The Riverside Brookfield Shootout brings in much of Illinois’ top high school teams and talent each June and this year was no different. Here is the first part of the many standouts from the events action that I saw. Look for plenty of scholarship offers to be going out following this event.

Travis Brown Jr. – 2027 – PG – West Aurora

There are so many different aspects to like from the game of Brown that make him one of the top point guards in Illinois’ 2027 class. He is a skilled and athletic playmaking point guard who excels with the ball in his hands. As well to being one of the top scorers of the entire shootout which included a 30-point game, Brown also showed a good ability to run the point, seeing the floor and creating for teammates. He is elusive with the ball being able to beat defenders effectively with both his quickness and moves often getting into the defense creating. While he gets into the defense very effectively to score the ball, Brown can also score it from all three levels. Over the weekend, he was offered by Winona State.

Phillip Jones – 2027 – PG – East St. Louis

After losing a ton from their state championship team this past season, Jones looks ready to fill some big shoes as he helped the Flyers to an undefeated tournament. He was one of the top scorers of the tournament with games of 31 and 30 points. The athletic 6’1” point guard is a skilled scorer who moves so well with the ball with burst of quickness. Jones shot it well off the dribble being able to create his own shot and hit the three but really excelled playing on the attack. He plays strong on the attack being able to absorb contact and get all the way to the rim. Even while against size, he showed a good ability to finish at the basket which included multiple and one finishes in a single game.

Cole Kelly – 2028 – SF – Neuqua Valley

Over multiple games Kelley impressed with his elite blend of well-rounded skill set and size. There are few players at 6’7” with a solid frame who can match all the abilities of Kelley. He is a physical attacker powering through defenders who moves very well with the ball. He can be a primary ball hander while also showing his strong passing ability being able to see the floor well. He also plays with great energy defensively both on his man as well as a help defender blocking shots.

Markese Peoples – 2027 – PG – St. Laurence

The fast-rising 2027 guard shined in each of his games Friday including a 22-point game. He is an incredibly versatile player as a skilled, high energy guard along with his great strength. Peoples can do so much on the court as he showed a growing ability to run the point, score posting up, as well as defend both guards and wings so well. His growing point guard skills including handling the ball versus pressure as well as vision on the attack along with his physicality to be a tough downhill scorer. The powerful guard plays very well on the ball moving quick enough to defend speedy point guards but also big enough to match up with wings too. Following his play, he added an offer from Toledo, his third division one offer.

Brady Pettigrew – 2028 – G – Bolingbrook

Just on Friday, Pettigrew had games of 29 and 25 points. In one of these games, he got off to a slow start settling for some tough jumpers but exploded in the second half with 19 points. When he is aggressively attacking the rim, Pettigrew can be near impossible to stop. The guard moves so well with the ball breaking down defenders but at 6’4” can also use his physicality to beat defenders. He finished it at a high percentage at the basket but also showed his good ability to create his shot effectively in the mid-range. Over the weekend, the elite 2028 guard picked up an offer from Auburn.

Ed Stasys – 2027 – PF – Benet Academy

Benet went 4-0 at the shootout with Stasys being a big reason for that. In the tournament he had a trio of twenty plus point game. As well to his scoring he was also one of the top rebounders of the event with his explosiveness along with being 6’8” and motor. His great energy showed with him consistently running the floor hard and on defense as a highly active interior defender. The rising senior showed his ability to score inside both posting up and on put backs with a quick second jump. He was also looking quicker with the ball beating defenders on the attack with multiple driving dunks in one game.  

Ethan Vahl – 2028 – PG – Oswego

Over the course of the tournament, Vahl showed his ability to be a point guard who is a highly skilled passer but also score the ball in bunches. This included putting up 31 points in a single game. While he plays well on the attack, Vahl scored the ball extremely well with his outside shooting. The 6’3” rising junior has good lift on his jumper and shoots it well off the dribble with plenty of range. He is also an instinctual point guard who reads the floor well and passes it very well on the move.