Romeoville Live: Teddy’s Friday Takeaways (Part 1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Curie Opens Weekend With Win vs Romeoville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first new team I was excited to watch that I didn't get a chance to see last week was Romeoville. The Spartans are filled with several dynamic, athletic guards who are all capable of playmaking, defending, and scoring at a high rate. [player_tooltip player_id='1552462' first='Mickeis' last='Johnson'] is one of them with tremendous explosiveness and athleticism with the ball. They had a very strong start led my [player_tooltip player_id='1158757' first='Meyoh' last='Swansey'] and Kristen Flowerss who were making terrific passes and scoring from all three levels. But Curie stayed in it with explosive guard play from 2024 Prospect [player_tooltip player_id='1157211' first='Carlos' last='Harris']. He stopped several fast breaks defensively and created a pair of transition buckets. He also showed excellent strength getting to the hoop for two and displayed terrific vision throughout the contest. [player_tooltip player_id='1157351' first='Christian' last='Brockett'] and Will Gonzales shot tremendously well too. Both hit multiple three's in the contest and did a great job of positioning themselves to get open. Will Gonzales was also big on he inside. The 6'5” wing has a smooth touch around the rim and converted lots of inside opportunities too. Curie won the game 54-44 behind 16 pts from Will Gonzales.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1385292' first='Phoenix' last='Gill'] Powers St. Ignatius&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a string of outstanding performances last weekend, I saw [player_tooltip player_id='1385292' first='Phoenix' last='Gill'] and Ignatius for the first time this summer. Facing Hillcrest, Gill was the biggest standout to start. He can absolutely fly up the floor with a smooth burst to the hoop and excellent court awareness. He had four quick points and two assists to start the game with Ignatius on a 12-4 run. He continued to show tremendous confidence attacking the rim and getting to the line while also being a terrific on-ball defender. He stayed hot in the second half and started the period with a difficult baseline finish and a three.&nbsp;&nbsp;But what I really love is his ability to crash the glass and read misses well. He had several put-back finishes and second chance points throughout the game. He ended with 13 points and the 61-42 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Philip Erickson Breaks Out</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Philip Erickson had just as impressive of a performance with 31&nbsp;&nbsp;points and NINE three's for Ignatius. The 6'2” combo guard opened Ignatius's game against Hillcrest burying four triples to go along with a fast break finish. But he wasn't done there. He opened the second half hitting five three's in a row before his first miss. Not only that, he hit shots from almost anywhere behind the arc. To go along with shooting, the 6'2” Combo Guard has a nice frame with plenty of strength. He might have had a coming-out performance just now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1978576' first='Lathan' last='Sommerville'] Has So Much in his Game&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first thing I noticed from Lathan Somerville is his build. He's got sensational strength and power for a 6'10 big man. He showed that off early on with a posterizing slam in the low block. Another aspect of Sommerville's game to note is his footwork. He uses his feet very consistently and it helped him make a handful of plays in post. When it comes to scoring, I saw Sommerville score with a baseline drive and a fadeaway to start the contest. He continued to find more consistency in the paint and had some more tough drives down the lane in the second half. He even showed off some range with a three while also making plays for his teammates. Sommerville displayed bits of everything against Crete-Monee and led Richwoods to a 51-35 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Look out for [player_tooltip player_id='1183048' first='Kaleb' last='Jackson']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1183048' first='Kaleb' last='Jackson'] is a very intriguing prospect that should gain more attention this upcoming year. He plays AAU with Wisconsin Playground in the UAA and had a string of nice performances up in Appleton last month. He got off to a hot start and showed he's got limitless range with a pair of deep three's in the opening half. His playmaking was on-point too with some crafty dribble moves and a couple assists. He even added some no-look passes in there as well. He became a stronger slasher later in the game while also moving well off the ball. It was a very strong offensive performance all-around for Jackson.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->