NEXT Chi-Town Tip Off: Intriguing Prospects That Stood Out

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over this past few days I have evaluated over 50 prospects from two different age groups at the middle school level. Prospects that have a little bit of everything like skill, size, athleticism, and smarts. In this article we cover five intriguing players, that stood out this past weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2403346"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='2403346' first='Drew' last='Schnurman'] is an intriguing prospect from this past weekend because of his mixture of coordination, size, and skill level. Schnerman is a player out of the 2029 Class, who already stands at 5'11 and he is a natural at the Guard position. This past weekend he displayed that he could do a little bit of everything while controlling his team's offense. He was running point and dishing out assists, he was scoring from multiple levels, and he was playing smart basketball. Overall, the ceiling for this one is interesting. If he were to continue to grow, while expanding his game, he is going to be a killer over his high school career. He just needs to lock in on what's important moving forward.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["2403463"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='2403463' first='Verton' last='Freeman'] is someone who was doing it all at a high rate over the past few days. Freeman has strength, touch, coordination, and a whole lot of athleticism from the looks of it. In his team's contest, he was literally doing everything offensively from screening the ball and rolling toward the basket, all the way to popping out for a jump shot. Defensively, Freeman is a handful. He can body up against bigger players or he can stick with someone who may be faster off of the dribble. In every contest that I saw Freeman compete in over this weekend, he stood out. He made his presence known one way or another and that speaks volumes in a tournament like this.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"Jeremiah Martinez","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"77246","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"Work Until Basketball ","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Jeremiah Martinez is a prospect at the Guard position, that is going to turn into one heck of a player over the next four years if he sticks with it. Martinez showed out this weekend as someone to know. He brought up the ball at times, he played from the two-guard spot, and he was shining at both positions for his Work Until Basketball 2028 team. I didn't know much about this group prior to this weekend but they have a few noteworthy individuals, starting with Martinez. Other than his ability, his work ethic was another factor that stuck out when he was competing. He was the first to dive on the floor or into the crowd for a loose ball. Really showing his heart and willingness to sacrifice his body for the good of his team, which speaks volumes.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["2398988"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Strong. Smooth. Quick-Thinking. These are just some of the words to describe [player_tooltip player_id='2398988' first='Nick' last='Grice'] and his play-style. Grice is an athletic and smooth operator. He demonstrates what it means to be a good teammate and he is always out on the court giving it his all. Grice has a high ceiling when it comes to this sport. He does a lot of special things with his skill set but where he stands out is the intangibles. For his age, Grice communicates really well with his teammates, he displays a high motor while rebounding, and he keeps things really simple. Once he beats his opponent, he doesn't play around. He just gets right to the hoop for the finish, sometimes even through contact if need be. You've heard it once and you'll continue to hear it, this Ray Allen 2028 Select team is special. If everyone sticks together and continues to ball out, they are going to grow into something special these next four years.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["2385688"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"A smaller guard that has a fast dribble, nasty cross over, and really solid passing ability is [player_tooltip player_id='2385688' first='Stan' last='Strong Jr'] of Ayo Dos Elite 2029. Strong Jr demonstrated that he can attack his opponent, getting into the teeth of the defense for an easy floater for himself or an assist for an open teammate. This group is one that is built on the definition of the extra pass. They always are playing with their eyes up and willing to pass to someone else that could have a better look at a basket, Strong Jr being the same way. He also understands how to control the tempo for his team when he is coming down the floor. He can slow things down and kill it within the half-court or he can push the ball into the middle of the floor, looking for a fast break opportunity.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661d9d81114a5"} /-->