The varsity group at our fall showcase camp featured a number of promising juniors along with some rising sophomores and a standout incoming freshman. Here are the evaluations from group two.

Adam Anwar (6’7 PF, McHenry 2026)

Anwar looked every bit like one of the better fours in the class. The high-skilled junior was knocking down jumpers as a pop threat and making difficult pull-ups off of the bounce. He also was lethal with his back to the basket, particularly on turnarounds where he made shots over both shoulders over length. His lateral agility and strength have progressed nicely since the summer, able to switch out in space to contain and finishing plays through contact as a rebounder and finisher. Anwar is a pure stretch four threat who is still growing with legitimate Division 1 upside.

AJ Berndt (6’1 PG/SG, Cary Grove 2026)

Berndt shot it well during the drill portion of the camp, making a high percentage of his looks with a very high arching shot. As live action started, he hit a couple of threes and was a solid outlet passer to change ends of the floor. The Cary Grove guard also has a nose for the ball defensively that he used defensively to create some turnovers and poke balls loose. Entering his second varsity season, Berndt should take a nice step forward.

Alijah Little (6’3 SG, Whitney Young 2026)

There were a few eye-opening plays from Little, including a poster dunk in transition that got everyone up. But the dunks were far from all that Little showed. As he drew attention on his drives, he did a nice job of keeping his dribble alive and dumping off passes to teammates for easy shots around the rim. His dribble penetration came off of ball screen actions as well where he was quick to reject and explode to the paint for a number of acrobatic finishes. Little had some flashes as a shooter during drills, particularly as a mid-range scorer with good lift on his shot. There is scholarship-level ability there.

Bennett Kammes (6’2 SG, Glenbard West 2027)

Kammes is a knockdown shooter who has continued to fine tune his all-around game. You just feel confident in the outcome when he gets a clean look. During drills, he was locked in and moved with a sense of urgency before getting his feet set to shoot. That translated well to five-on-five where he buried a couple of threes and stayed shot ready on the catch. But his growth defensively has been noteworthy, making an impact with a couple of blocks and playing solid positional defense. Kammes also showed a willingness to make the extra pass to go from a good shot to a great one.

Blake Renfro (6’6 SF, McHenry 2026)

There is some length and skill that Renfro possesses that should develop well in the coming years. The 6-foot-6 junior made multiple threes during drills and showed an understanding for how to use his long arms to affect the vision of opposing wings. His shot mechanics are solid at this point with signs of a reliable catch-and-shoot profile going forward.

Bryce Wegrzyn (6’8 PF, Libertyville 2026)

Another versatile, talented four man, Wegrzyn was impressive throughout the camp with how well he moved and created at his size. The athleticism was evident during drills, but even more so in live segments where he had a couple of powerful dunks after steals. His half court game was very deliberate and surgical, using a believable shot fake to get defenders off of their feet before attacking inside with plus ball control for a forward. Even as a finisher, his comfort evading help defenders with eurosteps or going through a defender’s chest with power was notable. Wegrzyn also shot it well during drills and hit a three during the scrimmages. He is on the trajectory to attract D1 attention in the next year.

Charles Schlicht (6’1 SG/SF, Grant 2027)

Having high-end athleticism is never a bad thing and Schlicht has plenty. Schlicht seemingly floats in the air on jump shots and finishes inside, making a couple of stop-and-pop jumpers where he got well above the ground before knocking them down. He also connected on some spot-up threes during drills, but shined in the open floor of the live portion when he got a head of steam and got all of the way to the rim. Schlicht knows how to contort his body to get tough angles and seems like the type of budding wing who could have a breakout year.

Chris Chittaro (6’2 SG, St. Ignatius 2027)

The lefty came in with a scorer’s mentality early on in the 5-on-5 play. Chittaro was shot-ready when the ball was reversed to him and showed some shooting ability off of the bounce. He made multiple threes, including one behind a ball screen off of the dribble. Chittaro also made a few mid-range jumpers as well. He has some vertical athleticism and decent positional size to defend both backcourt spots and some threes. Look for Chittaro to develop into instant offense for Ignatius down the line.

Ethan Vahl (6’2 PG, Oswego 2028)

Vahl was the most impressive passer of the group, looking seasoned in making ball screen reads. There was no hesitation when he had a chance to hit a roll man or kick it to the lift guy for an open three. Something about the creativity and style of his playmaking is unique, with over the head passes, no-looks, and well-timed bounce passes mixed in at the event. Some of those passing lanes were made possible because he already hit a side step, stepback three, and showed a willingness to keep it himself in transition if no one stopped the ball. Vahl will continue to fill out physically, but the feel and skillset are already advanced.

Jake Wnek (5’10 PG, Plainfield North 2026)

Wnek brought a ton of energy early on and made a great impression with his willingness to guard the ball, run the floor, and hustle. He picked up the ball in the backcourt and made guys uncomfortable during the scrimmages. Wnek doesn’t give up on plays and chased after multiple loose balls before initiating the break. Wnek has really good speed with the ball and was outrunning defenders in transition for layups. During the scrimmages, he also added in three and was steadily collapsing the defense as a driver.

Jayden Madden (6’9 PF/C, Bolingbrook 2026)

Madden has so many parts of his game that check boxes that college coaches look at in bigs. First and foremost, the height, length, and athleticism of Madden stood out. During drills, he was effortlessly catching lobs and changing directions. He has good mechanics as a shooter and has shown in the past a comfort for hitting jumpers when given space. The shot blocking and general rim protection that he showed during as the camp progressed was ideal. No one got clean looks at the rim when Madden was in the area and he did a nice job of keeping the ball high on rebounds. Offensively, he was a constant recipient of dump offs along the baseline and as a roller. Madden is another big on Division 1 radars.

Kain Kretschmar (6’4 SG, Lake Zurich 2026)

A natural scorer with great positional size, Kretschmar was working on and off of the ball very well. When he had the ball in space, he manufactured quality looks with multiple pull-ups where he elevated over defenders and a number of other strong drives to the rim. He has the upper body strength to welcome any contact while being quick and agile enough to adjust his shot mid-air or hit the brakes as a ball-handler to get space. Kretschmar leaned into his range with a few deep threes as well. Kretschmar should be the focal point for Lake Zurich this year and still has scholarship-level upside as a prospect.

Luke Robinson (6’4 SF, Richmond Burton 2026)

Robinson, a high-scoring wing at Richmond Burton, was making contributions across the board. I appreciated how hard he played on both ends of the floor. Robinson was rebounding aggressively while battling for defensive positioning and cutting hard on the weakside when his defender fell asleep. Although Robinson is more of a slasher than spot-up shooter, he hit a few shots from beyond the arc when he had time and space. The toughness that he showed was something you like to see at a showcase.

Matthew Szafoni (6’7 SF, Lane Tech 2026)

In terms of all-around impact, Szafoni was terrific with how he set up teammates, got to his sweet spots as a scorer, and dominated defensively and on the glass. He was snatching misses on both ends of the floor, regularly creating second and third chances for his team. Szafoni has the reach and athleticism to be a switchable defender and guarded guards and bigs effectively at different times of the camp. You don’t find many 6-foot-7 wings who put it on the ground like Szafoni, who worked in ball screens and made quick decisions on stampede catches. The long strides and touch to hit floaters and off-balance layups helped open things up. During drills, he was lighting it up from the corners and was able to do the same in the scrimmages with a straight, on-target ball path. It looks like he’s starting to realize some of the potential that could make him one of the most projectable two-way wings in the area.

Max Beard (6’3 SG, Woodstock 2027)

Known to be a high-octane shooter, Beard made good of that tag with a number of threes sprayed in throughout the day. He has a quick setup to his shot and was able to get square coming off of handoffs or while springing off of away screens. The different actions didn’t seem to impact the percentages as Beard was either hitting open jumpers or making a quick decision to drive a closeout where his athleticism has progressed well. His height proved to be an advantage with his pull-ups to shoot over smaller defenders, but it was also an asset for him as a gap defender. Beard will take over as the leading weapon for Woodstock this year.

Phoenix Fisher (6’2 SG, Niles West 2027)

Fisher is another hyper-athletic wing who has a bright future. As drills got going, he stepped into some rhythm jump shots and showed a set short form that has some range. His best moments came during live segments when he put his head down and blew by defenders to get to the rim. Fisher is a quick leaper who got up or over the rim on multiple occasions. Any time he had the ball in transition, he made one move and attacked well. Now at Niles West, Fisher should have an immediate impact.

Rory Haas (6’6 SF, Lake Forest 2027)

Haas was one of the better shooters of the group and knocked down jumpers with consistency during the half court segments. His feet get set quickly and he doesn’t waste much motion. As scrimmages began, Haas hit threes off of kick outs and spaced the floor well when ball screen actions were occurring. On the other end, he has a solid build that he used to hold his ground when defending in the post and kept the ball in front on the perimeter. Haas has continued to make serious strides as a defender, movement shooter, and ball-handler. With his frame, perimeter game, and work ethic, I’d buy stock in Haas developing into an impact player in the area.