ILLINOIS HIGH-SCHOOL CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENTS

PONTIAC HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
December 27th – 29th, 20189:00am – Simeon vs Lockport
10:30am – Danville vs St. Charles North
1pm – Curie vs Joliet West
2:30pm – New Trier vs Plainfield North
4pm – Bloomington vs Warren Township
6pm – Benet Academy vs Peoria Manual
7:30pm – Bloom vs Pontiac
9:00pm – Oak Park vs West Aurora

Notes: The State’s No. 1 Tournament, Curie should roll in un-defeated with a wave of scrappy hard playing athletes led by Kansas State recruit Dajuan Gordon. Supporting cast of Ramean Hinton, Damari Nixon, Josiah Hammons, & Armond Williams Jr. New Trier looks to present some problems for opponents with its towering front-court of Ciaran Brayboy, a Harvard recruit and 6-8 SR Spencer Boehm, under-the-radar floor general Sam Silverstein. Bloom-Curie match-up would make this venue a frenzy affair to view. The Trojan’s Junior Trio, Keshawn Williams, Donovan Newby, & Martice Mitchell will exhilarate an audience. Watch-out for guard Justin Moore. Benet Academy will be angling to knock-off someone behind the play of Senior forward Kendrick Tchoua one of the state’s top un-signed seniors and Junior Colin Crothers. Usual perennial favorite Simeon having a slow start with a line-up of young players logging significant minutes will still be a much-watched squad, with senior scorer & top un-signee Antonio Reeves, senior guard Kejuan Clements, junior Bryce Hall, soph wiz Ahamed Bynum. Two prized freshmen A.J. Casey & Jaylen Drane. Bloomington will be a tough squad to deal with featuring SIU recruit Chris Payton and top un-signed guard Caleb Donaldson. Oak-Park comes in with a senior laden quartet of Chase Robinson, Anthony Roberts, Charlie Hoehne, & Dashon Enoch, and soph guard Isaiah Barnes should be someone to watch. Dark-horse team is Plainfield North who has a line-up of impressive juniors Kaleb Fenelus Williams and Colin O’Rourke.

HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC
December 26th
9:30am – Willowbrook vs Richards
11:00am – Marian Catholic vs Glenbrook North
12:30pm – St. Charles East vs Stevenson
2pm – DePaul Prep vs Urban Prep Englewood
3:45pm – St. Rita vs Rockford Auburn
5:15pm – Oswego East vs Westinghouse
7:00pm – Hinsdale Central vs Homewood-Flossmoor
8:30pm Lincoln Park vs Maine South

Notes: This will be a good tournament to view, the location is in close proximity with the Proviso West Xmas event as well as York. DePaul Prep is playing at a high-level right now and could be the early favorite with Brown recruit Perry Cowan performing like an All-Stater un-song junior Lance Mosley. Sophomore to watch 6-8 Brian Matthews. Marian Catholic has junior Ahron Ullis averaging close to 20, senior Chris White junior guard Joe Green. Oswego East comes in with Boise State recruit Raymond Dennis & junior forward Sam Schultz. St. Rita will have un-signed senior Jeremiah Oden. Richards, Lincoln Park, and Homewood-Flossmoor should be entertaining to watch as well.

HARDWOOD CLASSIC HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
At Wheeling – December 26th, 2018
1st Round Match-Up
9:00am – Waukegan vs Grayslake Central
10:30am – Fremd vs Libertyville
12:15pm – Notre Dame vs Prospect
2pm – Glenbrook South vs Taft
3:45pm – St. Viator vs Ridgewood
5:30pm – Buffalo Grove vs Deerfield
7:15pm – Wheeling vs Geneva
8:45pm – Niles North vs Maine West

Notes: The St. Viator squad should be the favorite with a line-up of Wright State recruit Trey Calvin and Kent State signee Jerry Hernandez and promising junior Connor Kochera. Buffalo Grove has sharp shooting frosh Kam Kraft, he’s a player to watch. Waukegan will be local heart-throb at the event with Bryant Brown, Jordan Brown, and Andre White Jr. Anthony Sayles of Notre Dame will likely draw the interest from College Coaches & Scouts. Geneva will have shooter Mitch Mascari. Glenbrook South has under-valued all-purpose performer Dom Martinelli who can score a variety of ways. Niles North carts in talented junior Aquan Smart and promising 6-5 sophomore Jalen Butler.

45TH ANNUAL JACK TOSH 2018 CLASSIC AT YORK H.S.
December 26th – 31st, 2018
1st Round Match-Up
SOUTH GYM
8:30am – Palatine vs Metea Valley
10:00am – Lake Forest vs Lyon Township
11:30am – Carl Sandburg vs Naperville North
1pm – River-Side-Brookfield vs McHenry
3pm – Timothy Christian vs Wheaton North
4:30pm – St. Francis vs Brother Rice
6pm – Elk Grove vs Batavia
7:30pm – Downers Grove South vs Highland Park

NORTH GYM
9:00am – Providence Catholic vs St. Patric
10:30am – Minooka vs Conant
Noon – Hinsdale South vs Lemont
1:30pm – Nazareth vs St. Lawrence
3:30pm – T.F. South vs Schaumburg
5pm – Glenbard East vs St. Ignatius
6:30pm – Stagg vs Rolling Meadows
8pm – Andrew vs York

Notes: A few of teams housed at this Holiday destination, one thing is for certain the head-liners will be Marquise Kennedy of Brother Rice heading to Loyola-Chgo. He’s a Top 5 player in the State. Another Rambler recruit Tom Welch (Naperville North) on-hand. State’s No. 1 sophomore Max Christie is sure to fill the stands. Drake Univ. recruit Nate Ferguson (Lemont) will be some-one to view closely. Schaumburg stud, 6-7 Chris Hodges is legit. T.F. South will feature the Stewart twins Elijah & Andrew. St. Lawrence is one of the area’s surprising teams with break-out junior guard, Jeremiah Williams. River-Side-Brookfield has a solid team-oriented cast and will contend for the title. Wheaton North has talented senior forward Deng Reng who’s un-signed. York has Top 25 Junior PG Nate Shockey, an exciting player. Don’t be surprised at 6-7 soph Julian Campbell of Palatine, a rising player has some success.

JACOBS HIGH-SCHOOL HINKLE HOLIDAY CLASSIC
December 22nd, 2018
1st Round Pairings
3:00pm – Johnsburg vs Dixon
3:00 pm – Cary Grove vs South Elgin
4:30pm – Crystal Lake South vs Chgo Walter Payton Prep
4:30pm – Bartlett vs Waubonsie
6:00pm – Barrington vs Prairie Ridge
6:00pm – Chgo King Prep vs Steamwood
7:30pm – Rockford Jefferson vs Marian Central
7:30pm – Jacobs vs Grant

Wednesday December 26th, 2018
Day 2 Match-Ups
9:00am – South Elgin vs Marian Central
10:30am – Prairie Ridge vs Johnsburg
Noon – Grant vs Chgo King Prep
1:30pm – Cary Grove vs Rockford Jefferso
3:00pm – Barrington vs Dixon
4:30pm – Chicago Walter Payton vs Bartlett
6:00pm – Crystal Lake South vs Waubonsie Valley
7:30pm – Jacobs vs Streamwood

Notes: This is a Holiday venue that I was a frequent visitor there, an event where you could potentially notice some sleeper prospects. Cary Grove’s pair Beau Frericks a stellar junior guard & six-foot eight junior forward Frank Jakubicek. Northern Illinois signee Keenon Cole will be attraction coming in with his Streamwood squad. Quinn Peterson one of the area’s top young Coaches will be on-hand with his Walter Payton team, Barrington, South-Elgin, Dixon, & Rockford Jefferson has promising young talent.

BIG SHOTS
Our area lost one of all-time great high-school players when former St. Francis De Sales stand-out Eric Anderson passed away last week-end at 48. Anderson led De Sales to a 29-2 record and a second-place finish in the Class AA 1988 Season. He went on to become a heck of player at Indiana where he led the Hoosiers to the 1992 Final Four.

The two-day Team Rose event at Mount-Carmel December 8th & 9th was a really good event. Some match-ups attracted a huge viewing with Bloom vs Morgan Park; St. Viator vs Oswego East; Brother Rice vs Uplift; Bloomington vs Leo; Kenwood vs Hillcrest; and Oak-Park vs Orr all were prime games and highly competitive. “It was the place to be in Chicago last week-end.”

TOP UN-SIGNED SENIORS TO FOLLOW
• Myles Baker 6-3 WG MM Young – “Playing extremely well, stock-climbing.”
• Tujautae Williams 6-6 G MM Orr – “Nice length, likes to get up & down.”
• Kendrick Tchoua 6-6 F MM Benet – “Patriot League really interested.”
• Deonte Billups 6-4 G MM Moline – “He & his team are playing well.”
• Rashawn Agee 6-7 PF MM Bogan – “Had a monster week with double/doubles in some big victories.”
• Cortez Mosley 6-4 WG MM Peoria Richwoods – “Sleek player who can score.
• Antonio Reeves 6-4 WG MM Simeon – “Has game & savvy. Pontiac will be his outing to shine.”
• Dylan West 6-7 PF LM+ Hillcrest – “A sleeper type; rising prospect.”
• Jeremiah Oden 6-7 F LM+ St. Rita – “Xmas venue will provide answers.”
• Greg Outlaw 6-5 WF LM+ Orr – “A raw promising talent. Good defender.”
• Caleb Donaldson 6-5 G LM+ Bloomington – “Nice length, can handle & create for mates, good finisher.”
• Bryant Brown 6-4 G/F LM+ Waukegan – “Just a hooper.”

PROVISO WEST HOLIDAY CLASSIC
December 26th, 2018 – First Round Pairings
9:30am – Leo vs Longwood
11:00am – Uplift vs Elgin-Larkin
12:30pm – Proviso East vs Hyde Park
2:00pm – Bogan vs Niles West
4:00pm – Fenwick vs Dunbar
5:30pm – Hillcrest vs Proviso West
7:00pm – Whitney Young vs Crete-Monee
8:30pm – St. Joseph vs Morton

Notes: Not as strong as its been in previous years but a couple of match-ups might lure a sizeable crowd. New addition Chicago Leo could provide some healthy fireworks for this venue. Leo’s Fred Cleveland Jr. and Uplift’s Markese Jacobs (DePaul signee) will be fun to watch if the match up occurs, now the Anderson Brothers (Dechaun-Kendale) could be too much for Uplift. Bogan probably boasts more talent than anyone in the field with Rashaun Agee, Jeremiah Washington, Jordan Booker, Kyndall Davis, & rapidly improving junior forward Kennedy Brown. They could be the favorite. Whitney Young rolls in with top notch juniors D.J. Steward & Tyler Beard. Senior leader Myles Baker has been consistently good. Colleges will flock to this venue as well to get a close-up look at a few of these standout prospects, including highly touted sophomore Bryce Hopkins a 6-5 scorer from Fenwick.

BIG DIPPER AT RICH SOUTH H.S.
December 26th, 2018 – First Round Pairings
7pm - Morgan Park vs Bowen
Noon - Hammond High (Ind) vs Rich-East
4pm - Marshall vs Romeoville
1:30pm - Michigan City, Ind vs Rich Central
8:30am - Thornton vs Hope Academy
9:00am - Vocational vs Clark
10:30am - Farragut vs Butler Charter
5:30pm - Bowman vs Rich South

Notes: It will be a plenty of skin’n & grinning with laughter at this event. Morgan Park will likely be the favorite, even though they’ve hit some bumps of late. Some name Coaches will make things real colorful: Tai Streets (Thornton), Donnie Kirksey (Vocational), William Nelson (Farragut), Larry Moore Jr. (Hammond), Henry Cotton (Marshall), Marc Howard (Romeoville), Terry Head (Clark), Anton Harmon (Hope Academy), a couple of young up-coming Coaches Cornelius Crossley (Rich Central) & Paul Hobson (Butler Charter).

CENTRALIA HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
December 27th – 29th, 2018
(1st Round Pairings)
8:30am – Champaign Central vs T.F. North
10:00am – Mt. Vernon vs Arlington, TN
12:30pm – Belleville West vs Cahokia
2:00pm – Centennial, TN vs Chatham Glenwood
3:30pm – Alton vs Lausanne
6:15pm – Carmel vs Confluence
7:45pm – Centralia vs Marist
9:15pm – Evanston vs Germantown

NOTE: The State’s best player is on-hand – Belleville West E.J. Liddle who signed with Ohio State. High-jumping Champaign Central sophomore Khaillid Terry will also be a player to watch.

BLOOMINGTON HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
10:30am – Thornwood vs Springfield High
Noon – Kenwood vs Plainfield South
1:30pm – Zion-Benton vs Normal U-High
3pm – Metamora vs Harlem
5pm – Normal vs Mahomet-Seymour
6:30pm – Joliet Central vs North Chicago
8pm – Rock Island vs North Lawndale
9:30pm – Peoria Central vs Wheaton-Warrenville South

COLLINSVILLE PRAIRIE FARMS HOLIDAY CLASSIC
December 27th, 2018 – 1st Round Pairings
9:00am – Springfield South-East vs Oakville (MO)
10:30am – Edwardsville vs Quincy
1:00pm – Rockford East vs Decatur Eisenhower
2:30pm – East St. Louis vs Belleville Althoff
4:00pm – Decatur Macarthur vs O’Fallon
6:30pm – Collinsville vs Chicago Hansberry
8:00pm – Lincoln (IL) vs Madison
9:30pm – Belleville East vs Granite City

Note: Usually a pretty good event, draws nice crowds. The teams to watch: Southeast, Edwardsville, Lincoln and East St. Louis always bring out the fashionable masses. Rockford East Junior Sincere Parker may light-up the score-board, he’s been terrific early on.

TOP 10 PLAYERS IN 2020 CLASS

“This will be a Class most will be fixated on during the course of the season”

• D.J. Stewart 6-3 G Young

• Adam Miller 6-3 G Morgan Pk

• Martice Mitchell 6-10 F/C Bloom

• Tyler Beard 6-3 WG Young

• Keshawn Williams 6-2 G Bloom

• Sincere Parker 6-3 G Rockford East

• Will Wolfe 6-6 WG Aurora Christian

• Isiah Rivera 6-4 PG Geneseo

• Demarius Splunge 6-4 WG Chicago Orr

• Marcus Watson 6-0 PG Morgan Park

TEAM ROSE SHOOT-OUT

Sunday & Saturday – December 8th & 9th, 2018
SATURDAY GAMES
11:00am – Von Steuben vs Eduprize Charter

12:30pm – Farragut vs River-Side Brookfield

2:00pm – Lemont vs Providence St. Mel

3:30pm – St. Viator vs Oswego East

5:00pm – Brother Rice vs Uplift

6:30pm – Bloom vs Morgan Park

SUNDAY GAMES
10:45am - Mount-Carmel vs Romeoville

12:00pm – Oswego vs Downers Grove North

1:30pm – Bloomington vs Chicago Leo

3:00pm – Kenwood vs Hillcrest

4:30pm – Oak Park vs Chicago Orr

6:00pm – Curie vs DeLaSalle

“Some under the radar High-School teams I’m looking to crack the area Top 20 racket.”

*Richards*Corliss*T.F. South*Rich-Central*Lincoln Park*Plainfield North*Cary Grove

TOP AVAILABLE SENIORS

“Slim pickings at the Division One level right now, the anticipation for others to emerge after Xmas are sure bet.”

• Tujautae Williams 6-6 G MM+-MM Chicago Orr
“Multi-dimensional performer with a huge up-side, best hoop days await. Will likely commit late, while Gonzaga seems to be very interested.”

• Deonte Billups 6-4 WG MM Moline
“A complete all-around player knows how to win. Lead his team to a huge win over Quincy Friday nite 23 points/12 rebounds & six assists! Has some flair & productivity to his play.”

• Myles Baker 6-3 WG MM Whitney Young
“Wiry wing has had an impressive start, he displayed the ability to make shots & be a willing defender. Cleveland State seems to be highly interested, had 18 points at the Chicago Elite Classic.”

• Kendrick Tchoua 6-6 PF MM Benet Academy
“This kid has been a handful to cover, good athlete who averages 19 pts & 11 boards. He’s been a refreshing addition to our area.”

• Rashawn Agee 6-7 F MM Chicago Bogan
“Plagued with foul trouble at the Chicago Elite Classic, which prevented him from showcasing his strengths. Rebounding & scoring inside/mid-range.”

• Cortez Mosley 6-4 WG MM Peoria Richwoods
“Sleek wing player with a silk-smooth game & jump shot; averages 19pts, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, & 4 steals thus far.”

• Jeremiah Oden 6-7 WF MM-LM+ St. Rita
“Likely red-shirt candidate, thin but has demonstrated flashes as a scorer who could blossom in a year or two.”

• Greg Outlaw 6-5 WF LM+ Chicago Orr
“The potential is there for him to develop into a legitimate mid-major recruit. Needs a year somewhere to polish his skills. Good athlete, shot looks like it could be effective soon.”

• Antonio Reeves 6-4 G LM+- Chicago Simeon
“Slender shooter who looks to thrive in a system-oriented setting, will have a slew of big game stages to express himself. Recorded 15pts/10 rebounds against St. Vincent at the Chicago Elite Classic.”

ROUND-TABLE CONVERSATION

In the mist of the reported dust-up over at Leo High-School between Coaches Frison & Cleveland, its hoops business as usual in Chicago. Most of our locals thrive off of noise/confliction. “We witness drama/theatrics regularly around here, the masses just keep marching forward. Leo High School did hire a new Coach, Alum Jamal Thompson replacing Shawn Frison in a last-minute shake-up.”

Down in Central Illinois at the Decatur Team Soy capital Thanksgiving Tournament, fans were treated to a fast pace frenzy affair in the title game when Bolingbrook out-lasted Springfield South East 90-88. Lewis University recruit Kameron Leonard’s field goal with 2 seconds remaining won the thriller for the Raiders. Drake recruit Joseph Yesufu was the high-man recording 32 points, while Southeast guard Terrion Murdix registered a team high 25. Murdix will suit-up next season for Lance Irvin at Chicago State. Northern Illinois signee Tyler Cochran will be out 2 more weeks with a hand injury. He did not play at all in Decatur.

Over the Turkey break, I slid over to the Northwest Suburb and watched talented sophomore Chris Hodges’ Schaumburg squad go head-on with Bucknell signee Alex Timmerman and his Crystal Lake Central Team, where CLC ripped them 63-47. The six foot seven Hodges (19 points) is going to become a difficult cover soon, especially when his mates learn to toss the ball into him more frequently. He’s a good athlete who runs the floor & competes at a high-level. Sure, there are areas of his game that needs improvement, but in time he could develop into a mid-plus to high-major recruit. Timmerman, who finished with 25 plus was un-guardable in the paint, Bucknell landed a player who may contribute early, in fact the big fella looks like an All-State candidate this season. He has some really nifty moves & foot-work in the paint.

We just spoke about Hodges, there are some other 2021 prospects off to a fast start high-majors should begin processing/recording their growth & progress.

Name HT POS RANK HIGH-SCHOOL
• Ahamad Bynum 6-2 G 1 Chicago Simeon
• Max Christie 6-4 G 1 Rolling Meadows-“saw him get 36”
• Brandon Weston 6-4 WG 3 Lake Forest Academy-“will see him soon
• Khaillied Terry 6-5 WF 4 Champaign Central
• Kimahri Wilson 6-1 PG 5 Carmel-“terrific talent”
• Bryce Hopkins 6-5 G/F 6 Fenwick- “had 30pts/10 rebounds vs Oak                            
                                                                    Pk at Chicago Elite Classic, including the
                                                                               Game winning shot.”
• Anthony Sayles 6-0 PG 7 Niles Notre Dame
• Chris Hodges 6-7 WF 8 Schaumburg
• Scottie Ebube 6-8 F 9 Mundelein-“Envision Big 10”
• Jaylin Gibson 6-4 G 10 Evanston
• Grant Newell 6-7 WF 11 Whitney Young
• Bennie Slater 6-5 WG 12 Springfield High
• Ismail Habib 5-11 PG 13 Lincoln Park
• Jalen Butler 6-5 WF 14 Niles North

Rockford East six-foot three wing Sincere Parker “is a bad dude” he’s had an impressive start; the junior is averaging close to 30 markers per outing, recorded 31 points vs Indianapolis Pike including 5 dunks. Parker has rapidly soared as a Top 10 rated prospect in the 2020 Class. He’s a high-riser athlete with the ability to score on perimeter in a variety of ways. 

Benet Academy has drawn some attention in the last week with the play of book-end interior players, Kendrick Tchoua and junior Colin Crothers. Tchoura, a 6-6 senior transfer from the Maryland area had a monster outing versus St. Charles East last week registering 28, 13 & 4 assists, then went for 16 points & 6 boards against DeKalb at the Ridgeway shoot-out on Sunday. The six foot seven Crothers amassed a double-double versus St. Charles 21-12 & DeKalb on Sunday came away with 26 pts/14 rebounds. Tchoua has several Division One Mid-Majors tracking his play. The real test for the pair will occur at the Pontiac Holiday Classic later in the month.