Rakocevic steps up in Chicago
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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Elite Classic has emerged as a high quality event over the past few years, as many of Chicago's top teams take on opponents from around the country. The most anticipated matchup this year was Westchester (Ill.) St. Joseph's taking on on Redondo Beach (Calif.) Union. St. Joe's took control early as four-star junior forward Nick Rakocevic led an impressive performance.
Rakocevic impresses
It wasn't lost on Nick Rakocevic or his teammates that their game against Redondo Union was the most highly anticipated game of the evening at the UIC Pavilion. It also wasn't lost on Rakocevic -- the No. 66 ranked player in the class of 2016 -- that he would be squaring off against the No. 8 ranked player in the class of 2017, Billy Preston.
Rakocevic responded in a big way. He outdueled Preston by scoring 15 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and blocking five shots while helping to lead St. Joe's to a 70-54 win.
"We wanted to stay aggressive and play together," Rakocevic said. "We just had to block out and play defense. Defense was the key, I thought we played phenomenal defense.
"Billly Preston is a phenomenal player, No. 8 in the country, I had to contain him the whole game. It was a hard job, the kid is skilled and he can do everything. I had to do it for my team."
Rakovevic looks like he has added some bulk to his lean 6-foot-9 frame. That bulk served him well as he played physically in the paint on both ends of the floor. He ran the floor, contested shots and played with some spirit. Not to mention his job on the defensive end was a big part of Preston's 1-for-11 field goal shooting on a five-point, 11-rebound night.
Rakocevic is being heavily recruited by high major programs and he has taken his fair share of visits so far. He's already seen Florida, Wisconsin, UCLA, Indiana, Kansas, Illinois and he said that he wants to hit Texas, Virginia and North Carolina down the road but he's in no rush to cut his list.
Rakocevic wasn't the only St. Joe's player who had a good evening. Their Big Ten-bound backcourt of four-star point guard Glynn WatsonClick More Friday observationsHere to view this Link. (NebraskaClick More Friday observationsHere to view this Link.) and three-star shooting guard Jordan AshClick More Friday observationsHere to view this Link. (NorthwesternClick More Friday observationsHere to view this Link.) had almost identical stat lines and good showings.
The No. 87 ranked player in the class of 2016, Watson had a very good all-around game. He played harassing defense at the point and got his teammates involved. He did have some turnovers, but he looked a little stronger and lived up to his billing. Watson finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists and four steals.
Finally, Oak Park River Forest featured a pair of intriguing guards in senior Dallis FlowersClick In the evening's first game, Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick took out Oak Park (Ill.) River Forest 48-40 thanks in large part to the play of junior point guard Mike SmithClick For Whitney Young, junior guard Rodney HerentonClick Ole MissClick One thing you are always going to get out of three-star guard Leland GreenClick A 6-foot-2 shooting guard who is pretty strong and has good athleticism, Ash was also active on both ends of the floor. He got out ahead of the defense on many occasions and mixed in a few jumpers as he also scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and came up with four steals.Here to view this Link. of Redondo Union is effort. He's a physically tough kid who plays the game fast and attacks the rim as much as possible. He had 20 points, five rebounds and three steals. The junior plays good defense but moving forward he will benefit from mixing up his speeds a bit more. He isn't easy to stop with a full head of steam, but he would really have defenders on their heels if he masters a few hesitation dribbles.Here to view this Link. signee Donte FitzpatrickClick One thing you are always going to get out of three-star guard Leland GreenClick A 6-foot-2 shooting guard who is pretty strong and has good athleticism, Ash was also active on both ends of the floor. He got out ahead of the defense on many occasions and mixed in a few jumpers as he also scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and came up with four steals.Here to view this Link. of Redondo Union is effort. He's a physically tough kid who plays the game fast and attacks the rim as much as possible. He had 20 points, five rebounds and three steals. The junior plays good defense but moving forward he will benefit from mixing up his speeds a bit more. He isn't easy to stop with a full head of steam, but he would really have defenders on their heels if he masters a few hesitation dribbles.Here to view this Link. was the best player on the floor in Memphis (Tenn.) Southwind's overtime win over Chicago (Ill.) Whitney Young. The No. 137 player in the class of 2015, Fitzpatrick scored 24 points and for much of the night carried his team offensively. He connected on some deep jumpers and looked good maximizing his dribble to score off the bounce. Here to view this Link. was tough. The six-footer is built like a running back and plays with a football mentality. He attacks on fast drives, gets physical on defense and leads his team through max effort. Here to view this Link.. A strong kid who attacks off the dribble, Smith didn't have a great night shooting but otherwise came up big with 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals.Here to view this Link. and freshman Alan GriffinClick In the evening's first game, Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick took out Oak Park (Ill.) River Forest 48-40 thanks in large part to the play of junior point guard Mike SmithClick For Whitney Young, junior guard Rodney HerentonClick Ole MissClick One thing you are always going to get out of three-star guard Leland GreenClick A 6-foot-2 shooting guard who is pretty strong and has good athleticism, Ash was also active on both ends of the floor. He got out ahead of the defense on many occasions and mixed in a few jumpers as he also scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and came up with four steals.Here to view this Link. of Redondo Union is effort. He's a physically tough kid who plays the game fast and attacks the rim as much as possible. He had 20 points, five rebounds and three steals. The junior plays good defense but moving forward he will benefit from mixing up his speeds a bit more. He isn't easy to stop with a full head of steam, but he would really have defenders on their heels if he masters a few hesitation dribbles.Here to view this Link. signee Donte FitzpatrickClick One thing you are always going to get out of three-star guard Leland GreenClick A 6-foot-2 shooting guard who is pretty strong and has good athleticism, Ash was also active on both ends of the floor. He got out ahead of the defense on many occasions and mixed in a few jumpers as he also scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and came up with four steals.Here to view this Link. of Redondo Union is effort. He's a physically tough kid who plays the game fast and attacks the rim as much as possible. He had 20 points, five rebounds and three steals. The junior plays good defense but moving forward he will benefit from mixing up his speeds a bit more. He isn't easy to stop with a full head of steam, but he would really have defenders on their heels if he masters a few hesitation dribbles.Here to view this Link. was the best player on the floor in Memphis (Tenn.) Southwind's overtime win over Chicago (Ill.) Whitney Young. The No. 137 player in the class of 2015, Fitzpatrick scored 24 points and for much of the night carried his team offensively. He connected on some deep jumpers and looked good maximizing his dribble to score off the bounce. Here to view this Link. was tough. The six-footer is built like a running back and plays with a football mentality. He attacks on fast drives, gets physical on defense and leads his team through max effort. Here to view this Link.. A strong kid who attacks off the dribble, Smith didn't have a great night shooting but otherwise came up big with 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals.Here to view this Link.. A six-foot combo guard, Flowers is very quick and he will go hunt some offense. He's a streaky shooter from deep, but he looks like he can help somebody out on the next level because he can generate his own offense. At least he did on Friday while scoring 21. The son of former NBA player Adrian Griffin, Alan Griffin is a thin and lanky wing. He likes to shoot floaters off the dribble and looks like he will be a good outside shooter. Not surprisingly, Griffin doesn't look to be anywhere near mature physically, so he will be one to watch down the road. Seven points and eight rebounds are pretty good for a freshman playing in an intense rivalry game, but his most impressive stat was that he played 31 of 32 minutes.
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