Inside the Shootout: Nationally ranked teams, Power 5 conference recruits highlight Quincy Shootout field

The fourth Quincy Shootout takes place this weekend with games being played Friday night at Quincy High School’s Blue Devil Gym and Quincy Notre Dame’s The Pit. Saturday, all eight games will be played at Blue Devil Gym.

Here is a look at the teams and top players who will be worth the price of admission:

Berkmar High School — Lilburn, Ga.

The Patriots came into 2022 as one of the top 10 public school teams nationally after finishing as the runners up at the 38th Arby’s Classic in Bristol, Tenn., during the Christmas break. Berkmar, which won eight of its first 11 games this season, lost to Long Island Lutheran in the championship. Senior center Malique Ewin has signed with Ole Miss and is considered a top-100 recruit nationally, while Jermahri Hill, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, has an offer from Virginia Tech and is drawing interest from Georgia and Georgia Tech. Point Jameel Rideout holds an offer from Charleston Southern and is drawing interest from several NCAA Division I schools in the south.

The Burlington School — Burlington, N.C.

The Spartans travel to Quincy with some momentum on their side. They won the John Wall Holiday Tournament, were on a seven-game win streak and had compiled a 20-3 record with a No. 19 ranking in the MaxPreps Top 25. Junior forward Michael Nwoko, who is 6-foot-10, is drawing interest from Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Houston and others. Another junior — 6-foot-8 forward Avion Pinner — has SEC schools like LSU and Texas A&M looking at him. Kheni Briggs, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, has committed to Charleston Southern.

Cardinal Ritter High School — St. Louis

The Lions’ loaded schedule has them sitting at 8-8 less than two weeks into January, but they will be a state championship contender come March. Cardinal Ritter went 2-1 in the King Cotton Classic in Pine Bluff, Ark., during the Christmas holiday break, losing its opener by eight points to Magnolia, Ark., which has won 61 of its last 62 games as of January 1. Robert Lewis, a 6-foot-8 forward who averages 17 points per game, and Braxton Stacker, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard who averages 16 points per game, give the Lions a quality 1-2 punch. Stacker, who has committed to Murray State, is a McDonald’s All-American nominee.

Christian Brothers College — St. Louis

The Cadets bring arguably the most recognizable player to the Shootout in 7-foot-2 sophomore center John Bol, who already has offers from Illinois, Missouri and Kansas State. Bol, who is originally from South Sudan, is the tallest player to ever participate in the Shootout, and he is averaging 12 points and nine rebounds per game. Robert Martin, a 5-foot-10 point guard, is averaging a team-leading 16.4 points per game, while Larry Hughes Jr., a 6-foot-4 shooting and the son of former first-round NBA draft pick Larry Hughes, is receiving interest from schools like Butler, Kansas State and Wisconsin.

Confluence Prep Academy — St. Louis

Trasean White is one of the leading scorers in the St. Louis metro area, averaging 29.1 points through 10 games with five games of 30 or more points. The senior guard has made five or more 3-pointers four times and averages seven assists and five steals per game. Bryant Moore, a 6-foot-5 sophomore forward, is averaging 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, while shooting 53 percent from the field.

Father Tolton High School — Columbia, Mo.

Coached by former Quincy High School multi-sport standout Jeremy Osborne and coming off a state quarterfinal appearance a year ago, the Trailblazers bring size and quality bloodlines to the Shootout. Jevon Porter, a 6-foot-11 forward who has signed with Pepperdine, is the younger brother of the Denver Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. Senior guard Tahki Chievous is the son of former Missouri All-American Derrick Chievous. Freshman guard Aaron Rowe, who is the team’s third-leading scorer, already has offers from Saint Louis University and Tennessee and scored 30 points in his prep debut.

Hamilton Heights Academy — Chattanooga, Tenn.

Much of the recruiting chatter coming out of Hamilton Heights has been about Somto Cyril and understandably so. He is 6-foot-11, athletic and strong. But don’t sleep on the backcourt, specifically the Andrews brothers. Junior point guard Camden Andrews is the ultimate playmaker, averaging more than seven assists per game. Sophomore shooting guard Bryson Andrews is a 3-point threat, tying the record for 3-pointers made in the Lighthouse Classic in Cornith, Miss. Jordann Dumont, a 6-foot-8 junior swingman, recently picked up his first DIvision I scholarship offer,

Huntington Prep — Huntington, W.Va.

A program with a history of launching pro careers — current NBA players Andrew Wiggins and Miles Bridges are Huntington alums — is loaded with talent once again. Ronald Jessamy, who transferred to Huntington after playing at Rossview High School in Clarksville, Tenn., is a 6-foot-7 junior with offers from Tennessee State and Alabama State. Maki Johnson, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, is ranked in the top 100 in the Class of 2023 and has SEC and Big 12 schools interested. Trentyn Flowers, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, has several SEC schools taking note. Seth Hubbard, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, holds offers from East Carolina, UAB and Wichita State.

Iowa City West High School — Iowa City, Iowa

Pete Moe, a 6-foot-8 senior forward, moved to Iowa City from Indianapolis with his family a year ago so his father, former Iowa shooting guard Jeff Moe, could return and finish his dagree. The family ended up staying, and Moe is at the heart of the Trojans’ attack. He averaged 26.8 points during Iowa City West’s 6-0 start. He averaged 21.9 points during a 13-game junior season. Sophomore guard Kareem Earl is the son of former Moline and Iowa star Acie Earl. They have have, too. Savion Taylor is a 6-4 swingman who can get to the basket. And Jack McCaffery, a 6-foot-8 freshman, is the youngest son of Iowa coach Fran McCaffery.

iSchool of Lewisville — Lewisville, Texas

The Cougars understand the spotlight. They’ve played in four nationally televised games this season and are regarded as one of the top prep programs in Texas. Matt Reed, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward, is receiving a lot of attention from mid-major programs because of his ability to step to the perimeter and bury shots, and schools from the Big East and the Big 12 are showing interest. Jason Thirdkill, a 6-foot-7 senior swingman, has committed to Lamar.

Link Academy — Branson, Mo.

The Lions have put together an amazing collection of talent, headlined by four McDonald’s All-American nominees in Felix Okpara, Julian Phillips, Tarris Reed Jr. and Jordan Walsh. Okpara, a 6-foot-11 senior center, has committed to Ohio State, while Phillips, a 6-foot-8 senior swingman, has signed with LSU. Reed, a 6-foot-10 senior forward who played in the Shootout two years ago with Chaminade, has signed with Michigan. Walsh, a 6-foot-7 forward, has signed with Arkansas. All four players are ranked among the top 50 players nationally in the Class of 2022.

Math, Civics & Sciences Charter — Philadelphia

A top-level team in the Philadelphia Public League, the Mighty Elephants won a Class 2A state championship in 2019 and were the state runners-up in 2016. Jaheim Bethea, a senior point guard in his second season as a starter, is the Mighty Elephants’ catalyst, averaging nearly five assists and four steals per game. Trent Middleton, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, is averaging nearly 13 points and six rebounds per game. Khalif Crawley, a 6-foot-8 senior forward drawing interest from Pitt, is averaging 10 points and eight rebounds per game.

Memphis East — Memphis, Tenn.

The Mustangs opened the season by winning eight of their first 10 games and have the potential to chase another Tennessee state championship. They are ranked eighth in Class 4A — Tennessee’s biggest classification. They average 73 points per game and are led by 6-foot-8 forward Alijah Curry, who has offers from Memphis, Missouri and Ole Miss. Two underclassmen — 6-foot-3 junior guard E.J. Smith and 6-foot-6 sophomore guard Billy Richmond III — are making a huge impact as well. Both of their fathers played for the Memphis Tigers.

Modesto Christian — Modesto, Calif.

NCAA Division I coaches have their eyes on the Crusaders at every turn, Junior guard BJ Davis, who was named to the all-tournament team after Modesto Christian won the 21st annual Holiday Hoop Classic at Christmas, is receiving interest from schools up and down the Pacific coast as he averages 16.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Jamari Phillips, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard, is drawing interest from Pac-12 and Big 12 programs and is averaging 23.1 points per game. The Crusaders also have size with 6-foot-6 sophomore Manasse Itete and 6-foot-9 junior Prince Oseya.

Peoria Notre Dame — Peoria, Ill.

The Fighting Irish have been rolling since a loss to Burlington Central on a putback at the buzzer in overtime in the championship game of the Plano Classic. They’ve put together four straight victories to improve to 13-2 heading into the middle of January. Cooper Koch, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, holds offers from several Big Ten Conference schools, including Illinois, Iowa and Ohio State, and was named to the all-tournament team at Plano. He is the son of J.R. Koch, a former Iowa standout and second-round NBA draft pick. PND recently beat Chicago St. Rita at the Hiland Shootout.

Quincy High School — Quincy

An injection of youthful talent has helped the Blue Devils become the team to beat in the Western Big 6 Conference. It doesn’t hurt to have a senior swingman who is averaging 22 points per game and will go down as one of the top snipers in program history. Jeremiah Talton, a 6-foot-6 senior who holds an offer from Western Illinois University and is drawing other D-I interest, recently topped 1,000 career points and has already broken the program’s career 3-point shooting record. Freshman guard Bradley Longcor III scored in double figures in 16 of the Blue Devils’ first 17 games and is one of three freshmen seeing playing time.

Quincy Notre Dame — Quincy

The Raiders are finding their footing and getting gritty on the defensive end. The Raiders have limited their first two opponents of the new year to less than 40 points apiece. None of the Raiders’ past six opponents have scored more than 47 points. Junior forward Jake Wallingford, a lanky 6-foot-7, is a scoring threat inside and out and is one of five juniors in the starting lineup. Jake Hoyt, a 6-foot junior point guard, is a three-year starter, while Alex Connoyer’s insertion into the starting lineup has made the Raiders’ full-court press more effective.

Saint Louis University High — St. Louis

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Jr. Billikens senior guard Nick Kramer. His father, Jack Kramer, is the second-leading scorer in Quincy High School history and a Quincy Blue Devils Sports Hall of Fame inductee. Kramer, who has signed with Saint Louis University, is averaging 20.8 points per game and shooting 54 percent from 3-point range. He also grabs nearly seven rebounds per game. Senior guard Jaden McClain and junior guard Aaron Walker Jr. give SLUH a solid backcourt as both average 10 points and five assists per game.

St. Rita High School — Chicago

The Mustangs are a high-scoring team, averaging 65.2 points per game and having topped out at 111 points in a tournament game in November. Morez Johnson, a 6-foot-7 sophomore power forward, has already committed to Illinois and is one of four D-I prospects in the St. Rita lineup. James Brown, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, is the No. 1-ranked player in the state in the Class of 2024 and is drawing interest from Illinois, Iowa and Florida. Jaedin Reyna, a 6-foot sophomore point guard has Illinois, Illinois-Chicago and DePaul courting him. Kaiden Space, a 5-foot-10 junior guard, is getting looks from several mid-major programs.

United Township High School — East Moline, Ill.

The Panthers will square off against Quincy High School in a Western Big 6 Conference matchup as part of the Friday night slate of games. UT has recovered after enduring a five-game losing streak early in the season. Senior forward Darius Rogers and senior guard De’vontay Wright are consistent threats for the Panthers. Rogers is averaging 10 points and four rebounds per game in WB6 play, while Wright is averaging 13 points and three made 3-pointers. Omarion Roberts, a 6-foot point guard, is averaging nearly five assists per game.