Abrams vs. Boatright Matchup, 2011 Hidden Gems Among The Highlights At Illinois Spot-Lite Fall Showcase

September 27, 2009

11:30 P.M. CST

Once again, no other scouting service put in more quality time at this year's Illinois Spot-Lite Fall Showcase than Illinois Prep Bulls-eye.  Others may be in the gym, but the bottom line is they aren't really watching anything, yet they can give great descriptions of players based on nothing more than looking at their physical makeup and then end up leaving early.  We, on the other hand, actually watch the players play, which is why the following writeup provides the most thorough analysis of this event that will be found anywhere on the internet.

The Marquee Matchup--Abrams vs. Boatright

... From a sheer talent standpoint, the best individual matchup of the day featured a battle between two of the premier guards in Illinois from the class of 2011, as 6'1 University Of Illinois commit Tracy Abrams from Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago did battle against 5'11 Ryan Boatright from East Aurora High School in Aurora, IL.  In reality, Abrams and Boatright did not guard one another and both players were guilty of trying to do a bit too much at times.  However, in the end we would have given the clear-cut advantage to Abrams.  While just about every superlative under the sun has been used to describe Abrams' game, we think that the best compliment that can be rendered is that he is a true "gamer."  Simply put, Abrams does what it takes to win games, and that is exactly what he did once again versus Boatright and company as he took over the contest down the stretch.  Abrams has skills which are unparallelled amongst any of the other top back court prospects in the state from the 2011 class, including the ability to drive and dish while still managing to play under control, go coast-to-coast and finish in transition, and drill jumpers with regularity from beyond the arc.  It is therefore no wonder that we are in complete agreement with the following quote which was made by a source close to the University of Illinois men's basketball program shortly after the Illini received their commitment from Abrams: "Tracy Abrams is the kind of player you can win a national championship with."

Boatright, meanwhile, showed his usual explosiveness to the basket and was superb at getting out on the break and finishing.  While he did drill some trifectas, his shot selection was wild overall.  Playing in an AAU or exposure shootout type of setting, you don't always get to see his point guard skills, as he tends to play more off the ball in these environments.  We guarantee that will be a different story once the high school season begins.  With that being said, Boatright definitely has the ballhandling and playmaking skills which in our minds make him among the top four point guard prospects in Illinois' 2011 class, along with Abrams, 6'2 Chasson Randle from Rock Island High School in Rock Island, IL and 5'11 George Marshall from Brooks High School in Chicago.

Class Of 2010 Sleepers

... 6'7 class of 2010 post prospect Chris Olivier from Seton Academy in South Holland, IL has probably not gotten the respect that he deserves up until now, but he continues to grow on us the more we watch him.  The bottom line is that the big lefty goes to war in the paint and has shown vast improvement in terms of what he gets done.  Olivier uses his body well to establish post position and has become an effective scorer with his back to his basket, as he is extremely tough to move on the block.  He also has good hands and attacks the glass.  We don't believe that he is a mid-major prospect as some others are saying, but we now clearly believe that he can play at the D1 level.

... The Illinois Spot-Lite Fall Showcase may have marked the best performance that we have seen to date from 5'8 class of 2010 point guard Isiah Hale from Springfield High School in Springfield, IL.  Hale has great quickness with the ball and showed his ability to consistently get to the basket and break down defenses.  We also really like his toughness and the strength that he possesses despite being only 5'8.  He needs to become more consistent from the perimeter and yes, his size will hamper him at the next level, which is why we are not yet ready to call him a D1 prospect, but there is no question that he would make a lot of small colleges extremely happy.

Class Of 2011 Stock-Raisers And Hidden Gems

... We have always been huge fans of 6'5 James Crockett from Crete-Monee High School in University Park, IL and we find reasons to like his game even more each time we watch him.  Crockett is a tremendous athlete who plays hard at both ends of the floor and is a strong rebounder and finisher.  However, what has really enabled him to boost his stock is the improved form and expanded range that he has begun to show on his jump shot.  Simply put, he has considerable upside, which is why we currently regard him as an ideal mid-major recruit with the potential to go higher should be manage to totally shed the tweener tag.

... Tracy Abrams is not the only guard at Mt. Carmel.  When we first heard that 6'2 class of 2011 off-guard Adonis Filer was giving up football to concentrate solely on basketball, we were more than a bit skeptical.  However, Filer has shown us that he is a D1 basketball prospect in his own right.  Filer is athletic and exceptionally strong for his size.  He has a great nose for the ball and plays with reckless abandon underneath, where he is not afraid to challenge the big boys.  In addition, he also gets to the basket with regularity.  Moreover, Filer continues to show improvement with respect to his ball handling and perimeter shooting skills and although he is still not completely refined in these areas he is already considerably better than he was a year ago.  That is why we believe that ultimately Filer will possess enough all-around skills to make him an attractive prospect for a number of D1 programs.

... The three top hidden gem prospects at the Illinois Spot-Lite Fall Showcase from the class of 2011 all played on the same team--6'7 Josh Piper from Centennial High School in Champaign, IL; 6'2 Kyle Anderson from Newark High School in Newark, IL and 5'10 Zach Miller from Glenbard East High School in Lombard, IL.  Piper showed us some nice versatility, including the ability to step out and convert shots from beyond the 3-point line and finish consistently on the break.  He has good hands and runs the floor well and above everything else is intriguing.  Piper plays on a high school team that includes two D1 recruits from the class of 2010 in 6'3 wing forward Rayvonte Rice (Drake) and 6'8 Jeff Johnson (Eastern Kentucky) and should be the best in downstate Illinois next season.

Anderson showed us that he is a solid perimeter shooter who also has some bounce to his game.  He looks comfortable pulling up from behind the 3-point stripe and is also capable of battling inside for points.  We admittedly need to watch him more, but we like what we saw today.

We know that it sounds clicheish, but it is easy to see that Miller is a coach's son (his father is the varsity boy's basketball coach at Glenbard East).  Miller has terrific court vision, is adept at pushing the ball up the floor, makes good decisions and can keep defenses honest from downtown when left unattended. 

Remember The Names 

... Two names that should be added to the list of prospects from the class of 2013 in Illinois are Marvie Keith from Crete-Monee High School in University Park, IL and Shamar Tucker from Lincoln Park High School in Chicago.  Keith is a 5'7 point guard who has a solid handle, tremendous quickness and plays with no fear.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to see all of his capabilities in the game that we watched, as Keith was sidelined after turning his ankle in the second half.  Tucker has 3-point shooting range, is effective in transition and has excellent passing skills.  We really like the on-court demeanor of both of these young men, as they play with great poise and maturity.

A Huge Kudos...

To Larry Butler and all of his colleagues associated with the Illinois Warriors and the Illinois Spot-Lite Fall Showcase for their first-class hospitality and for once again running an event which is undoubtedly one of the best in Illinois during the Fall period.

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.