Chicago Elite Classic Showcases the Nation's Best

This past Saturday my brother and I took couple of our friends up to the UIC Pavilion on the west side of Chicago to watch the Chicago Elite Classic. In the second year of the event, the field of teams consisted of seven Chicago teams and seven out-of-state teams. We were in attendance for the second slot of games and saw Simeon take on Hamilton (Tennessee), Curie take on Bishop Gorman (Nevada), and Whitney Young take on Saint John Bosco (California). After seeing plenty of ESPN Top 100 recruits, it's safe to say that the college game is gaining a plethora of talent in the coming years. Here's a look at the players we had the privilege to watch.

DJ Williams (#29 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - The junior forward from Simeon has already committed to the University of Illinois and will be the third player from the school to play for John Groce. Williams is a 6'7 wing that already has a little bit of a back-to-the basket game. He showed great poise and ended with 13 points. Williams is also a good finisher and is fearless when driving to the basket. He can handle the ball up top and can only improve as his next two high school seasons most likely result in runs to the State tournament in Peoria. Illinois fans and John Groce have a lot to look forward to with the signing of Williams.

 KJ Lawson (#21 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - Lawson is a long, athletic small forward from Hamilton High School in Memphis, Tennessee. With great length and quickness, Lawson could be a good player for Josh Pastner at Memphis, where he committed this past October. However, Lawson was very streaky in his game against Simeon and made poor decisions with the ball more often than not. Signs of immaturity were noticeable and abundant. With all that being said, the 6'7 junior does have quite a bit of potential as he was very active on the boards and has good hands for his size and age. He crashes the boards hard and is very hard to keep off the glass. He has potential but he must be smarter with the ball in order to be successful in the long run.

Dedric Lawson (#4 in 2016 ESPN Top 25) - The younger brother of KJ was, quite frankly, very unimpressive. Six seconds into the game the 6'8 power forward from Hamilton pulled up from about 26 feet out without even looking to run the offense. His brother KJ was immature in that he tended to be out of control and not pay attention to the defense. Dedric is immature in that he took shots just to take them. Now in his defense, not many sixteen year old kids would be in their best mindset with Coach K, Rick Pitino, and Kevin Ollie in the gym watching. However, that's no excuse to take three 25+ foot threes by the end of the game. Lawson was virtually unproductive but, for a sophomore, showed he does have room to improve and most likely will. A very similar build to his brother, Dedric Lawson has the length and athleticism to be a great player to put at the top of a zone and on the wing of any offense. There's plenty of time left to mature as Dedric has not committed to a college yet.

Stephen Zimmerman (#2 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - The 6'11 center from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada can basically pick where he wants to go to college. He has received offers from 14 Division I schools and is as highly-regarded a recruit as anyone in his class. Yet Zimmerman is incredibly weak weighing only 215 pounds. He missed several lay-ups and even a dunk in his game against Curie. More so than that, it also seemed he didn't get many touches. It wasn't until the third or fourth possession of the game that they even looked to get him the ball. He does however possess a little bit of range on his jump shot which is good for a kid of his height. He also has great timing when attempting to block a shot as he was always the second man to leave the floor. Being only a junior, I would say he's a raw talent but it was not hard to tell that he does possess the fundamentals. The night didn't go too well for Zimmerman, but there's no doubt he could live up to the hype once he fills out and is able to be more physical.

Chase Jeter (#37 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - Jeter is a 6'8 power forward who joins Zimmerman on Bishop Gorman's front court. Though foul trouble kept Jeter out the majority of the second half, the junior big man had a very positive performance. He has established a good short-corner/high post game and has a soft touch from anywhere inside twelve feet. As stated earlier, however, Jeter's interior defense must improve if he wishes to make a difference in the college game. At only 200 pounds, there is plenty of room for improvement in terms of strength. With all that in mind, Jeter has what it takes to play at the Division I level and has already received offers from ten schools.

Cliff Alexander (#3 in 2014 ESPN Top 100) - Cliff Alexander is the real deal. Plain and simple. The 6'9 power forward has a presence on both sides of the ball that makes him NBA-ready right now. He is physical and tough on the boards and has an explosiveness that even some professional big men do not possess. In Curie's game against Bishop Gorman, Alexander ended the night with 22 points and 5 blocks. And these were not blocks, they were BLOCKS. Alexander had two blocks off the backboard that then landed on the free throw line and blocked a dunk attempt by Chase Jeter. Combine that with several one-handed put-back dunks and it's safe to say that Bill Self has yet another dominant big man coming his way.

Paul White (#64 in 2014 ESPN Top 100) - The 6'9 Georgetown commit was relatively silent for Whitney Young on Saturday and it seems we can attribute that to the fact that he plays in the same front court as Jahlil Okafor. White does have a nice base and some serious potential, but shots were not falling for the future Hoya. He does however possess the great length and ability to run the floor that will allow him to fit right in with John Thompson III's system. Though White plays second fiddle to Okafor, you would be stupid to overlook him in a scouting report.

Jahlil Okafor (#1 in 2014 ESPN Top 100) - There is only one word to describe the kind of player that Jahlil Okafor is. Unbelievable. Seriously, the number one overall recruit and future Duke Blue Devil deserves every bit of hype he has received up to this point. Pouring in 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, Okafor dominated the game on both sides of the floor and there was nothing Saint John Bosco could do about it. Frequently Okafor was triple teamed and at one point in the game, Saint John Bosco QUADRUPLE teamed the 6'11 center and he split them with ease for an easy lay-up. Okafor is also extremely mobile for his size and build. On one possession he brought the ball up the floor, cleared out the lane and drove to his right, put a quick spin move on his defender and laid it in underhand. As smooth and as athletic a move as I have ever seen from a 6'11 high school kid. Okafor will head to Durham to play for Coach K next year which will give the Hall of Fame coach, once again, the best freshman in the nation. If Jabari Parker should return for his sophomore season, well...I'll let you think about that.

Tyler Dorsey (#7 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - The 6'4 shooting guard is undecided as far as college goes, but it's no secret why he's a highly-touted recruit. Dorsey was relatively quiet in the first half but came on strong in the second half when his team needed it most. He's quick, he's athletic, and he can handle the ball against any type of defensive pressure. He has great range when it comes to shooting but also has a very high basketball IQ. He controls the offense and reads passing lanes well on the defensive side of the ball. He still has two high school seasons left, but it's clear that he could already be prepared for the college game.

Daniel Hamilton (#26 in 2014 ESPN Top 100) - It will be hard to believe based off of Jahlil Okafor's performance, but in all honesty Hamilton was the most impressive player of the night. With Kevin Ollie in attendance, Hamilton exceeded expectations on his way to helping Saint John Bosco to a victory. Hamilton is as elusive and smooth as anyone I have seen play at the high school level and has a great jump shot to accommodate his ability to finish. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Hamilton is just how fearless he is when driving to the hoop. Several times the 6'6 shooting guard drove into the lane and scored despite drawing contact from Okafor. Not many people would have the guts to take on the nation's top recruit especially when they're five inches taller. Yet Hamilton proved he is a special player and concluded the night in the most fitting way. With the clock winding down and Saint John Bosco trailing, Hamilton drove to his right and hit a step back with two Whitney Young defenders draped all over him. It was as effortless as you could imagine. The buzzer sounded and his teammates rushed the court while Kevin Ollie was all smiles in his seat on the base line. And why shouldn't he be? You scored a good recruit, Coach Ollie.

The night was impressive to say the least. It was only fitting that the best players in the nation play in the best basketball city in the nation. Plenty of highly-regarded recruits were present and the games did not disappoint. The college game is getting a great crop of young talent in the coming years. It will be exciting to see how these players pan out.