2020 stock-risers from the Riverside-Brookfield Shootout

While the calendar says June and the season won’t tip off for another five months, this past weekend was a monster one in high school basketball in Illinois. And it created a whole lot of chatter locally.

College coaches from across the country descended on Riverside-Brookfield High School in what turned out to be a real success for prep players in this state. Dozens of Division I prospects and dozens more of small college prospects were seen by 200-plus college coaches while playing with their high school team.

Here are the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s hot senior names from the weekend, individual players in the Class of 2020 who either opened the eyes of the Hoops Report or raised their stock among college coaches.

Jayson Kent, Oak Forest

In the eyes of the Hoops Report, Kent was the biggest riser –– at least in terms of where he was ranked and projected to where he will be ranked and projected. And you don’t know where he will end up with his upside as you wait for the growth spurt he’s going through to complete.

Kent has grown two inches since the end of his junior season and is now a shade past 6-5. With a late-blooming body, being just a baby physically and with family size to boot, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kent add another inch or two and a whole other dimension to his game.

He did what he does best at R-B, shooting the heck out of the basketball all weekend long, both with range and accuracy. The long, slender Kent added a Northern Illinois offer to his previous IUPUI offer. But he was doing more with the basketball and impacting games in ways other than his outstanding three-point shooting ability.

“He’s doing so much more for us now,” says Oak Forest coach Matt Manzke. “He has taken it to heart to become a more complete player.”

Frank Jakubicek, Cary-Grove

A fixture in the City/Suburban Hoops Report rankings, Jakubicek has continued a steady climb this spring playing with Quad City Elite on the club circuit and playing really well this past weekend at Riverside-Brookfield.

With a strong, physical body, Jakubicek is now starting to use that more and play with more physicality. He continues to show an improved ability to step away from the basket and make shots with range extending to the three-point line.

What’s been underestimated a bit with Jakubicek is his lift off the floor. He showcased a hint more of athleticism, finishing with dunks at the basket and then knocking down a catch-and-shoot three-pointer. That combination will open eyes.

Jakubicek is a no-brainer Division I prospect who will gain more interest going forward.

Donovan Newby, Bloom

SIUE head coach Brian Barone has it right. He offered the steady point guard following a rock solid weekend of work from Newby at the Riverside-Brookfield Shootout.

However, that’s the only offer Newby has attracted coming out of the event. And that’s a shame, because the 6-0 senior put together an outstanding weekend of not only running Bloom’s team but showing he can make shots. This is a steady, consummate point guard with strength whose overall value is overlooked.

Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times

Newby had a very solid spring with the Illinois Wolves on the club circuit with little fanfare. He’s showed enough to have played himself up to a Division I player.

Kyndall Davis, Bogan

In early June the City/Suburban Hoops Report included Davis on a short list of “five seniors ready to emerge.” The long, active 6-5 Davis has certainly done that since that proclamation.

Davis impressed the Hoops Report at the Hoop Mountain Shootout and did so again this past weekend at the Riverside-Brookfield Shootout, completely living up to the “emerging” label he was given.

After playing a key role and accepting that role this past season for Class 3A state runner-up Bogan, Davis is now showcasing a more versatile offensive arsenal. That includes a knack for knocking down three-pointers and an ability to play above the rim on drives to the basket. Davis is also a versatile defender with some blue-collar in him.

The stock of Davis is rising. IUPUI offered Davis back in April, while LIU-Brooklyn, Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Southeast Missouri State offered this past weekend.

R.J. Ogom, Homewood-Flossmoor

Another player who was hailed in early June as one of five seniors ready to emerge, Ogom continues to showcase a blend of strength, athleticism and perimeter shooting ability.

While he’s an undersized 4-man at 6-5, Ogom is a space-the-floor shooter with sound shooting mechanics and range out to the three-point line. There are areas he must work on in terms of overall skill level, but Ogom’s great body, athleticism and shooting stroke will continue to generate interest.

Ogom added offers from Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Northern Illinois and Purdue-Fort Wayne.

Ryan Issacson, Hinsdale Central

In one weekend Isaacson went from a borderline Division II prospect to one who is a bonafide scholarship player. As he garners more Division I interest and attention, Division II schools should be all over Isaacson. He previously had a Division II offer from Lewis University and added one from Indianapolis this past weekend.

He started his junior season off with a bang, averaging close to 16 points and eight rebonds a game. But an injury-plagued season curtailed the progress of the late-blooming prospect.

But the 6-7 skilled 4-man with length impressed with his shooting and improved assertiveness and competitiveness. A player at his size who can stretch a defense, come off a staggered screen and make threes is a hot commodity in today’s game. He moves well and showed an ability to put it on the floor a little in the halfcourt.

Matt Ambrose, Stevenson

A solid weekend of work was highlighted by Ambrose’s play on Sunday, leading the Patriots to a Riverside-Brookfield Shootout team title.

The detractors will point out his current body type. The 6-3 Ambrose is a late bloomer physically. He has a slight build and lacks strength. The physically filling out part will happen down the road. That only adds to his upside, because as he gets stronger he’s going to get a whole lot more effective. But his play on Sunday did a lot of talking.

He proved his worth as a Division II prospect with all that he does well, including shooting the basketball –– off the catch, off the bounce, from three, pull-ups. He’s a shot-making guard with terrific basketball smarts.

Ambrose knows how to play and has some scrappiness to him.

Elijah Jones, Marian Catholic

Here is a player who seems to be taking a nice step forward. He needed a nice weekend to grab some attention and he did just that.

Always blessed with upside and talent but lacking consistency and overall production, Jones, who is pushing close to 6-6, has emerged as a legit scholarship player. Whether that ends up being at the Division II level or somewhere higher will depend on that consistency and productivity.

Jones, blessed with some athleticism and great length, is playing with more assertiveness and confidence. While the perimeter jumper is certainly a work in progress, the activity level and the plays he made in getting to the basket with his wiry length and athleticism showed the impact he can have on a game. He showcased that over the course of the weekend at R-B in helping Marian Catholic to the semifinals.

Class of 2020 thoughts

➤ The biggest question coming out of the weekend is this: Where is the recruiting buzz surrounding Marian Catholic point guard Ahron Ulis?

This is the player who over the course of the weekend answered any and all questions, yet is still vastly overlooked by mid-major plus programs. If lower end high-major programs aren’t jumping on board, then programs in the Atlantic 10, Mountain West, Conference USA, Missouri Valley and other comparable conferences should be knocking down his door.

Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times

The conversation with college coaches over the course of the weekend with me was direct and consistent: “Ahron Ulis is really good.” The lack of offers for this kid is rather embarrassing. He added one single offer coming out of the weekend –– from Northern Illinois on Monday. One? Come on.

New Mexico and Southern Illinois extended offers this past spring, and you can easily see the vision first-year SIU coach Bryan Mullins, a star point guard in the Missouri Valley Conference himself, must have of Ulis directing his program from the point guard spot.

There is just so much substance with this kid in terms of leadership, playing the right way, basketball I.Q. and a winning mentality, all at the position –– point guard –– where you covet those intangibles. He offers nice size and strength at 6-2 and just enough of a playmaking and scoring blend.

➤ After an up-and-down junior season, Tyler Beard of Young put together a weekend that should rejuvenate the recruiting interest in the 6-2 guard. Using his speed and athleticism, he was back to his attacking style, both on the ball defensively and especially as a finisher in transition.

While the interest may have fallen off a bit in recent months, it should pick back up again with mid-majors in pursuit.

➤ There is a ton to like when it comes to Young’s D.J. Steward, whose rise and strengths were profiled in a story earlier this month. Something that stood out this weekend is his ability to adapt to what a game dictates and what his team needs from him.

Steward can attack if overplayed. He can hurt you with his jumper. He can become more of a distributor. He can go and make a play off the ball or on the defensive end. He can lead teammates.

The rise of Steward continues. He entered ESPN’s top 30 players this week as the No. 27 ranked prospect in the country. Steward, who picked up yet another high-major offer from North Carolina State this week, will head to Illinois for an unofficial visit this Wednesday. Earlier this month he added an offer from Arkansas and a pair of Pac-12 offers from Oregon and Arizona.

➤ There aren’t many players who are more fun to watch than Bolingbrook’s Darius Burford. The shot is streaky and he’s not a true point guard at 6-0, but we are talking a lightning fast guard with end-to-end speed who is impossible to stay in front of in the open court. Plus, he plays with a motor. Burford is a flat-out baller.

➤ Division I programs are missing the boat right now on the Kwiecinski twins –– Jordan and Bennett. These are a pair of 6-8 players with skill, size and length but without the mass and strength. The latter will come in due time.

Right now Bennett Kwiecinski is the highest ranked prospect in the City/Suburban Hoops Report player rankings with the fewest offers. That should change. And it just did on Monday afternoon when Illinois State extended an offer to him, joining Yale as the only two offers at this point.

Bennett Kwiecinski was able to show things this past weekend with his high school team, along with some quality production, that should most definitely intrigue college coaches. For his size he can put it on the floor and pass very well. And although not quite as consistent as it will likely become, he has the capability to stick a mid-range jumper and knock down a three.

Those are all tools (with room to grow physically) that are quite attractive for a 6-8 prospect who brings some blue-collar work to the floor.

Jordan Kwiecinski, who was active defensively and blocked shots all weekend, stood out in Sunday’s game against Mundelein as he stepped out and buried four three-pointers.

These are prospects who are 6-8 and offer skill at that size. These aren’t Division I players?

➤ There may not be a more improved player in the Class of 2020 than Oak Park’s Justin Cross. Another late-blooming prospect who is starting to come into his own with size, length, agility and added aggressiveness. The 6-7 senior has made huge strides since the end of the season and played well at Riverside-Brookfield.

➤ Connor Kochera of St. Viator has picked up a handful of Division I offers and some interest but not enough. He’s not a player who jumps out at you, but he’s one you appreciate the more you watch him play with his shooting ability, basketball smarts, length and better-than-you-think athleticism. Plus, he The 6-4 senior does have offers from Lafayette, Wright State, Siena, Cleveland State and Western Illinois.