A Player to Watch
Metamora sharp shooter Nate Kennell had a terrific tournament at Ottawa, going for 30 – 38 – 16 – 30 in the championship game versus Marengo. The six foot five shooter can stroke-it, he’s already obtained 3 or 4 offers. Kennell will audition his skills at the Macomb Xmas classic.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Reporting: 11/28/2014 DePaul 87 – Stanford 72
Weekend Big Game
Reporting Sunday, November 28, 2014
DePaul 87 – Stanford 72, 1:30 pm start
DePaul brought their intensity as well as an A game to top Stanford today. The victory was a sharp signal that the Blue Demon’s will compete for the top of the league status during the Big East play. Also, the win was DePaul coach Oliver Purnell’s most significant win at home during his tenure at DePaul. Last year’s victory over Georgetown during the first round of the conference tournament was billed as the signature win for the program. DePaul’s frenzy pace at the onset of bothered Stanford, which plays a more controlled style, but to no prevail the Blue Demons landed in early foul trouble playing at such a high-speed. The Blue Demons held on to a half-time lead of 41-30, behind by the sparkling play of junior transfer Myke Henry, who finished with a career high 29 points. The Blue Demons controlled the 2nd half, but Stanford did cut the lead down to five (60-55) with consecutive baskets from senior Anthony Brown; but DePaul went on a run to finish-off the Cardinals for the biggest home win in recent years. James Crockett tallied 19, Thomas Hamilton 14 and Billy Garrett & Aaron Simpson finished with 9 points apiece. Chasson Randle from Rock-Island, IL garnered 16 points tying team high honors with Stefan Nastic while Anthony Brown went for 15 points, 10-12 NBA scouts took-in this afternoon contest. DePaul’s Rashaun Stimage should return in a month, the six foot eight junior forward will provide an instant spark on the front-line when he returns giving the Blue Demons some depth.
Reporting Sunday, November 28, 2014
DePaul 87 – Stanford 72, 1:30 pm start
DePaul brought their intensity as well as an A game to top Stanford today. The victory was a sharp signal that the Blue Demon’s will compete for the top of the league status during the Big East play. Also, the win was DePaul coach Oliver Purnell’s most significant win at home during his tenure at DePaul. Last year’s victory over Georgetown during the first round of the conference tournament was billed as the signature win for the program. DePaul’s frenzy pace at the onset of bothered Stanford, which plays a more controlled style, but to no prevail the Blue Demons landed in early foul trouble playing at such a high-speed. The Blue Demons held on to a half-time lead of 41-30, behind by the sparkling play of junior transfer Myke Henry, who finished with a career high 29 points. The Blue Demons controlled the 2nd half, but Stanford did cut the lead down to five (60-55) with consecutive baskets from senior Anthony Brown; but DePaul went on a run to finish-off the Cardinals for the biggest home win in recent years. James Crockett tallied 19, Thomas Hamilton 14 and Billy Garrett & Aaron Simpson finished with 9 points apiece. Chasson Randle from Rock-Island, IL garnered 16 points tying team high honors with Stefan Nastic while Anthony Brown went for 15 points, 10-12 NBA scouts took-in this afternoon contest. DePaul’s Rashaun Stimage should return in a month, the six foot eight junior forward will provide an instant spark on the front-line when he returns giving the Blue Demons some depth.
Reporting: 11/25/2014 Hoops for Healing at Oswego
Reporting Wednesday, November 25th, 2014
Hoops for Healing at Oswego
Naperville North 44 – Oswego East 32, 6:00 pm
This was a match-up hard to view the evening before Thanksgiving. It was like watching towels dry. I kept waiting for sophomore guard Trevor Ross to show me something, “but nothing ever flourished with him as he strutted around the court like he was the man.” Highly touted Oswego East forward Stephen Harris didn’t suit-up. Remember he’s the 6-4 sophomore transfer from North-Lawndale. Naperville executed their offense, didn’t make many mistakes, they were well coached.
Naperville Central 49 – Oswego 45, 7:30 pm Tip
Another dried-up ball game; but give Central credit, they made plays, converted their attempts at the rim – spent time at the foul line. Junior guard Matt Meier played well, showed a lot of grit & grind which lead to 25 points. Red-Hawks senior Nate Dahl attacked the rim well, finishing with double digits in points. Also, junior point-guard Immanual Rugamba was strong with the ball and didn’t turn-it-over. Oswego just didn’t play well as a team, Zach West popped for 21, but at times he performed selfish hoisting-up thirty footers while his team-mates were wide-open. He has to become a leader and more of a team player. Oswego had more talent than the Naperville squad.
Hoops for Healing at Oswego
Naperville North 44 – Oswego East 32, 6:00 pm
This was a match-up hard to view the evening before Thanksgiving. It was like watching towels dry. I kept waiting for sophomore guard Trevor Ross to show me something, “but nothing ever flourished with him as he strutted around the court like he was the man.” Highly touted Oswego East forward Stephen Harris didn’t suit-up. Remember he’s the 6-4 sophomore transfer from North-Lawndale. Naperville executed their offense, didn’t make many mistakes, they were well coached.
Naperville Central 49 – Oswego 45, 7:30 pm Tip
Another dried-up ball game; but give Central credit, they made plays, converted their attempts at the rim – spent time at the foul line. Junior guard Matt Meier played well, showed a lot of grit & grind which lead to 25 points. Red-Hawks senior Nate Dahl attacked the rim well, finishing with double digits in points. Also, junior point-guard Immanual Rugamba was strong with the ball and didn’t turn-it-over. Oswego just didn’t play well as a team, Zach West popped for 21, but at times he performed selfish hoisting-up thirty footers while his team-mates were wide-open. He has to become a leader and more of a team player. Oswego had more talent than the Naperville squad.
Reporting: 11/28/2014 Rock Island Turkey Tourney
Rock Island Turkey TourneyFriday, November 28yh, 2014 – 6:00 pm start
Chicago Bogan 77 – Peoria Richwoods 66
“Now this track to Rock-Island left me scratching my head as to why I decided to take the drive. The game certainly wasn’t good and the talent level outside of the Bogan squad was less than par. Tyler Hall (Rock-Island), Roland Griffin (West Aurora) and possibly Richwood’s junior point-guard Damion Gillespie are division one types. My trip was a bust from the start, fatigue driving in to a town that’s divided and totally unfriendly. (It’s a reason I never ventured in that area of the state.) “Blah, blah, blah”, Bogan pretty much toyed with Richwoods most of the game leading by as much as 20 most of the first half. Then the ref’s kicked in during the third period while making sure the game stayed interesting, Richwoods cut the lead to three 53-50 by the end of the third, they even tied early in 4th which gave the fans false hope for an upset. Nevertheless Bogan cruised in the final six minutes of the game. U-Mass Signee Luwane Pipkins finished with 26, Tom Johnson added 15 points & a dozen assists, Bryce Barnes and James Jones chipped in with 11 apiece.
Rock-Island 64 – West Aurora 52, 7:45 pm start
Montana State recruit Tyler Hall got the locals off to a fast start nailing 3 treys in the opening period giving the Rockies 15-12 lead. Rock-Island pretty much lead the entire game so my night was spent sizing up the two division one players Hall/Roland Griffin –West Aurora’s gifted athlete heading to Illinois State. Griffin has Brandon Bass type athleticism that he shows sprinkles of periodically during the course of a game, and he’s a much improved outside shooter now, contributed to his hard work during the summer. He ended the game with 20 points and a ton of rebounds. Hall, one of the state’s top jump shooters went 7-14 from the nailed 4 three pointers. Jason Jones the Rock’s junior point-guard added 16 points, he looks like a low DI bordering on D2 with the likes of a North Dakota State, South Dakota, U North Dakota geared-up to recruit him since those programs recruit players in this proximity quite often. C.J. Neville popped for 10 for the Rocks. “I couldn’t scurry out of town towards I-80 east any quicker!”
Chicago Bogan 77 – Peoria Richwoods 66
“Now this track to Rock-Island left me scratching my head as to why I decided to take the drive. The game certainly wasn’t good and the talent level outside of the Bogan squad was less than par. Tyler Hall (Rock-Island), Roland Griffin (West Aurora) and possibly Richwood’s junior point-guard Damion Gillespie are division one types. My trip was a bust from the start, fatigue driving in to a town that’s divided and totally unfriendly. (It’s a reason I never ventured in that area of the state.) “Blah, blah, blah”, Bogan pretty much toyed with Richwoods most of the game leading by as much as 20 most of the first half. Then the ref’s kicked in during the third period while making sure the game stayed interesting, Richwoods cut the lead to three 53-50 by the end of the third, they even tied early in 4th which gave the fans false hope for an upset. Nevertheless Bogan cruised in the final six minutes of the game. U-Mass Signee Luwane Pipkins finished with 26, Tom Johnson added 15 points & a dozen assists, Bryce Barnes and James Jones chipped in with 11 apiece.
Rock-Island 64 – West Aurora 52, 7:45 pm start
Montana State recruit Tyler Hall got the locals off to a fast start nailing 3 treys in the opening period giving the Rockies 15-12 lead. Rock-Island pretty much lead the entire game so my night was spent sizing up the two division one players Hall/Roland Griffin –West Aurora’s gifted athlete heading to Illinois State. Griffin has Brandon Bass type athleticism that he shows sprinkles of periodically during the course of a game, and he’s a much improved outside shooter now, contributed to his hard work during the summer. He ended the game with 20 points and a ton of rebounds. Hall, one of the state’s top jump shooters went 7-14 from the nailed 4 three pointers. Jason Jones the Rock’s junior point-guard added 16 points, he looks like a low DI bordering on D2 with the likes of a North Dakota State, South Dakota, U North Dakota geared-up to recruit him since those programs recruit players in this proximity quite often. C.J. Neville popped for 10 for the Rocks. “I couldn’t scurry out of town towards I-80 east any quicker!”
Reporting: 11/25/2014 Team Soy Capital – 45th Annual Decatur Turkey Tourney
Reporting Tuesday, November 25th, 2014
Team Soy Capital – 45th Annual Decatur Turkey Tourney
Thornton 61 – East St. Louis 58 (overtime)
Two storied hoop programs facing off in the tourney opener, in addition both programs also have a rich tradition in football; both teams had players just coming off the grid-iron, so this match-up was scripted to be a daunting task to officiate. East-side six foot eleven sophomore Jeremiah Tilman, the no. 1 prospect in the 2017 class continues to show progression on the offensive end and clearly one day may be a dominating force at both ends. But this night belonged to the Thornton Wildcats who filled junior oriented line-up, took its first lead of the game at the end of the 3rd quarter on a three pointer by six foot four junior Robert McCaulley who tallied 11 points. The Wildcats 6-6 junior Brian Davis (15 pts.) came into the game as unknown prospect, but things are sure to pick-up for him, he’s a smooth wing who’s capable of operating on the perimeter and an awful good athlete. Davis looks like a mid-major recruit. East St. Louis poor outside shooting hindered their 2nd half hopes of pulling this one off. (They had their chances.) The Flyer’s junior guard Antonio Johnson, at six foot four will be a player to watch this season finished with 10 points. “A big-time athlete who made good decisions during the 2nd half of the game, he did a nice job handling the point-guard spot.”
Decatur MacArthur 71 – Springfield Southeast 65
Second game of the night featured a ton of quality underclassmen in both programs, this was worthy of a track-down to Decatur. Southeast got-off to a sluggish start, but rallied behind the play of junior point guard D’Angelo Hughes and went into the locker-room at half up 31-29, MacArthur’s six foot three guard Keymonte Johnson seemed to have a hard time getting on-track, he finished with 8 points, but he’s a 2-way player who can defend & score in addition he blocks a lot of shots. This night he seemed to defer to team-mate Kamari Jones a 6-1 senior who scored a career best 29 points, several buckets coming on acrobatic finishes at the rim. Southeast sophomore guard Mark Johnson displayed inside/outside scoring ability winding up with 17 pts. (He’s going to be good.) S.E.’s Hughes, a vastly under-rated guard who is considered by many of us to be a top 5 in the state at his position collected 20 pts. He has excellent speed & quickness while possessing a smooth accurate jumper. Both of these teams will be fun to watch as they grow through an early stretch of play.
Team Soy Capital – 45th Annual Decatur Turkey Tourney
Thornton 61 – East St. Louis 58 (overtime)
Two storied hoop programs facing off in the tourney opener, in addition both programs also have a rich tradition in football; both teams had players just coming off the grid-iron, so this match-up was scripted to be a daunting task to officiate. East-side six foot eleven sophomore Jeremiah Tilman, the no. 1 prospect in the 2017 class continues to show progression on the offensive end and clearly one day may be a dominating force at both ends. But this night belonged to the Thornton Wildcats who filled junior oriented line-up, took its first lead of the game at the end of the 3rd quarter on a three pointer by six foot four junior Robert McCaulley who tallied 11 points. The Wildcats 6-6 junior Brian Davis (15 pts.) came into the game as unknown prospect, but things are sure to pick-up for him, he’s a smooth wing who’s capable of operating on the perimeter and an awful good athlete. Davis looks like a mid-major recruit. East St. Louis poor outside shooting hindered their 2nd half hopes of pulling this one off. (They had their chances.) The Flyer’s junior guard Antonio Johnson, at six foot four will be a player to watch this season finished with 10 points. “A big-time athlete who made good decisions during the 2nd half of the game, he did a nice job handling the point-guard spot.”
Decatur MacArthur 71 – Springfield Southeast 65
Second game of the night featured a ton of quality underclassmen in both programs, this was worthy of a track-down to Decatur. Southeast got-off to a sluggish start, but rallied behind the play of junior point guard D’Angelo Hughes and went into the locker-room at half up 31-29, MacArthur’s six foot three guard Keymonte Johnson seemed to have a hard time getting on-track, he finished with 8 points, but he’s a 2-way player who can defend & score in addition he blocks a lot of shots. This night he seemed to defer to team-mate Kamari Jones a 6-1 senior who scored a career best 29 points, several buckets coming on acrobatic finishes at the rim. Southeast sophomore guard Mark Johnson displayed inside/outside scoring ability winding up with 17 pts. (He’s going to be good.) S.E.’s Hughes, a vastly under-rated guard who is considered by many of us to be a top 5 in the state at his position collected 20 pts. He has excellent speed & quickness while possessing a smooth accurate jumper. Both of these teams will be fun to watch as they grow through an early stretch of play.
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