Salem Invitational: Wednesday Standouts
Mid-Winter tournaments are here in southern Illinois. Lots of great basketball across the area. We spent Wednesday night at the first day of the Salem Invitational Tournament. Check out the prospects that stood out and made a name for themselves with their play.
SF Javon Williams (Centralia – 2018)
Williams might be playing football in college, but he is quite a high school basketball player. He was absolutely dominant against Effingham as the Flaming Hearts had no answer for him. The 6’2” Williams is a thick bodied wing that doesn’t have much projectability, but that doesn’t matter on the high school level. He opened by drilling three triples in the opening minutes. Williams is a consistent shooter from three off the catch. Not as good off the bounce. He is a tough to stop when he is going downhill and getting to the rim. Did that on a number of occasions using his superior strength to run over defenders for buckets. Williams is also a beast on the glass. Grabbed several offensive rebounds for put backs. His passing also shined through in this contest. He made several fantastic finds to cutters within the Orphans offense. He had 35 points in a win.
SG Jordan Maines (Centralia – 2018)
Maines was the perfect complement to Williams in the first half. The 6’2” shooting guard is pretty much strictly a catch and shoot threat at this stage. He did that very well connecting on a handful from beyond the arc. Smooth and quick release and moves well without the ball to get open. Mixed in one post score. Kind of disappeared in the second half as he scored all 16 of his points in the first two quarters. Maines is worth a look by small colleges in need of a spot up shooter.
SF Landon Wolfe (Effingham – 2019)
Wolfe is a one man show for Effingham. This isn’t the Effingham team last year that featured his brother and another excellent small college prospect. The 6’5” small forward made huge strides over the summer and has taken another leap in his game as a junior. He is a smooth shot creator that can get his jumper off from pretty much anywhere on the floor and knows how to create space. Moves well without the ball to get open coming off screens and curls. Always ready to shoot as soon as the ball touches his hands. Also has the ability to create his own shot pulling up and taking it to the hoop with solid handles and strength. Soft touch on his three point shot with a lot of arc. He can post up against small defenders with quick moves inside. Wolfe is a quality wing rebounder. Just a tough kid that is a bucket getter. He had 33 points. Low-majors need to jump in now!
SG Amir Spann (Mt. Vernon – 2020)
Spann is a 6’2” shooting guard that flashed ability as a freshman and on the circuit this summer. He is built like a football player with a strong upper body and explosive athleticism. The sophomore is at his best using his burst to get to the rim. He had a couple of impressive takes off the bounce where he blew past defenders and finished with acrobatics at the rim. His quick second jump allows him to get on the glass grabbing offensive rebounds on his own shots. Also excels scoring in transition. Didn’t see much of a jump shot in this contest. His passing showed growth with a pair of dimes and several other kicks to shooters where they didn’t connect. This could be important long term to develop at least some combo guard skills in case he doesn’t grow anymore. Spann was in foul trouble for portions of the game, but was still impressive recording 12 points and 8 boards. He has D1 upside, but it is still early in the evaluation process for the Rams wing.
PF Weston Brockhouse (Mt. Vernon – 2019)
Brockhouse burst onto the scene Wednesday night. The 6’6” four man has broad shoulders and long arms. He was very active on the glass grabbing rebounds in traffic. Offensively he showed skill and mobility. Finished a pick/roll, had a left handed conversion on a spin move, and hit a couple threes. Face up power forward also showed well defensively being able to defend in a ball screen and stay in front of guards. He had 14 points. Small college prospect to monitor.
PF Eric Kremer (Teutopolis – 2018)
Kremer is 6’5” power forward that is tough on the offensive glass. Had a couple put backs. Finishes strong on the interior. Seals well in the high/low. Not the greatest athlete, but a tough kid that is efficient with his touches. Small college post had 12 points. Looks like he is committed to John A Logan as a right handed pitcher on the diamond.