Additional Thoughts And Analysis From Riverside-Brookfield Summer Shootout 

May 31, 2009

12:00 P.M. CST

The following is some additional observations and insight from our time spent at the Riverside-Brookfield Summer Shootout yesterday, as we were the only scouting service that was in attendance for the full course of the day and evening.

... After Proviso East's Keith Carter, the two most impressive performers at the shootout were 6'1 class of 2010 point guard Sean McGonagill from Riverside-Brookfield High School and 6'5 class of 2010 forward Dwayne Evans from Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, IL.  Anyone who watched McGonagill yesterday would clearly agree that he has now solidified his status as a D1 prospect.  McGonagill totally outplayed Mt. Carmel's Tracy Abrams in a head-to-head matchup, scoring 34 points (including eight 3-point field goals) and dishing out 7 assists.  He is the consummate point guard who simply does whatever it takes to help his team win.  D1 recruiting interest in McGonagill continues to pick up as well, with the schools on his list including Brown, Eastern Michigan, William & Mary and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. 

Evans, on the other hand, did just about everything except sell tickets, as he was totally dominating when he watched his team's final pool play contest.  There are few if any players in the state Evans' size that consistently get more done around the basket.  He goes to war every time out, pounds the glass and is virtually automatic when you get him the ball in the paint.  However, he is now beginning to showcase some perimeter skills as well, including the ability to bring the ball up the court and spot up for 3-pointers.  We have always considered Evans to be the ideal mid-major prospect, but if he continues to play at this level...watch out!

... It is easy to see why 6'5 class of 2010 shooting guard Alex Rossi from New Trier High School in Winneta, IL has shown so much improvement throughout the course of the spring and has now become a prospect who in all likelihood will end up at a high major program.  Above everything else, Rossi has gotten considerably stronger as opposed to a year ago and there is no question that it has made him a tougher and more aggressive player.  As a result, he is now getting his shot off more quickly and getting even greater lift when he raises up from beyond the arc.  If he is given time to spot up, he is pretty much lights out from 3-point land.  We would now like to see Rossi continue to improve his ball handling and ability to get shots off the dribble.

... Once again, if we had to sum up the performance of University Of Illinois class of 2011 commit Tracy Abrams from Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago yesterday in one word, it would be "ordinary."  As he has done many times in the last year during other games, Abrams showed flashes of brilliance at the R-B Shootout but at other times had the tendency to disappear.  For whatever reason, he seems to be a different player in an AAU setting as opposed to playing with his high school team.  However, make no mistake about it--there are no questions in our minds at all when it comes to assessing the impact that he will have on the Illini basketball program in the future.

... It is also plain for us to see why 6'0 class of 2010 point guard Wayne Simon from St. Joseph High School in Westchester, IL received an invitation to the Reebok All-American Camp in Philadelphia this coming July.  Simon has had a most productive spring and was solid yet again at R-B.  He is more than adept at running his team's offense, pushing the ball up the floor and creating either for himself or teammates whether it be by penetrating or kicking the ball to open shooters on the wing.  In addition, Simon is also able to knock down shots from 3-point range if left unattended although he still needs to show more consistency in that area.  We believe that he is a player that recruiters at the low and mid major D1 levels should be watching most closely.

... While there may not have been another player who attracted a greater contingent of small college coaches than 6'8 Jeff Dirkin from Oak Park High School in Oak Park, IL, we were equally impressed with Oak Park's 6'0 class of 2010 point guard Antonio Foster.  We learned that Class of 2012 phenom Jordan Foster was out with a knee injury after our initial article and the roster book was totally inaccurate.  We appreciate Oak Park varsity boy's basketball coach Matt Maloney making the correction.  Thanks Matt!  Antonio sure fooled lots of people with his play, and that is a good sign for Oak Park!  What we liked most about Foster was the aggressive nature with which he played.  He has very good scoring capability and excels at being able to get to the basket and draw contact, which of course enables him to frequently get to the foul line.  He can also bury shots from behind the 3-point stripe and now simply needs to learn shot selection.  

... Want a sleeper from this event?  How about 6'5 class of 2012 forward Rocco Belcaster from Morton High School in Cicero, IL.  Belcaster didn't back down one inch from the Neuqua Valley duo of Evans and 6'5 class of 2010 forward Kareem Amedu.  He is athletic and quite active around the basket despite the fact that he still needs to get stronger.  In addition, Belcaster showed us that he is capable of facing up and converting shots from 3-point range.  We think that he has a huge up side and is a player who is going to continue to get better the more he plays.

... Despite the fact that his team was without Jereme Richmond and ended up going 0-3 in pool play, we still believe that 6'2 Quan Connor from Waukegan High School in Waukegan, IL will project as a low D1 point guard.  This is because of his team-oriented nature and his ability to consistently get by defenders in one-on-one situations as a result of his size and athleticism, all of which make him a more than capable playmaker.  Once again, it just goes to show that you can't measure team success based on spring and summer basketball.

... Any D3 school that is coveting a shooter from the class of 2010 should take a serious look at 6'1 Evan Fendley from York Township High School in Elmhurst, IL.  Simply put, is an outstanding pure shooter who can fill it up from 3-point territory.  As long as he is surrounded by other players who are able to create and get shots for him, he will be an asset for any program at the D3 level.

... Kudos to Riverside-Brookfield Summer Shootout coordinator Mike Reingruber, who has done an outstanding job of putting together quality teams and competition at this event for the past seven years.  The bottom line is that when it comes to running high school basketball shootouts during the spring or summer, there is nobody who does it better.

Additional Note

... Lawrence University head coach Joel DePagter has done it again, as he has landed another quality player from the Chicago area as a part of his 2009 recruiting class.  His latest addition is 6'7 forward Josh Ward from Hinsdale South High School in Darien, IL.  Ward has the ability to play both around the basket as well as face up and knock down open shots all the way out to the 3-point arc.  Therefore, he sould prove to be a valuable addition to the Viking roster.

Continue to check in with Illinois Prep Bulls-eye for all of the latest as it pertains to high school basketball and recruiting in Illinois.