Two Quincy Shootout alums land in second round of NBA Draft

QUINCY — The evolution of the Quincy Shootout as one of the premier prep basketball showcases in the Midwest continued Thursday night.

Two players who participated in the inaugural event at Quincy High School’s Blue Devil Gym in 2018 were selected in the NBA Draft.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who starred for Bishop Miege of Shawnee Mission, Kan., and played at Villanova, was taken with the second pick of the second round — No. 32 overall — by the New York Knicks.

Joe Wieskamp, a Muscatine, Iowa, product who played at the University of Iowa, was taken in the second round with the 41st pick overall by the San Antonio Spurs.

“I think there will be others that follow from that first year,” said Eric Stratman, Quincy Shootout organizer. “It’s going to keep building with the talent we’re bringing in here. It’s neat to see it happen. Part of the goal of the shootout was to bring in players of that caliber.

“To know more talent is coming should continue making this a special event.”

Wieskamp enjoyed one of the most memorable individual Shootout performances as he scored 34 points in a 50-46 victory against Clark County (Mo.). The Indians’ Chandler Bevans, who went on to enjoy an All-American career at John Wood Community College, scored 30 points in his head-to-head battle with Wieskamp.

Robinson-Earl led Bishop Miege to a 66-46 victory over Iowa City (Iowa) West, showcasing a bevy of skills as he scored 26 points.

Two other shootout alums from that first year — Courtney Ramey of Webster Groves, Mo., and N’Faly Dante of Sunrise Christian Academy of Wichita, Kan. — could be on the NBA Draft radar in the future.

Ramey, a 6-foot-3 guard, averaged 12.2 points and started all 26 games last winter at Texas. He led the Longhorns in free-throw shooting (83.1 percent) and was second on the team in assists and steals. Dante, a 6-foot-11 center, averaged 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in six games as a sophomore at Oregon last winter before suffering a torn ACL. He is expected to return healthy.

The fourth Quincy Shootout is scheduled to take place January 21-22, 2022, with games played at both Blue Devil Gym and The Pit at Quincy Notre Dame the first night. All games scheduled for January 22 will be at Blue Devil Gym.

The lineup includes teams from Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah, and nationally ranked players such as Keyonte George, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from the iSchool of Lewisville (Texas) who is ranked among the top 10 players nationally in the Class of 2022, and Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn, a 6-1 point guard from Real Salt Lake who is ranked among the top 25 players in the Class of 2023.