Now’s the time to Swish and tell
There were some new digs for NY2LA’s annual Swish N’ Dish event last weekend in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. But so much remained the same.
While the format was different, the talent remained the same. This always has been the kickoff to the club basketball spring season.
Meanstreets 17U is the best club team
There is no question that Meanstreets is the deepest, most talented club team in Illinois. They impressed at the event, even without two of their top players — Oak Forest’s 6-8 Robbie Avila and 6-7 Ty Rodgers out of Michigan, a top-100 talent nationally. But the talent still shined.
Meanstreets boasts the impressive and coveted 1-2 punch of Jalen Washington, a 6-8 forward out of Gary, Indiana, and Young’s 6-8 AJ Casey. Both are two of the top 30 players in the country in the Class of 2022 with highmajor offers.
Casey was one of three in-state Meanstreets prospects who stood out, along with Buffalo Grove’s Kam Craft and Glenbrook South’s Nick Martinelli.
Craft is that mid-major-plus prospect who will attract a lot of eyes during live evaluation time. He was very impressive over the course of the weekend.
Martinelli is a player who simply finds a way. The 6-7 forward will not wow you, but he’s crafty, productive and has an uncanny ability to make plays. If he can continue to show that he can face up and knock down perimeter shots, Martinelli’s stock will rise.
Other thoughts and observations
The Meanstreets 16U team looks the part with its size and length. But it struggled at times taking care of the ball and knocking down shots from the perimeter.
The group of 6-8 Donaven Younger, 6-8 Wes Rubin, 6-8 Miles Rubin, 6-6 Prince Adams, 6-5 Daniel Johnson and 6-4 Sam Lewis is a tantalizing one with size, length, tools and raw skills. They are all bona fide Division I prospects. But it’s going to take some time for this collective group to truly make its presence felt.
Jalen Griffith was one Meanstreets 16U player who showed an advanced game. The Simeon point guard is on the small side, but he’s a jitterbug who can make opponents uncomfortable with his wiggle, pull-up and dribble penetration.
Kenwood’s JJ Taylor is an individual highlight reel. The state’s top-ranked sophomore continued to dazzle at times while playing for Mac Irvin Fire over the weekend. He finishes acrobatically at the rim with his wiry length and emphatically with loud dunks.
Taylor remains a streaky shooter but improved shot selection will curtail a little of that. The 6-7 wing is a high-major talent.
The Mac Irvin Fire backcourt has a chance to be pretty good with former Fenwick star guard Trey Pettigrew and Simeon guard Jaylen Drane.
Three-point shooting never has been more important in the college game than it is today. That’s why Lake Forest’s Asa Thomas will attract college coaches in droves going forward. Now it’s a matter of what level those Division I coaches will be.
The 6-6 Thomas, who plays with the Illinois Wolves, has an effortless stroke from the three-point line. He’s an elite shooter off the catch as a spot-up shooter and can get his shot off with a rather quick release.
Yosef Oliff is a fun player to watch. The 6-0 guard from Niles North is smooth and natural when talking about his skill level at point guard. He handles it and sees the floor well. In fact, he’s one of the better natural passing lead guards you will find.
Oliff impressed while playing with his Fundamental U team and has a chance to be a scholarship player at the next level with a big spring and summer.
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