SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2018
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2018A bumper sticker at the door represented our model – express your-self:This was a fun event for our staff particularly in year one. It was attended by a number of Colleges, a venue designed for the aspiring Division One recruit and lesser known D2 & small College gem. In fact, the camp served a purpose where respective prospects had an opportunity to polish their skill level which was tailor made for improving fundamentals. In today’s climate fixated by Fall League hoops, skill focus and work has become a lost art.
Despite of 25 no shows, we will continue to push this event forward in a revitalizing mold as to where a camp type setting such as ours will often be a popular destination in late September. Our goal is to change the mindset along with a culture while building a vehicle that’s much needed now in the Chicagoland area. In addition, the camp served as an up-close hands-on viewing in terms of instructing/evaluating, more importantly taking advantage of an opportunity to connect with our young people. Listening & sharing, it’s called a form of mentorship; Lord knows we need to leave as much positive imprint on our youngsters, particularly the one’s we can reach. Very enlightening event.
• Khaleb Rouse 6-1 PG Chicago Prosser
Won the Wayne McClain defense intensity award; demonstrated he was deceptively good athlete as well as a heck of a defender. Plays well with others and can score driving the ball or from out-side. D2 recruit.
• Joseph Doyle 6-9 F/C Chicago Corliss
Captured the Spot-Liter’s the most improved award; by day two he opened some eyes, with his shot blocking, & rebounding while dunking anything near the rim on offense. Showed the ability to face-up 12-15 feet & knock down short jumpers. Late bloomer prospect, best hoops ahead for him.
• Andrew Stewart 5-9 PG T.F. South
Won the Wayne McClain floor general award; twin played with the good pace & precision, demonstrated good leadership and was a deadly mid-range shooter. Excellent up-side potential.
• Dhason Dyson 5-11 G Chicago Corliss
Captured the Spot-Liter’s marksman award; on Saturday evening during skill-work drills & scrimmage’s, he shot lights-out. Sleeper prospect, ‘had his coming out party’ early in the month when he made All-Tournament first team at the ISL Fall Classic.
• Chase Robinson 6-2 PG Oak-Park
Good lookin’ prospect, had some moments where he shined as top 5 player in the camp. His focus now should be eliminating correctable turn-overs & becoming a better decision-maker on the fly. Cleaning up those areas accelerates his recruiting process. Respected out-side shooter.
• Alex Raiford 6-4 WF DeLaSalle
Has developed a silky-smooth game. Very good perimeter shooter has good length and vision. An un-selfish player starting to come into his own. Top 10-15 at the camp.
• Chance Love 6-5 WF Rich-Central
He was terrific for 2 days until he twisted his ankle during the 3 on 3 drills on Sunday afternoon. A capable sorer who can get buckets in a hurry. Now has to get stronger & play hard often.
• Leondre Townsen 6-4 G/F Chicago Corliss
This kid had been un-known to us until recently, he’s wiry with good athleticism & superb pull-up jumper. He was in-lined to receive an award on Sunday but seemed to run out of gas at mid-point. A good lookin’ prospect was top 6-10 at the camp.
• James Drummond 6-2 G T.F. South
This Whitney Young cast-off is starting to assert himself as a significant contributor. A lefty with good athleticism and a nice lookn’ jumper with some range. Has the look of a gem. Top 10-15 at camp.
• Jason Mason 6-6 F Providence St. Mel
Surprised many of us with his ability to put the ball on the floor & make good decisions in the open-court. Good athlete with a bright future in hoops. Respectable mid-range shooter. Was only there on Sunday.
• Tavis Stampley 6-3 G Lincoln Park
Strong body has the potential to become a potent two-way player. Can shoot the ball some on perimeter, he’s also a post-up threat. This kid’s best basketball waits ahead.
• Lamarius Lillard 6-7 PF Momence
Was intriguing on Saturday, then a no show the next day. Has raw talent but promising. Good athlete but now in the learning stages. Can rebound effectively. Could blossom into fine D2 player.
• Elijah Stewart 5-9 G T.F. South
Lefty played well enough to be considered for one of our awards. He was a top 10er at the camp. A calming presence on the floor, made the right reads and drilled his mid-range jumper all weekend. Elijah is a good leader, and a legitimate D2 recruit.
• Anthony Roberts 6-5 F Oak-Park
He ripped me on his way out on Sunday, disgruntled over not receiving one of our four honors. I got a great chuckle from his lashing me out… I have no issue with young people expressing themselves since I’m a clap chaser anyway. So, we’ve had a plaque made especially for him, the sulking award. AR is my man, he played well in stretches, just needs to cut back on trying to do too much right now, good D2 recruit.
• Kevin Vance 6-6 F Bloom
His performance on Saturday evening reaffirmed my thoughts of him when I first viewed him in late June at Loyola-Chicago’s Team Camp. A mobile forward with improving skills, he rebounds & block shots. Drew some interest from D2s but didn’t show-up on Sunday. If certain back channels don’t hinder him, he might be able to peel out of the Heights.
• Clyde Benton 6-5 F DeLaSalle
Very good athlete, pretty good skill set, just has to get rid of the coolness out of his game and learn to play harder all the time. Has talent, a quiet gem…
• Daniel Cooper 6-3 G DeLaSalle
Impressed us with his steady play & his ability to understand things on the fly as well as his skill set & un-selfishness. He makes shots, showed good defensive ability.
• Maliq Anderson 6-4 G/F St. Joseph
Swingman type had a good Sunday and was in the running for some honors at the camp after a sluggish start on Saturday. Has length & versatility. He can shoot & distribute, good I.Q. We liked how he finished up.
• Yamani Shareef 6-2 WG Plainfield East
Slender shooter opened some eyes on Saturday with his range & his movement without the ball. Unfortunately, a Fall League commitment took him from us on Sunday. A good lookn’ player, we first saw at the NIU camp.
• Jalen Fields 6-2 G T.F. South
Could develop into a defensive stopper, has a strong body to go along with the right demeanor. Now he has to get in shape. He does possess the ability to make shots on the perimeter. A small College gem.
• Tahir Thompson 6-3 G Lincoln Park
He always presents eye-opening moment, it’s just matter of putting it all together. Playing hard & smart will be his point of focus. Consistent repetition of fundamentals will bolster his play.
• Keeshawn Chambers 6-6 F Thornton
Terrific lookn’ athlete, a total high-riser, runs the floor extremely well but skill set so raw at the moment. We needed him for 2 days at camp and only had him for Sunday.
• Larry Taylor 5-11 G Ralph Ellison H.S.
Displayed flashes during drills & some games, good motor plays on sheer athletic ability right now, needs to cut down on turnovers and learn the game.
• Trace Williams 6-1 G Homewood-Flossmoor
Good lookn’ kid, a sure handed player, shoots the ball effectively on the perimeter, needs to add strength. A fine system player.
• Jeffrey Daniel 5-10 PG Andrews H.S.
A speedster who can really defend the ball. Has good acceleration in the open floor. Surprised our staff at camp with his ability to make plays and shots. Will thrive in a system setting.
• Mark Lewis 6-0 G Corliss
High energy defensive minded left-hander who hustles and can make big plays, has a wealth of intensity. Excellent glue guy.
• Tim Ervin Jr. 5-7 PG Providence St. Mel
Displayed good speed & quickness, fundamentals are efficient. He just needs to stay out of the moment where turnovers and doing too much occurs. His emphasis should be managing the game as well as his mates.
• London Denman 6-9 C T.F. South
The big-fella is massive, but he is skilled and impressive at times. Handles himself well on the perimeter while showing the ability to knock down 12-15 footers, Denman will surprise defenders with an occasional 3-ball. Once he gets in shape and drop 25 pounds or better, we could see an Acie Earl clone who is a Moline grad and played in NBA for some years.
• Josh Hardy 6-3 G East Aurora
Superb leaper, plays hard, can jump-up and make a big shot in the moment; skill set pretty solid, has a great attitude, work ethic, & commitment. My hat is off to him.
• Langston Robinson 6-1 G Oak-Park
The lefty Southpaw was one of the surprises at the camp. He showed the ability to make shots and handle the rock. Performed well during our drills. Needs to get stronger.
• Cameron Kalmas 6-2 WG West Aurora
A transfer from Aurora Christian, shot the ball well with range on Sunday. Demonstrated the ability to move without the ball while having a good understanding on how to play. Only attended one day but he was noticed.
• Kyle Jackson 6-0 G Lincoln Park
An intriguing player; he thrives on sheer athleticism right now. He has innovative abilities that he needs to exhibit in a game setting from a fundamental stand point. He’s still learning certain factors of the game.
• Dekwan Turner 5-10 PG T.F. South
Solid play-maker with a good skill set, sees the floor fairly well. Terrific potential when he stays within his abilities. Was enjoying a good camp until he was shelved with an ankle injury on Sunday.
• Mark Tangel 6-2 G Peoria Heights
Had the look of a player who has trained regularly on his skills as well as his game. Now transferring some of those learning tools to the court would benefit his play enormously. Has a tendency to try and do too much at times.
• Nick Martorina 6-8 F/C DeLaSalle
He looked ok on Saturday in terms of his skills, needs to get tougher thou, had some good moments but then he didn’t show on Sunday. Small College prospect.
• Lelan Woods 6-1 G Thornridge
Jet quick, had a lot of energy and enthusiasm but right now plays on sheer athleticism. Needs to polish his skill set, repetition should be his best route for growth like others.
• Brian Smith 6-1 F Thornridge
Undersized on the back-line but showed good work ethic and the ability to learn. We wished we had him for two days. Needs to polish his fundamentals.
