Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Reviews: Illinois Spot-Lite Fall Exposure Showcase

Illinois Spot-Lite Fall Exposure Showcase
Sunday, September 7th, 2014
At Plainfield Central High-School

Once upon a time this was a venue I circled on my calendar early.  It was viewed as an opportunity to see upcoming talent as well as lesser known prospects who had often been over-looked.  “The dynamics of grass-roots hoops have changed drastically in such a short period, out leaping certain glaring obstacles now makes these events challenging.  I find you still have to stay relevant.  Sunday marked our 21st year hosting the Spot-Liter and this one had all the makings in place to be a top flight showing, but somewhere along the way we lost some traction.  Things just weren’t as crisp as I’d like, but there was some serious talent on-hand from start to finish.  2017’s core of young dandies (this will be very strong class in Illinois) was on full display, headlined by 6’11” East St. Louis big man Jeremiah Tilmon, “a future program changer”.  Manuel’s six foot three Damonte Williams dazzled spectators with an array of moves and athleticism; long time spectators were reminiscing of moments of his dad, Franky Williams, former Illini and Manual star from the star-studded 1998 class where 13 NBA guys were produced.  Monte is a gem.

Other talented 2017’s who left their rep intact were Gary, IN’s Eugene German a big-time talent from a school called 21st Century Charter; he had eight 3 pointers in one session.  Alonzo Verge (Willowbrook) a top 5 talent was breathtaking at times, Yaakema Rose (Lanphier), Josiah Wallace (Marshall, IL), Cameron Krutwig (Jacobs), Ramon Douglas (Manuel), Malik Binns (Hope Academy), Mahir Williams (Proviso East), Treyveon Williams (Springfield Southeast), Cameron Gross (Oak-Park), Noah Swoops (Naperville Central) and freshman Cordell McGee opened some eyes with their play.  Several senior recruits continued to make a statement to onlookers that they are vastly unappreciated, while some pretty much sealed the fact that their profile is rising.  Jachi Taylor, a 6’6” Waukegan forward has started to create a lot of buzz for himself recently, he enjoyed a banner day guiding his squad to 5 straight wins, one of our state’s best athletes. 

Notable standouts in the 2015 class include Tom Johnson (Bogan), Darrien Robinson (Thornwood), Karl Harris (DeLaSalle), Fred Sims (North-Lawndale), Adrian Smith (East Aurora), Brodic Thomas (Bolingbrook), Martez Cameron (DeLaSalle), Jeremiah Stewart (Julian), Joe Mooney (Notre Dame), Logan Ivy (Plainfield Central), Tyrone Riley (E. St. Louis), Grant Gibson (Galesburg) and Nick Coleman (St. Pat’s).

The 2016 class was represented well.  A couple of top 10 prospects played well and kept their reputation intact.  United township’s lefty guard/forward Jerry Myles “a stud”, James Jones Bogan’s high-flying guard, Antonio Johnson (E. St. Louis), D’Angelo Hughes (Springfield Southeast), Bryce Barnes (Bogan), Brandon Johnson (T.F. South), Ethan Meeker (Galesburg), Terrell Phipps (Al Raby), Daniel Hoekstra (Bishop Mac), Nate Kennell (Metamora), Jake Rhode (Mount-Carmel), Darius Branch (Leo), Dallas McClain (MacArthur) and Tyler Houston (Knoxville).

“In the next few days we will do a short capsule on players in each class who performed well during the event.”

More write-ups to come . . . 

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