Ridgewood Live Event: Sunday Notebook
The Ridgewood Live Event concluded on Sunday afternoon with another quality day of action! Let’s dive into all the games we evaluated in our Ridgewood Live Event: Sunday Notebook! Connor Kochera’s Recruitment is About to Explode There were a…
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Continue ReadingThe Ridgewood Live Event concluded on Sunday afternoon with another quality day of action! Let’s dive into all the games we evaluated in our Ridgewood Live Event: Sunday Notebook!
Connor Kochera’s Recruitment is About to Explode
There were a large number of mid-major programs in the house to watch St. Viator 2020 small forward Connor Kochera. He has already picked up a few offers, but we expect many more to come after a dominant performance over the weekend. In the game we saw he drilled three after three both pulling up and off the bounce. Feathery shot and is a quality athlete being able to score on the move as well. Moves well without the ball to get open. Went for 25 points against Morton.
Jayden Johnson Shines Again
Seriously I just don’t get why colleges aren’t offering Batavia 2020 wing Jayden Johnson. All he does is produce! The 6’4” wing posted strong numbers all weekend including in the game we saw against Glenbard East where he dropped 24 points with a monster second half. Yes he isn’t a freak athlete, but he is one of the best shooters in the state. In today’s game where shooting is at a premium it baffles me why he isn’t getting offers when he is clearly better than some who are.
Hinton and Hopkins Duel in Playoffs
A pair top 10 players in different classes met up in the first round of the playoffs on Sunday as Fenwick took on Curie. In the 2020 class it was Curie’s Ramean Hinton who had one of the best games of his career. The high-energy two guard scored at all three levels. Displayed a feathery touch on his jumper making difficult shots all day. Transition finishes and got on the glass with his quick second jump and energy. He dropped 26 points. For Fenwick #2 overall 2021 Bryce Hopkins had a quiet first half, but got rolling in the second to get his team back in the game. Big bodied small forward who loves to play downhill and use his skill to get to the rim. Quality rebounder. Even blocked a few shots. He had 14 points.
Deerfield’s Front Court is Their Strength
Deerfield 2020 near seven footer Brandon Lieb was excellent on Sunday morning. He has a long and lanky frame and did work scoring on the block with multiple skilled post moves displaying soft touch around the hoop. Also stretched the floor with a pick and pop three. Another Deerfield prospect that intrigues is Walter Mattingly. The stretch four is skilled and can put it on the deck. One to watch moving forward!
Lincoln Park Junior Backcourt Lead the Way
Lincoln Park’s 2021 backcourt of Julio Montes and Ismail Habib are going to be a fun pair to watch the next two seasons. The diminutive duo are playmakers and scorers! Habib was fantastic scoring with pull up jumpers all over the floor. Montes played tough D and hit threes. Another junior piece to track on this team is Nick Kennedy. The 6’6” power forward has a strong and physical frame and can score in the paint.
Joshua Smith is Name on Rise
With Isaiah Barnes out for OPRF it was another 2021 wing in Joshua Smith that made noise in front of college coaches. Smooth two guard with size and can score off the bounce. Tough driver. He is a slick ball handler. Smith is also a capable shot creator scoring with jumpers off the bounce.
Bloom and Curie Meet in Quarters, but Probably Was Real Title Game
Two of the best teams in the event met the quarters as Bloom battled with Curie. I asked a friend if he would take the winner of this game or the field to win the tournament and he said for sure this game’s victor. I agreed. Bloom 2020 shooting guard Dante Maddox showed out netting 27 points in the win. He had it working from all three levels. He is just a bucket getter that has deep range on his three point shot and athleticism finishing at the rim. Martice Mitchell played hard rim running for lobs and drilling corner threes. The athletic 2020 wings for Curie Armond Williams and Saivon Williams were the standouts for the CPS power. Saivon Williams is a plus athlete that can defend, knock down threes, and play above the rim on dunks. Armond Williams is a tough defender and rebounder.
Dominic Martinelli Puts Team On Back to Reach Finals
Glenbrook South 2020 combo forward Dominic Martinelli totally put his team on his back to reach the finals. In the quarters he had 34 of his team’s 46 points. In the semifinals we watched him do a similar effort going for 27 of his team’s 40 points in a win over St. Charles North. Crafty forward that handles the ball making slo-mo moves to the hoop. Very much an old school game with his runners and ability to draw contact. Good free throw shooter and can shoot it a little from deep. In defeat St Charles North 2020 point guard Luke Scheffers displayed he is a crisp lead guard that works well around ball screens and is a sound pull up jump shooter.
Bloom Takes Title Over Glenbrook South
One of the favorites coming into the tournament was Bloom and they delivered going 5-0 on Sunday winning the championship. They did it in dominant fashion in a 66-45 win over Glenbrook South. It was a balanced effort from the core four 2020’s. Dante Maddox once again led the way in scoring with 16 points. Keshawn Williams drained jumpers and showed off his burst getting to the cup. Donovan Newby ran the show as well as knocking down 15 foot jumpers. Martice Mitchell was active inside throwing down jams and swatting shots. Martinelli had another strong outing with 25 points in the loss.