There is zero debate as to who the best player and prospect is in Illinois.
Regardless of class or where he plays, Warren’s Jaxson Davis is that player. It’s unquestioned.
Davis was a breakout star as a freshman, putting up scintillating numbers for a first-year player and earning all-area honors. He was sensational this past season as a consensus all-state sophomore while leading the Blue Devils to a state runner-up finish.
But what he has shown this spring with Meanstreets on the travel basketball circuit, along with what he did over the weekend at the Riverside-Brookfield Shootout, has left a huge impression. That’s difficult to do as an already established star and with what he already has accomplished in just two seasons.
Davis just keeps getting better and better. He’s a different player than even the one most fans recently saw in Champaign just three months ago.
There were more high-major programs in attendance on the final day at R-B than the first two. The biggest reason was Davis, who didn’t disappoint.
Here are some other quick thoughts from the annual Riverside-Brookfield Shootout.
- Amarrion Smith-Holley is an easy player to rave about. The Peoria Richwoods sophomore point guard is one of the elite players in the state and a fun one to watch. He can score in bunches and is a walking paint touch at lead guard with his speed and feel.
- There isn’t a better, more seasoned and productive 1-2 punch in the state than DePaul Prep’s 6-7 Rashaun Porter and guard Rykan Woo.
- Speaking of a team with a talented combo, albeit a young one that is still clearly in the development stage, Yorkville has 6-4 Braydon Porter and 6-6 Joey Jakstys. This sophomore tandem continues to open eyes while oozing upside.
- Glenbard North has an emerging and rather unknown talent in Lamari Carpenter. Blessed with size and length in the backcourt, the 6-3 junior guard is poised for a breakout season this winter.
- Quick thoughts on a trio of seniors: Mount Carmel’s Noah Mister, who had three games this past weekend of 28-plus points, brings massive scoring potential to the backcourt; Yorkville Christian’s Jayden Riley is one heck of a playmaker and is the point guard with a thick passing vocabulary; and plain and simple, Waukegan’s 6-6 Jaali Love is blessed with a ton of raw talent.
- Libertyville’s Bryce Wegrzyn just keeps producing. Fresh off a big, productive spring with Breakaway on the travel circuit, the 6-8 senior kept scoring and gobbling up rebounds in large quantities throughout the weekend for the Wildcats. The fashion and style he plays with is different but effective.
- In addition to Wegrzyn, Libertyville is going to receive a significant boost from 6-3 guard Terrence Davis, an intriguing sophomore with a high upside.
- Young’s Marquis Clark has the type of talent to put a team on his back and carry it. We’ll see a lot of that this season for the Dolphins from the dynamic point guard who scores the ball in a variety of ways.
- A player who is just an absolute chore to contain for any defense is Kenwood’s Damari Stephens. The broad-shouldered and burly 6-3 junior guard is an absolute play-finishing freight train going to the basket.
- The smooth, jitterbug play of West Aurora’s Travis Brown is always on display. The slender junior point guard plays with feel, creativity and a much-appreciated productiveness that is consistent each time he plays.
