We held our annual Spring Showcase Camp over the weekend, which featured players from around the state across classes. For the rising senior group of 2026 players, here are the evaluations for all of the participants of our invite-only event.

Adam Bauer (6’7 PF, Cary Grove)

The physical frontcourt piece from Cary Grove impressed with his ability to control the glass and utilize his athleticism in space. He went up in traffic to corral misses throughout the live portions of the event, generating numerous second chances where he converted at a high rate. Bauer has good hands to catch passes as a roller and cutter, which allows him to get some easy ones around the rim. In transition, he moves more like a wing and is able to outrun other forwards and bigs for layups or quick straight-line drives. As he showed as a junior, he also has the ability to hit threes with time and space. Bauer looks like a solid D3 big to track.

AJ Berndt (6’1 PG/SG, Cary Grove)

Another promising senior for the Trojans, Berndt made plays for others throughout the day and made the most of his own shot attempts. There is a level of craftiness and savvy to his game to play angles as a dribble penetrator and then wait for the perfect moment to dump off passes to teammates. Berndt shot it well during the shooting drills, hitting a majority of his spot-up and pull-up attempts with a consistent, one-motion shot. The 6-foot-1 guard has good range and arc that should translate well to the next level as a plus shooter. He’ll probably end up as a point guard in college, but he shows plenty of traits to be an off-ball spacer as well.

Ali Tharwani (5’11 PG, Marmion)

Among the better mid-range shooters at the event, Tharwani went on a number of stretches during the scrimmages where he couldn’t miss from around the elbows. It’s apparent that he is comfortable and well-trained at getting to his spots, rising up, and knocking down open and contested twos from that 13-to-18-foot range. The skilled lead guard stepped outside for multiple threes as well and seems ready to build off of what was a breakout junior year with the Cadets. Despite lacking some size, Tharwani has that creativity and off-the-dribble game that plays well.

Cameron Anderson (6’6 SF/PF, Schaumburg)

It’s safe to say that Anderson was one of the most explosive players of the day, across groups. The high-flying combo forward put down numerous powerful dunks, including a few in traffic, off of drives and dump-offs. At various times throughout the day, he flashed some inside-out ability, connecting on some post face-up jumpers and trail threes in live segments. During drills, we could see the sound mechanics that should ultimately lead to improving results from the perimeter with time. Anderson is able to get to the rim in two to three dribble attacks or play out of the post, where he did a nice job of sealing and making the simple play off of the catch. I continue to be intrigued by his defensive potential as a multi-positional stopper who takes pride in his activity. He’s got scholarship-level upside.

Carson Loughlin (6’3 SG, Naperville North)

Loughlin is just a well-rounded basketball player who is impactful in multiple areas. His cutting and off-ball movement was notable at the camp, making hard baseline cuts and 45 cuts to get easy looks or draw his defender out of the help line. When he spent time in more on-ball roles with his team, he made pinpoint passes off of drives and was a steady ball-mover who never let the ball stick. With his size at 6-foot-3, he was able to go up in the lane for short jumpers and layups and wasn’t impacted by closeouts as a jump shooter, where he made a couple of threes off of kick-outs. Loughlin competed on the defensive end with active hands and good length to be reliable against guards and wings. Another quality Division 3 recruit is set for a big senior year.

Colin Cimino (6’6 PF, Riverside Brookfield)

A flex forward/big for Riverside Brookfield, Cimino was one of the higher-energy guys at the camp. He does so many little things well, from running the floor to guarding in space to boxing out and finishing possessions. Playing off of his teammates well, he spaced for a handful of threes in the corner and picked his spots to face cut to get a middle touch ,where he was efficient. Cimino has that interior turnaround down and a long wingspan that makes it tough to challenge. Defensively, he was a great communicator who let his teammates know where the help was at while switching out to contain guards and finding a way back inside to wall up as a help side defender. Look for Cimino to have a long list of D3 suitors.

Connor Kimme (6’1 PG/SG, Kaneland)

Kimme had a number of good moments and showed well during the drill portion of the day. During the shooting stations, he shot the highest percentage on catch-and-shoot and pull-ups, making 33 of 40 jumpers. He has steady mechanics and doesn’t waste much motion on his release, which was evident when he got clean looks in the live segments. Kimme looked best spotting up, but also got to the rim with some nifty moves and made good passes to cutters. He was very competitive on the defensive end as an on-ball pest with a nose for the ball. Kimme should be a nice piece for the Knights this year.

Eli Loeding (6’4 SF, Prairie Ridge)

Coming off a huge junior year for the Wolves, Loeding shot it very well throughout the camp off a variety of actions. The athletic, 6-foot-4 wing has a quick release and range out past the college line. During the 5-on-5 play, he got his feet set off of lift actions and standstill threes and drilled a bunch of threes with defenders running out at him. Loeding has great rotation on his shot and seems to understand how to get it off in the flow of the offense. He also has plus measurables to be an effective slasher who can get up above the rim to finish or rebound. The physical frame and athleticism is there for him to be a stout defender as well. Loeding is a bit under the radar, but he could be a big-time Division 3 forward.

Freddy Battaglia (6’4 SF, Lake Park)

One of the more impressive two-way players in the senior group, Battaglia is as productive as they come. What stood out most, even in the on-air drills, is the efficiency of his footwork and ability to change directions and speeds while maintaining his balance. He had no issue hitting fall-away jumpers or stopping on a dime for mid-range shots throughout the day. That helped complement his direct-line athleticism to the rim, where he was excellent at times ripping through hard and either dunking it or making good two-foot finishes inside. Battaglia has the traits and mentality to be a defensive stalwart at the three/four spots with his intelligence, motor, and anticipation to shoot gaps. He also showed an underappreciated part of his game, which is his three-point stroke. As that continues to progress, he’s got serious D2 potential.

Jack Reiser (6’3 SG/SF, Benet)

Reiser has a level of grit to him that is going to appeal to a lot of coaches. The 6-foot-3 Benet product was cutting, slipping, and running the floor hard during the scrimmage portion of the camp, even if there wasn’t a play being called for him. His constant level of energy stood out, leading to offensive rebounds, closed gaps defensively, and quality looks for his teammates when he drew help. Reiser shot it well at the shooting station and has the ability to light it up once he gets going from the perimeter. His combination of shooting, energy, and positional size and strength is worth tracking.

Jake Love (6’2 SG, St. Charles North)

There were a number of high-level shooters in this group, but Love may have been the most natural catch-and-shoot guy of the bunch. During both drills and live portions, he was burying long-range shots off the catch as either a spacer or movement shooter for his team. He stayed shot-ready within the offense and has a clean motion that helped him hit shots out to the NBA line. To counter that, he also looked good with one-to-two dribble pull-ups to get inside of the arc. Love has a solid frame and toughness that should translate well with his floor spacing ability.

Marcus Johnson (6’1 PG, Sycamore)

Now at Sycamore, Johnson played well during the camp, particularly once things went live. He was confident getting to his spots and hit a number of tough jumpers from the perimeter in transition and after working with the ball in the half-court. Johnson hit stepbacks, catch-and-shoot looks, and some quick-trigger looks on the move to help boost his team during scrimmages. I liked how he guarded the basketball as well, applying pressure in the full court and frustrating other guards at times. Johnson has good quickness and direct-line speed to stay in front of the ball and recover defensively, while also being able to get into the teeth of the defense as a ball-handler. Another kid who is unheralded to an extent, Johnson made a good impression.

Mason Moore (6’6 PF, Andrew)

From a physical standpoint, Moore is highly projectable at 6-foot-6 with a near 7-foot wingspan. But he has continued to put the tools together to make an impact on both ends of the floor and that showed during the live segments. He blocked multiple shots and caused a number of other guys to double-clutch or kick it out inside to avoid having the same things happen to them. His timing is ideal, usually being the second to leave the ground to avoid fouls and reject looks inside. Offensively, he showed some feel for his spot-up jumper during drills and was an active interior option as an offensive rebounder and dump-off option inside. He can also put it on the ground a bit and seems to have his best days of basketball ahead of him. High-upside forward.

Matt Welch (6’4 SF, Glenbard North)

The one thing that a lot of the camp coaches noted about Welch was how hard he fought for position and loose balls. On numerous occasions, he gave second and third efforts to grab rebounds and even snatched the ball out of the hands of opposing guys at times. Known as a deadeye three-point shooter, Welch shot 75 percent on catch-and-shoot looks during the shooting station work. But he really showed best as a defender, using his size to bump guys off spots, rotating to the help side, and moving his feet to try to stay in front of guys. There is always a role at the college level for shooters with size who play with the type of competitive edge that Welch provided.

Patrick Lovell (6’2 SG, DePaul Prep)

A shooter from DePaul Prep, Lovell’s outside stroke looked solid with repeatable mechanics and a nice touch. He worked as a floor spacer for his team during the scrimmages and connected on corner kickouts when he had opportunities within the offense. Lovell showed some creativity off the bounce at times, too, using some change-of-pace moves to get downhill to his strong hand. Listed at 6-foot-2, Lovell has a long, wiry frame that seemed to impact the vision and finishing ability of some other guards who he was defending. Lovell will look to build off of a strong spring AAU season.

Payton Hueber (6’6 PF, Indian Creek)

The camp coaches were expecting Hueber to primarily a low post option, where he is definitely more than comfortable. But the inside-out big man was lighting it up from the outside with an array of pick-and-pop and trail threes and quick mid-range shots off of reversals. He has really good balance as a shooter with the range that stretches out to the college line. Defenders who gave him space had to pay the price, with Hueber going on a couple of stretches where he went on his own personal run with all jump shots. With his build and touch inside, Hueber can also do damage on the low block as needed, but had a team with some dribble penetrators who benefited from his ability to space the floor and hit open shots. Hueber helped himself with his showing at the camp.

Robert Sansone (6’0 PG, Montini)

It didn’t take long to see why Sansone was a microwave scorer in the Chicago Catholic League last year. During live segments, he just simply knew how to fill it up, whether that was off of tough pull-ups, spot-ups, or aggressive drives to the rim. Sansone’s body control off the dribble to hit leaners and contort his body around help defenders to finish was notable. More often than not, he hurt defenders with the quick elevation on his dribble pull-ups from three and mid-range, making as many of those as anyone at the event during the scrimmages. It’s hard to teach the type of instincts that Sansone has as a creator and shot-maker, especially with his size and frame going up against bigger guys. Expect a huge senior year and a number of D3 programs to start to key in on the dynamic Montini guard.

Ryan Brown (6’3 SG, Homewood Flossmoor)

Brown was aggressive looking for his shot during the event, hitting some very tough shots in 5-on-5 play in traffic and over-contesting hands. The lanky guard has some range to his jumper, which he showed during drills and with live defense. Wired to score, he used his athleticism and handle to probe and get into the lane, where he made a few floaters and layups through contact. As he fills out physically and sees some more time, Brown has some clear talent to work with going forward.

TJ Hillman (6’1 PG, Naperville Central)

A true point guard for Naperville Central, Hillman was the best passer in the senior group. He always kept his dribble alive, beat his primary defender with a variety of deceptive moves, and delivered dimes to bigs in the dunker’s spot or cross-court passes to shooters. Hillman plays the game with his head up, looking for openings for his teammates and himself. When the help was late on his drives, he took it himself for several scoop layups. As a ball screen operator, Hillman used his body to create and maintain advantages and had the speed to blow by bigs who were trying to hedge. Defensively, he was very good at the point of attack to generate forced shots and out-of-rhythm decisions from other guards. Hillman is a promising D3 lead guard prospect.

Torey Baskin (6’1 PG, Hoffman Estates)

Baskin may have been the most impressive player in the senior group during the live portions with the way he dictated tempo, made winning plays, and showed a level of shot-creating ability that stood out. The Hoffman star used his great first step to regularly get paint touches where he had strong finishes through contact and made the right read as a passer throughout the day. Even at 6-foot-1, Baskin showed that he can play up near the rim in traffic to convert. While in space, Baskin showed his shiftiness with quick crossovers to get space for floaters or create separation for threes and mid-range looks, where he was cool and collected when hitting them. The same speed that made him a problem offensively was a plus on the defensive side as well, rarely getting beat off the dribble and staying in constant pursuit even while fighting through ball screens. Baskin has remained impressive over the last few years.

Tyler Reed (6’3 SG, Lake Zurich)

Reed is an active lefty who can really shoot it from the perimeter. He made an NBA range three during the scrimmages and shot a good percentage during the shooting stations and drills. With good length at 6-foot-3, Reed was able to use his long strides to knife to the rim where he elevates well as a finisher. He got low angles on his drives and attacked to his strong hand well at different times of the event. Reed also projects as a solid wing defender who covers ground well, clogs up gaps with his length, and has a good level of discipline to stay down on shot fakes and force players out of their comfort zone. Look for a nice senior year from Reed as one of Lake Zurich’s top options.