We held our annual fall showcase camp over the weekend in Naperville that featured players from around the Chicago area. These are the evaluations for the senior group (class of 2025). Full film from the event along with player information can be provided upon request.

Adam Baird (6’3 PG/SG, Barrington)

Baird had the best showing defensively of the three groups on the day. There’s a constant motor and pursuit that he possesses that you can’t teach, finding ways to fight through screens, get tips, and force turnovers. He seems to take pride in guarding the other team’s best player while also providing value as a passer and scoring threat in the flow of the offense.

Baird worked in ball screens well with good patience off of the bounce and looked good in transition finishing through contact. He’s also a high-percentage three-point shooter who can hit shots off the catch. Baird is an under-the-radar high-academic recruit with great intangibles who may be one of the best shutdown defenders in Illinois.

AJ Demirov (6’0 PG, Crystal Lake South)

It’s easy to tell that Demirov loves to play the game with the energy and competitiveness that he brings. Once live play began, Demirov’s speed and start-and-stop ability gave him an edge in ball screens and isolations. He got to his mid-range very well during the day, separating into the soft spots of the defense and elevating well on a dime. Always a threat to catch fire from three, Demirov delivered on a couple of hesitation pull-ups as well.

While he can be an electric scorer at time, Demirov’s passing ability and defensive instincts sometimes go underappreciated. There were a number of nice deliveries to rollers in ball screens with crisp passes made on his own drives. After emerging as a junior and over the summer, Demirov continues to look like a player that D1/D2 programs will covet.

Ben Jurzak (6’0 PG, Jacobs)

Shooting remains at a premium for college coaches and Jurzak is among the best at the point guard spot in the state. The well-built Jacobs product has innate balance as a shooter to get his feet set and quickly lift up into shots on the move. Any time he got a clean look off of rotations, he made the defense pay.

During the drill portion, he had to have shot well over 70 percent on three-point attempts with few hitting the rim. When he wasn’t pouring in threes, Jurzak showed some grit on the defensive end to use his strength to blow up ball screens and cut off initial moves. There is a lot to like about Jurzak’s projection as a high-level D3 point guard prospect.

Bobby Grganto (6’6 PF, Downers Grove North)

It would be hard to find ten D3 prospects in the class as proficient as Grganto from both the block and the perimeter. He moves well enough with and without the ball to play on the wing but also has the strength and power to produce inside against fives. During drills, he looked comfortable dribbling into pull-ups and shooting it on the move. That outside game translates to the live portions where he drilled threes from the wings and made strong drives to the rim.

Grganto uses his body well on spin moves and seals to negate shot blockers while having the touch to hit those baby hooks with regularity. Once the defense tried to front him, he made some nice catches in crowds before making layups and a dunk. It was really a well-rounded showing offensively, also making some nice passes out of double teams to connect with shooters. Grganto is a prime candidate to breakout for an always-tough DGN team.

Bobby Vespa (6’5 SF, Lyons)

Vespa may be listed at 6-foot-5, but he has the length to catch opposing teams by surprise. The recovery and reach to block and contest shots stood out, marked by a couple of well-timed rejections. During the scrimmages, the Lyons forward showed a fluid outside shot that he made throughout the day on kick outs.

His mechanics seem to have continuously improved over the last year, now displaying a quicker, more one-motion shot that has a high release point. Vespa shot it at a high clip for stretches while also cutting and spacing well without the ball. Division 3 programs have already started to target Vespa, who has good upside with his length, mobility, and skillset.

Camden Vine (6’4 SG/SF, St. Charles North)

Vine is a rugged wing who plays with a ton of toughness on both ends. When he was guarding the ball, he did a nice job of using his body to redirect the lines of ball-handlers to get guys off of their spots. There was no shortage of effort throughout the day offensively either, making hard cuts to knife inside and running hard in transition.

He showed best as a mid-post option, where he made a couple of tough turnaround jumpers from about 12-to-15 feet. The patience and ability to corral himself after making fast cuts to the ball was notable. Vine has solid athleticism, size, and an approach to appeal to college coaches.

Colin Jacobs (6’1 PG/SG, Downers Grove North)

On-ball defenders shined throughout the run and Jacobs was among them. A strong kid at the guard spot, Jacobs has a knack for disrupting things by keeping his chest in front of the ball and sliding hard side-to-side to win individual battles for positioning. When he got touches on the other end, Jacobs was strong in the drive-and-kick game where he was on time with his passes.

Many of the quality looks that he generated came in the open floor where his willingness to snap the ball ahead led to a multitude of opportunities early in the offense. Jacobs, who is a reliable shooter capable of heating up in a hurry, is another DGN player who could hear from some D3s in the coming months.

Dasean Patton (6’6 SG/SF, Oswego)

Patton had some dynamic flashes during the event, particularly in the open floor. A proven scorer with Oswego, Patton was at or above the rim on a number of finishes in transition after receiving throw ahead passes or going coast to coast. He’s got a physical frame with some athletic pop when getting off of the floor.

There is also promise in his perimeter shooting, hitting a three during scrimmages and showing his form during the drill portion. Patton had moments defensively in the half court as a help side rotator to get in passing lanes while also challenging shots inside. I would expect more programs to start to key in on a wing who can play multiple spots and score in bunches.

Dillon Bagley (6’1 PG, Montini Catholic)

It can be hard for players to keep up the same enthusiasm to guard the ball in a standard showcase setting, but Bagley was a joy to watch and I’m sure a hassle to go against. He seemingly always got back into plays and used back taps and weakside anticipation to make things hard on other guards. Bagley remained aggressive with the ball where he handled it versus pressure and drove it to the rim to score in traffic.

He’s got a keen sense of his teammates as a passer, seeing the floor well and understanding which type of pass is needed for different situations. Bagley is another player who checks off all of the character and work ethic boxes and should see an uptick in outreach as a result.

Kendall Cutler (6’4 SG, Bolingbrook)

Cutler had a few stretches where it didn’t seem like he was capable of missing. As the scrimmages began, Cutler was a blur in transition, taking off at full speed on missed shots and having a sort of slash-first mentality that was admirable. Even the quicker defenders struggled to cut him off in space, and when they did, he willingly made the right extra pass to find his teammates.

That same quick-twitch trait benefited him when going for steals defensively without completely giving up his positioning. As the day progressed, he started to rain in threes, oftentimes spotting up in the corner or wing and stepping into the high-arching shots with confidence. As Cutler continues to fill out physically, the activity should translate.

Reid Rosseland (6’8 C, Notre Dame College Prep)

During the drills, Rosseland’s touch at his size stood out most. He seems to have a great feel as both a passer and pop-vs.-roll decision maker. For a 6-foot-8 center, he was facing up from the high post and three-point line and making jumpers multiple times. Rosseland was good in dribble handoff actions all day, understanding how to exit the handoff in a way that sealed off both his own and his teammate’s defenders so guards could shoot or get downhill.

When guys made backdoors, he read the backside help and either delivered the pass to the cutter or through nice skip passes. On the low block, Rosseland used both hands to make jump hooks and stayed on his pivot until he knew his next move. Week by week, more Division 3 programs continue to go after the NDCP big man.

Sam Thomas (6’3 PG/SG, Wheaton Academy)

Thomas has a clean outside shot that has great rotation and consistency. Early on during the drills, his mechanics were among the best in the group with the results to back it up. Once scrimmages started, the other parts of his game were apparent. He did make some deep jumpers with defenders in his space but was a net positive as a rebounder, communicator, defender, and passer. The 6-foot-3 guard has long arms to get deflections and pull in missed shots outside of his area.

It was nice to see how vocal he was with his teammates on both ends to try to limit empty possessions. On defensive rebounds or forced turnovers, he whipped passes up the sideline to get some easy looks. In the half court, Thomas was under control and precise with his reads. Another high-academic recruit who has been gaining traction.

Sean Reynolds (6’1 PG/SG, DeKalb)

Reynolds was excellent. He went through the drills with a level of focus that didn’t go unnoticed, making game-like passes as game speeds and setting up his cuts on air the same way that he did during scrimmages. The variety of jumpers, from flares to staggers to one-dribble pull-ups to volleyball line threes, was a clinic in perimeter shot making. Throughout the live segments, he was firing and hitting to a point where no-helps were being considered.

But the depth of his game showed as well, doing a nice job of bumping and protecting the ball against the tight defenders and probing well in pick-and-roll situations. His passing prowess has continuously evolved, making sure to get the ball out early before help committed. He also showed toughness and assertiveness beating guys to spots defensively. I’m shocked that D2 programs aren’t beating down the doors to get Reynolds.

Whitman Charboneau (6’3 PG/SG, Neuqua Valley)

From start to finish, Charboneau was on point with his decisions and scoring. As a playmaker, he made some terrific post entry passes and timed up dump offs well when getting to the rim. With a good triple threat game, he was able to use jabs and delays to get defenders off balance and create driving lanes that he exposed well during the day. At 6-foot-3, Charboneau has quality body control and converted some difficult layups inside with defenders surrounding him.

He’s got a smooth outside shot that he was making on lifts and drive-and-kicks at a high frequency. That is complemented by his dribble pull-up game that he went to when the threes weren’t there. Charboneau is an opportunistic defender who was able to jump some passing lanes and turn defense into offense. Very good D3 guard recruit.

Xavi Granville (6’5 SF, Waukegan)

If you told me that Granville averaged a paint touch every other time down the floor, I’d believe you. The 6-foot-5 wing was attacking the basket with force the whole day, using his athleticism and general strength to put his head down and get to his spots. Whether it was via basket cutting, transition lane filling, or off of strong rip throughs, he was getting it to the rim.

Granville also mixed in some threes, but he was living inside and utilizing jump stops and spins well. A high-flyer in his own right, Granville was dunking with ease during the drill portion. He was engaged as an on-ball defender for most of the day, looking to use his lateral quickness to get a step on offensive players. That projects out as a plus area for Granville, who can really affect games as a wing defender. Granville should be a scholarship prospect.