Zion Young CHICAGO SUMMER JAM

chicago summer jam Attachment 7Zion Young 2018 SG Simeon/Young & Reckless

ELITE level athlete. That’s the first thing that anybody thinks when the name “Zion Young” is said. Young has a solid, muscular body with huge calves, and he is out there trying to dunk everybody. The man has no fear as he attacks the rim relentlessly. Young put on a dunk show vs Illinois Bears on day one of Chicago summer jam. Above average shooter that doesn’t always utilize his shot. Finished with 12 points. Zion should have a big year at Simeon.

Ray’Sean Taylor NIKE SPRING SHOWDOWN DAY 2

IMG_3175Ray’Sean Taylor 5’11 PG 2020 Collinsville/Gateway

Taylor is a virtually unknown guard out of Collinsville, but that is soon to change. Taylor has a very smooth game and everything he does just looks easy and natural. Hardly any defender can stay in front of him when he has the ball. Glides to the hoop and has good elevation off the floor. Crisp passer. Most of his points come off drives and transition buckets. Deadly when given space to work in the open floor. Potential D1 prospect.

Maurice Commander CHICAGO SUMMER JAM

Attachment 6Maurice Commander 2018 PG Curie/Young & Reckless

Some might say Commander is a shooting guard trapped in a point guards body, but man does this kid have a burner so it’s easy to see why thats what most say. He can score from all three levels but has an absolutely deadly jumper with deep range. The southpaw loves to shoot off the move but can also spot up. Has an array of floaters and runners that he uses regularly. Great body control as he moves about the court. Can play on or off ball but this weekend at chicago summer jam in front of plenty of D1 coaches he wanted to show them he can be a true point guard. He set up teammates all weekend in the right spots for easy buckets and it looks like he’s starting to put it all together which has been the question for the next level. Looking forward to see how he plays now switching from the catholic league to the public league for his senior campaign.

Ayo Dosunmu NIKE SUMMER CHALLENGE

Attachment 5 (2)Ayo Dosunmu ’18 PG Morgan Park/Mac Irvin Fire

The #1 prospect in the class of 2018 in Illinois as well as the #1 prospect in attendance at the Nike Summer Showdown, Ayo Dosunmu did not disappoint. With a plethora of high major coaches watching, Dosunmu went to work. Dunked and shot his way to 31 points vs. Sky Ice Elite. Matchup problem and turns the corner very quick. Can’t be stopped when he attacks the hoop. Different release on his jumper but he hits consistently. Also had 17 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 steals vs. Wisconsin Crusaders. HM prospect that is Top 20 in the country.

George Conditt: Nike Indy Live – Day 2

GeorgeCondittNikeIndyLiveGeorge Conditt 6’10 2018 PF Corliss/RWA
Conditt was outstanding in the first game of the 2017 Nike Indy Live finishing with a triple double. Long and lanky 4 man who has just recently emerged on the radar but has HM upside. Showed tremendous rim-protecting potential as he blocked a ton of shots and altered many more. Smooth athlete that gets up and down the floor with ease. He isn’t the most explosive athlete but he can definitely get up. Working on getting stronger around the hoop, but is a crafty finisher. Had 2 big fastbreak dunks. He stepped outside to knock down a step-back 3. Had 21 points, 10 rebounds, 10 blocks. MM+ HM prospect.

Lorenzo Ferrell: Nike Spring Showdown – Day 3

 LorenzoFerrellNikeSpringShowdownLorenzo Ferrell 6’4 SG 2018 Rutherford (FL)/Georgia Trendsetters

Hands down the best shooter at Nike spring showdown Ferrell had a great showing offensively. Sound mechanics with a quick release were key for this deadeye from outside the arc. Didn’t show much besides his shooting ability, but man can he shoot. Pull-ups, step-backs, catch-and-shoot from both mid-range and beyond the arc. Needs to be more engaged on the defensive end. 

Derek Ellison- Director of Scouting
Seth Pote- Contributing Editor/Scout

Jack Ellison: Nike Spring Showdown – Day 3

JackEllisonNikeSpringShowdownBaylorJack Ellison 6’5 SF 2018 Chicago Christian/Illinois Fastbreak

Ellison is making the transition from interior player to wing. The biggest improvement in his game has been his handles. They aren’t quite there yet but he has shown significant improvement with them. Underrated athlete that battles. Sound perimeter defender with solid lateral movement. Vocal leader on the court. Capable of exploding for a big block or jam. Jump shot is a work in progress. 

Derek Ellison- Director of Scouting
Seth Pote- Contributing Editor/Scout

Morgan Taylor: Nike Spring Showdown – Day 3

MorganTaylorNikeSpringshowdownBaylorMorgan Taylor 6’2 PG 2018 Marist/Illinois Fastbreak

Morgan had a good weekend and continues to prove himself. Taylor is a next-level performer when he is playing at his best. Strong guard with a particularly strong lower body is a hard, straight-line driver. Gets to the rim at ease and finishes well at the cup. Streaky shooter without great shot form, but can get hot from deep. Good understanding of the game and how to run an offense. Holds his own defensively and loves to jump the passing lane. Very tuff kid and a winner.

Derek Ellison- Director of Scouting
Seth Pote- Contributing Editor/Scout

Taevion Kinsey: Nike Spring Showdown – Day 3

TaevionKinseyNikeSpringShowdownBaylorTaevion Kinsey 6’4 SG 2018 Eastmoor Academy (OH)/ISG-Hidden Gems

Kinsey is a lanky and rangy wing out of Ohio. Has pogo-stick like bounce off the floor. Had a few very impressive dunks. Active defender, covers a lot of ground. Crisp passer, especially good at one-hand outlet passes. Slick ball handler, doesn’t get flustered or rattled. Lethal first step. Carries himself with a sort of self-confident but not arrogant demeanor. Low major to mids should get involved.

Derek Ellison- Director of Scouting
Seth Pote- Contributing Editor/Scout

Lacey Watson: Nike Spring Showdown – Day 3

LaceyWatsonNikeSpringShowdownBaylorLacey Watson 6’5 SG 2018 Whitehall-Yearling (OH)/EBC

Lacey Watson may have had the best weekend overall of anyone in attendance at the 2017 Nike Spring Showdown. Watson is a big game baller that had his best showing in a close overtime loss against the Hoopers 17u. He rose to the occasion and hit two quick, deep threes. He has dynamic handles and was making defenders look silly. Used those handles and his IQ to get shots off whenever he wanted against whoever was guarding him. Flashy passer with excellent court vision. Plus rebounder for his position. Had 32 points, 12 rebounds in the loss. Mid Majors should be all over him.

Derek Ellison- Director of Scouting
Seth Pote- Contributing Editor/Scout

Ray Sean Taylor: Nike Spring Showdown – Day 2

Ray'SeanTaylorNikespringshowdownBaylorRay’Sean Taylor 5’11 PG 2020 Collinsville/Gateway

Taylor is a virtually unknown guard out of Collinsville, but that is soon to change. Taylor has a very smooth game and everything he does just looks easy and natural. Hardly any defender can stay in front of him when he has the ball. Glides to the hoop and has good elevation off the floor. Crisp passer. Most of his points come off drives and transition buckets. Deadly when given space to work in the open floor. Potential D1 prospect.

Derek Ellison- Director of Scouting
Seth Pote- Contributing Editor/Scout

Bryce Kelly: Nike Spring Showdown- Day 2

BryceKellyNikeSpringShowdownBaylorBryce Kelly 6’6 PF 2019 Sandy Valley (OH)/Trinity Dream Center

The 6’6 Kelly out of Ohio impressed in his game vs. the St. Louis BearCats. Already has the body of a man. Strong PF that can also play the 5. Very strong going to the hoop. Gets his buckets off junk points around the baskets as well as cuts to the rim. Steady rebounder. Gets off the ground quick for putback flushes. Definitely a name to watch for out of Ohio.

Derek Ellison- Director of Scouting
Seth Pote- Contributing Editor/Scout

Tyler Cochran: Nike Spring Showdown – Day 2

TylerCochranNikeSpringBaylorTyler Cochran 6’2 SG 2019 Bolingbrook/Hoopers

Cochran’s contributions to the game often go unnoticed by the untrained eye. But believe me, he has his fingerprints all over the game. He played in 5 games on Saturday between the 16u and 17u levels and looked just as fresh in game 5 as he did game 1. Does all the little things well. Uses his size to rebound, can knock down the occasional three, stuffs the stat sheet. Most impressive aspect of his game is his ability to create turnovers. Excellent on-ball defender with a plus wingspan. Solid play throughout the weekend. If he keeps playing at this rate throughout the summer and maybe grows a bit his climate could change big time.

Derek Ellison- Director of Scouting
Seth Pote- Contributing Editor/Scout

Zion Griffin: Nike Spring Showdown – Day 2

 

ZionGriffinNikeSpringBaylorZion Griffin 6’6 SF 2018 Hinsdale South/Hoopers

Coaches have been hearing the buzz about this kid and wanted to know was he legit, well they got their answer indeed. Viewed as a C with his high school team, Griffin had his coming out party as a SF to start his weekend. Showed excellent mobility on the perimeter along with his newly improved handles. The lefty was unstoppable driving to the rim. Finishes above and through contact. Drilled a few threes off the catch. Has great lift off the floor that allows him to be an excellent rim protector. Had a few monster blocks as well as a few monster dunks. Had 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks in his first game. 

Derek Ellison- Director of Scouting
Seth Pote- Contributing Editor/Scout

DeAndre Heckard: Nike Spring Showdown – Day 2

DeAndreHeckardNikeSpringBaylorDeAndre Heckard 6’2 PG 2018 Romeoville/Hoops4Health

This kid had a nice year at school and created a decent buzz for himself. College coaches wanted to see what the young man would bring to the table and young fella didn’t disappoint. Heckard started off Day 2 of the Nike Spring Showdown strong. The competition looked completely outmatched when going up against the strong, broad-shouldered 6’2 guard. Heckard was forcing on-ball turnovers as well as jumping the passing lanes to jumpstart his team’s transition offense. Strong slashing guard that was finishing well through contact. Pulled out a nice-looking pull-up jumper and catch-and-shoot 3 to help add to his scoring total. Had 14 points, 7 rebounds in a blowout win. 

Derek Ellison- Director of Scouting
Seth Pote- Contributing Editor/Scout

Zaire Wade: Nike Spring Showdown – Day 1

ZaireWadeNikeSpringShowdownBaylorZaire Wade 6’1 2020
Mount Carmel/Wade Elite 16u
The anticipation to see Zaire this spring was high even tho we seen him early in the year at school on the freshman level. One word comes to mind “Genes” because I actually witnessed the growth of his father “D Wade”. Zaire is very similar in structure and already has more flare at this age than his dad. He looked very comfortable running the show on opening night for his 16u squad that boast talented bigs. He was good at getting his team the ball in their spots and showcased his ability to set up plays and be vocal.
Derek Ellison- Director of Scouting
Seth Pote- Contributing Editor/Scout