September 7, 2009
11:15 A.M. CST
This may come as somewhat of a surprise to anyone who has never met us, but given what the basketball scouting industry has become today, we actually believe that numerical player rankings are overrated. While other analysts and evaluators dwell on them constantly to the point of obsession, the fact of the matter is that in many instances these rankings don't even provide a true indicator of a player's ability or potential impact at the next level.
However, we will be the first to admit that things are a bit different when it comes to the class of 2013 in Illinois. That is because this class features three elite prospects in 6'8 Tommy Hamilton Jr. from Whitney Young High School in Chicago, 6'5 Jabari Parker from Simeon High School in Chicago and 6'6 Alex Foster from De LaSalle Institute in Chicago. All three are rated among the top 15 players nationally in the 2013 class.
While the class of 2011 in Illinois is absolutely loaded, it does not have three players who have received such a high level of national acclaim at such an early stage. In fact, the last class in Illinois to do so was probably the class of 1998, which included Whitney Young's Quentin Richardson, Fenwick's Corey Maggette, Peoria Manual's Frank Williams, Simeon's Bobby Simmons and Farragut's Michael Wright among others.
It is therefore only natural for anyone who has seen Hamilton, Parker and Foster play to immediately ask the following questions--which of the three is the best right now and which one will end up as the best when it is all over? Those are not easy questions to answer and while we realize that the following is hardly going to sound definitive, the best response that we can render right now is that strong arguments can be made for any of them. Therefore, we thought it would be best to compare and contrast everything that these three players bring to the table.
After watching both Hamilton and Parker compete at the P.E.P. Fall Classic this past weekend while playing for their Mac Irvin Fire traveling team, there is absolutely no doubt in our mind that Hamilton is the best in the state from the class of 2013 right now. He has the best perimeter skills of any high school big man we have seen in Illinois since Darius Miles, as he can shoot the 3-ball with uncanny accuracy, put the ball on the floor and power his way to the basket. Not only that, but Hamilton is also a beast around the basket and when he puts his mind to it he simply punishes opponents down low.
With all of this being said, there are still some questions that abound when assessing Hamilton down the road. Will he continue to grow or has he filled out? Will his footwork improve in order to help him become a better defender? These are things that remain unknown at this time.
Parker, on the other hand, could have the best potential of the three, the best up side if you will. This is primarily because he has a drive and a work ethic which is second to none. Parker continues to grow and could very well end up being 6'7 or 6'8 before he finishes high school. Not only that, but Parker has also added considerable strength and works out on a daily basis.
From a basketball standpoint, Parker's mid-range game is spectacular. He has a great nose for the ball, gets it done around the basket, excels in the open floor due to his high level of athleticism and is able to get into the lane and score consistently. We would still like to see Parker extend his range on his jumper, but that is going to come in due time. Simply put, we like him more and more every time we watch him.
We admittedly have not seen Foster as regularly as we have Hamilton and Parker, but we can certainly understand why others say that he may have the best all-around skill set of the three. This was evident when we watched Foster in June at the University of Illinois Satellite Camp at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in which he went head-to-head versus Hamilton.
The biggest thing that Hamilton, Parker and Foster have going for them is that they all have great support systems in their corner. That means that they are getting sound advice and know how to conduct themselves both on and off the court. This is a huge intangible which cannot possibly be overemphasized. With that being said, we will once again state the obvious. All three of these young men are can't miss prospects who undoubtedly have bright futures ahead of them.
Additional Notes
... After Hamilton and Parker the best prospect that we observed at the P.E.P. Fall Classic was 6'0 class of 2012 point guard Curtis "C.J." Jones from Orr High School in Chicago. Jones received scattered minutes in the game we watched and for whatever reason did not have the ball in his hands as much as we have seen in the past, but it is still plain to see the tremendous amount of back court versatility that Jones has. In fact, while we still regard Proviso East's Keith Carter as the top player in the state from the 2012 class, we believe that Jones could very well be #1A.
... Old Gold did not receive a breakout performance from any one individual in the game in which we watched them, but still turned in a solid all-around team effort led by the class of 2010 trio of 6'0 guard Hollis Hill, 6'5 Aaron Williams and 6'5 Ryan Cunningham, all from Vocational High School in Chicago.
... Low D1s looking for an explosive guard may want to keep an eye on 5'10 Fabyon Harris from Hyde Park Academy in Chicago, who competes on the traveling team circuit for the Illinois Warriors. Harris is not a pure point guard per se, but has tremendous scoring ability. That is because he is quick, knows how to attack the basket, can push the ball up the floor in transition and can keep the defense honest from downtown. It is for these reasons that we think Harris could be a good fit at the low D1 level.
... 6'1 class of 2010 guard Walter Lemon has clearly emerged as a mid-major caliber prospect. Lemon was once again impressive when we watched him at the P.E.P. Fall Classic while playing for the Illinois Spartans. We always knew that Lemon is a superb athlete and that he can score. However, he is now showing that he has point guard capabilities as well, as he can handle in traffic and distribute. Most importantly, he makes good decisions with the ball. As a result, his stock continues to rise.
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