LA GRANGE, IL – Unlike the previous week during the All-South Camp in Texas – hello Chris Bassey – there was no dominating player in the range of 6-foot-10 during the Pangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph Camp that wrapped up on Oct. 18 in the Park District Gymnasium.
Mind you, though: There was no shortage of high-caliber prospects on hand at a whole lot of other sizes.
Not surprisingly, Chicago high schools were once again well-represented at the Dinos Trigonis-fronted event that drew the likes of talent evaluators Clark Francis (HoopScoopOnLine), Ronnie Flores (Cal-Hi Sports and BallIsLife), John Stovall (ESPN.com) and yours ever-so-truly.
Among the Chicago representation, two Simeon sophomores, bullish scorer Talen Horton-Tucker and quick-jumping forward Devonire Glass were in the Top 30 All-Star Game, with Glass scoring 27 points with seven rebounds to share Most Outstanding Player honors in the contest.
Sharing MOP recognition in the Top 30 affair with Glass was the camp’s best long-range jump shooter in sophomore guard Zion Young (Merrillville, IN, Andrean), who had 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists while teaming with Glass to lead the white jersey-team to a 143-102 victory over its black jersey-clad counterpart.
And another Simeon sophomore, 6-4 left hander Messiah Jones, scored 16 points to bag MOP honors as the white-wearing club edged its black counterparts, 93-87, in the Top 60 Game.
But the player selected as the two-day event’s Most Outstanding Player, 6-foot-6 sophomore De’Sean Allen-Eikens, attends Williston High in North Dakota – a tad more than 1,000 miles to the northwest of Chicago.
My camp honors:
*Most Outstanding Top 30 Game Performers: Devonire Glass 6-7 (Chicago/Simeon) and Zion Young 6-3 (Merrillville, IN/Andrean).
*Most Outstanding Top 60 Game Performers: Maurice Commander 5-11 (Chicago/Marist) and Messiah Jones 6-4 (Chicago/Simeon).
*Most Outstanding Camp Player: De’Sean Allen-Eikens 6-6 (Williston, ND/Williston). Runner-up: Patrick McCaffery 6-7 (Iowa City/West).
*Most Outstanding Camp Freshman: Patrick McCaffery 6-8 (Iowa City/West). Runner-up: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl 6-7 (Kansas City, KS/Bishop Miege).
*Most Outstanding Camp Sophomore: De’Sean Allen-Eikens 6-6 (Williston, ND/Williston). Runner-up: Zion Young 6-3 (Merrillville, IN/Andrean).
*The Top 25 players in camp (based upon performance when I watched them play, not just “college potential”):
TOP 10 SOPHOMORES
* De’Sean Allen-Eikens 6-6 (Williston, ND/Williston)
*JaVonni Bickham 6-6 (Minneapolis/Minnehaha Christian)
*Maurice Commander 5-11 (Chicago/Marist)
*Malik Hall 6-5 (Aurora, IL/Metea Valley)
*Tyler Herro 6-4 (Greenfield, WI/Whitnall)
*Talen Horton-Tucker 6-3 (Chicago/Simeon)
*Keshawn Justice 6-5 (Madison, WI/East)
*Corvon Seales 6-2 (Eldridge, IA/North Scott)
*Maquan Williams 5-9 (Chicago, IL/Perspective)
* Zion Young 6-3 (Merrillville, IN/Andrean)
Next Five: Johnny Bernard 6-2 (Merrillville, IN/Merrillville); Xavier Castaneda 6-0 (Chicago/Whitney Young); Devonire Glass 6-7 (Chicago/Simeon); Jared Hofer 6-9 (Ft. Wayne, IN/Carroll); Messiah Jones 6-4 (Chicago/Simeon)
TOP 10 FRESHMEN
*Nolan Foster 6-7 (Mattawan, MI/Mattawan)
*Jaret Griffith 6-3 (Collins, OH/Western Reserve)
*Zach Harvey 6-3 (Topeka, KS/Hayden)
*Caleb Hunter 5-8 (Southfield, MI/Christian)
*Lamond Johnson 6-1 (Chicago/Morgan Park)
*Deontay Long 6-5 (Milwaukee/Washington)
*Patrick McCaffery 6-7 (Iowa City/West)
*Dan McKeeman 5-11 (Ft. Wayne, IN/Carroll)
* Jeremiah Robinson-Earl 6-7 (Kansas City, KS/Bishop Miege)
*Kahlil Whitney 6-5 (Chicago/Solorio)
