We posted the evaluations from the 17U practice earlier today, but here are the notes from the 16U group. There are athletes across the board for this group with a chance to be really good on the defensive end.

Cam Anderson (6’5 PF, Schaumburg)

While Anderson is still developing, there is a lot to like about his athletic pop and interior activity. He runs the floor more like a wing with long strides and a sense of urgency rim to rim. Throughout the practice, he was able to catch in the dunkers spot and go up strong at or above the rim. With a huge wingspan and solid timing for a player his age, Anderson was challenging shots inside well during live segments. He’s got a lot of workable traits.

Cason Newton (6’0 PG/SG, Byron)

The first thing that jumped out about Newton was his quickness and leaping ability. He sprints off of the ball like a greyhound, rarely being caught standing still. That movement made it easier for him to attack off of stampede catches and show some acrobatic finishes in the paint. Newton has great end-to-end speed and is continuing to improve at changing tempo with the ball. During drills or while off of the ball, he exploded up on his jump shot and knocked down long twos and threes with confidence. I think his on-ball defense could be a separator with his ability to stay in front and irritate opposing ball-handlers.

Chris Bolte (6’6 SF/PF, St. Ignatius)

Bolte was one of the standouts of the 16U group. Any time he had a look inside, he flashed next-level athleticism to either punch it home or absorb contact and finish. The lefty forward is a knockdown shooter in spot-up situations with his feet set as he showed during shooting drills and as a trailer or spacer in half court settings. When defenders pushed up on him, he had the awareness and ball-handling ability to drive it strong to the rim, oftentimes to his left hand.

Maybe most notable from the day was how vocal Bolte was encouraging teammates and talking on defense while remaining engaged with his individual matchup. He excelled at blitzing ball screens, disrupting actions, and sprinting back to take away hockey assists back to rollers. Although he’s only a sophomore, Bolte is the type of athletic, do-it-all hybrid forward that college coaches should be adding to their lists.

Cole Kelly (6’6 SF/PF, Neuqua Valley [2028])

I’m not sure if I’ve seen an eighth grader with the size and talent of Kelly play with such a team-centric approach. The 6-foot-6 lefty was decisive with his moves, either making a quick move to the rim off of face ups or snapping the ball around to the next open guy. Particularly in the mid-post or in pick-and-pop actions, he showed excellent touch while shooting a high percentage on threes and making some tough turnarounds from around 15 feet.

Kelly cut hard, set solid screens, and facilitated when help came without any agenda other than finding a quality shot. He also showed well defensively, which is saying something playing up two age levels. Using his length and anticipation, he affected passing lanes, came over to alter shots from the weak side, and was low and explosive with his defensive slides. He has quick bounce off of two feet and seems to have that nose for the ball that is hard to teach. Kelly is without question a top-end talent, but the energy and effort that he plays with could put him in another category.

Marc Gamble (6’7 PF/C, Timothy Christian)

Gamble broke out this year with Timothy Christian and is a big who just seems to be scratching the surface. It doesn’t look like he’s done growing, but he moves very well at 6-foot-7 and has some promising skill to go with it. Gamble defended ball screens effectively and walled up inside as often as possible. There are glimpses of a solid low-post game to seal and make quick moves over his left shoulder that could be of use as he becomes more assertive going forward. On multiple occasions, he knocked down jumpers as well. I would buy long-term stock in the TC big.

Mike Nee (6’0 PG/SG, Glenbard East)

As to be expected, Nee was a standout during shooting drills as a proficient shooter with repeatable mechanics and a ton of range past the three-point line. His handle is low and crisp, allowing him to weave in and out of spots with crossover moves effortlessly. Once live portions started, he was giving defenders headaches with how much he was moving off of the ball.

Nee knows how to start and stop to get defenders on their heels before sprinting off of screens and hitting threes from all over the place. What he doesn’t often get enough credit for is his toughness as a dribble penetrator. He probably got to the paint off the bounce more than he spaced for threes, using crafty finishes to score or draw help and drop off passes to teammates. You can tell that he’s still growing and has a solid frame to continue to add strength. An elite shooter.

Rafael Pinto (6’5 SG, Fremd)

Pinto is a good-sized wing who gives this team a different dimension with his scoring ability and positional versatility. Around 6-foot-5, he welcomed contact on both ends in head-to-head matchups, often creating space and dictating positioning as a result. Pinto has a nice, high release point on his jumper that seemed to be falling at a high clip during the day. Whether it was a dribble pull-up, spot-up three, or aggressive take to the rim, Pinto just found ways to produce. As defenders overcommitted, he willingly passed it off for more open shots while also looking like one of the better rebounders.

Ryan Walsh (6’3 SG, Benet)

Every team can use a shooter and Walsh can do that with the best of them. The Benet guard lifts up into his shot with balance and is adept at coming off of off-ball screens to get space. Despite having notable range out to the volleyball line, Walsh probably showed the most growth as a ball-handler and athlete. He is consistently finishing above the rim in space and has become a quality secondary creator that can make plays for others.

Trey Williams (6’2 PG/SG, Loyola)

It’s still early, but Williams looks like one of the better two-way guards in the whole 2026 class. He handled the ball with pace, composure, and precision when getting to his sweet spots on the floor or driving into traffic to make plays. Williams is a strong, athletic guard that is a tremendous defender, both on the ball, in the passing lanes, and as a help side rotator. During scrimmages, he was cutting off other guards and being physical without fouling while applying a ton of ball pressure.

On the other end, he uses his length and body control to hold off defenders and make passes at different angles on the move. He was most effective in ball screens and off kickouts where he used his first step to regularly beat defenders and collapse the defense. Williams has that 10-to-15 foot pull-up available and looked solid stepping into open threes. The rebounding, talking, constant defensive effort, and competing in drills, even if there were no defenders, said a lot.

Xavier Justice (5’11 PG, Batavia)

Justice is one of the more natural point guards of the group and made decisions that you look for in a floor general. Some of the simple reads that many young guards overcomplicate were being made to perfection from the Batavia sophomore. If he came off of a ball screen and the tag was late, he used eye fakes and pass fakes to hit the roller. If the tag took away the big, he made timely passes out to the shooters. Justice just controls the ball and understands tempo well. When he had time and space, he drilled a couple of threes during live segments and showed some range during drills.