Swish-N-Dish Day 1
By: tachevskidejan 
April 12, 2013

I began my day in Milwaukee Lutheran watching the 16U Illinois Old School vs. Iowa Elite. There one was kid that stuck out his name is Luke Belcaster (Morton High School), being a coaches son, he already has great fundamentals. Luke is a very capable shooter who has a nice lift on his shot. Plays mostly off the ball right no but shows he's more than capable of handling the point. Almost needs to dam and the point down the stretch as his teammates simply can't get the ball in his hands enough. Cool on-court demeanor. Luke also has two older brothers Joe who formerly played at nearby Depaul and Rocco who is currently a freshman at Ball State.

Fullpackage Elites' Karl Harris -6'3" (De La Salle High School, Class of 2015) was one of the more impressive athletes I saw all weekend at Swish N Dish. He has a capable shot that can at times extend out to three point range with an impressive form as he does a good job of keeping his elbow beneath the ball. while shooting. Shows a nice repertoire of moves in the open court and has a knack for making open court steals. He does need to be a little more consistent overall throughout the game. Had one of the more impressive plays of the weekend one a missed dunk attempt mind you, when he skied over two (attempting to box out) defenders for a rebound on a tip dunk just barely missing. This kid has serious potential and is very intelligent, well mannered, and most importantly very driven. Karl also has a cousin who played at Miami Florida from '03-'07.

Another 2015 player that caught my eye was Hammond Hurricanes' Je'Juan Payton (Seton Academy). This kid is a total throw back point and he was refreshing to watch. This left is as smooth as they come on the court. While he didn't shoot the ball particularly well all weekend he still showed why he is a stud in the making with his command, passing, defensive pressure on the ball, and his ability to navigate his team both offensively and defensively. What most caught my eye is whenever the game got tight his team turned to him and he delivered. Talking after the game he really came off as a smart kid who seems more than ready to take that next step. Needs to show more consistency on his jump shot.

16U Wisconsin Blizzard had one of the more hidden gems of the weekend in Tay Jackson- 6' (Port Washington High School, Wisconsin). The first thing that stuck out to me about Jackson was his footwork. Not once was he off balance on a shot nor did he never not square up to the basket. This kid can do it all as he defends his position well, a good athlete with very nice bounce as he showcases here:

He shows room for improvement in handling the ball, and he needs to be more consistent with his effort.

Another 16 U Wisconsin Blizzard Zack Baun-6'3"(West Bend East High, Wisconsin) was also very impressive. He shows a smooth game and is capable of taking his talents to the next level. He is more of the engine of this team if you will getting rebounds, setting solid screens and getting good position offensively, as he has a high basketball IQ. Does a good job of keeping the ball high on rebounds and shows a nice mid range jumper that extends to 17 feet. Can use some work staying low on defense and damping the ball more as he at times can become complacent and let his teammates dictate things.

16U Iowa Kingdoms' Emmanuel Mabior- 5'11"-6" (Lincoln High School, Iowa) was another impressive guard. No moment is to big for this kid as he repeatedly showed an ability to glide past defenders, get into the lane and dish to his teammates who were wide open. Handles the ball extremely well with both hands and he just looks at ease out on the court. Can be more aggressive and can use work on his jump shot which isn't bad just needs to be a little more consistent with his form.

15U Ohio Warriors had a few studs in the making in 6'7" Seth Towns(Northland High School, Ohio), Mark Fair II -6'2", and Mathew Moyer- 6'5" (Gahanna Lincoln High School, Ohio).

Seth Towns the minute you look at him you are enamored with him physically as he moves smooth like a guard but has the ability to play very effectively on the post both offensively and defensively. He shoots very well all the way out to three point range, rebounds at a high rate but not just because he's big but because he does a solid job of getting good position with his base and gets low. Shows nice timing blocking shots as well. At this point he just needs to keep working fundamentally and learn to take over games as I believe his potential pretty high based not only on his ability on the court but also because he is a very bright kid who seems to really love playing the game and being around his teammates.

Mark Fair II is like a honey badger on the court as he was constantly hustling and making plays. Whether that be scoring, making plays for his teammates or making a play on defense. Fair II is a very capable scorer as he a very effective shooter while also doing a nice job of getting into the lane and finishing. Uses his body very well. Rebounds very well for his position and shows a nice ability to use both hands. I think if he tightens a few things up including some simple mechanics with his jump shot it could make it a little more consistent and thus making him even more effective offensively. An energizer to watch from start to finish.

Mathew Moyer was another impressive post player who also shows a nice tough that extends to three point range. Showed a knack for getting timely rebounds and every time Moyer got his feet set for a shot he made the shot, not just making them but not even touching rim. Plays with a lot of energy and seems to really like playing the game, had a monster one handed jam. At this point just needs to work on staying low defensively and improving his foot speed. However, I think Moyer is going to be on the rise as it looks like he has a bunch more growing to do.

All three of these kids are very bright kids who are intelligent academically, very well mannered and all were starting on their respective varsity squads as freshman in high school.

16U Wisconsin Magic squad featured a dominant big man in Dylan Hamlin-6'10" (Wausau East High School, Wisconsin). Hamlin shows a bevy of nice moves in the post. Does an excellent job of keeping the ball high on rebounds and does a pretty nice job of getting good position, however on defense he could get a little better in the category. Has good defensive instincts and does a nice job of making himself a presence on defense. Blocks a ton of shots and disrupts even more. Is a very driven kid and wants to be a very good player and it shows. At the point if he can get some more upper body strength and pack on a little more weight he will have some serious interest if not already.

17U Illinois Predetors had two impressive players in James Stonikas and Kyle Wilhour.

James Stonakis is such a sound fundamental player. He is a left who is just crafty around the basket. I only got a small showing from his because he had back troubles, however what I saw was a kid who has a nice outside inside game who has a capable handle, and can finish with both hands at the rim. Needs to want "it" more.

Kyle Wilhour is a made basket waiting to happen. If he is open the ball is going in. Has a great touch from mid range however he is lethal from  three. Shows nice effort defensively and has a knack for making big time shots. Tough competitive kid. Needs to improve a bit on his foot speed and shooting off the dribble.

15U NLP featured a young big man in Carlton Williams 6'8" (West Aurora H.S, Illinois). While still a very raw prospect at this point Williams shows some serious potential. He has a knack for finding the open spot on offense, has a smooth jumper out to fifteen feet, and shows decent timing when blocking shots. Noticed a few times on rebounds he brought the ball down and was stripped, so he needs to keep the ball higher. Needs to improve on staying lower on defense, ball handling, getting stronger physically, and improve his defensive awareness. That being said he is still a load to deal with at this stage.

Te'Jon Lucas (Shorewood High School, Wisconsin) was impressive for his DTA Spartan's 15U squad. For a little guy this kid plays with heart. A gritty point guard who excels under pressure. A very exciting player to watch and is almost a showman on the court. You can tell Lucas loves to plays the game and he seems to relish a chance at playing defense on a good player. Orchestrates his team and has a very good handle with the ball. Has a nice shooting touch from the three point line, and scores in bunches. As long as he tightens up a little on offense and continues to get stronger he is going to be a heck of a player. Made huge plays in the clutch.

17U Kindom's squad featured a feisty guard in Jack Green-6'1" (Dowling Catholic, Iowa). Green shows great form shooting the ball and has a solid mid range and 3 point game. Green is very active both offensively and defensively and shows a great feel for the game. Biggest thing that stuck out to me about Green was that he's not scared of anyone as he attempted to dunk once on two defenders and again on another player on a fast break, both missed but the kid showed serious heart.

Brandon Hollins- 6'4" (Jennings High School, St. Louis) Hollins is a very skilled wing who can mix it up and do a lot of things. He is capable holding his own down low in the post however is most effective slashing to the basket and finishing around the rim as he showed a nice ability to do so with both hands. Was an elite scorer this past year averaging 18 points a game for Jennings. Really glides to the rim and shows really good hustle. Simply needs to get more confident handling the ball to take his game to the next level.

 

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