Holiday Tournaments: 2020 Stock Boosters Pt 1

There were quite a few juniors that made statements with their play during the holiday tournaments! Here are our Holiday Tournaments: 2020 Stock Boosters Part 1!   PG Grant Niego (Lyons) Grant is the junior Niego brother for Lyons. He played about as good as we have seen him in their opening round performance at Jack Tosh. High IQ point guard that gets others in the right spots to make plays. Runs the team and also mixes in scores. Mostly a shooting threat he did hit a pair from three, but it was his improved game off the dribble that shined through. Converted an array of crafty drives and runners in the paint. He had 21 points.   SG Atharava Aterya (Sandburg) We saw flashes out of this 6’3” rangy two guard during their opening round game at Jack Tosh. Active wing that runs the floor hard, can hit an open shot, and gets on the glass.   F Aaron Tims (Hinsdale South) Tims is a combo forward that leans toward a four at this stage. The 6’7” lefty is so quick around the hoop. Uses his quick second jump to get on the glass. Bounce off the floor is also evident on the multiple alley-oop slams that he threw down. Tims finished very well around the hoop going for 22 points and 6 boards. Lots of upside with this forward.   SG Jeremiah Williams (St. Laurence) Williams is a rangy wing that has elevated his game this season. In our first eval of him this season he has definitely improved since we saw him over the summer. At about 6’4” the junior is best using his long strides and athleticism to get downhill. He is a slasher with the ability to get skinny through traffic and finish with either hand at the rim. Had a sweet finish with his off hand on a jump stop in the lane. Did hit one three late in the game, but he is definitely more comfortable as a driver at this stage. I came away impressed with his passing. Found open teammates for higher percentage looks. Defensively he can check multiple positions and did a nice job locking down the opposing perimeter threats. He had 19 points and 5 dimes. PG Trey Davis (St. Laurence) Davis opened our eyes with a big performance in their opening round win at Jack Tosh. The 6’0” point guard is a lefty who is a sniper from deep. He drilled an array of threes mostly off the catch. Showed decent ball handling, but it was his shooting that netted him most of his 18 points.   PG Troy Huddleston (Stagg) Huddleston is a smaller point guard at only 5’8”, but this shifty lead guard won off the dribble and got to the foul line scoring 16 points.   PF Robert Holmes (Stevenson) Holmes is a 6’5” combo forward that leans toward being an athletic undersized four at this stage of his development. The junior put in a couple hook shots and was explosive off the floor to the offensive glass for second chance opportunities. Finishes with athleticism around the rim. Holmes had 11 points and 7 rebounds.   F Tyrinn Kidd (Westinghouse) Kidd was a beast for Westinghouse. The 6’4” combo forward certainly put himself on our radar with his play in the consolation bracket. He is a physically built forward that has a junk yard dog mentality. Plays physical inside and mauls on the offensive glass. High percentage on his shots inside as he was extremely efficient all game. His long term projection will be dependent on how much the perimeter game comes along, but he was super effective on Thursday going for 25 points (10-12 FG) and 9 boards.   PG Everett Stubblefield (Willowbrook) Stubblefield was the most consistent performer on the night for Willowbrook. The junior 5’11” point guard is at his best when he gets downhill with his quickness off the bounce. Wins with his first step and also was very effective in transition getting to the cup. Solid passer that made overall good decisions with the rock. He had 17 points and 6 assists.   PG Ahron Ulis (Marian Catholic) Ulis was outstanding for Marian Catholic. The top 10 2020 prospect is one of the better floor generals in the state. Good understanding of the game and when he needs to score and dish. What he was great at was getting to the hoop in transition with his speed. Pushes with an outstanding burst. Wins off the dribble in the half court which allows him to make regular trips to the charity stripe where he went 10-10. Hit his only three attempt of the night from the corner. Ulis had 19 points.   SG Elijah Jones (Marian Catholic) Projectable 6’5” wing that can play and defend multiple spots on the perimeter. He is a long and angular wing who uses it on the defensive end to his advantage. Athleticism plays well in the open floor and he can get on the glass.   SG Lance Mosley (DePaul Prep) Best game we have seen Lance Mosley play in his career. This junior two guard is an explosive athlete that has always flashed, but never put a complete performance together when we have been evaluating him until Thursday night. He was bombing in threes especially in the first half. Pure stroke especially off the catch. Also showed off that athleticism we talked about with several finishes at the rim. Mosley went for 21 points (5-6 3PT) and 4 rebounds. Also thought he brought more intensity on the defensive end.   PG Joel Watts (St. Rita) Watts was the sparkplug that gave St. Rita life in the middle portion of this game. The smaller point guard connected on a couple momentum swinging threes along with a stop and pop pull up jumper. Pushes with his speed in the open court. He had 10 points.   PF Sam Schultz (Oswego East) Schultz is one of the better power forwards on the board in 2020. The well-built four man has broad shoulders, quality size, and strength. It wasn’t a dominant effort out of him in their second round contest, but there was a ton to like. Drilled a three which he continues to show he can stretch the floor. Finishes well on put backs and dump off passes. Contributed across the board. Overall was more athletic especially on the defensive end than we had seen him in the past. Schultz had 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 assists, and 3 steals.   PF RJ Ogom (Homewood Flossmoor) Ogom is an absolute beast on the interior. He is your classic undersized post that just mauls on the interior. That is what we saw him do in the first half against an undersized Lincoln Park squad. He imposed his will on the game by punishing his opponents with his strength both rebounding and finishing through them. He scored 10 points and grabbed 6 boards in a low scoring contest.