Recap of Simeon vs. Whitney Young 12/22/11

With John Calipari of Kentucky and Rick Pitino of Louisville on hand, players from both sides stepped up their game. As fans from everywhere were funneled into the UIC Pavilion, the players took the court for an exhilarating game. The who;s who of top Chicago prospects came to play and some under the radar players made their name known. Games like this make high school basketball so fun to watch. I felt like a bobble-head doll looking at all the payers move around the court. From my last post, I focused on some players I would be keeping my eye o. Some that I did not mention will be worth mentioning. Don't worry about me shortchanging you on the analysis because my high school crystal ball is telling me this won't be the last time I see these teams play this year. Here is what I observed:

SO, C, Jalil Okafor (6-10, 275 lbs, offers by Illinois, DePaul, Syracuse, Arkansas, Connecticut, and more) The player of the game; simply put. Everything he did was dominant. Okafor has a soft touch inside and can step out and hit the 10 footer. For Simeon, he was near impossible to guard. With Taylor, a future Marquette player next year, guarding Okafor, Okafor was taking him to school. His quick feet and soft hands (catching the basketball of course) forced Simeon to double and sometimes triple team Okafor. Even after that, Okafor was still able to get some lay ups and dunks around the rim. Outside of going up for a dunk and stuffing himself at the rim, there really was nothing Okafor did wrong. IF there is one thing that would prevent him from being a top 5 prospect in the nation in the Class of 2014, it would be his explosiveness. Unless he continues to shed some weight, Okafor does not have much lift when he jumps. Still, though, this is on of the elite sophomores in America

SO, F, Paul White (6-8, 200lbs, offered by Baylor, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Louisville) I did not know what to expect from White. I thought his game was similar to Baylor's Quincy Miller in that he can handle the ball, shoot from the outside, and big enough to make an impact on the inside. I was not far off from that assessment. White was the makeshift point guard for the Dolphins bringing the ball up the court and having the offense revolve around his decision making. White had 8 turnovers to go with his 7 points and 4 rebounds, but the turnovers came from a player making point guard plays without being a point guard. I think Whitney Young took advantage of White's superior ball handling ability and had him force too many plays. Having a true point guard would have opened up White's game more and would have given him more of an opportunity to score. Still, I'll take away from the 6-8 point forward his ball handling skills; something very few players at 6-8 have.

SO, PG/SG, Miles Reynolds (6-2, 200 lbs, no official offers) I was disappointed that Reynolds did not control the ball more; that responsibility was bestowed upon White. Reynolds did finish with 4 assists but played off the ball mostly. apparently Whitney Young does not feel Reynolds is ready to take full control of the offense. Though a sophomore, I think Reynolds is going to have to assert himself as the premier ball handler for the Dolphins. His role in the offense was far less than I expected.
 
JR, C, Tommy Hamilton, JR (6-9, 240 lbs, offers from Michigan State, Illinois, Northwestern) Did Not Play- Nice job on my part to look for a guy who was injured; what is this amateur hour? However, two players caught my eye: SR, F, Nate Brook (6-6, 200 lbs, no offers) who finished with 7 points and 4 rebound as well as SR, SG, Jordan Smith (6-3, 180lbs) who had 6 points and 2 rebounds. Even though the numbers aren't staggering, both stood out. Brooks had some nice dunks in the first quarter and displayed some exceptional athleticism. Smith looked like he was out to prove something as he tried to go for a couple facial dunks against Simeon. I liked his size and his decision making when plays broke down. smith is a nice secondary option on offense.

JR, SG, Kendrick Nunn (6-2, 175 lbs, offers from Texas A&M, Memphis, Illinois, Xavier, Missouri, North Carolina State, DePaul) One could argue Nunn could have been player of the game because Simeon actually won the game. Nunn finished with a team high 19 points but what really impressed me was his assertiveness and his improvement shooting the ball. Nunn did well from beyond the arc, but maybe the best thing Nunn did was get to the foul line. Nunne got to the line around 10 times which tells me Nunn has stepped up his aggressiveness from last year. In limited time, Nunn settled for jump shots last year. This year, Nunn was in attack mode. Another piece of his game that stood out was his athleticism. I knew he was very athletic but the 6-2 guard was soaring well above the rim. Simply put, Nunn is much better from last year.

JR, SG/SF, Kendall Pollard (6-4, 185 lbs, no official offers) Like Reynolds on Whitney Young, I was disappointed that Pollard did not factor much in the game. One play that stood out was a put back attempt by Pollard that showed his leaping ability. It looked like Pollard jumped off a trampoline for the put back. I could see why some scout have taken notice of his game. Pollard's role on the team is not clearly defined and I don't see him playing more that 10 minutes a game with all the players around him.

SR, PF, Steve Taylor (6-7, 230 lbs, committed to Marquette) Unofficially, Taylor had 16 points and 6 rebounds (thanks Simeon for taking your sweetass time coming out with an official box score) but the thing that impressed me the most is how much more in shape Taylor was and how improved his ball handling was. At times, Taylor was bringing the ball up the court and playing both inside and outside. He has a unique skill set that should have him contributing right away next year for Buzz Williams. Taylor had the daunting task for taming Okafor and that in itself made him look bad. However, Taylor was able to his some outside shots and crash the boards and used his added strength from last year to impact shots in the lane. Taylor looked more like a ball controlling small forward as opposed to a slender power forward which he played last year, and that in itself is why Taylor has improved his game.

JR, SF/PF, Jabari Parker (6-7, 220 lbs, offers from Duke, Washington, Illinois, Michigan State, BYU, DePaul) Parker finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, but Parker seemed a little off. Clearly the most talented player on the floor, Parker had a tough time getting his shot to fall. Still, Parker was able to get to the rim, even though he was met by about 4 different defenders, as well as get himself open from beyond the arc. Even though his shooting percentage wasn't glamorous, it does look like Parker has more confidence taking a jump shot this year compared to last. It is clear to see, even in a sub par performance (sub par performance for Parker is usually better than most other players on the court) that Parker is one of the most talented players in the country.


NEXT WEEK: HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS WEEK'S MANY HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTS.

Recap of Simeon vs. Whitney Young 12/22/11

With John Calipari of Kentucky and Rick Pitino of Louisville on hand, players from both sides stepped up their game. As fans from everywhere were funneled into the UIC Pavilion, the players took the court for an exhilarating game. The who’s who of top Chicago prospects came to play and some under the radar players made their name known. Games like this make high school basketball so fun to watch. I felt like a bobble-head doll looking at all the players move around the court. From my last post, I focused on some players I would be keeping my eye on. Some that I did not mention will be worth mention. Don’t worry about me shortchanging you on the analysis because my high school crystal ball is telling me this won’t be the last time I see these teams this year. Here is what I observed:

SO, C,  Jahlil Okafor, (left) (6-10, 275 lbs, Offered by Illinois, DePaul, Syracuse, Arkansas, Connecticut, and more) The player of the game; simply put. Everything he did was dominant. Okafor has a soft touch inside and can step out and hit the 10 footer. For Simeon, he was near impossible to guard. With Taylor, a future Marquette player next year, guarding Okafor, Okafor was taking him to school. His quick feet and soft hands (catching the basketball of course) forced Simeon to double and sometimes triple team Okafor. Even after that, Okafor was still able to get some lay ups and dunks around the rim. Outside of going up for a dunk and stuffing himself at the rim, there really was nothing Okafor did wrong. If there is one thing that would prevent him from being a top 5 prospect in the nation in the class of 2014, it would be his explosiveness. Unless he continues to shed some weight, Okafor does not have much lift when he jumps. Still, though, this is one of the elite sophomores in America.  

SO, PF, Paul White (6-8, 200 lbs, Offered by Baylor, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio State) I was not what to expect from White. I thought his game was similar to Baylor’s Quincy Miller in that he can handle the ball; shoot from the outside, and big enough to make an impact on the inside. I was not far off from that assessment. White was the makeshift point guard for the Dolphins bringing the ball up the court and having the offense revolve around his decision making. White had 8 turnovers to go with his 7 points and 4 rebounds, but the turnovers came from a player making point guard plays without being a point guard. I think Whitney Young took advantage of White’s superior ball handling ability and had him force too many plays. Having a true point guard would have opened up White’s game more and would have given him more of an opportunity to score. Still, I’ll take away from the 6-8 point forward his ball handling skills; something very few players at 6-8 have.

SO, PG/SG, Miles Reynolds (6-2, 200 lbs, no official offers) I was disappointed that Reynolds did not control the ball more; that responsibility was bestowed upon White. Reynolds did finish with 4 assists but played off the ball mostly. Apparently Whitney Young does not feel Reynolds is ready to take full control of the offense. Though a sophomore, I think Reynolds is going to have to assert himself as the premier ball handler for the Dolphins. His role in the offense was far less than I expected.

JR, C, Tommy Hamilton, Jr (6-9, 240 lbs, Offered by Michigan State, Illinois, Northwestern) Did Not Play- nice job on my part to look for a guy who was injured; what is this amateur hour. However, two players caught my eye, SR F Nate Brooks (6-6 200 lbs, no offers) who finished with 7 points and 4 rebounds as well as SR SG Jordan Smith (6-3, 180 lbs) who had 6 points and 2 rebounds. Even though the numbers aren’t staggering, both stood out. Brooks had some nice dunks in the first quarter and displayed some exceptional athleticism. Smith looked like he was out to prove something as he tried to go for a couple facial dunks against Simeon. I liked his size and his decision making when plays broke down. Smith is a nice secondary option on offense.  

JR, SG, Kendrick Nunn (left) (6-2, 175 lbs, Offered by Texas A&M, Memphis, Illinois, Xavier, Missouri, North Carolina State, DePaul) One could argue Nunn could have been player of the game because Simeon actually won. Nunn finished with a team high 19 points but what really impressed me was his assertiveness and his improvement shooting. Nunn did well from beyond the arc, but maybe the best thing Nunn did was get to the foul line. Nunn got to the line around 10 times which tells me Nunn has stepped up his aggressiveness from last year. In limited time, Nunn settled for jump shots last year. This year, Nunn was in attack mode. Another piece of his game that stood out was his athleticism. I knew he was very athletic but the 6-2 guard was soaring well above the rim. Simply put, Nunn is much better from last year.

JR, SG/SF, Kendall Pollard (6-4, 185 lbs, no official offers) Like Reynolds on Whitney Young, I was disappointed that Pollard did not factor much in the game. One play that stood out was a put back attempt by Pollard that showed his leaping ability. It looked like Pollard jumped off a trampoline for the put back. I could see why some scouts have taken notice of his game. Pollards role on the team is not clearly defined and I don’t see him playing more than 10 minutes a game with Parker and Taylor in front of him.

 

SR, PF, Steve Taylor (6-7, 230 lbs, Committed to Marquette) Unofficially, Taylor had 16 points and 6 rebounds (thanks Simeon for taking your sweetass time coming out with a box score) but the thing that impressed me most is how much more in shape Taylor was and how improved his ball handling was. At times, Taylor was bringing the ball up the court and playing both inside and outside. He has a unique skill set that should have him contribute right away next year for Buzz Williams. Taylor had the daunting task for taming Okafor and that in itself made him look bad. However Taylor was able to hit some outside shots and crash the boards and used his added strength from last year to impact shots in the lane. Taylor looked more like a ball controlling small forward as opposed to a power forward which he played last year, and that in itself is why Taylor has improved his game.

JR, SF/PF, Jabari Parker (right) (6-7, 215 lbs, Offered by Duke, Washington, Illinois, Michigan State, BYU, DePaul) Parker finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks, but Parker seemed a little off. Clearly the most talented player on the floor, Parker had a tough time getting his shot to fall. Still, Parker was able to get to the rim, even though he was met by about 4 different defenders, as well as get himself open from beyond the arc. Even though his shooting percentage wasn’t glamorous, it does look like Parker has more confidence taking a jump shot this year compared to last. It is clear to see, even in a subpar performance (subpar performance for Parker is usually better than most other players on the court) that Parker is one of the most talented players in the country.

NEXT WEEK: HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS WEEK’S MANY HOLIDAY TOURNEMENTS. 

What I will be watching for: Simeon Vs. Whitney Young

Finally, the blog is back in full force. A combination of a slow AAU summer and just straight up laziness on my part has left all of you waiting (I’m sure) for a post. But finally, some actual basketball to talk about; not just team previews and player previews, but actual basketball. What a way to kick off a new season of high school basketball in the city of Derrick Rose’s shoulders with two Chicago Public League titans in Simeon High School and Whitney Young High School squaring off. This matchup is like Ali vs. Frazier, Rocky vs. Ivan Drago, USA vs. Russia- complete powerhouses.  Together, both teams have enough division one players to field a final four team in 3 years with a slew of 5 star and 4 star ballers. In case you’ve turned a blind eye to high school basketball, and what non-creepy grown man would, you may have missed Simeon, yes, your Simeon Wolverines are the number one team in the nation. Yep, the nation, that’s right.  So obviously you’d see yours truly parked in the friendly confines of the UIC Pavilion to watch this epic match up. So what will be one of hopefully many matchups between these two powers between the regular season, the CPL playoffs, and the state title, this is what I will be watching for:

Whitney Young Dolphins:

 SO, C,  Jahlil Okafor, (left) (6-10, 275 lbs, Offered by Illinois, DePaul, Syracuse, Arkansas, Connecticut, and more) Okafor is a consensus top 5 player in the class of 2014. He has several schools drooling over the opportunity to have his services. Last we saw him he was much bigger than most of the people he went up against, and that should not have changed. What I will be watching for is how much more agile and nimble he is in the paint. For him to take the next step in high school dominance, he will have to have quicker feet and more explosiveness. I want to see if he took the summer and AAU season to slim down, add more muscle and add more speed. If at least two of those have become true, expect the same type of publicity Jabari Parker of Simeon is getting for Okafor.

SO, PF, Paul White (6-8, 200 lbs, Offered by Baylor, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio State) Paul teamed up with fellow teammate Okafor on the U16 USA Basketball team over the summer and that increased his publicity in the high school ranks. Some will call him the Robin to Okafors Batman, but I think these are just two unique skillsets on the same team. Last year, White did not garnish a lot of minutes playing on an upper-class laden team. White will get to show more of his game this year. I would like to see if White is developing into a true power forward or an explosive small forward, a la Chicago native and current Baylor freshman Quincy Miller. His shot is still developing but I think in order for White to gain 5 star status, he will have to establish a true position instead of just an athletic wing.

SO, PG/SG, Miles Reynolds (right) (6-2, 200 lbs, no official offers) No matter what level, good teams have good point guards. Junior point guard Derrick Randolph (5-9, 165 lbs, no official offers) transferred from Whitney Young leaving a vacant spot this year at the point guard position. Reynolds probably is the inheritor of the position. I will be watching for who predominantly plays that position going up against a Simeon team with a deep backcourt. Reynolds has nice size for the point guard position but I would like to see his shooting and passing skills. His development this season could make Whitney Young go from a great team to an unstoppable team.

JR, C, Tommy Hamilton, Jr (6-9, 240 lbs, Offered by Michigan State, Illinois, Northwestern) Hamilton will take on a mini-leadership role as upperclassman are few and far between on this team. Hamilton has had his desire and effort questioned and over the last year, Hamilton has dropped in the player rankings. I will be watching not only his developing post game inside but his ability to step out and hit a 15 footer. Hamilton will never have a distinguished game face that some weirdoes like to represent effort, but I want to see him show some sort of emotion during the game. He has the skills to be great, but does he have the desire? It is almost like having a supermodel that doesn’t know how to walk down the runway- it would be a waste of talent.

Simeon Wolverines:

JR, SG, Kendrick Nunn (left) (6-2, 175 lbs, Offered by Texas A&M, Memphis, Illinois, Xavier, Missouri, North Carolina State, DePaul) I saw Nunn early last year when his name was not quite as well known and the first thing that stood out about him was his defense and his three point shooting skill. Nunn had a couple of seniors playing his position last year and that took away some of his minutes. When people talk about Simeon, they always talk about Jabari Parker. Nunn seems like the ugly stepchild. But Nunn is as offensively gifted as the guys around him. I will be watching for more assertiveness by Nunn to show why he is one of the best shooting guards in the country.

JR, SG/SF, Kendall Pollard (6-4, 185 lbs, no official offers) I’ve been reading this whole summer that beyond the Mt. Rushmore of Simeon players on this year’s team, there’s this player that no one is talking about who is about to start receiving some division one offers. That player is often referred to as Kendal Pollard. I’m not quite sure what his position is and what exactly his role is, but when some of the major starters like Nunn, Parker, and Taylor are out, will Pollard keep the momentum going?

SR, PF, Steve Taylor (6-7, 230 lbs, Committed to Marquette) The senior leadership will be coming from both Taylor and G Jalanie Neely (no offers). But Taylor has the most experience out of the two and his days seem brighter for now since he will be attending the Big East next year. One thing I will be watching for is how college ready his body may be. Last year, Taylor showed his skill both inside and outside, but was very lean. I have heard he has bulked up a bit and he needs to if he wants to contribute right away for Marquette. I think if he has built off his skills from last year and added a couple extra pounds of muscle, Taylor could become a great player.

JR, SF/PF, Jabari Parker (right) (6-7, 215 lbs, Offered by Duke, Washington, Illinois, Michigan State, BYU, DePaul) Last but not least, the number one player in all of the land, Mr. Parker. The fact that Microsoft Word needs a spell check for Jabari is a slap in the face because his name will be as well-known as Dwayne and Derrick. Parker will be one of the great high school players of all time in Illinois with the ability to win 4 state championships. There really is not much Parker needs to do to improve from number 1 overall. If there is one thing I will look for, it will be assertiveness by Parker. Last year, Parker tried to balance out his scoring with his passing and rarely put up more than 17-18 points a game. This year, Parker, in the 4 games Simeon has played, Parker has been more of a scorer. Simply put, I want to see Parker look like a man amongst boys, like Joey Chestnut in a hot dog eating contest vs vegans. Is that too much to ask???

NEXT WEEK: The results of Simeon vs Whitney: Part 1