BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The NCAA’s fall evaluation period offers up plenty of opportunities for athletes and recruiters of every level.  You can find team events or individual events and you can find them from coast to coast.  If the Midwest was on your agenda you had over 13 certified options to chose from and if you narrowed it down to the Chicagoland area there were seven different events certified by the folks that make the rules.

While USJN and Blue Star offered up the main course with three marquee events that saw 198 college coaches in attendance, there were still several others that served as either appetizer or desert to kick off or wrap up the weekend.  One of those was Jerald Davis and the Chicago Hoops Express who once again played host to a combination team and individual jamboree at the impressive Hidden Cove Sportsplex in Bourbonnais.  Five separate states were represented by the 256 athletes on hand and the recruiters sitting courtside got a good look at some promising young prospects.

Here are just a few of the standouts who made the most of the last day of nonscholastic basketball until next April.

Senior Citizens

Normally the fall evaluation period isn’t much of a showcase for the current senior class but it would be hard not to take note of the play of undeclared Chicago native and Whitney Young standout Janee Thompson.  The 5-6 point guard’s constant and consistent attack was on display but she seems to be mixing things up much more and giving defenders even greater headaches.  She’s always been effective with her change of speed and change of direction but now seems at times to almost be toying with opponents.  Her looks were generally unchallenged as she left her match up lunging and hoping to recover time and again.  Her hesitation move also brought them out of their stance allowing her to accelerate by with ease on multiple occasions.  The pull up that’s been a staple of her game was sharp and reliable but there was an obvious effort to share the ball as well.  Several times she passed up shots that she normally would take and fed the ball to some of the younger teammates surrounding her.  On the defensive end she’s aggressive on ball and quick to follow the pass and trap even in exposure events just as she does on the high school level.

Bound for Western Illinois, another senior who had her moments was Charnelle Reed of Chicago Heights, Illinois.  The 5-10 guard out of Homewood Flossmoor is turning out to be an absolute steal for the folks in Macomb with her size, athleticism and constantly improving skill set.  Reed has impressive one on one instincts and the ability to create her own shot off the dribble.  She’s a factor in transition both with the ball in her hands or getting out and filling the lanes.  Her stature is somewhat upright at times but the defender who risks leaning in will find nothing but air.  The first step is quick and lengthy sealing defenders and necessitating defensive rotations.  The ability is there to finish in traffic but occasionally she’ll avoid the contact to get the shot off and end up off balance.  As she matures and adds strength she’ll become the kind of player who will find herself at the line time and again.  Her footspeed combines with her size and length to make her a strong backcourt defender who gets more than her share of touches and steals.

Youth Corps

Ky’ana French of Racine, Wisconsin is going to catch your eye even if you only glance at the court she’s playing on for just a moment.  Everything the 5-9 sophomore does is explosive and seems to have some flair to it.  That doesn’t mean the results are always what coaches might be looking for right now, but the potential the Case High School product shows is undeniable.  The physical tools are there as well as some individual skills that college coaches love to find.  The left hander has quickness and speed both with and without the ball.  She pushes it on the break and attacks in traffic with an uncanny ability to slash into gaps and create her own looks.  Her form and range are there on the perimeter and will force opponents to close out tightly and be vulnerable to her penetration.  Defensively she’s aggressive but also reckless and overplaying.  The tools are there to be a top tier defender if she can learn to play with more control and awareness.

Playing on a talented team Liza Fruendt of Batavia, Illinois isn’t the first player you’re going to notice.  However if you think like a coach and you keep watching the 5-9 point guard from Batavia High School it will become obvious that she’s getting some work done.  When you look at prospects you look for that one special aspect of their game that sets her apart.  What may set Fruendt apart is that there really isn’t that one single aspect of her game.  She’s more than a “Jack of All Trades” in the sense that she does a lot of things effectively and with sound skills which seems to be a harder and harder quality to find in players.  Her ballhandling is reliable both on the break and in halfcourt.  She sees the floor well and is more than willing to deliver the ball where and when it’s needed.  Her shot is fundamental the range appears to be there to keep defenders honest.  As a sophomore it’s not obvious yet what level she might ultimately play on but she’s one that’s going to put in the work and effort and make you watch closely.

If you’re looking for a 2014 point guard who simply gets the job done you might want to take a close look at Lauren Prochaska of Chicago and Trinity High School.  This wiry, young prospect is deceiving and has the tools to make any defender pay for taking her for granted.  Her ballhandling is effective with both hands and the passes she offers up have plenty of zip on them.  She sees the floor well in transition or in the halfcourt setting leading to good decisions on her part.  On the catch she accelerates with the ball often leaving her defender struggling to recover and leaving her with both scoring and passing options.  On the defensive end she’s active and anticipates well both on and off the ball.  Her slight build can be an issue at this point but the game she plays with offsets any lack of strength and provides lots of promise for when physical maturation kicks in.

Another sophomore who has a knack for getting things done is 5-10 Meghan Waldron of Wheaton, Illinois.  This 5-10 guard may well have been the hardest working playing on hand Sunday as she made play after play as result of sheer effort.  Don’t take that to mean that there aren’t any skills in place with this Wheaton South product.  She’s sound in the fundamental department but happens to apply them with a healthy dose of “whatever it takes” on both ends of the floor.  Offensively she’s aggressive both off the cut and off the drive.  She can get to the rim but also showed the ability to pull up for both the pass and the shot.  Her solid build adds a physical aspect to her attack and makes her effective in the paint as well as on the offensive boards.  She didn’t take that many from deeper on the perimeter but the form and stroke looked solid on the ones she did.  Defensively Waldron isn’t going to match up with the ultra quicks in the backcourt but she’ll more than hold her own with many who have quicker feet than her own.  This is the kind of player you want to play with rather than against.

Freshman Flashes

If you’re a freshman just entering high school and you bring a solid 5-9 frame, physical strength and speed as well as some already refined skills to the table, people are going to take notice.  Tanita Allen is the latest addition to the long line of talented guards to suit up for Whitney Young High School and any recruiter paying attention in the gym Sunday looked her name up at least one time.  With her size, the Chicago resident may offer up a new dynamic for the Dolphins in the backcourt.  The speed and quickness are there as well as the individual ball skills that allow her to create her own looks off the drive and force defenders to rotate and open up passing lanes.  The left hand needs some advancement to keep opponents from cheating on their closeouts but she did show a willingness to use it at times.  Her pull up is effective and stands out to an even greater degree because of an impressive vertical that allows her to rise up and get a clean look at the rim.  Allen is comfortable when things get physical and wasn’t hesitant to go at bigger defenders once she got into the paint.  Defensively she’s aggressive but gets herself out of position at times and finds herself scrambling to recover.  Her effort on the boards is a plus for any team looking for rebounding from their perimeter.

As long as we’re on the subject of physically strong guards, Arike Ogunbowale is another 2015 that plays a power game in the backcourt.  This 5-10 standout from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Devine Savior Holy Angels High Schools has a constantly attacking mentality that allows her to exploit the size and strength she brings to the floor.  Her ballhandling is sound but still has a few rough edges to it that will smooth out with age and experience.  None the less, she pushes it at opportunity and demonstrates some deceptive speed in the open court.  Off penetration she’s seems to almost be looking for the challenge of the helpside rotations and the opportunity to throw her body into them.  At the same time she finishes well and has the potential to put some opponents on the bench by drawing the contact and fouls.  The pull up went down for her several times but there weren’t many opportunities to see her from deeper on the floor.  Defensively she appears to enjoy the physical game as well and isn’t hesitant to apply it.  She’ll need to read her gaps a little better with quicker match ups just to give herself more space, not because her footspeed is lacking.

Another Chicago product in the freshman class is Teniya Page from Marian Catholic High School.  This 5-5 point guard provides a whole new gear to any team’s transition efforts.  Her ability to accelerate with the ball in her hands requires even the quickest of defenders to take more of a cushion and keep their feet moving on the close out.  For her age she utilizes her change of speed with the wisdom and effectiveness of a player with a few more candles on their birthday cake.  She’ll take the ball both ways but is more inclined to pull up or make the pass on the left side rather than take it all the way to the rim.  She’s comfortable shooting the ball and seems to have decent fundamentals on her jumper and pull up.  Defensively all the potential is there to be an impact on ball defender if she’ll embrace the roll.  Her lateral footspeed could give opposing point guards nightmares.  Off the ball she’s not quite as active and tends to come out of her stance at times.

Also from Chicago and out of Morgan Park High School is 5-8 freshman Tyana Porter.  This athletic guard might catch your attention at the defensive end of the floor first rather than with what she does with the ball in her hands.  Not because she’s lacking offensively but because she’s an assertive and focused defender both on and off the ball.  Picking it up early she looks to turn ballhandlers and does an impressive job of taking away her opponent’s court vision.  On the weakside she does a good job of staying active while maintaining vision of both her match up and the ball.  She anticipates and rotates instinctually and comes up with plenty of touches and picks.  Offensively she’s constantly on the attack and looking to get to the basket.  Her vertical allows her to get off the floor both in traffic and on her pull up.  The perimeter shot needs some quick attention as it comes across her body and will ultimately be a huge speed bump for consistency.  There are lots of tools in place and the defensive potential might set her apart from the crowd down the road.

Just for good measure let’s go ahead and talk about one more freshman guard from Chi-Town.  Akina Wellere from Westinghouse High School has the potential to keep recruiters looking closely at her and all the other 2015 backcourt prospects along the shore of Lake Michigan.  Explosive athletically with a wiry build, her 5-10 frame puts her in the position to be a challenging match up for any opponent.  The ballhandling is there to create but still needs some refinement to make it the asset that it has the potential to be long term.  She sees passing options well and delivers some sharp, one handed efforts with some speed on them before defenders can react.  There were times off the ball that she stood and wasn’t part of the play but at others was an effective and aggressive cutter.  More of the later will make her a threat that can’t be ignored.  The same size and quickness that serve her well at the offensive end make her an asset defensively and give her the potential to make an impact in trapping and full court situations.

Basketball Futures

There’s something to be said for not starting the hype and circus that comes under the recruiting round top too early.  At the same time it’s hard not to be courtside and not at least acknowledge the performance of a couple of youthful prospects.  Milwaukee native and 2016 point guard Aloua Johnson made quite a statement with her play and maturity with the promise of more to come.  Lauren Lee, from River Forest, Illinois had some moments as well, particularly when you consider she’s in the 2018 class.  Keep watching.