Chicago Elite Classic takeaways

I was at the event for two days and this is what I saw:  DAY 1 1)Fenwick/Oak Park River Forest rivalry was off the chains the Battle of Oak Park. These student sections were wild and had chants back and forth at each other. Greatest example was OPRF fans chanting to Fenwick's fans "Please don't sue us" repeatedly. This is in reference to the controversial finish in the Class 7A football semifinal between Fenwick and Plainfield North which can be read here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/highschool/ct-fenwick-football-lawsuit-met-20161122-story.html Fenwick by the way won the basketball game in overtime with three Nixon brothers in the starting lineup. 2) Loyola(Willmette)/Notre Dame(Niles) Game was a knock down drag out slug fest won in overtimeby Notre Dame with Malik Jenkins making the winning layup in overtime. 3) Curie(Chicago) beat up on East St Louis with the Martin twins outplaying Illinois signee Jeremiah Tillmon. A big issue is the East St Louis guards do not know how to feed the post. Tillmon had 12 points and 6 rebounds before fouling out. His 4th foul was not a smart one, hanging on the rim.  DAY 2 1) My day started with watching the second half of Uplift vs Chaminade(St Louis). This game was about bigger skilled players beating smaller skilled players. Chaminade had 3 kids 6'5" and over hitting three pointers at a high rate while Uplift had no one over 6'3". The Jacobs brothers both showed well. 2) Sunrise Christian(Kansas) has Malek Hall Class of 2019 player on the team who played his freshman year at Metea Valley in Aurora and Michael Johnson Class of 2017. Both played well in a win for Sunrise Christian. Gray Collegiate Academy(South Carolina) had a top Class of 2019 player nationally Juwan Gray(6'6") who is strong and can score on all three levels. One to watch out for. 3) Yale commit Jameel Alausa of UHigh(Chicago) had a double/double and looks like he'll be All-Ivy League in his college career. He plays hard and has skills in the paint and enough ball handling to be able to slash to the basket. They surprised Hyde Park(Chicago) who has a good point guard in Class of 2018 Andrew Anderson. Also be on the look out for Alausa's younger brother Mohammed Alausa Class of 2019. 4) Joliet West is for real and a contender for the Class 4A crown. They were very impressive in a win over North Lawndale(Chicago). Drake signee Teyvion Kirk was the best player in the game. He missed only one shot in doing everything for Joliet West. Wisconsin-Green Bay signee Trevian Bell was equally impressive in complementing Kirk. I was just as impressed with Tabyous Casrerberry who was an absolute monster on the glass and running the floor. Carlos Hines of North Lawndale continues to prove he is a true sleeper. Why doesn't he have more scholarship offers this 4.0 student? 5) Evanston got hammered by Montverde Academy(Florida) as expected. Montverde recruits players from all over the world so considering that I thought Evanston accounted itself pretty well. Nojel Eastern had a solid game 17 points and 7 rebounds, the three headed sophomore guard line of Jaheim Holden, Lance Jones, and Ryan Bost did not look ready for prime time. This was a game they needed though as I would bet they will be ready for the next prime time game; which Evanston will have plenty of Showcase games this winter. 6) Simeon(Chicago) looked impressive beating USA Today's #5 team Gonzaga of Washington DC. UTEP signee Evan Gillard, Class of 2018 Talen Horton-Tucker(26 and 14), and Class of 2018 Kezo Brown all had big games for Simeon.  7) Whitney Young(Chicago) and Kenwood(Chicago) game was entertaining with Kenwood coming out on top. Kenwood Class of 2017 Octavius Parker and  Young Class of 2018 Justin Boyd had a can you top this moment in the first half. Both were raining three pointers all over the place back and forth at each other. Parker ended the first half with a 33 foot there pointer at the buzzer. Young's  Lucas Williamson joined the proceedings with a great game as did Kenwood's Manny Patterson. I heard a lot of talk about how they matched up the teams for this. Some folks suggested that Simeon and Whitney Young should have played Chaminade and Montverde Academy. I asked those folks who's hosting this event? Enough said.

RJ Barrett At Chicago Elite Classic.

The Chicago Elite Classic is in it's 5th year of existence. It has had a lot of great players play in the event, from Jabari Parker,Jahlil Okafor,Tyler Ulis,Stanley Johnson who are all current NBA players. The latest to play in it this past weekend is Class of 2019 wing RJ Barrett(6'7" #1 ESPN, #2 24/7 Sports) of Montverde Academy(FL). In my opinion barring injury he is a future NBA player. He was MVP in the game he played vs Evanston(IL) with 23 points. I spoke to him after the game and this is what he had to say: Q: Hi, RJ I'm Tim Coleman Sr of A Sea Of Blue(Kentucky Publication) how are you doing? RJ: I'm doing great. Q: What schools are on your short list? RJ: I'm only a sophomore in high school my Dad(Rowan Barrett) is handling all of my recruiting right now. Q: Ok, how do you think you played today? RJ: I think I played well except I could have gathered more rebounds. Q: Has Kentucky shown any interest in you? RJ: Yes I have talked to John Calipari so yes they have shown some interest in me. Q: What are your strengths and weaknesses as a basketball player? RJ: My strength is taking it to the rim but I'm working on everything right now. Q: Ok thanks for taking the time to do this interview( I shake his hand) RJ: No problem thank you. My assessment of RJ Barrett as a player is he showed he can score on all three levels, has great vision passing the ball and a great lefty stroke. This game it looked like he could score with ease and has a lot of growth and potential in his game. Kentucky will be in his recruitment until the end. I as a Kentucky fan will look forward to watching him the next three years of his high school career.

Illinois Mr Basketball Candidates 2017

These are my top candidates for Mr Basketball this season. There will be a lot of names as it is wide open this season. The players are Class of 2017 unless otherwise mentioned. Here we go: JORDAN GOODWIN 6'3"SWINGMAN (BELLEVILLE ALTHOFF)- This young man is intensity personified, junk yard dog mentality. A killer instinct and a high motor. The St Louis commit is a do it all swingman who has improved his three point shooting, strong finisher inside and a great rebounder for his size. Plays for a team that is defending state champ in 3A and was runner-up the year before so he's a winner. What gives me pause?  They lost some good players, how far in the playoffs can he take them this season? Team results do matter in the voting for this award. Also he's signing with St Louis which is not a Power 5 school. This is looked at also. JEREMIAH TILLMON 6'10" CENTER (EAST ST LOUIS)- HE'S BAACCCCKKKKK!!!!!! He left the state for a year to play at La Lumierre in Indiana presumably to get his grades in order. The Illinois commit has improved his game leaps and bounds and is now the state's best prospect. He has jump hook over either shoulder, can run the floor very well, rebounds and defends at a high level. He is coming off a shoulder injury from the Spring which dropped his ranking. He still is a candidate for McDonald's All-American honors and will sign with Illinois. These things will enhance his candidacy. What gives me pause? East St Louis lost 10 seniors from last years team and Tillmon is the only guy they have. Yes he will get big numbers but how will his team do and how far will they get in the playoffs? ALONZO VERGE JR 6'3" POINT GUARD (THORNTON)- He will be the most exciting player to watch since "The Boat Show" in East Aurora a few years ago. He's a big time scorer who can also get other players involved. He can score on all three levels and is a two end player who can electrify a crowd with his speed and ability to score in bunches. His recruitment is not known at this time and has been quiet for such a big time player. What gives me pause? Will he be eligible to play at Thornton? If he is eligible to play how far can he take his team in the playoffs? Will there be an adjustment period with his new teammates? Also since this will be his 4th school in 4 years(did not play at Proviso West but attended a semester there) could have an effect on the voters. NOJEL EASTERN 6'6" SWINGMAN (EVANSTON TOWNSHIP)- This versatile offensive performer can play 4 positions on the high school level. He has had some injury issues( bone bruise, ankle) in his high school career. He can shoot with either hand and is a devastating offensive weapon at all three levels. He is very unselfish, too unselfish at times and will be playing on a highly ranked team who will be playing in a lot of showcase games this season. What gives me pause? He may not get big time stats because of his unselfishness and he has some good teammates around him. Also will he finally win a Sectional Title? His candidacy will depend on how far his team gets. If they get downstate he has an excellent chance at the award as he is an honor roll student. JUSTIN SMITH 6'7" SWINGMAN (STEVENSON)- This explosive wing who is an Indiana commit has improved leaps and bounds over his 4 years. He is a serviceable outside shooter from three point range now and can get to the rim and finish. He will have to show that he can be "The man" on his team and has a chance to have an explosive season. What gives me pause? His team may not give him much help this year. Just like Tillmon not much around him to help get him deep in the playoffs. He should get big numbers also but will that be enough? ELIJAH JOINER 6'3" GUARD (CURIE)- This swingman is a scorer who has shown the ability to slash to the basket, his three point shot will have to get more consistent. He is the unquestioned leader of the defending state champ in 4A and will need him to be aggressive takeover mode for them to get further again. What give me pause? He has a great nucleus coming back will his numbers match up to a typical Mr Basketball candidate? Will he have enough opportunities to put big numbers up? JIMMY SOTOS 6'3" POINT GUARD (CONANT)- I know some folks are saying who? Well the Bucknell commit can PLAY, he can shoot the three, run a team like a general, good passer and will rebound at a high rate. He does it all for his team and if he can carry them downstate as they did win a Sectional last year he will be in the running. What gives me pause? How much do the downstate voters know about him? He'll have to get to the state finals to have any kind of chance. I would not put that past him though. AYO DOSUMNU 6'3" COMBO GUARD (MORGAN PARK)- The #1 player in the state in the Class of 2018 he can do it all for a guard, run a team, get to the basket at will, a good three point shooter, and a good passer. HE will also defend you all over the court. He's trying to give Morgan Park back to back Mr Basketball's as Charlie Moore won last year. What gives me pause? Only one other junior has won this award(Jabari Parker) and it may be a case of voters telling him to wait his turn. He has the ability to be the second but his team would have to get back downstate in 3A for him to have a chance. MARQUISE WALKER 5'11" POINT GUARD (ST JOSEPH)- This is a dark horse candidate as he is the #1 player in Class of 2019 in a loaded class. He can score from all three levels, is a consummate floor general, and is improving defensively. He made it downstate in 3A last season, they will be moving up to 4A this season. What gives me pause? A sophomore has NEVER won Mr Basketball for Boys and it will be hard to see it happening this year with all the candidates for the award. Hence if he takes them to the State Finals in 4A and wins a title he will get a lot of votes. THERE YOU HAVE IT: MY CANDIDATES FOR MR BASKETBALL. I'M SURE I FORGOT SOME CANDIDATES OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE ON THEIR LIST. IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHO WINS IT BECAUSE IT'S WIDE OPEN. GOD BLESS AND PEACE TO THE CREATURES!!!!!! 

Timothy's Rants: Illinois Class of 2019 Guards Evaluation!!!!

Timothy's Rants: Illinois Class of 2019 Guards Evaluation!!!!: I personally feel the Class of 2019 guards in the State of Illinois will be a special class. I see a lot of them will end up in the Top 100 ...

Illinois Class of 2019 Guards Evaluation!!!!

I personally feel the Class of 2019 guards in the State of Illinois will be a special class. I see a lot of them will end up in the Top 100 in the country. The scramble for the top spot will be fierce and since Kahalil Whitney left the state(Roselle Catholic in New Jersey),  it's wide open. These evaluations are in no particular order on who I feel is the best to worst. Here we go: MARQUISE WALKER 5'11" POINT GUARD ST JOSEPH(WESTCHESTER)- So far in high school he's been the most productive guard on the varsity level leading St Joes to a third place finish in Class 3A last season. He also led his travel team Nike Team Florida to the 16 and under Peach Jam title. He will be expected to be the leader in their move up to 4A. He's the consummate floor general, gets good penetration to the basket, is strong enough to finish, has an excellent midrange game and serviceable three point shot. He plays solid defense and is strong enough to keep opposing guards out of the paint. He also has improved athletically. Improvements will need to be made on the defensive end and more fine tuning the three point shot. MARKESE JACOBS 5'11" POINT GUARD UPLIFT(CHICAGO)- Very explosive point guard who still has to learn the intricacies of the position. He can jump out of the gym, finishes well in the paint with contact. He also is a very good defender that can shut down the opposing point guard. His upside is tremendous enough that Kansas has offered him a scholarship. He also has jumped ahead of the aforementioned Walker in some National Rankings. He has to improve his mid range and three point shoot to maximize his potential. Sometimes he is loose with his ball handling he will have to tighten that up. He could be the key to Uplift contending for the Class 2A Title. MIKE SALTER 6'4" POINT GUARD ROMEOVILLE- To me he may have the biggest upside of the guards in this class. He has the versatility to move to the wing and can shoot well enough to do so. He moved travel teams earlier in the Spring from Meanstreets to splitting time between Chicago Raptors and Wisconsin Playground Elite. This could be why he has been a little lost on some National and local rankings. He is very good passer setting teammates up, good three point shooter, good middle game with the floater. He's an up and coming defender as he can guard 4 positions on the high school level. He's the opposite of Markese Jacobs in that he has to get more aggressive with his game. He also needs to work more on finishing at the rim. This is the year he should take over the reins at Romeoville to bring a Regional Title to the school. KEJUAN CLEMENTS 6'1" POINT GUARD SIMEON(CHICAGO)- A very talented guard as some call him a combo guard. He's good at getting to the basket, distributing, and has a good midrange game. He's okay defensively will have to work on being more committed to that end like his teammate Kezo Brown. He also has to learn how to run a team but not sure he'll get the opportunity at Simeon as they are loaded at the guard positions. This could be a case of having to wait his turn at the Chicago Public League Powerhouse. He will have opportunities on his Mac Irvin Fire travel team. LJ JOHNSON 6'2" COMBO GUARD MORGAN PARK(CHICAGO)- Very athletic and can jump out the gym, he has improved his jumper to where it is serviceable out to three point range. He has shown good vision passing the ball to his teammates, is a good defender with a lot of potential there with his athleticism. He'll have to get in where to fit in at Morgan Park as they are loaded at the guard position also. If he improves his ball handling and develops his midrange game the sky is the limit for this kid. Another one who might have to wait his turn a little bit. JAHEIM HOLDEN 5'9" POINT GUARD EVANSTON TOWNSHIP- He is like a thief in the night on defense will pick your pocket in an instant. He can get to the basket and has a nice floater, also has become more athletic as he is dunking the ball now. He still has a lot to learn about running an offense,  a little more work on his three point jumper, and finishing around the rim. The finishing around the rim could be a result of his lack of size. He will have some opportunities to run the offense at Evanston this year though the backcourt is loaded. He plays very hard the effort is always there with this kid. We will see how he does on his first true year on the Varsity level. LANCE JONES 6'1" COMBO GUARD EVANSTON TOWNSHIP- This young man is a stone cold scorer. You look in the dictionary for scorer he is it. He has range out to 25 feet, has a good middle game, and is a good finisher at the cup. His defense is serviceable as he has to pay more attention to this area. He has the mentality to take over games scoring. He has to learn how to run a team which may be hard to do at Evanston in the present with their loaded backcourt, and the future with Holden and Ryan Bost as point guards in the same class. My hope is he will get plenty of run at the point guard position with his Meanstreets travel team. One thing that is helpful is the game of basketball is going more to combo guards at the point guard position. PERRY COWAN 6'4" SWINGMAN DEPAUL PREP(CHICAGO)- This young man is a slasher extraordinaire as he can get to the basket and finish well. He has a serviceable three point shot though it could use more work. He's very good on the defensive end as he can guard multiple positions. He has to work on his ball handling and passing to be a productive guard down the line. He will have every opportunity this year to be the man at DePaul Prep to be able to work on his weaknesses for his future. That is it: if I missed someone let me know, I think this could be a historic class in the State of Illinois for the guard position. It will be fun to see how these guys develop over the next three years.

Kentucky recruiting update

Nike EYBL Indianapolis 2016

Hello, I attended the Nike EYBL Indianapolis this past weekend, saw a lot of players, was checking out the Kentucky targets mostly but saw some great basketball. Let's start out with stuff I heard about recruiting: I met a young man who runs Hoops DFW, the subject of Marques Bolden came up, he said he's still undecided but thinks Kentucky has a great shot at getting him. There was a lot of rumors flooding around about DeAndre Ayton and why Kentucky and Duke have backed off his recruiting. Kansas is still recruiting him but I've heard that he was not going to class out at Hillcrest Prep, hence they don't think he'll be eligible for college basketball. The buzz is he will play professional basketball somewhere, D-League or Overseas before going to the NBA. Ayton himself said he will not have eligibility problems. We will see soon enough stay tuned on this one. I also heard Wendell Carter is earmarked for Duke, he will visit Big Blue Madness but that is just to enjoy the Show, he is very focused on academics hence he will also take a visit to Harvard so don't get your hopes up Big Blue fans on this recruitment. Now for the Kentucky targets I watched over the weekend here we go: MICHAEL PORTER JR(MOKAN ELITE)- The 6'9" small forward gets up and down the floor very well, was not hitting his three pointer this weekend but was hitting everything in between. He can bring the ball coast to coast and finish strong, also is not bad on the defensive end of the court. Showed well in the Showdown vs PSA Cardinals and Expressions Elite. TRAE YOUNG(MOKAN ELITE)- The 6'2" point guard did not shoot well most of the weekend but did show his change of pace speed and was getting to the basket. He did have trouble with pressure vs PSA Cardinals and was ripped twice in open court by Tremont Waters of Expressions Elite which was a great point guard showdown, speaking of: TREMONT WATERS(EXPRESSIONS ELITE)- The 5'11" point guard who just received an offer from Kentucky this week showed his quickness vs Trae Young in getting into the lane but was dishing off to open guys right into their shooting motion. He did not shoot many three pointers so don't know about his outside shooting. I will check out more of him in future sessions. NICK RICHARDS(EXPRESSIONS ELITE)- The 6'10" power forward is just that, power was average in the first half vs MoKan Elite but picked it up in every phase in the 2nd half, rebounding, blocked shots, finishing around the rim, running the floor, everything a big man should do. He has a lot of upside in his game. JOHN PETTY(WE ALL CAN GO)- I was very disappointed in his performances this weekend, a lot of turnovers trying to force the action into the lane and getting ball stolen, did not shoot well from the outside nor finish well inside. He did rebound well on the defensive end, his troubles could be the product of a new team, freshman point guard etc. I will see if he picks it up in other sessions. KEVIN KNOX(E1T1)-The 6'9" forward is a slasher extraordinaire great finisher going to the basket, did not see much of a perimeter game when I watch ed him but plays well on both ends of the floor. Kentucky just offered him over the past week.  He played well the game I saw vs Houston Hoops. JARED VANDERBILT(HOUSTON HOOPS)- The 6'9" point forward was back to slashing to the basket at every opportunity was a little sloppy with the ball this weekend but showed his versatility with his great vision and passing. He also hits the boards well for his position not a lot of perimeter shooting in the two games I saw him. BILLY PRESTON(HOUSTON HOOPS)- This was his 1st week playing with Houston Hoops, still adjusting to playing with new teammates, he still took a lot of shots and did a lot of perimeter ball handling. Lots of ability but not sure of his upside because he will be 20 years old by the time he starts college. He hopes Kentucky offers him at some point, we will see. MOHAMED BAMBA(PSA CARDINALS)- He's 6'11" with a 7'8" wingspan and used it this weekend to block shots and hit the glass though he does not get the ball enough in the low post for my taste. When he did get it he showed he had a nice jump hook and turnaround jumper. He did the little things in a high profile overtime win over MoKan Elite. He runs the floor very well and probably has the highest upside of any player in the EYBL as he is young to the game of basketball. BRIAN BOWEN(MEANSTREETS)- He's a 6'6" swingman who handles the ball pretty well and can get his shot anytime, the problem is he was missing a lot of shots vs Houston Hoops he just could not buy a basket, you could still see his athleticism in hitting the glass and running the floor, good pickup for Meanstreets. HAMIDOU DIALLO(NEW YORK RENS)- I did not get to see much of this new Kentucky offeree but I can say two things: 1) He has a better three point shot than folks think great form on his shot and 2) He's a great straight line driver and finisher at the rim, in saying this he has to improve his breakdown skills off the dribble to take his game to the next level. He does play very good lockdown defense for his 6'5" swingman position. DEANDRE AYTON(CALIFORNIA SUPREME)- As I said earlier it looks like Kentucky has laid off him for eligibility concerns but......WHAT A PLAYER!!!!!!! He can do everything on the floor(hit 4 threes vs Mac Irvin Fire), he scores just about anytime he wants in the low post and also has a great midrange shot. The only issues is he has to give a better effort at all times because when he decides to he's unstoppable. It would be a shame if we don't see him at the college level. MARVIN BAGLEY III(PHOENIX PFAMILY)- He's a Class of 2018 player the 6'10" forward/center is a very versatile player, he can bring it up the court, has great touch out to 3 point range, he hits the glass, hits his free throws and gets his shot in the low post whenever he wants(though he missed some shots in there). He was very impressive and if someone said he is the best in Class of 2018 I would not dispute it at all. GARY TRENT JR(HOWARD PULLEY)- This is the only prospect I did not get to see this weekend that is a Kentucky target, I have seen him in other settings though and I'll check him out in the other sessions online.  There you go, a great weekend and I will see more as their games are online but it was great to get to see these guys live and up close. I hope to see a lot of them again at the Nike Peach Jam. Well check out my online radio show on Wednesday nights 7pm EST call 516-595-8069. GOD BLESS AND PEACE TO THE CREATURES!!!!!!!!!!