The Prep Ball Report

Champions were crowned, and the last official day of the first live period of July concluded.

Tyler Brimhall 6’4″ swingman Cache Valley Elite 17u

Brimhall put Cache Valley on his back in the team’s opening round bracket victory vs. Michigan Playmakers, scoring 22 points, including five three-pointers.  At 6’4″, Brimhall has great size for a college level two guard, he gets great lift on his jump shot, and seemingly had unlimited range on his three.  He’s effective coming off ball-screens, or pulling up off the dribble.  Tyler has good ball skills that allow him to aggressively attack the lane and get to the rim.  He can be a teams leading scorer, serve as a facilitator, and play tough defensively, an overall good all-round player.

Jason Anderson 5’11” point guard Cache Valley Elite 16u

Anderson was tough to handle in his team’s semi-final victory.  The one thing Jason does when he steps out on the floor, is compete.  He’s the vocal leader of a talented team that knows how to play the game.  Anderson likes to get others involved on offense first, but when he decided to shoot he was deadly, hitting tough pull-ups and three pointers throughout the game.  He’s IQ for the game also stood out as well, defenders can’t take plays off when he doesn’t have the ball in his hand, as he took advantage of a few back-door cut opportunities for easy baskets.  Jason was also very aggressive on the defensive end of the floor.  He didn’t let anybody blow past him, and is a very good athlete for his size.

Alex Illikainen 6’9″ power forward Howard Pulley 17u

Alex is a stretch four forward with great length, size, and athleticism.  He can do a little bit outside, but did most of his damage in the semi-final victory down low.  He does a great job of carving out space down low before the entry pass, giving his man a clear target to get the ball.  And when he got the ball, he did a great job of feeling his man out and taking advantage of what the defender gave him, scoring with either hand.  Alex also rebounded the ball at a high-level defensively, and can get up and down the floor and create mismatches in the full-court.  He currently has ten plus offers now, but more to come after at times playing this weekend in front of at least 20 coaches.

Bjorn Broman 5’1″ shooting guard Howard Pulley 17u

An interesting occurrence happened in Howard Pulley’s semi-final game, apparently a circuit broke loose and the lights dimmed for a minute.  And before the lights went out, Broman hit two or three threes.  Now I don’t know if he actually “shot the lights out,”  but he might’ve had something to do with it.  Broman can shoot, from anywhere on the floor, he does a very good job without the ball and defenders can loose track of him sometimes.  He also has some flash to his game, he can create off the dribble for himself.  Bjorn can be both effective in an up tempo style of play or a half court set.

Julian Torres 6’9″ power forward Mac Irvin 17u

Torres is huge, at 6’9″ 250 pounds, you can’t miss him when he is out on the floor.  Despite his size, he moves well out on the court.  He’s got some skill in him as well.  He can finish around the basket with both soft and power finishes, and is effective when he gets the ball in a face up situation.  Torres has a nice touch from the mid-range that at times can be stretched out to a three-pointer.  He emerged as a beast at rebounding the ball, and playing quality post defense throughout the day.

Baylor Basketball/TMT Sportz

Tags: Chicago Summer Jam

Pool play started on Friday night at the Chicago Summer Jam in Romeoville, Illinois.  An NCAA certified month of July event, college coaches from as far west as Oregon, to as far East as Providence were all confirmed in attendance.  Here are a few guys that stood out on day one action.

Amir Coffey 6’4″ Wing (Howard Pulley 17u)

Coffey by many is considered to be a top 25 prospect in the loaded 2016 national class, and did not disappoint on Friday night.  Coffey obviously has all the physical tools to succeed at the next level, length, quickness, and elite athleticism, but his IQ for the game really stood out.  Whenever he got the ball on the wing, he looked to pass first and get easy shots for teammates before thinking about scoring for himself, at times being too unselfish with the ball.  But the kid can score also, from all three areas.  He can come around screens and shoot the three, create space and separation to get into the lane off the dribble, or finish against taller defenders in the paint.  On defense, his ability to play the passing lanes with his length create problems for opponents.  He also had the dunk of the night, a two handed, full speed on the fast break and-one style.  Coffey so far has reported offers from Minnesota, Creighton, and Miami, just a few high-major schools interested.

Jarvis Johnson 6’1′ Guard (Howard Pulley 17u)

Johnson was real fun to watch in the team’s win over Champaign Heat.  Jarvis served at the catalyst for the Panthers offensive attack.  He’s very athletic for a lead guard, and likes to quickly attack/advance the ball up the floor on the break, catching the opposition off-guard and setting up his teammates in positions to score.  But in the half-court set, he’s very savvy with the way he likes to collapse defense.  He can go with either hand, with the vision and passing ability to get guards and forwards involved.  Johnson also did a fair job applying on ball-pressure to opposing guards on the night.  Jarvis is a player to remember to fans in Michigan.  As one of his 10+ high-major division one offers happens to be the Spartans of Michigan State.

Jerald Booker 6’1″ Guard (Michigan Playmakers 17u)

Booker is a real underrated prospect in Michigan’s 2015 class.  If Booker’s month of July is as good as his Spring session, the Walled Lake Western guard will no doubt collect a few offers before the high school season begins.  In the team’s resounding victory over Colorado Connect, Jerald stood out in the eyes of a few college coaches in attendance.  He does a good job of taking what the defense gives him.  If they come up and pressure, he’ll quickly go around them and get into the lane, if they sag off, than team’s should respect Booker’s perimeter jump shot, as he knocked down three 3’s in the game, one from well beyond NBA range.  But as a complete point guard, he can get others involved around him, he got his shooters involved off the drive and dish, or make some nice entry passes to his bigs down low.  His impact on the game did not just end on offense, he got steals on defense that resulted in easy run-outs, crashed the boards and kept scoring chances alive for his team, and got the ever precious 50-50 balls.  With only a few schools showing interest in his recruitment thus far, Booker is a name to remember for colleges seeking an overlooked guard.

Marcus Bailey 6’3″ Forward (Michigan Playmakers 17u)

Bailey is a versatile, athletic forward.  A star on the football field for Walled Lake Western, Marcus has shown he can play on the hardwood.  He loves contact, Bailey play fearless down low against taller defenders, he’s not afraid to go through them to the basket and get  to free-throw line.  But Bailey also showed he has a nice shooting touch on the perimeter, as he knocked a nice spot-up corner three.  Marcus had to at least have 10 rebounds on the night, maybe more to go along with his 14 points,  if football doesn’t work out for Marcus, he has the potential to land on the hardwood somewhere.

Baylor Basketball/TMT Sportz

Tags: Chicago Summer Jam