Player Search

Simpson Elite Media was able to head up to Schaumburg Greater Purpose facility to watch the Aayouleagues Fall League. I was able to capture some raw footage and assess players as the game went on. There were a lot of kids with potential and talent but these young talents stood out to me the most. Glenbrook South High School Anestis Hadjistamoulou 2025 Anestis is considered to be one of the top sophomores in the state of Illinois and he did not disappoint as his team fell short but he was still able to showcase his skills and IQ level. The 6-foot-0 combo guard show great poise and is 3 steps ahead of the next play. His ball handling ability is what stands out the most, his between cross is his patent move that almost every time shift defenders that allow him direct line drives to the rim. He can score from all 3 levels, he can create off the bounce for others, and he is a willing defender. Hudson Fuller 2025 Smooth lefty, quick first step, intelligent player, uses his size to his advantage to shoot over smaller guards, make tough shots, has a decent handle and create for others. Notre Dame College Prep Brady Sehlhorst 2025 Sehlhorst is a big athletic guard who is versatile on both sides of the ball, can guard 1 through 4 and is hard to guard when he's attacking down hill. His ability to shoot from the perimeter opens up driving lanes where he can be creative by scoring or making the right pass to an open teammate, with his length he can be a really good on ball defender if he wants to take his game to the next level. Lake Park High School Camden Cerese 2024 Kid is a ball player, his savvy ball handling was impressive to see, you can tell he has a great feel for the game, handles pressure really well, can shoot it off the bounce, his passing game is spectacular, he knows exactly where to throw the ball, does a great job at leading teammates to easy buckets, and can finish with either hand at the rim through contact, kid is tough. Prospect High School Ryan Lifton 2025 This kid has the ability to be really good if he continues to stay in the gym. He is a certified knock down shooter, he consistently makes open shots, has good poise with the ball - not easily rattled at a young age, moves and drive with a purpose, I'll keep my eye on him, the kid is a sleeper. Frankie Poshnjari 2024 Tough, hard nose competitor, plays with a chip on his shoulder. This kid is fearless on the defensive end of the floor, has active hands, disruptive, knocks down timely threes, can create off the bounce, very physical and he moves well without ball. Ben Schneider 2025 Young and up coming player, can score with best of them, he's really good in transition, make tough shots and can see the floor with best of them, has a nice float game, can score from all three levels, in this game Schneider got hot and drained 3 straight three pointers from deep, kid is going to be special. Alex Georgakas 2023 Smooth with the ball, plays at his own space, can not be sped up, plays both sides of the ball, athletic, one play he had a chase down block off the glass in transition, very impressive. his change of paces what keeps the defense honest, he shoots the ball well but he shoots the ball better off the bounce. Lake Zurich Nick Popovic 2024 Solid size, can score the ball extremely well, has a solid three point shooter, shoots the ball well off the bounce, uses his body well in transition to create scoring opportunities, has active hands and play the passing lanes well, can be a solid defender if he put his mind to it. I expect him to have somewhat of a breakout season for Lake Zurich.

Simpson Elite Media was able to head up to Zion Benton Fall League to watch some high school basketball and there was a lot of kids with potential and talent but these young talents stood out to me. Warren High School Jaxson Davis 2027 The eight grader is ahead of his time. Great feel for the game, good pace, can handle the rock, and can shoot it with the best of them! Adrian Serrano 2026 The incoming freshman is a wizard with the rock, does really well breaking down defenders and making the correct reads, can shoot it off the bounce and the kid is a sleeper, will shock a lot of people. Lake Forest Academy Rroni Radoniqi 2024 Quick, fast and make steady reads, good with handling ball pressure, can score off the bounce, finish well around the basket, and can create for others, fun to watch! Simon Weisserman 2023 The 6-foot-7 big has been getting a lot of attention from college coaches, has great hands, can score inside-out, scores very well around the basket and protects the rim very well. Rashad Smith 2023 Intense-hard nose defender, does well turning the ball handler, he's disruptive, active, has a decent handle and can shoot the ball well. Stevenson High School Rocco Pagliocca 2026 Not easily rattled, plays at his own pace, can score the ball at all three levels, can finish through contact, and does very well getting teammates involved, kid is special. Aidan Bardic 2025 The smooth lefty is very shifty and dribbles with a purpose, getting to his spots and taking care of the ball at such a young age, shoots the ball well, can finish with a layup, floater or a pull up, the backcourt of Pagliocca and Bardic will be fun to watch in the future. St. Viator High School Joey Hernandez 2025 Does well with directing traffic, attacking the rim down hill, taking and making tough shots, quick shifty guard and very exciting to watch. Mitch Humphrey 2024 New comer Mitch Humphrey was a steal, this kid shoots lights out from anywhere on the floor, he hunts the three and blow by defenders when being played tight, his attention to detail on his footwork is something special. I look forward to watching more of him. Zion Benton High School Amare Simpson 2025 Quick guard with a nice dribble, handles pressure well, explosive scorer, shoots the three very well, and is very disruptive on the defensive end.

Aaron Simpson here with SimpsonElite Media, I was able to catch up with Jalen Brunson who joined the New York Knicks in the offseason. Brunson is looking to help build the franchise to bring its excitement back to Madsion Square Garden. Brunson had a great offseason with playing with teammates in the Nike Pro Am, Rumph Classic, and playing at well known LifeTime Sky in New York alongside J Cole. Jalen Brunson had some spare time in his day and I was able to ask him a few questions about the upcoming season, his music choice and more! 1. Did you see yourself being a max player in year 5? Can you describe the hours and work you put in the summer to be in this position? Brunson- "I see myself being the best player I can be and strive for that every time I step on the court. I put in the work as often as I can throughout the summer and it leads me to be confident when I play in games. My confidence comes from my work ethic." 2. What did Jason Kidd do for your play style? Is he a player coach and what is special about Kidd coaching style? Brunson- "Coach Kidd enabled me to be myself. He coached me to be better and expected the best of me. Whenever he was able to teach me how to better he jumped at the opportunity and I responded." 3. Pick up ball with JCOLE, talk about that experience and the environment surrounding that gym, it’s become a very focal point in summer runs for NBA talent. Brunson- "Playing with JCole was a pretty cool experience. The gym has a knack for bringing talent around to play some good summer basketball." 4. Seeing how you played a few summer pick up games with Julius Randle and Obi, how important is getting that team camaraderie early before the season start? Brunson-"Playing with some of my teammates this summer was key to jumpstarting our chemistry before training camp started." 5. Everyone talks about contract you received and talk about expectations for you and your team, how do you block out the noise and what are YOUR expectations for this season? Brunson-"I focus on myself and my goals. I have team goals and individual goals that I try to acheive, so any publicity good or bad can steer you off your path. Keep your routine and keep your mindset." 6. Other than Justin Bieber LOL, what other music are you listening to before games? Brunson- "Of course JB, but I listen to Drake and Jay-Z. I love to switch it up time to time but I gravitate towards those artists." 7. Being the focal point of a big time franchise like the Knicks and playing point guard FULL time, what are some things in your game or routine that you will have to change or NOT change to gear up for a full 82 game season? Brunson-"My routine will stay the same. My role may change or I have to add certain things to my routine but I keep it relatively the same." 8. How do you feel about the in season tournament? Brunson-" I think the in season tournament can be great for the game and for the fans to enjoy another aspect of the NBA. " 9. Walk us through that Jazz Series, what did you see or what did the defense give you that made you so effective in that series, and how amazing was it to shine in the biggest moment in basketaball, in the playoffs Brunson-"During the Jazz Series, Coach Kidd had a game plan and we stuck to it. We wanted to play together, put each other in situations where we could succeed and stick to it. We never lost confidence and he made sure we didn’t." 10. With yourself, Julius, Obi, Barrett, Evan, Quickely and Drose, where do you guys stack in the East? Brunson-"We expect a lot from each other most importantly, we want to be the best team we can be by the end of the year. That will involve us being accountable and being mentally strong." 11. With you being the focal point on the offensive end, does anything change for you? Are you more aggressive? Getting teammates involved? Or nothing changes? Brunson-"Nothing changes for me. I am going to be me, the same person I always have been." 12. Your first playoff experience didn’t end the way you wanted but your play was tremendous. Do be in the conversation of “Total points in their first two playoff game starts”. It is you at 65points, Lebron at 58 points and JORDAN at 53 points. How does it feel to be mentioned amongst the greats? Brunson-"That’s an impressive stat to be apart of, but I’d rather be a champion." You've heard it here first on SimpsonElite Media, Jalen Brunson isn't the kind of guy who is driven off individual accolades, its clear that he wants more, he wants a championship. Brunson has won on all levels except the NBA, will Brunson get an opportunity to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy? Stay tuned!

The high energy point guard is exciting to watch with his hang time, mid air layups and shifty crossovers. Divito does a great job finishing in the lane through contact, no matter the difficulty of the shot attempt. The lefty has a mid range game and can shoot deep if you lay off of him. The young point guard plays fast and and at his own pace it's really hard to speed him up. His playmaking ability is underrated as he does a great job of handling pressure and making teammates better with putting them is situations to score. He pushes the ball in transition, his read and react skills are sharp and you can tell the game comes natural to him. Divito is no slouch on the defensive end, he has active hands and quick lateral movements to stay in front of ball handler. It'll be interesting to see Divito progression throughout his career.

One of the best offensive point guards we've had at SimpsonElite Runs, he's that good. Cob can score and distribute productively. Gets more than half of his touches in pick and roll situations and as the ball handler in fast break situations. Also get some shots up by spotting up, going one-on-one, and working without the ball. Cob has a reliable shooting stroke that can be dangerous as he looks to drive pass defenders when there's an opening. A very good catch and shoot option, but that isn't how he gets most of his shots up. Extremely effective shooter off the bounce, particularly from mid range. High motor defender, has small size but uses his quickness to be effective on that side of the ball. With his great feel for the game, I would love to see him create more for others to showcase his full potential at the point guard position.

Reynolds is a fearless competitor, plays the right way and a big game performer at the guard position. He is a high percentage three point shooter with limitless range and the defense have to respect it which creates driving opportunities. Excellent shooter in the catch-and-shoot game. The sophomore see the floor very well for a young player, he doesn't have a lot of ball usage but he does a great job taking care of the ball and handling ball pressure. His footwork is something I paid attention to and I know a lot of his shots are open because of his mechanics. Coming off DHO's(Double Handoffs), pin downs and off ball screens. The footwork all looked the same, foot was planted, reverse pivot, sliding down to the corner or being the lift guy, Reynolds understand timing and spacing, and these things translates to the next level. Reynolds also compete on the other side of the ball which is going to be something to see him get better at, once he learn how to do his work early, it is going to be hard to keep that kid off the floor. I look to see Reynolds drive more as it opens up more shooting opportunities for him or teammates.

The 6-foot-6 Junior is a skilled wing/forward that can pretty much do it all on the basketball floor. He can pass, create off the bounce, defend any position and his IQ is pretty high. McElroy is a competitor like no other. In the agility drills, his work ethic could not be matched as he competed from start to end. McElroy has a nice touch around the rim, he can finish with either hand, and through defenders. He's very athletic with guard like skills, his dribbling ability doesn't "WOW" you but when giving an opportunity, he can take you off the bounce to a one dribble pull up or down the lane for a slam. His shooting ability doesn't go unnoticed, McElroy is a three level scorer and at an efficient clip. McElroy showcased that he can get others involved and impact the game in other ways then just scoring. What makes him so special is his ability to guard the point guard and the center position. He's quick and long enough to stay in front of guards and make it difficult for them to make plays and he's strong enough to take the pounding in the post with bigs.

Very long, athletic, and can handle the ball well, Banks can be a sleeper in the class of 2025 if he continues to work on his game. With his long arms and big hands, Banks can be one of the best defenders in the state of Illinois if that's what he wants to do. His lateral quickness and speed, he was able to get his hands in the passing lane for deflections and steals, he picked a few pockets at SimpsonElite Runs. With Banks quickness, he was able to blow by defenders for straight line layups. Banks have to continue to work on his outside shot because once he make the defense pay with consistent shot making, it is going to be extremely hard stay in front of him.

A special talent... Like a coach on the floor, incredibly competitive and tough and the game comes very easy to him. Brown is a great player in the half court, he can create off the bounce for himself, he really excels when the ball is in his hands at the top of the key. Very good scorer with complete offensive repertoire, effortless shooting stroke, has anticipation and basketball understanding. Brown has great intangibles, competes and inspire others to play hard, he's a blue collar player and I would want him on my team any day. The 6-foot-4 guard plays with great intensity and aggressiveness, his athleticism is what make it easy to finish over the defenders. With great leadership abilities, Brown see's the floor well, great at finding teammates for scoring opportunities and is solid with moving without the ball.

The smooth ball handling, the flash he has to his game, this kid is exciting to watch. Colby Smith is considered to be one the top sophomore's in the state of Illinois and Sunday evening, he showed us why. With his quick speed, change in direction, great ball handling, shooting ability, and IQ, Smith was on a tear in the SimpsonElite Runs. He's a three level scorer, he can score from almost anywhere on the floor, does well finishing through traffic with either hand and he does a great job of taking care of the ball. Smith is not afraid of contact when driving to the rim, kid is a hard nose player and can get to the rim and finish with the best of them. Great shooter off the bounce, this is what separates him from his peers, being able to hit pull up shots consistently is going to be hard to contain him. Can handle pressure, and use his creativity to find open teammates. His passing ability is underrated because of how well he scores the ball but the kid can pass with the best of them, and they are on time-on target passes. Smith is a stud and he hasn't even reached his full potential yet.

The kid knows how to score, and can do it in a variety of ways. Give him some space and he has the range hit the jumper on you, play him tight and he'll blow by you with dribble drives. He shot the ball exceptional at the SimpsonElite Runs, his type of range allows him to keep the defenders guessing with pump fakes leading to dribbles drives. Aldana does great job at reading ball screens and making the correct decision in the moment, a few times defenders went under the ball screen and he pulled up for a jump shot, it went in must of the time. His hesitation dribble and foot work is impeccable. Watching him drive pass defenders, stoping on the dime, reverse pivoting into a shot was magnificent. Aldana is a playmaker, a guy that make others better, and a solid defender on the other side of the ball. Aldana has a lot to prove his senior year and it will be a good one.

The 6-foot-7 senior does a great job at scoring on the low post, with either hand Marino can score over the left or right shoulder, and that makes him very hard to guard. With great size, Marino can take defenders to the mid range area where he can hit the 15 footer, he has potential to be a really good stretch big if he continues to work on his shooting. He excels at scoring on off-ball plays, he does a great job moving without the ball and putting himself in scoring situations. Marino is a decent playmaker who sets solid screens to free up teammates. I love his motor, after a rebound he is sprinting full speed, rim running for layup/dunk opportunities. Marino is a solid rim defender, if he cleans up his lateral quickness, I wouldn't be shocked to see him guard 2-5. Marion will be something special to watch this upcoming season.