Illinois-Based Underclass Prospects Emerge At Pangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph Camp

October 19, 2009

2:45 P.M. CST

The Pangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph Camp, which was held this past weekend at the Joy Of The Game Center in Deerfield, IL, always provides an ideal opportunity to watch some of the top freshman and sophomore high school basketball prospects from throughout the midwest region.  In addition, it often means that several youngsters emerge who were relatively unknown prior to their participation in this camp, and that was the case once again this year.  With that in mind, the following report provides a look at the Illinois-based prospects who caught our eye during our time in attendance at the Pangos event.

  •  Lorenzo Dillard     6'0     PG     2013     Evanston (Township) IL 

Probably the best overall prospect from Illinois that we saw during our time at this event.  Maybe it is because of his strong frame, but although he is listed at 6'0 to us it appeared as though he could actually be as big as 6'2.  Dillard showed that he is capable of playing either guard spot, although right now he is probably most effective with the ball in his hands.  He handles well, can attack the basket and can hit pullup jumpers from beyond the 3-point arc.  Like most young guards, Dillard will need to continue to improve upon his decision-making, but there is no question that he has all the tools to rank among the top prospects in Illinois from the 2013 class.

  • Milik Yarbrough     6'3     2G/WF     2014     Zion, IL 

After getting our first look at Yarbrough we couldn't believe that he is only in 8th grade.  Yarbrough already has skills that go well beyond his years and is a highly versatile offensive performer.  He has a smooth looking jumper, has 3-point range, and can put the ball on the floor.  Not only that, but he also showed that he can post up defenders and is extremely aggressive around the basket.  We don't make a habit of watching 8th graders on a regular basis, but at the present time we have not seen any others in the state of Illinois that are any better than Yarbrough.            

  • Lawrence Briggs     5'4     PG     2013     Chicago (Whitney Young) IL 

Briggs quickly became a fan favorite and dazzled the crowd with a number of long-range shots and some shake-and-bake moves that left defenders in their tracks.  He plays with a calm demeanor and a high level of confidence, which is why he isn't afraid of challenging anybody.  Briggs showed that he is a consistent 3-point shooter, can consistently get into the lane due to his outstanding quickness and is even capable of creating and getting his shot in traffic.  Being only 5'4, it is tough not to root for him and we do see several comparisons to Whitney Young class of 2010 point guard Ahmad Starks at the same stage.  Briggs left us asking an age-old question: "Does the talent pool at Whitney Young ever end?"

  • Jarod Davis     6'3     WF     2013     Skokie (Niles West) IL  

We are willing to bet that nobody had heard of Davis prior to this past weekend, but from what we saw at the Pangos camp, that is certain to change.  Davis is highly active in the paint area and despite his skinny frame he plays strong.  He is a consistent scorer around the basket, has good instincts on the glass, runs the floor well and finishes.  In addition, Davis also showed the ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the goal.  Perimeter shooting is still a question and thus he does currently fall on the tweener side.  However, seeing as though he plays extremely hard and is athletic, we believe that he sports considerable up side.  Plus he will be playing for a high school coach in Bob Williams who is one of the best at developing young talent.  

  • Mike Mache     6'6     PF       2012     Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West) IL
  • Matt Mache     6'6     WF      2012     Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West) IL

We have liked what these twins bring to the table every time we have seen them play, and their performances at the Pangos camp were no exception.  It is no surprise that they are similar in almost every way, as they are both lefties with most solid inside-outside games.  Right now Mike has better post skills and is the more aggressive player around the basket, while Matt is the more consistent 3-point shooter and in fact drilled six trifectas in the game that we watched.  However, both are capable of filling either of these roles and compliment one another perfectly.  In addition, they both get out on the break well and are effective in transition.  Their style of play is quite comparable to Glenbard West alum and current Northwestern University forward John Shurna and while they are not at that level just yet, we do believe that both will end up being very good college players.

  • Robert Knar     6'0     PG/2G     2013     Mundelein (H.S.) IL

Knar impressed us with his hard-nosed play and his ability to shoot the basketball.  He converted a number of shots from 3-point land and also showed that he can get up and down the floor and score in transition.  We would now like to see him continue to diversify his game even more and that is something that we think will come over the course of time.  He will be a part of a Mundelein team that is shaping up to be one of the best in Chicago's north suburbs this upcoming season.

Additional Notes 

... Illinois Kings head coach Greg Ktistou has confirmed that Kareem Amedu, a 6'5 forward from Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, IL has committed to St. Michael's College, a D2 school located in Colchester, Vermont.  Amedu recently enjoyed an outstanding official visit to St. Michael's and sees the Purple Knights as being a perfect fit. We thought that Amedu had the ability to play at the low D1 level because despite being a tweener, he is an outstanding rebounder for his size, has good hands, is a consistent back to the basket scorer and a strong finisher.  As a result, we see him being an absolute steal for Purple Knights head coach Tom O'Shea.  Amedu plays on a high school team at Neuqua Valley that will undoubtedly enter the upcoming season as one of the top-ranked teams in Illinois.

... We congratulate Chancellor Carter from Loyola Academy in Wilmette, IL on his decision to play football at Northwestern University.  We mention this because Carter is also a pretty good basketball player in his own right, having competed on the traveling team circuit with the Rising Stars.  While we will never profess to be football gurus, there is no question that Carter is a tremendous get for Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcat football program.

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