Top Breakout Performances We Saw: #6 – #10

<p>Time to examine some of the breakout performances we saw during the year.  These were prospects that had huge games to put themselves on our radar or change our perception of them!  Here is our <strong>Top Breakout Performances We Saw: #6 - #10</strong>!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>#6   [player_tooltip player_id="863591" first="Braxton" last="Stacker"] (Belleville East)</strong></p> <p>This southern Illinois sophomore wing elevated his stock in a major way against the Orphans at the Centralia Thanksgiving Tournament.  He has size at 6’4” with a wiry build.  Elite level athlete that has some of the best hops in the state.  He showed them off in the second half with a thunderous jam on a ferocious slash.  At this stage the majority of his game offensively is in transition or one on one to the rim.  Was impressed with his tight handles being able to put combination moves together to get scores.  A couple times he was a bit out of control on charges (some of which weren’t deserved).  His explosion and burst with the ball in his hand are super impressive out of a young prospect.  One of his better moves he went on a straight line drive and maneuvered the ball with his long hands to get a clean look at the cup.  He isn’t a great shooter at this stage, but hit a big shot late to send the game to OT with a deep three letting it go with a lot of confidence.  Defensively he has a chance to be a plus defender at the D1 level.  He is aggressive on that end of the floor moving his feet, using his length to get in his opponents space, and recovers well.  Also had several explosive blocks.  Stacker went for 24 points on the night. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>#7   [player_tooltip player_id="821772" first="Christian" last="Henry"] (St. Rita)</strong></p> <p>The scoring point guard was going all Cole Anthony mode early in the game against Urban Prep absolutely scoring at will ripping of 12 points in the first quarter alone.  Henry was aggressive getting to the rim where he finished at will.  Scored through contact with his strength.  Burst with the ball especially in transition where he hits another gear when he sees an opening in the defense.  Drilled one three.  Couple nice passes including reads in the pick and roll.  Has a chance to develop into a nice defender with his tenacity and instincts.  Finished with 22 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>#8   [player_tooltip player_id="863587" first="Jalen" last="Quinn"] (Tuscola)</strong></p> <p>We made the trip to Tuscola to see this sophomore point guard  play against Villa Grove.  Quinn stands at 6’2” with length at the point guard spot.  He displays a quality burst with the ball in his hand with quick acceleration to the basket.  Smooth ball handler with creativity that is able to get where he wants on the floor pretty easily especially against the level of competition he was going up against.  Early on in the game Quinn struggled to finish at the rim.  He was throwing up difficult layups with spin on them instead of just going right to the rim for layups.  As the game went on he began to convert at a higher rate at the cup using right handed (off hand) floaters and his length defensively to get steals taking them the other way for scores.  In the open floor he has a nice burst blowing past defenders with relative ease.  A bit of a streaky shooter from three at this point.  He hit one late and displayed a solid looking lefty stroke with room to get even better.  Liked the way he rebounded it especially offensively with his quick second jump.  As a passer he only recorded three assists, but with a higher level of teammates that he will have during the summer/in college there would have been significantly more.  Showed vision and feel hitting shooters right in the pocket and throwing bullets to post players inside.  Defensively he got in passing lanes multiple times for steals that he took coast to coast.  Also was a solid positional defender in the half court.  Walled up inside using his length vertically on players trying to score through him forcing difficult shots.  He went for 23 points (8-20 FG), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.  Definitely one of the better sophomore point guards in the state.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>#9   [player_tooltip player_id="916730" first="Darnell" last="King"] (Kenwood)</strong></p> <p>King is a rangy and active power forward that has made a name for himself early this season with his play at a pair of marquee events.  He has produced big numbers scoring and on the boards.  Went for 25 points against Leo.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>#10   [player_tooltip player_id="863605" first="Justin" last="King"] (Mascoutah)</strong></p> <p>King is emerging as one of the best point guards in the class of 2022 in Illinois and that was evident in his outing at the O’Fallon Shootout.  What you have to like about this 6’3” point guard is his length and projectability.  At a young age he has an excellent feel for the game.  Creative passer that makes sound decisions getting others involved.  Slick ball handler that weaves in and out of the defense.  Can finish with either hand at the rim.  Smooth athlete that makes plays in the lane for himself and others.  Decent shooter that can stretch it to three point range.  King had 17 points (7-10 FG), 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.</p>