The third edition of the Chicago Elite Classic took place
over a two day span this past weekend at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
While the event did not have the star wattage like it did in the past (Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor, Stanley
Johnson, Cliff Alexander, Tyler Ulis, Stephen Zimmerman, Chase
Jeter, etc) there were many high major division one players in attendance.
Top Player:
Rawle Alkins, 6’5”,
G/F, Christ the King (NY), 2016
The next New York superstar? Rawle Alkins certainly played like it on Saturday night. He
dominated all parts of the game as he led Christ the King to an 87-56 blowout
over the local St. Rita squad. Both Catholic schools battled hard in the first
quarter, but Alkins helped turn the game into a blowout with a 28 point, seven
assist, six rebound, and five steal performance. The powerful wing scored in a
variety of ways. He buried deep three’s (finishing with four on the night),
threw down powerful dunks, and finished with contact in the lane. Minus a brief
stretch in the second quarter when Alkins got a bit out of control, he was a
man amongst boys. He finished 11-16 from the floor and fed teammates on the
break and in the half-court set for easy baskets. Built like Lance Stephenson,
Alkins had no problem showing off his New York style when matched up with
Kentucky bound guard Charles Matthews. Catching the ball on the left wing,
Alkins gave Matthews a few moves before ducking his right shoulder and
finishing in the lane. Alkins is currently ranked No. 31 in the junior class by
Scout.com, but his stock is set to rise.
Top Team:
Simeon (IL)
Simeon, a Chicago public league power lost in sectional play
last year after winning four straight Illinois state championships with Jabari
Parker. The Wolverines were young last year, but now the team returns in full
and looks to reclaim its title as the top team in the state. As one of the two
hosts (Whitney Young was the other) of the tournament Simeon played in the
Saturday nightcap against big man Elijah Thomas and Lancaster, one of the top
teams from Texas. It was a competitive game for three quarters, but the
overwhelming depth of Simeon wore Lancaster down and ran away in the fourth
quarter with an 87-72 victory. Simeon starts three seniors headed to Big 10
schools in DJ Williams (Illinois), Ed Morrow (Nebraska), and Isaiah Moss (Iowa) in addition to two
talented juniors in Zach Norvell and
Ben Coupet. Off the bench, Simeon
first brought a “platoon” of five younger players in with talented freshman Kezo Brown running the show in a smooth
and steady fashion. Simeon will face some tough competition in the future in
Morgan Park (IL) and Bishop Gorman (NV), but they passed their first test with
ease in the Classic.
Standout
Performers:
Ed Morrow, 6’7”, PF,
Simeon (IL), 2015, Nebraska
A “no frills” big man, Simeon’s power forward Ed Morrow stole the show despite facing
the more highly touted Elijah Thomas. The future Cornhusker finished with 22
points, five rebounds, and five blocks. He showed a solid pair of hands down
low and threw down numerous two hand dunks throughout the game. More than just
a dunker, Morrow also impressed with his mid-range game. Last year Morrow held
future top draft pick Jahlil Okafor in check and this year he did the same with
Thomas. Morrow is only rated as a three-star recruit, but he will have an
impact at Nebraska as soon as he steps on campus. In a few years, observers
will wonder where the respect was for Simeon’s big man.
Zach Norvell, 6’3”,
SG, Simeon (IL), 2016
The smooth shooting lefty guard started the game off by
hitting a three and stayed hot throughout finishing with 18 points. Norvell did
damage last year as a sophomore and is Simeon’s main threat from the perimeter.
He never went on his own personal scoring run as Norvell managed to score consistently
throughout the game. In addition to his 18 points, he also added six rebounds
and four assists.
Frank Jackson, 6’3”,
G, Lone Peak (UT), 2016
The 2014-15 version of Lone Peak looked just a tad different
than the last Lone Peak squad that came out to Chicago for the Classic. In
2012, Lone Peak featured three stars in Nick
Emery, TJ Haws, and Eric Mika. This year, junior guard
Frank Jackson ran the show with some help from sophomore Christian Popoola. In a close overtime loss, Jackson finished with
28 points and seven rebounds. He was able to power his way to the basket with his
size and strength and also hit several three’s after a slow start in the first
quarter. Jackson de-committed from BYU in November and is a hot prospect due to
his size and ball skills.
Other Notes:
Massachusetts bound, Luwane
Pipkins struggled with his outside shot all game against Lone Peak but
still had the confidence to drain the game winning three point shot from the
right corner. He scored 14 points on 4-17 shooting and never got in a rhythm,
but he did hit the most important shot of the game.
While Pipkins struggled for Bogan, senior 5’9” guard Tom Johnson picked up the slack scoring
15 points.
Rawle Alkins was the star for Christ the King, but Tyrone Cohen was also impressive
scoring 22 points. The 6’3” junior guard scored from inside and outside the arc
and also ran the floor with ease on the fast break.
Kentucky bound Charles
Matthews scored 16 points for St. Rita in a loss, but struggled with his
shot shooting below 40% for the game. In the second half he connected on two
three’s from the right wing, but missed a handful of others and never really
impacted the game as expected. When Matthews is able to step into his jump shot
and elevate properly his shot looks good, but more often than not the ball
either falls short or is all over the rim.
Elijah Thomas was
the attraction for Lancaster, but he struggled to impact the game and was
saddled with foul trouble throughout. Point guard Deon Barrett used his speed to get to the basket and kick out to
teammates on the wing. 5’7” guard Dominique
Fobbs came off the bench and hit 7 out 10 three’s on the game. Also, senior
guard Antwon Portley showcased a
nice skill-set hitting several three’s and using his length to finish down low.
The most anticipated match-up of the high school season is finally
here. On Friday night two of the top players in the country will face-off for
Chicago bragging rights. 6’10” Jahlil
Okafor of Whitney Young and 6’8” Cliff
Alexander of Curie are set to do battle in the Chicago Public League
Championship. The two five-star prospects have been on a collision course since
Day 1 of their senior seasons when both put on dominating performances at the
Chicago Elite Classic and finally get to go head to head.
Curie is currently the No. 1 ranked team in the state of Illinois while
Whitney Young is right behind them at No. 2. Curie is ranked No. 3 in the
country by MaxPreps while Whitney Young is ranked No. 15. Both teams have a
recent history with the Chicago Public League championship game. In 2012 Curie
made it to the city championship where they lost to a Jabari Parker led Simeon squad and last year Whitney Young took
home the championship. Both teams were favored to make it this far in 2014, but
they both had close calls in the quarterfinals and then again in the semi-finals.
Curie defeated Hyde Park in a squeaker 58-56 while Whitney Young needed a
massive comeback to top Orr 55-53. The top two teams in the city get to meet up
for the first time this year; however all eyes will be on the men in middle.
Up until the past few months Cliff Alexander always lived in the
shadow of Jahlil Okafor. Earlier in their high school careers, Okafor was
always regarded as a Top 5 player while Alexander lagged behind in the low
teens. As a junior Alexander started to close the gap, but it was Okafor who
put together a dominant junior campaign that earned him honors as the top
player in the country. Okafor played on the Nike EYBL AAU circuit while
Alexander toiled in relative obscurity playing for the D Rose All-Stars before
they teamed up this past summer. Even when it came time to make a college
decision, Alexander got second billing and had his announcement bumped in order
to highlight Okafor’s announcement on ESPNU. Now as a senior, Alexander is
attempting to surpass his talented classmate and could do so with a strong
performance Friday night.
Senior
Season Comparison:
Alexander and Okafor have put together outstanding senior
campaigns; however Alexander has been outright transcendent at all times. He
started the season off with a 22 point, 20 rebound, and five block performance
against Bishop Gorman which featured two five-star junior big men in Stephen Zimmerman and Chase Jeter who were rendered useless.
Alexander used this game to jump start a string of impressive double-double
efforts that always included rim-rattling dunks and monster blocks. He got to
show off his dominance to the nation in January at the HoopHall Classic when he
led a come from behind victory over the then No. 1 ranked Montverde. In this
game he went for 30 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks.
While Alexander’s been busy putting up ridiculous stat lines and
highlight reel jams, Okafor has quietly gone about his business. After
dominating play his junior year while winning the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year award over Parker, Okafor has
been forced to deal with constant double and triple teams in addition to
frequent foul trouble. Despite the extra attention, Okafor has certainly shown
why many consider him to be the top player in the county. In the City of Palms
third place game Okafor shot 8-9 from the field and tallied 22 points and 23 rebounds.
In the Les Schwab Invitational over the Christmas holidays he averaged 31
points and 12.5 rebounds.
Past
Match-Ups:
Okafor and Alexander have faced off before. The first time came in
a regular season game when both were sophomores and then last year the two faced
off in the Argo semi-final sectionals. Both games could be considered a draw in
terms of head to head match-ups while Alexander’s team won the first game it
was Whitney Young who won last year. In their sophomore match-up Alexander put
up 10 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks while battling foul trouble. Okafor
scored nine points to go along with eight rebounds with all four baskets coming
right at the rim. As juniors it was Okafor who got in foul trouble early and
finished with 13 points to Alexander’s 14. In both games, Curie played a
majority of zone defense which only allowed for brief moments over mano y mano
action. Guard play was a key in both victories as the two big men basically
cancelled each other out. In 2012, it was the Curie guards who stepped up,
while in 2013 it was future Hoya, L.J.
Peak who led the way with 23 points.
THE
MATCH-UP:
The two players are a contrast in styles. Okafor is a true big man
with a well refined arsenal in the post. With huge hands and a powerful body, he
loves to overpower people down low. Okafor is able to hold the ball out like a
tennis ball before backing his defender down for a bucket. He loves to catch
the ball on the right block and take one to two dribbles before utilizing a
left to right spin move. The advantage goes to Okafor when it comes to low post
moves, but Alexander shines in other departments. Alexander, with his broad
shoulders and long stride is a freak of an athlete. He runs the floor hard and
fast and attempts to rip the rim down every chance he gets. He attacks the
glass hard and is relentless pursuing the ball. He is a monster in the paint on
the defensive end and tries to block every shot he sees, usually with great success.
His low post game is not nearly as refined as Okafor’s (although its steadily
improving) but he does like to shoot a right handed hook when he isn’t busy
dunking on helpless defenders.
Okafor and Alexander are both once in a generation type players
and they get to go against each other with city bragging rights on the line. What
could be better than that? While the individual match-up will get the hype, if
the past two years has taught us anything it’s that the match-up will most
likely be dead even. That means someone other than the five-star big men will
need to step up to help decide the outcome. The most likely candidate would be
Whitney Young’s Paul White. The
future Georgetown Hoya is a 6’8” match-up nightmare but has been slowed by a
leg injury this past week. With White not 100 percent, it could be Curie junior
guard Josh Stamps that could provide
the deciding edge.
Chicago has been the king of high school basketball over the past
few years. Three years ago it was Chicago native Anthony Davis, who came out of nowhere to become the top player in
the class of 2011. He subsequently led Kentucky to a national championship in
2012 and then became the No. 1 draft pick soon thereafter. After Davis, it was
Sports Illustrated cover boy Jabari Parker who won four straight Illinois state
titles with Simeon and is now making his own run at the No. 1 draft slot. Now
it is the two big men, Okafor and Alexander who are kings of the city. As two
of the top players in their class they both have the city buzzing about this
being the biggest individual match-up in city history. No matter how the game
turns out, the big men battle part III will be a treat to witness.
The second
annual Chicago Elite Classic took place at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion
over the course of a full day on Saturday featuring seven games. Last year the
event was a crowd pleaser, but this year there were numerous Top 100 players,
nationally ranked teams, and even a buzzer-beater in a wild day of action. Here
is a look at what transpired when several of the top teams from Chicago faced
opponents from all over the country.
Game of the Night:
The final
match-up of the night featured Whitney Young, the top ranked team from Chicago
versus St. John Bosco from California which was a pre-season Top 10 team.
Whitney Young was led by the top ranked player in the country in center Jahlil Okafor along with Georgetown
commitment Paul White and St. Louis
commitment Myles Reynolds. St. John
Bosco featured five-star small forward Daniel
Hamilton (UConn commitment) and five-star junior guard Tyler Dorsey. Going against a thin frontline, Okafor was dominant
early on and scored 15 first half points. In his first game of his senior
season, Okafor looked to be in the best shape of his high school career and ran
the floor well while establishing a solid post presence down low. In the third
quarter senior guard Myles Reynolds emerged and went on a personal 7-0 as he
constantly broke free for fast break lay-ups and open three pointers. Whitney Young
took a 49-44 lead into the final quarter and with just under six minutes to go,
Okafor stopped receiving touches in the paint. At the same time, St. John Bosco
slowly began their comeback and took a 56-55 lead momentarily with 1:18 to go.
After Reynolds put Whitney Young up 57-56, sophomore guard Vance Jackson calmly
nailed a deep three early on in the possession to give Bosco a 59-57 lead.
Whitney Young answered again, this time with guard Anthony Mosley hitting a short jumper to tie the game and give St.
John Bosco the final possession. With 4.6 seconds on the clock, Hamilton caught
the ball at half-court, dribbled to his right and launched a fade away three at
the buzzer. Swish. As the ball ripped the net, Hamilton and his California
teammates celebrated joyfully as the hometown favorite walked off the court in
shock.
Top Players:
Daniel
Hamilton, 6’7” G/F, 2014, St. John Bosco
To go along
with his game winning shot, Hamilton scored 19 points and grabbed seven
rebounds and four assists. Playing in front of his future college coach Hamilton
came out firing with a mix of deep jumpers and baskets from close range. With
his length, there were times when Hamilton had the opportunity to attack Okafor
in the paint, and attack he did scoring on a short right hand hook in the 4th
quarter. At times Hamilton got too comfortable launching three’s from the wing
but he did come through in the clutch and propelled St. John Bosco to the upset
win.
Jahlil
Okafor, 6’11” C, 2014, Whitney Young
In the first
Chicago Elite Classic, Okafor dominated Dematha big man Beejay Anya and put up 34 points and 8 rebounds. Okafor did not
match that stat line this year, but he was every bit as dominant if not more
so. As mentioned above, he had 15 first half points and finished with 24 points
and 10 rebounds on 10-13 shooting. As usual he dominated down low, but also
displayed better conditioning and stroke at the free throw line (4-5). In the
first half, Okafor utilized his favorite left to right spin move in the lane
and hit a soft 7 footer and in the second half he caught the ball at the top of
the key and scored while driving down the lane in a half-court set. Despite the
loss, Coach K and Jeff Capel surely enjoyed watching their top recruit play as
they envisioned him down low in the post in Durham.
Myles
Reynolds, 6’3” G, 2014, Whitney Young
Last year
Reynolds was often the fourth option on Whitney Young. This year he might be
the second option and in his first game he led the way scoring wise with 25
points. Reynolds worked the two man game well with Okafor which resulted in
several open three point looks. He also scored on numerous fast break lay-up
attempts as he used his speed to beat the Bosco guards down the court. His
personal seven point scoring run got Mayor Rahm Emanuel out of his seat in the
second half.
Tyler
Dorsey, 6’4”, G, 2015, St. John Bosco
The athletic
shooting guard from the class of 2015 struggled with his shot going scoreless
in the first half but he picked it up in the second half and played fairly well
down the stretch. Given his ball handling, quickness, and jumping ability
Dorsey is one of the best at creating his own shot. In the second half he drove
down the lane and scored while getting fouled by Okafor and he also hit a three
from the wing. This was not one of Dorsey’s finer games but the talented
shooting guard didn’t get discouraged and was a key part in Bosco’s last second
win.
Vance
Jackson, 6’7” G/F, 2016, St. John Bosco
The surprise
of the nightcap, Jackson led the way for Bosco with 19 points, five of which
came on three pointers. His biggest shot came with under one minute left when
he launched a deep three from the top of the key to give his team a two point
advantage. In addition to his three point barrage, Jackson mixed in a few
drives to the basket. Just a sophomore, Jackson is quite an addition to this
talented California team.
Cliff
Alexander, 6’8”, PF, 2014, Curie
Alexander
went up against Stephen Zimmerman and Chase Jeter who are both ranked as Top 20
players in the class of 2015. Given the strength advantage Alexander had on
these two the match-up turned one sided very quickly. In a Curie win, Alexander
went for 22 points, 20 rebounds, and 5 blocks. He did all of his damage from
inside the paint and had some ferocious tip dunks throughout the game. His
motor and jumping ability allowed him to dominate the paint all game long as he
got both Zimmerman and Jeter in foul trouble. By controlling the paint on both
ends of the court, Alexander put on the most impressive display seen throughout
the day.
Stephen
Zimmerman, 6’11”, C, 2015, Bishop Gorman
Zimmerman’s
final stat line was 10 points and 13 rebounds but that was a bit misleading as
he was pretty much a non-factor throughout the game going 4-13 from the field.
In the second half he hit a nice looking 12 foot jump shot to go along with an
easy finish in transition; however Curie’s zone defense was too much to handle
as was the thought of facing Alexander down low.
Chase Jeter,
6’10”, PF/C, 2015, Bishop Gorman
Similar to
Zimmerman, Jeter also struggled throughout the game and was pretty much a
non-factor on offense for the majority of time on the court before he fouled
out in the fourth quarter. Jeter scored six points on 3-6 shooting. He started
the game off guarding Alexander and despite a significant weight disadvantage
he wasn’t scared and attacked Alexander on the offensive end when he had the
chance. In the fourth quarter, Jeter scored on a lefty hook over Alexander and
looked to pick up some confidence but unfortunately fouled out almost
immediately afterwards. While he was silent scoring wise, Jeter did have nine
rebounds and also looked to have put on some strength while getting a bit
taller during the fall.
DJ Williams,
6’7”, SF, 2015, Simeon
In the post
Jabari Parker era, Williams helped Simeon to a blowout victory in their first
game of the season. The silky smooth wing who committed to Illinois in the fall
scored 13 points in a variety of ways. In the first half he put together a
right to left handed crossover and finished with a left handed lay-up. In the
second half he hit a 15 foot jump shot and then followed that with a pull-up
from 10 feet. Williams is expected to be one of the go-to guys for the new look
Simeon squad and in his first game of his junior season he delivered.
Zach
Norvell, 6’4” G, 2016, Simeon
Norvell got
Simeon started on the right foot knocking down two three’s to start the game.
In the second half he added several shots inside the lane and finished with 13
points. The left hander was strong throughout and will give Simeon a strong guard
presence throughout the season.
Ed Morrow, 6’6”,
F, 2015, Simeon
Morrow came
alive in the second half when Simeon began its run to put the game out of
reach. Despite being undersized for his position, Morrow attacked the basket
hard and finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. As Simeon’s main big men,
Morrow attacked the taller Hamilton (TN) front line and used his length and
motor to make up for his height disadvantage.
Keelon
Lawson, 6’7” F, 2015, Hamilton
The older
Lawson brother had the green light to shoot and shoot he did as he filled up
the box score and kept his team in the game during the first half. In the
second half, Lawson kept on attacking but he also forced up a fair amount of
tough shots. He has good size and can play at almost every position but at
times can be careless with the basketball. He was an integral part of Hamilton’s
play in the first half, but tried to take the burden fully on himself in the
second half.
Tyler Ulis,
5’8”, PG, 2014, Marian Catholic
It didn’t
take long for Tyler Ulis to win over the fans that hadn’t seen the Kentucky
commitment play before. While he struggled from the outside going 0-6 from
three, Ulis was hard to stop off the dribble although Etiwanda guard Dominick Alexander did an admirable job
in trying. Ulis finished with 30 points and attacked the basket at will.
Despite his height, Ulis has great body control and never once got his shot
blocked in the lane. With the ball being used like a yo-yo, Ulis got free for
lay-ups, floaters, short jumpers and fade-aways. Despite the loss, no one
doubted the diminutive point guard afterwards.
Bryant
Crawford, 6’2”, PG, 2015, Gonzaga
It was a
forgettable shooting day for junior guard Bryant Crawford in the windy city as
he went 1-11 from the field and finished with five points. Crawford settled for
deep jump shots throughout the game despite his ability to get into the lane
against St. Rita’s. On two possessions in the half court set, Crawford exploded
to the basket and got to the rim on one dribble. He also attacked the right
side well when coming off a pick and roll. Despite the trepid shooting
performance, Crawford did register 10 assists and had numerous nice looks to
teammates in the half court as well as transition.
Dominique
Matthews, 6’2”, G, 2014, St. Rita
Matthews
stole the show in the morning session and put up 34 points which was the high
amount for the Classic. He got into the lane at will and spurred a 3rd
quarter run that gave St. Rita’s a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Matthews
showed off some fancy moves in getting to the basket including an around the
back spin move that resulted in an And-1. The senior guard is over-shadowed by
his younger brother but Dominique has put on an impressive showing to kick off
his last year.
Other Notes:
·Etiwanda
(CA) defeated Tyler Ulis’ Marian Catholic squad and did so with the largest
cheering section of the day. With a fan base of 60 wearing gray Etiwanda shirts
it appeared as though a large contingent had made the trip from California. Instead
it was a homecoming of sorts for head coach Dave Kleckner who was one of eight children growing up in Aurora.
His brother’s, sisters, nieces, and nephews attended the game and cheered
throughout.
·The top
player on Etiwanda is senior point guard Jordan
McLaughlin who is committed to USC. He scored 17 points on 7-10 shooting
and put together a solid performance. Senior forward Kenny Barnes led the way with 24 points and junior forward Kameron Edwards added in 16 points and
nine rebounds.
·6’9” center Jordan Naughton was forced to sit out
the game due to California transfer rules but becomes eligible on January 6 for
one of the top teams in Southern California.
·Senior guard
Noah Robotham scored 30 points for
Bishop Gorman and kept his team in the game with three point shooting. The 6’0”
guard hit 6-10 three’s on the night.
·6’8” junior
forward Sam Miller had a solid game
for the Gonzaga Eagles as he tallied 20 points and 6 rebounds. Miller was an
effective scorer in the low post and had a nice touch on his jump shot.
·Two freshmen
to keep an eye on are 5’6” point guard Chris
Lykes from Gonzaga and 6’8” forward Billy
Preston from St. John Bosco. Lykes might have been the smallest player to
take the court in Chicago but also turned out to be the quickest. In the first
half he blew by defenders and scored on several soft floaters. Meanwhile, Preston
started the game for St. John Bosco and ran the floor well showcasing a
promising future.
