. Speed with the ball in transition. Heckard had 30 points. Mid-major prospect in the junior class!
SG Eddie Creal (Hoops4Health 17U)
Creal is an uber athletic 6’3” two guard that loves to slash to the hoop. Uses his strong upper body to finish through contact. Strong crossover move to get things rolling from the perimeter. Over dribbles a bit at times. Jumper is streaky. Rebounds great for a guard and impacts the game with his length and anticipation on defense. Creal had 18 points playing next to Heckard on Saturday in their matchup with Team Harris. D2 prospect with low-major potential.
PF William Ryan (Hoops4Health 17U)
The 6’5” New Trier junior is an undersized small college combo forward that can play the game facing up. Not the greatest athlete, but he can beat you with some skill. Passes well out of the top of the key and high post. Ryan can hit an open look from the perimeter with a solid looking stroke. NAIA/D3 player.
PG Brian Conaghan (Hoops4Health 17U)
Conaghan stands at 6’2” and is a tough kid. He can really shoot the ball from the perimeter. Plus shooter with a quick release from three. Best off the catch. Not afraid to mix it up and dive after loose balls. He will be a very good small college player at the next level.
SG Tim Finke (Meanstreets 17U)
Finke had his moments throughout the weekend, but it was obvious he was still adjusting to his new team. First thing that stood out was how much physically Finke has gotten stronger in his upper body just in the last couple months. We have seen him gradually add strength throughout his high school career and he is close to a college ready body at this stage. What I thought Finke did best throughout the event was rebound. Consistently cleared the defensive glass which he will have to do in the EYBL as Meanstreets lacks bigs. He also had several offensive rebound put backs. Jumper was a bit inconsistent from both mid-range and three. He shoots it with sound form and mechanics, but they just were not falling as much as they usually do. Mixed in a couple drives and made some crisp passes. Plays hard on defense, but does get beat at times off the bounce. Finke will be a solid high-major player that has a versatile game and plays well in a team concept.
PF Messiah Jones (Meanstreets 17U)
Jones is one of our favorites in this class because of the non-stop motor and energy he brings to the table. The Simeon power forward is undersized at about 6’5” or 6’6” so he relies heavily on his motor and length to make plays in the paint. Jones was just ok during Swish N Dish. He ran the floor hard, had a couple dunks off dump off passes, and rebounded solid although not at the rate we are used to seeing. Jones would fit best at the low-major to mid-major level where he can excel playing his role.
SG Javon Freeman (Meanstreets 17U)
Freeman was the star for Whitney Young in their playoff ride to a state title. He started off a little slow in their game Friday as he was having trouble finishing at the rim and his jumper wasn’t falling from mid-range like it usually does. Got it rolling in the second half. Slippery through traffic attacking downhill. Had multiple and-1’s at the rim. Smooth handles allow him to get where he wants on the floor. Jump shot needs to become more consistent as he is mainly just a driver at this stage. Also had a couple nice passes, but his strength was definitely splitting the defense. Mid-majors and low-majors should take a look at him in the spring live periods.
PG Xavier Castaneda (Meanstreets 17U)
Castaneda is a 6’1” point guard that was the man running the show for Whitney Young in their state title season. He is the point man for Meanstreets 17U this spring. The floor general made several nice dishes getting others involved and pushing it in transition. He has blow by speed breaking defenders down in one on one situations. His shooters didn’t convert consistently, but he made quite a few nice dishes off dribble penetration. As a scorer he hit one mid-range jumper and got a transition layup off a steal. Most defenders play him as a passer first. Mid-major prospect.
SG Justin Boyd (Meanstreets 17U)
At this stage the 6’3” shooting guard has defined his game with his perimeter shooting. Boyd has an angular and rangy frame with good athleticism that he flashes every now and then in transition. Best part of his game is by far his spot up ability. Stretches the floor with his quick trigger shot. Inconsistent putting it on the deck. Like his potential defensively, but will need to get stronger to defend two guards at the next level. Boyd should be a priority low-major target for schools looking for a shooter.
SF Talen Horton-Tucker (Mac Irvin Fire 17U)
The state’s #3 2018 prospect continues to elevate his game every time we see him. Horton-Tucker had good size at 6’5” with broad shoulders. It looks like he has slimmed down even more since we last saw him during the season. Fluid ball handler that gets where he wants on the floor. Jump shot started to fall with more consistency throughout the event. Had a couple impressive mid-range jumpers including a baseline fade away. THT connected on three point shots from beyond the arc at a nice clip. Also looked good in transition. One he snatched a defensive rebound and went coast to coast for a finish at the other end. Also had a posterizing one handed jam! High-major prospect that should be considered at top 100 player nationally.
PF Tamell Pearson (Mac Irvin Fire 17U)
Pearson is one of the better power forwards in the 2018 class from the state of Illinois. The broad shouldered 6’8” power forward has a strong frame and moves well for his size. The four man is mostly known for what he can do around the hoop, but at Swish N Dish he was trying to show off more of a face up game. Pearson did hit a couple threes, but seemed to fall in love with it. He is at his best when focusing on rebounding, defense, and scoring on junk points inside. He was just average in all of these areas at Swish N Dish. Low-major D1 player.
SG Drew Peterson (Illinois Wolves 17U)
Peterson was outstanding for the Illinois Wolves. At 6’7” he has great size and length. The fluid athlete has always been able to slash and be a playmaker in the open floor. His jump shot consistency has taken his game to another stratosphere. Peterson is able to get his shot off with ease from anywhere on the floor. Feathery shot from both mid-range and three. That was on full display in their game against Playground Elite as he hit tons of pull ups from 15-18 feet off the bounce as well as a few threes off the catch. He also capped the night off in overtime by hitting multiple free throws to clinch the win. The top 5 2018 prospect is a high-major player that is going to garner a lot of attention this month!
C Mick Sullivan (Illinois Wolves 17U)
Sullivan is a 6’8” center that has strong upper body. His mobility has improved since we last saw him midway through the high school season. Running the floor very hard and was rewarded for doing so with some transition points. Quality screener that can set a strong pick and has the mobility to roll to the hoop for a finish. Had a couple rim rattling slams. Strong offensive rebounder. Sullivan should be on low-major/mid-major target.
PF Dusan Mahorcic (Illinois Wolves 17U)
Mahorcic is a name that not a lot of people know about, but he has a solid year for Niles Notre Dame being one of their main interior presences. Tough post that plays with a mean streak at times. Broad shouldered and wiry strong 6’9” four man that rebounds well within his area and runs the floor. He was rewarded for several of those runs up and down the floor. Probably a D2 prospect at this stage.