Next Level Invitational Stock Raisers
July 8, 2008
9:30 P.M. CST
The Next Level Invitational held at Homestead High School in Mequon, WI featured several quality AAU programs from Illinois, with plenty of players from those teams looking to enhance their stock in front of college coaches. We attended the first two days of this event and during our time there three players in particular helped themselves the most. The following is an analysis of their performances.
Jordan Walker 6'6 Sr. WF South Holland (Seton Academy) Mean Streets
It appears as if it is official and that Walker is the second player to transfer to Seton Academy from Hales Franciscan, joining 5'9 point guard D.J. Cooper, who also plays for Mean Streets. At the Next Level Invitational, Walker was clearly Mean Streets' most consistent performer. We always knew that Walker is super athletic and a tremendous finisher, but he also impressed us with his wing skills, including the ability to put the ball on the floor as well as pull up and drill shots from beyond the 3-point arc. He is also strong around the basket, as he rebounds well and is a consistent scorer inside. There is work to be done in the classroom, but we really like Walker's overall skills set. A number of D2 programs are hoping that Walker "falls through the cracks", although in all honesty we must say that is probably wishful thinking on their part. With that being said, Illinois State is a D1 school that is keeping a watchful eye.
Philip Jackson 6'7 Jr. PF Chicago (Providence-St. Mel) Mac Irvin Fire 16-Under
Jackson was only in attendance on the first day, but we thought that he was the best player on the 16-under Mac Irvin Fire squad in their game vs. the Iowa Barnstormers. Jackson is highly athletic and consistently active around the basket. He gets after it on the glass, has the ability to block shots and runs the floor and finishes well. Offensively, Jackson also showed that he is capable of facing up and knocking down mid-range jumpers. There is no question that he puts forth tremendous effort, which is why we believe that he has as much up side as any front court player in Illinois from the class of 2010. Jackson presently has scholarship offers from Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois, Indiana State and Eastern Illinois and we expect several others to start getting involved as time goes on.
Stanford Brown 6'7 Sr. PF Chicago (Whitney Young) Mac Irvin Fire 17-Under
Brown has really picked up his game over the course of the past month and his performance at the Next Level Invitational may have been the icing on the cake. Simply put, Brown has improved leaps and bounds over what we saw from him during his junior season at Whitney Young. Playing against top-notch competition, Brown proved vs. a loaded Lou Will The Elite team that he can score in the low post as well as face up and hit shots along the baseline and in the lane. But maybe even more impressive was Brown's defensive effort, as he showed his ability to defend in the interior and also block shots. The bottom line is that right now Brown is playing more aggressively than we have ever seen and with a high level of confidence. Brown is drawing a high level of recruiting interest from Illinois-Chicago and Associate Head Coach Mark Coomes watched all of Brown's games during the first two days. Could the Next Level Invitational have been Brown's coming out party? Time will tell.
Additional Notes From Next Level Invitational
... Another player who may not be a stock raiser but has gotten it done every time we have watched him is 6'5 Troy Snyder from Bolingbrook High School in Bolingbrook, IL, who runs with R.B.S. Snyder is a tremendous athlete with a great nose for the ball. He is a strong finisher, rebounds extremely well and is a consistent mid-range scorer. He probably falls into the "tweener" category right now, as he needs to work on extending his range and perfecting his jump shot, but there are certainly a lot of things to like. Northern Illinois and Illinois-Chicago have offered scholarships, while Wisconsin-Green Bay, Evansville, Northern Iowa and Western Illinois are showing considerable interest.
... The first day of action also offered our first extensive look at 6'3 class of 2009 shooting guard Malcolm Herron from Downers Grove South High School in Downers Grove, IL. Herron is a valuable addition to the Mean Streets team, as he can undoubtedly fill it up from downtown. He has a sweet looking stroke from 3-point land and also has the ability to slash and get to the basket with the left hand. However, his right hand needs considerable improvement, which is why his overall handle still needs some work. Herron was absent on the second day, as he left to attend summer school and was expected to return once tournament play began. Illinois State, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Loyola-Chicago are schools that have already begun to express interest. We look forward to monitoring Herron even more closely at the NIKE Peach Jam.
... A player who we find intriguing is 6'5 James Gill from Walter Payton Academy in Chicago, who plays for the Illinois Stars. Gill is drawing a wide range of college interest, all the way from low D1s to schools at the D3 level. While he doesn't do anything spectacular, he plays intelligently and is a fierce competitor. Not only that, but Gill can rebound and also has the ability to convert shots from beyond the arc. We label him a true sleeper, which is why it will be interesting to see what college level he ends up at.
... While he may not receive the hype that some of the other highly-touted point guards in Illinois from the class of 2011 do, keep a close eye on 5'10 George Marshall from Brooks High School in Chicago, who competes on the traveling team circuit with the Illinois Hawks. We absolutely love his leadership traits and his toughness, as he doesn't back down from anybody. He has outstanding quickness to the basket and has shown that he can consistently hit big shots under pressure.
... Although we still love his game, 5'10 class of 2011 point guard Donivine Stewart from Limestone High School in Bartonville, IL did not turn in one of his better overall performances at the Next Level Invitational. On the first day vs. the Milwaukee Running Rebels, Stewart struggled with the Rebels' quicker and more athletic guard tandem, as he did not shoot well and was more turnover-prone than we are accustomed to seeing. While he started out slow on the second day, Stewart finally got it going in the second half vs. the All Iowa Attack, as he scored consistently by slashing and consistently beating defenders to the basket from the top of the key. He spent a lot of time playing off the ball, which we though was a mistake, as he is much better with the ball in his hands.
... Kudos goes out to event coordinator Antonio Curro of NY2LA Sports, who ran a well-organized event and did an outstanding job of dealing with some extremely tough circumstances, including a couple of teams having to forfeit games on account of leaving the second day in order for their players to attend summer school.
D1 Schools In Attendance At Next Level Invitational (Listed Alphabetically)
Army
Ball State
Butler
Central Florida
Chicago State
Columbia
Coppin State
Cornell
Creighton
DePaul
Detroit
Drake
Evansville
Howard
Illinois-Chicago
Illinois State
Indiana State
IUPUI
Iowa
Iowa State
Kent State
Loyola-Chicago
Marquette
Michigan State
Montana State
Murray State
NC State
North Dakota State
Northern Illinois
Northern Iowa
Oregon State
Providence
Santa Clara
SIU-Edwardsville
South Dakota State
TCU
Toledo
Washington State
Western Illinois
Wichita State
Wisconsin
Wisconsin-Green Bay
Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Wright State
D2 Schools In Attendance
Hillsdale
Lewis
Minnesota State
Upper Iowa
Winona State
Wisconsin-Parkside
Wisconsin-Platteville
D3 Schools In Attendance
Chicago
Edgewood
Lake Forest
Lawrence
St. Norbert
Wartburg
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.
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