Big Tim's Class of 2028 Top 70 players in Illinois!!!!!

Should be an interesting season with the 35 second shot clock. A lot of top players are still playing in state for now. Extended from 50 to 70. Still a very deep class. Here we go:

• 

NOTE: Have not seen Archie Goeway of Centralia play nor Cesaire Bile of Galesburg*

1) Brady Pettigrew, 6'4" combo guard, Bolingbrook: 5 star nationally. 12th ranked by 247 sports composite. Serious bounce to go with a nasty all around game. Can dunk on you one minute, then run an offense and set up teammates the next. Three level scorer and puts points up in bunches. Crashes the glass on both ends. Versatile defender who gets after it and can defend all perimeter positions.

2) Cole Kelly, 6'7" wing, Neuqua Valley (Naperville): 4 star nationally. 65th ranked by 247 composite. Versatile wing who can score it from three off catch or bounce, attacks t the rim off the dribble and score. Great passer to cutters or out to three point shooters. Hits the glass on both ends of the court, and rim protects.

3) Amarion Smith-Holley, 6'0" point guard, Richwoods (Peoria): Back at Richwoods after a turn at Link Academy (MO). Serious bounce who can dunk it any way you want. Scorer from all three levels that can also run a team. Makes nice passes off penetration to the lane to shooters on the wing.

4) Chase Kasten, 6'6" wing, Normal Community: Physical wing who can attack the rim off the bounce from the perimeter. Scores through and around contact in the paint. Hits three point shots, and crashes the glass on both ends. Double/double threat.

5) Grant Smith, 6'6" wing, Lyons Township (LaGrange): Versatile wing who can score it from three, mid range, or attacking off the bounce. Finishes strong around the rim going through or around defenders.

6) Ethan Vahl, 6'3" point guard, Oswego: Point guard who can also shoot it from deep three point range. Hits them off the bounce or the catch. Slick passer getting bounce passes through traffic, throws lobs, or kicks it to shooter. Scores on Euro steps around the rim. Defends well on or off the ball.

7) Joey Jakstys, 6'8" wing, Yorkville: Talented wing who can take it off the bounce, or strep out and hit threes. Rim protects and hits the glass. Gets out on the wings in transition and scores around contact at the rim.

8) Darrius Hawkins Jr, 5'11" point guard, Homewood Flossmoor: Floor general who can shoot it from all three levels, or make a slick pass on penetration for lobs, or kickouts to shooters. Nice lefty stroke from deep. Defends like a hawk (no pun intended) on or off the ball.

9) Braydon Porter, 6'4" combo guard, Yorkville: Serious bounce that has improved his perimeter game. Can get his shot off the bounce, from three, mid range pull-ups, or attacking the rim and dunking on defenders. Defends all perimeter positions with quickness and strength.

10) Terrence "Bookas" Davis Jr, 6'4" combo guard, Libertyville: Elite athlete who'll dunk on you with a nastiness. Dribble penetration gets in the paint easily. Uses a nice mid range jumper, and a willing passer when he gets in the paint.

11) Kayden Turner, 6'5" combo guard, Peoria: Best deep shooter in the class. Hits threes off the catch or the bounce. Leave him open at your own peril. Might as well take it out of the net and take ball out. Has a nice mid range pull-up jumper and has shown he can hit tough shots in the clutch. Runs some point and is a nice passer to cutters, or perimeter shooters. Defends all perimeter positions and hits the glass. High academic player with 4.5 GPA.

12) Amir Turner, 6'3" point guard, St Ignatius College Prep (Chicago): Has grown literally and figuratively. Bounce off the floor has grown as well as he can dunk on you off penetration. Hits threes off the bounce or catch. Smooth ball handler and playmaker gets where he wants. Good defender of all perimeter positions.

13) Amir Beasley, 6'9" forward, Danville: Knockdown three point shooter and rim protector. Hits them off the catch, and has a nice mid range turnaround jumper. Can rebound and push it in transition. Great timing on blocked shots, getting them in the paint, and challenging three point shooters.

14) Jeremiah Toney, 6'3" combo guard, St Laurence (Burbank): Attack, attacker off the bounce. Can get to the rim in transition or halfcourt. Improved ball handler to keep in control when attacking. Hits threes off the bounce or the catch. Top perimeter defender in the state, guards all top matchups at any spot. Hits the glass as well.

15) Amari Williams, 6'9" forward, Shepard (Palos Hills): Paint scorer, rebounder, and rim protector. Good timing to block shots in the paint. Nice turnaround jump shot in the paint, spin move to get space and score.

16) Eden Mayala, 6'6" wing, Galesburg: Big time bounce. Native of the Congo has serious bounce. Versatile wing can get his offense in a variety of ways. Hits threes mostly off the bounce, scores in mid range, and gets in the paint off the dribble. He uses spin moves to get space in the lane for floaters or dunk on defenders.

17) Blake Choice, 6'3" combo guard, DePaul College Prep (Chicago): Top two way player in the class. Offense he can score at all three levels, threes off the bounce, or catch, mid range floaters, at the rim with spin moves and Euro step finishes. Can guard any perimteter position on or off the ball with quick hands and feet.

18) Noah Van Tholen, 6'4" point guard, Riverside Brookfield: Young man was not on this list a year ago. Look for a huge scoring year from him. He can do it on all three levels, threes, two dribble mid range pull-ups, and attacks to the rim. Serious bounce, will dunk on you at a moments notice. Guards all perimeter positions.

19) Darrin "DJ"Laye, 6'0" point guard, Marshall (Chicago): Straight destroyer on the court on both ends. Scores on attacks to the rim, nice fallaway mid range jumper, spin moves to get the jumper, or go to the rim and score. Quickness on straight line drives in transition or halfcourt. Gets into you defensively full court, quick hands to get steals on or off the ball. Good passer to cutters and perimeter shooters.

20) Jacob "JJ" Duffin, 6'4" wing, Richwoods (Peoria): Serious bounce will dunk on you. Attacks the rim off the dribble and scores at mid range or at the rim. Defends all positions at high school level getting deflections, or blocking shots. Gets out in transition and scores in a number of ways.

21) Nigel Moore, 5'11" point guard, Peoria: Quicksilver guard who affects games on both ends of the court. Gets where he wants off the dribble for mid range floaters, Euro step finishes, and nice lefty three point stroke off the bounce or catch. Quick hands gets steals on or off the ball on help side.

22) Jacob Wren, 6'4" combo guard, King College Prep (Chicago): Another young man with serious bounce. Attacks the rim in transition or halfcourt from three point line off the bounce. Can hit threes, and mid range jumpers as well. Defends all perimeter positions and some forwards.

23) CJ Pittman, 6'0" point guard, Walter Payton College Prep (Chicago): Floor general who can score as well, good at getting into paint off the dribble. Nice midrange jumper and scores at the rim on straight line drives. Defends on the ball and can hit threes.

24) Ben Ojala, 6'2" combo guard, Evanston Township: Can play either guard spot. Big time shooter from three hitting deep ones as well as right at the line. Good passer off penetration and moving the ball around the perimeter.

25) Walker Ross, 6'3" point guard, St Ignatius College Prep (Chicago): Lefty can shoot it from deep or get to the paint off penetration and hit mid range jumpers. Sets up teammates well off dribble penetration, and moving the ball on the perimeter. Pushes it in transition.

26) Kelechi Enyia, 6'3" combo guard, St Laurence (Burbank): Transfer from Providence Catholic (New Lenox). Sat out last season with knee injury but is getting his explosiveness back. Hits threes, mid range, or attack the rim and finish through or around contact. Good perimeter defender.

27) Marion Persich, 6'4" wing, Morris Community: Transfer from LaSalle Peru. Two sport star all stater at quarterback. Big bodied explosive wing on the hardwood who can attack the rim and finish through contact with layup, or decapitate a defender with a dunk. Can run an offense at point and make good passes on perimeter or on the move. Can guard any position on high school level and crash the glass.

28) Noah Corro, 6'2" point guard, St Laurence (Burbank): Big time shooter from three and mid range. Scores off the bounce or off the catch. Gets to his spots and scores from a variety of spots on the perimeter. Does most of his work off the dribble.

29) Brock Brown, 6'6" wing, Taylorville: Explosive athlete who has serious bounce dunks mostly off two feet. Good catch and shoot from three, sets feet well to catch and has a good release. Hits the passing lanes on defense to get steals in transition. High academic with 3.8 GPA.

30) John Brown IV, 6'7" wing, Homewood Flossmoor: Long armed wing who can hit threes off the catch in transition or halfcourt. Can get the rebound and take it himself and get team into offense. Attacks the rim off the bounce and can dunk it over defenders. Makes nice passes moving the ball on perimeter.

31) Logan Brown, 6'6" wing, St Laurence (Burbank): Lefty can hit threes at a high rate. Does it in halfcourt, or transition. Hits them off catch or bounce. Attacks the rim for dunks over defenders, hits the glass on defensive end.

32) Kyler Payne, 6'7" forward, Waubonsie Valley (Aurora): Two sport athlete (football). Posts up on the block and scores using his strength through contact. Can step out and hit threes mostly off the catch. Shown ability to attack rim off ther bounce. Hits the glass on both ends at high level.

33) Mekhi Young, 6'0" combo guard, Thornwood (South Holland): Big time scorer and can do it in bunches. Three level scorer hits threes, on attacks to the paint with stop and pop mid range jumpers. Does it at the rim using Euro step, and up and unders. Can pass it as well in transition or halfcourt.

34) Sam Koch, 6'3" combo guard, Metamora: Athleticism jumps off the page. Will take it to the rim and dunk over defenders. Shows a nice three point shot off the bounce, or the catch. Gets into the paint and creates for himself and others. Moves the ball well on the perimeter.

35) Noah Hester, 6'5" wing, Taft (Chicago): Versatile player on both ends of the court. Fills stat sheet. Scores from mid range off the bounce or the catch. Gets to the rim off the dribble and scores through or around contact. Guards all five positions on high school level and rebounds, and rim protects.

36) Lameck Hassan, 6'10" forward, Romeoville: Runs the floor well, finishes from dunkers spot. Elite rim protector uses timing to knock shots out of the paint. Soft touch in the paint to score.

37) Lester Watson, 6'1" combo guard, Bloom Township (Chicago Heights): Big time scorer from all three levels. Gets where he wants off the dribble and hits threes, mid range pull-up jumpers, and attacks to the rim around defenders with Euro steps as well as up and unders.

38) Cole TIllman, 6'5" wing, Mendota: Lefty can score on attacksa to the rim, mid range, and threes mostly off the catch. Hits the glass on both ends, and can pass out of the post or on the perimeter.

39) Cole Janssons, 6'10" center, Oswego: Scores on turnaround jumpers in the paint. Can step out and hit threes mostly off the catch. Rim protects and rebounds on both ends. Changes ends well, nice weapon as a trailer in transition.

40) Angelo Adams, 5'11" point guard, St Rita (Chicago): Scorer puts up big numbers. Scores from three, mid range, and attacks the rim mostly in transition. Can pass the ball attacking on the move in transition. Good ball handling to get to his scoring spots.

41) Jaivyn Richardson, 5'8" point guard, Whitney Young (Chicago): Big time shooter from deep three point range. Hits them off the catch or the bounce. Nice floater from mid range to get shot over defenders. Runs team makes good passes moving the ball on perimeter.

42) Josiah Hall, 6'3" combo guard, St Ignatius College Prep (Chicago): Has a case for best three point shooter in the class. Can't leave him open as you might as well get ready to take ball out. Can also back smaller defenders down and score in the post with power throughs, or around defenders.

43) Ttitus White, 6'5" wing, Fenton (Bensenville): Long wing who can score from mid range and three. Pushes ball in transition and can create fopr himself or others. Uses long arms to defend all positions on high school level. Good rim protector and rebounder. Scores at the rim in transition.

44) Brady Jones, 6'6" wing, Metamora: Scores well in the paint at the rim. Nice turnaround jumper off the block, can step out and hit threes. Rebounds well on both ends. Changes ends well.

45) Carter Slaise, 6'5" wing, Walter Payton College Prep (Chicago): Long wing who effecs games on defensive end of the court. Gets deflections and stels. Scores on slashes to the rim mostly in halfcourt, has a nice mid range jumper.

46) Ryder Wettig, 6'4" wing, Trico: Young man just knows how to play the game and stays within himself. Good cutter to receive passes for layups. Well built young man who scores through contact at the rim. Takes advantage of smaller defenders on the block. Hits threes off the catch or the bounce. Rebounds well on both ends.

47) Cole Christian, 6'7" forward, Lane Tech College Prep (Chicago): Tough in the paint can score with either hand over either shoulder. Hits the glass on both ends getting hands on a lot of balls. Can step otu and hit a three.

48) Landyn Cooper-Sutton, 5'9" point guard, Central (Champaign): Feisty ball player on both ends. Makes good decisions on the court as a floor general. Lefty can score from three, has a nice floater from mid range, and scores around contact in the paint. Defends and maks life miserable for dribblers getting delfections and steals.

49) Roosevelt "Duke" Thomas, 6'3" wing, King College Prep (Chicago): Strong wing who uses physicality to get where he wants off the dribble. Scores in mid range and through contact at the rim. Good passer and can defend all perimeter positions.

50) Stephen Dixon Jr, 5'10" point guard, DeLaSalle Institute (Chicago): The floot general knows how to get the ball to shooters, cutters, and rim runners. Gets into the lane and has a nice fallaway mid range jump shot. Can hit threes as well as get steals with quick hands.

51) Tristan Garner, 6'3" combo guard, Southland College Prep (Matteson): Shooter and scorer from all levels. Smooth operator with a nice stroke off the bounce or the catch. Three point shot as well as mid range jumper. Runs point as well getting teammates involved in scoring.

52) Elijah Shim, 6'8" forward, Kenwood Academy (Chicago): Energy young man who plays hard and makes things happen. Rim protects, rebounds, runs the floor, can dunk it from dunkers spot, or tip ins. Developing mid range game.

53) Evan Okey, 6'8"forward, Libertyville: Scores well on the interior with back to the basket moves. Finishes well through contact. Versatile enough to step out and hit threes, as well as take it off the dribble and finish. Nice touch on mid range jumper.

54) Jayden Dozie, 6'0" point guard, Niles North (Skokie): Super power is scoring from three, mid range, and attacks to the rim. He can also push it in transition and find teammates on perimeter or cutting to the basket. Gets after it defensively on the perimeter getting deflections.

55) DJ Caldwell, 6'3" combo guard, St ignatius College Prep (Chicago): Been injured most of his career, but when he has played showed nice long range three point shooting skills. Does it off the bounce or the catch. Hits clutch shots at the right time. Can run a team and make nice passes in transition or halfcourt.

56) John Morgan, 6'7" forward, South (Crystal Lake): Good passer from the high post. Can turn and shoot it from there or step out and hit threes. Soft hands rebounds well on both ends of the court. Changes ends well. Two sport athlete (baseball).

57) Ryan Morgan, 6'7" forward, South (Crystal Lake): Strong in the post grabbing rebounds on both ends with soft hands. Good paser who can shore from mid range and three mostly off the catch. Two sport athlete (baseball).

58) Orlando Edwards Jr, 5'11" point guard, Richwoods (Peoria): Lefty is a knockdown shooter from three on all spots of the floor. Hits them mostly off the catch. Quickness to get to the rim and create for himself and others.

59) Ezenwa Nwagwu, 5'11" point guard, Marian Catholic (Chicago Heights): Quickness attacking the paint in transition or halfcourt. Scores from three or on attacks to the rim. Good passer in transition or halfcourt.

60) Bryce Smith, 6'6" wing, Hoffman Estates: Big time bounce who has good timing on blocking shots. Hits the glass on both ends. Can also hit threes off catch or bounce as well as mid range. Attacks basket in transtion or halfcourt from three point line. Scores on the block as well taking advantage of smaller defenders.

61) Thatcher Lee, 6'8" wing, Dunlap: Double/double machine. Scores in paint on postups and spin movedes on the block. Hits the glass on both ends, getting tip ins and followups. Elite rim protector. Can step out and hit threes mostly off the catch.

62) Kahlil Leonard, 6'2" combo guard, St Frances De Sales (Chicago): Big bodied guard who can score in the mid range or on the block. Uses strength to play through or around contact. Can step out and hit threes as well. Rebounds very well on offensive end.

63) Dream Horton, 6'0" point guard, Curie (Chicago): Explosive scorer off the bounce, who can hit threes from all over the court. Scores in bunches and gets where he wants with a tight dribble. Defends on or off the ball gets into opposing guards to get steals and deflections.

64) Amari Brown, 6'1" point guard, Romeoville: Lefty is a floor general who can also score at all three levels of the court. Quickness but knows how to control speed to get where he wants. Smooth stroke from three, nice floater in mid range, and finishes around contact.

65) AJ Leddy, 6'6" wing, Hinsdale Central: Wing shooter who can hit them off the catch or bounce. Knows how to set his feet to have a nice release on jumper. Runs the floor well.

66) Luke Letvin, 6'1" point guard, Notre Dame College Prep (Niles): Lefty can run a team as well as score. Cerebral ball handler gets where he wants off the bounce. Hits threes off catch or bounce, fallaway mid range jumpers, and up and unders at the rim. Pushes ball in transition.

67) Derrick Moore, 6'7" forward, Lincoln Park (Chicago): Scores on the block with a variety of moves, up and unders, and fadeaway jumpers. Rim protector and rebounds on both ends. Changes ends well.

68) JaKobe Wren, 6'5" wing, King College Prep (Chicago): Bouncy athlete who can attack the rim off the bounce and finish. Versatile defrender who can guard any position in high school.

69) Jayde Wyett, 6'3" combo guard, Lockport Township: Transferred from Providence Catholic (New Lenox). Lefty has a nice stroke from three off catch or bounce. Good mid range shooter, and passes the ball on time to teammates cutting or on perimeter.

70) Jacob Only, 6'2" combo guard, DePaul College Prep (Chicago): Athletic wing who can hit threes, attacks off the bounce, and make good passes. Can attack the rim and rise for a dunk. Defends multiple positions.