We held our annual Spring Showcase Camp over the weekend, which featured players from around the state across classes. For the underclassmen group that featured 2028 and 2029 players, here are some of the standouts.

Adam Schwarz (6’6 C, Glenbard East 2029)

For an incoming freshman, Schwarz moved well and showed some promising strength and athleticism at 6-foot-6. In the drill portion of the camp, he knocked down a good number of jump shots off the catch and had a quality finish to his shot with workable footwork to gather. Once live play began, Schwarz balanced playing on the inside and the perimeter, making some nice passes from the high post, driving a few closeouts, and rebounding well inside. He was a reliable outlet inside as a cutter and short corner option as well, and was able to recover and contest some shots defensively. There seems to be a lot of upside there for the GBE freshman.

Albert Lee (6’1 PG/SG, Vernon Hills 2028)

Very skilled and crafty, Lee had the highest shooting percentage at the shooting station and was productive for stretches as a shot creator. Often going to the stepback while attacking left, Lee made multiple of those jumpers throughout the day, with defenders struggling to close the air space in time. He has a good understanding of angles and operated under control throughout the camp when looking to penetrate into the lane. Lee has decent positional size and gave some energy while guarding the ball. He should be another good young piece for Vernon Hills.

Carter Pohlman (6’2 SG, Glenbard East 2029)

Pohlman can really shoot it from the perimeter and has that shooter’s mentality and confidence to change games as a floor spacer. He finished with one of the top combined shooting scores at the shooting station and poured in open threes throughout the scrimmages when he got open looks. The lefty has deep range to step into shots from distance and doesn’t hesitate when given space. Pohlman has a great frame and good size to build on at this stage, which helped him battle on the glass and compete defensively. A promising dual-sport athlete, Pohlman should have a nice career at Glenbard East.

Declan Wilson (6’5 SF/PF, Burlington Central 2029)

Another skilled freshman at the event, Wilson has showed versatility putting it on the ground, passing on the move, and making plays out in space. In drills, he shot it fairly well on dribble pull-ups and catch-and-shoot looks with a high-arching shot. That translated to live play where he hit a jumper off a wide pindown and was able to get inside for turnaround jump shots. As a passer, he used good instincts to anticipate cuts and drop it off to guys for easy layups. The 6-foot-5 freshman had a few emphatic blocks on the defensive end and looks like he’s got plenty of growing and physical upside left.

Drake Cadle (5’11 PG, Benet 2029)

With the way the Cadle played defense, moved the ball, and shot at a high clip, the camp coaches seemed unsurprised when they found out that Cadle was attending Benet. His agility and technique as a defender were near the top of the group, keeping a wide base, stunting at the ball, and always finding a way to get back in front of the ball. When he had the ball in transition, Cadle changed gears well and made scoop layups throughout the scrimmages. In the half court, he had great ball control, kept the ball moving, had his hands and feet ready on kick outs to connect on several threes. Cadle had one of the better shooting station scores and should be a plus ball-handler and shot-maker for the Redwings. He could be the next standout guard at Benet if he continues working the way he does.

Eze Nwagwu (5’9 PG, St. Rita 2028)

Coming off a freshman season where he was the go-to guy on varsity for St. Rita, Nwagwu had some good moments attacking the rim and putting pressure on the rim in transition. His speed is game-changing, able to just blow by guys in the open floor to score in the lane. When help came over, it was an immediate reaction to give it up to get an easy look for someone else. Nwagwu shot it well during the drills and can get going from three with time and space. That same speed that makes him go on offense makes him a potential menace defensively, getting hands on loose balls and turning defense into offense. He’ll be a big returning piece for Coach Sexton at St. Rita.

Frank Battaglia (6’3 SF, Lake Park 2029)

There was no shortage of lanky, multi-purpose prospects in this group, and you can add Battaglia to that group. The incoming Lake Park freshman handled the ball well in the half-court, moved off the ball for layups, and showed some passing ability on the interior. Battaglia scored on cuts and short jumpers inside, but really stood out as a connector offensively who never let the ball stick, crashed the glass hard, and made the right plays in transition. The athletic profile is there for him to be a solid defender at multiple spots in time.

Jared Van Donselaar (6’6 SF/PF, Grayslake North 2028)

Van Donselaar was borderline unguardable for the first stretch of scrimmage games. The 6-foot-6 forward has great elevation on his jump shot and couldn’t miss in the early going, making a number of mid-range pull-ups and deep threes from the wing. But Van Donselaar also got to the rim to his left hand for multiple layups and showed the ability to initiate the break himself or snap passes to teammates when extra bodies came his way. With a huge wingspan and good coordination at this stage, he was a factor as an interior defender for much of the day. Expect him to add at least two or three more inches to his frame as well. If he can continue to get stronger and put the tools together, the ceiling is high.

Jayden Dozie (5’10 PG, Maine East 2028)

Dozie’s command of the floor, vision, defensive impact, and shot-making ability were differentiators at the camp. As an on-ball defender, Dozie was giving guys problems all day with his second efforts and hustle to disrupt plays. When he was operating out of ball screens, he varied his tempo to keep defenders guessing and found the perfect time to either hit teammates with pocket passes and skips or lull defenders to sleep to give himself space for jumpers. The arc and rotation on his shot is textbook, hitting a couple of threes from a few feet behind the NBA line with ease. What made him so difficult to cover off the catch was his comfort probing and shooting off the dribble, and the threat of the quick trigger off the catch. After a terrific freshman season for a rising Maine East program, expect Dozie to lead the way as a kid who already looks to have scholarship-level potential.

John Morgan (6’5 PF, Crystal Lake South 2028)

The face-up ability of Morgan stood out to all of the camp coaches. He’s got great feet at his size to use spins and pivots to get angles for shots from the low block all the way out to the three-point line where he made a couple of trail jumpers. Morgan does a great job of using his body on those spins to get a slight bump to create space, and he has the turnarounds and step-throughs to make the most of it. He also flashed some vision, throwing outlet passes and cross-court deliveries to guys for layups. Morgan is a unique talent at his size who should have a big sophomore year.

Mason Markman (6’2 SG/SF, Glenbrook North 2028)

There were some solid kids in this group, but Markman was the most physical one there. A bruising wing at 6-foot-2, Markman found ways to get separation for his mid-range looks and layups by using his upper body strength to his advantage. The same applied on the glass, where he fought through box outs and went up in traffic to grab misses. He guarded with an edge all day and seemed to take pride in getting stops. Markman has continued to take big strides as a shooter and slasher, looking good while attacking off of the bounce and knocking down those 15-to-18-foot shots. On a young GBN team, Markman has the type of motor to make waves.

Masyn Harrell (6’2 PG, Schaumburg 2028)

A high-upside guard in the Mid-Suburban League, Harrell can go. The wiry lefty got to the rim at will at times with a quick first step and serious explosiveness in the paint. Once he got a head of steam, he had some force on his drives that should translate well at the varsity level and beyond. I was impressed with his defensive impact, particularly as a gap defender to jump passing lanes and as a potential perimeter stopper who didn’t give an inch of space in one-on-one situations. The lefty has solid form as a jump shooter to build off of and hit a few threes off the catch during the day. Harrell could be a breakout sophomore in the area this year for the Saxons.

Mikey Schaechter (6’0 PG, Vernon Hills 2028)

Among the more impressive two-way guards at the event, Schaechter was smooth with the ball all day and made quick, decisive reads as a playmaker. I really like how he sees the floor and allows plays to develop, finding ways to pass guys open and fitting the ball through tight windows. Even more notable was how few turnovers he had while constantly putting pressure on the rim with his speed and ability to hit a variety of alternative finishes inside. Defensively, the Vernon Hills guard was all over the floor getting steals, tips, and speeding up other guards. Also an excellent three-point shooter, Schaechter hit a few long-range bombs throughout the day, both as a spacer and primary ball-handler. He’s going to be really good in the years to come.

Patrick Alvarez (5’9 PG/SG, Loyola 2029)

Alvarez brought energy and some grit to camp. At 5-foot-9, he was able to get up into guards to apply ball pressure and already has decent strength at his size to battle with taller backcourt players. He won 50/50s throughout the day while also showing touch from the perimeter in some of the shooting drills with a compact release from three. In the situations where Alvarez was handling the ball, he snapped it up the floor and was a quality decision maker in the half-court.

Reid Gabuzda (5’8 PG/SG, York 2029)

A deadeye shooter at York, Gabuzda was nearly automatic when he was given space from three. Particularly from the corners, he was locked and loaded on kickouts during the scrimmages and hit all net on several looks from the perimeter. The lefty guard is a smart off-ball mover who you can run off of screens and use to open up driving lanes as a spacer. When he got clean looks, his camp coaches were confident in the outcome, leading to a couple of nice stretches in the latter half of the scrimmages. Gabuzda is a competitive kid who can be disruptive as a defender and give energy going for loose balls. He’ll be a good player for York as he continues to mature.

Ryan Morgan (6’5 PF, Crystal Lake South 2028)

Morgan was making plays out in the open floor well, either as a passer or finisher. When he got early touches in transition, he delivered on-time passes to guys running their lanes. In the situations where he was rim running, he caught it under control and either finished through contact or evaded defenders with euro steps and step-throughs. During the shooting stations, Morgan shot 75 percent on catch-and-shoot looks and showed some feel for his mid-range shot during the drill portion of the camp. He’s got good moves on the low block and can do some nice things around the elbows as well.

TJ Adams (5’10 PG, Waubonsie Valley 2029)

You can tell that some kids just know how to play, and Adams is one of those guys. From the start of 5-on-5, Adams impressed everyone with his tenacity guarding the ball in the full court and making sure that other guards had to work to even get the ball past half court. He was the first one to the ground for loose balls and made extra efforts for rebounds. Offensively, Adams played under control and hit a few stop-and-pop shots, floaters, and open layups off of drives. He shot a high percentage during drills and at the shooting station with ideal arc on his shot. I like how dynamic and precise Adams is as a ball-handler when making moves, never doing too much but still finding ways to get guys off balance. Adams has a bright future at Waubonsie.

Vinny Corrado Jr. (6’7 PF, St. Viator 2028)

Corrado was the tallest player in this group, but did a variety of things well. There was energy and excitement from Corrado from the start of the camp, going through drills with some pace and showing off his athleticism above the rim. In 5-on-5 play, Corrado acted as a stretch big, hitting a three and driving hard from the wing on multiple occasions with success. He has a big frame and can play through bumps with ease. The 6-foot-7 sophomore rebounded it well on both ends and covered ground defensively to block or alter shots. After a really good freshman year at Harvest Christian, Corrado will be a nice addition for St. Viator.