Wheeling Hardwood Classic: Thursday Standouts

The Wheeling Hardwood Classic had its second round of games on Thursday. PrepHoopsIllinois was in the house for all eight games! Here are our Wheeling Hardwood Classic: Thursday Standouts! Brandon Lieb (Deerfield – 2020) Lieb is one of the better post players remaining on the board in the state of Illinois. The 6’11” center has good size and length. Frame to continue to add strength once he gets in a college weight program. One aspect of his offensive game that is impressive is how he always keeps the ball high so guards can’t swipe it away. He had a couple finishes after he garnered deep post position. Got on the offensive glass for a few put backs. Showed mobility in the pick and roll. Defensively he is a shot blocking presence with his timing. Moves decent in ball screens for a player his size. Quality rebounder although he wasn’t going up against very tall opponents. Finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks.   Walt Mattingly (Deerfield – 2021) Mattingly is Lieb’s running mate, but this forward is coming into his own. He was more of a power forward in the past and has transitioned into a small forward. Opened the game with a three showing solid rotation and mechanics on his shot. Handled it well on his drives. Went coast to coast off a steal. Needs to get stronger to finish more consistently through bigger defenders. He had 16 points and 6 rebounds.   Josh Preston (Geneva – 2020) Preston is a commit to the University of Chicago. The 6’5” power forward has a strong body and is a good athlete. He showcased that almost posterizing a couple opponents. Makes quick and aggressive moves in the paint. Preston had 13 points.   Kam Craft (Buffalo Grove – 2022) Craft is one of the more intriguing wings in the 2022 class. He had a solid outing in just over three quarters of action in a blowout win over Waukegan scoring 22 points. He has a low release point on his jumper and it looks a little funky at times, but he hit a couple. Was most effective in this game driving off the bounce. Had a nice move that he ripped through and banked in a runner. Scored on a euro step and several other quick moves from the perimeter.   Solomon Hudson (Wheeling – 2021) Hudson emerged with his play on Thursday for Wheeling. The 6’0” guard is a creative scoring combo who showcased his ability to score off the dribble getting to the rim on both powerful and acrobatic finishes. Slick handle that if he can round out his game could be an interesting long term prospect. Went for 17 points.   John Duszynski (Ridgewood – 2020) This Ridgewood point guard is known as a shooter and that is exactly what he did in this game! The senior guard is a plus sniper from three that connected on an array of them both pulling up and off the catch. He can also stop and pop from the mid-range effectively. Went for 15 points.   Patrick Graham (Libertyville – 2020) Graham did everything he could to keep Libertyville in the game. The 6’4” forward did most of his damage early in the paint. Was quick to the offensive glass for second chance points. He won off the dribble as the game went on especially on the baseline. Did hit one three, but did most of his work on the interior. He had 24 points.   Jared Pearson (Maine West – 2021) Pearson came up huge for Maine West. The 6’2” shooting guard got to the free throw line quite a bit helping seal the win late. It was his three point shooting early that caught our attention. The junior was on fire off the catch drilling shot after shot. He had 27 points.   Troy D’Amico (Niles Notre Dame – 2021) This small forward continues to fly under the radar as one of the best juniors in the state. He put his full skill set on display once again. The first aspect that made an impression with his play on Thursday was the way he passed it. He has several terrific dishes that led to buckets. Alley-oop dishes, give and go, and bullet passes to teammates for scores. As a scorer he was very good as well leading the game in points with 19. Hit one triple, but most of his scoring was done on nifty takes to the basket. Better ball handler than he is given credit getting through traffic for scores. Can score effectively from all three levels.   Louis Lesmond (Niles Notre Dame – 2021) This was the complete game I have been waiting for to see out of Lesmond. He competed at a very high level especially on the glass. Snatched rebounds out of the air both in and out of his area. Played tough defense. Passed it pretty well. As a scorer he started off by drilling several threes including one from NBA range. Such a smooth and effortless stroke. He had a couple aggressive takes where he showed off his handle and athleticism. Also threw down a nasty alley-oop! Lesmond had 16 points.   Anthony Sayles (Niles Notre Dame – 2021) Sayles returned to Notre Dame after an injury that has held him out for the past three or so weeks. The state’s top junior point guard made an impact as soon as he stepped on the floor getting to the rim in transition. Starting to get his burst back that makes him such an elite player. He played quality defense and I liked the way he dished the ball. Crisp passing throughout the game that led to scores. Finished with 11 points.   Aquan Smart (Niles North – 2020) Smart is the hottest name in the state of Illinois right now! The 6’3” combo guard recently decommitted from East Tennessee State and since he has been on a tear both on the court along with the recruiting trail. Fremd is known as an excellent defensive team. Smart also had to fight through foul trouble. He picked up a pair within the first couple minutes. Kept his composure not picking up any fouls until the third quarter by playing smart and defense/offense subbing by his coach. He has an elite burst getting to the hoop slicing his way through traffic with ease. One transition play he had the entire gym buzzing with ball handling on a drive for a bucket. The most impressive part of the outing was his shooting from the perimeter. Hit several step back and pull up jumpers from both mid-range and three. Also racked up quite a few fouls on defenders on those shots. As a distributor I continue to say he is very underrated. Made several impressive passes with one hand right on the money. They weren’t always converted, but he did his part. Overall you have to like this kid’s competitive spirit. He wants to win and put on a show doing it! Smart will move into the top 5 in our next rankings update. The only question now is how high will he rise? Finished with 33 points.   Kayman Hopkins (Fremd – 2020) Hopkins is going to make a small college coach very happy at the next level. The bouncy four man has an elite second jump getting on the glass for second chance points with put backs. Big time athlete that plays above the rim with regularity. He had 12 points.   Cooper Noard (Glenbrook South – 2022) GBS needed some scoring help as Dominic Martinelli didn’t have his usual night. It came in the form of this 6’0” point guard. He is a gritty and competitive guard that can flat out shoot the rock. Drilled three after three! He had four of them for 14 points leading his team to a win. Can play both on and off the ball. One to monitor moving forward.   Connor Kochera (St. Viator – 2020) Kochera got off to a slow start, but when the ball was put in his hands in the second half he had his moments. Love how he moves without the ball to get open. His game off the bounce has greatly improved over the last year. Wins with quick and assertive moves. One of the most impressive was a rip through finishing with a left handed layup. Three ball was not falling like it usually does, but he still managed 14 points. Committed to William & Mary.