This is your home for the best NBA and NFL Draft News on the Net

The small town of Benton, Illinois brought in some big time talent for their shootout.  Vienna High School features St. Louis commitment Brett Thompson and in another game, Missouri power McLuer North took the floor with SIU commitments Anthony Booker and Torres Roundtree.  Unfortunately the third member of McLuer North's trio, Femi John who is a SLU commitment, did not make the trip due to injured wrist.
 

Brett Thompson C Vienna (IL) Class of 2008 (St. Louis)

Thompson is a slim 7 footer.  The first thing you notice is that he will need to add some weight to play in the post in the A-10 in the coming years.  He is fairly athletic and has a nice skill set.  I really liked his footwork in this game, showing some nice drop step moves and good quick footwork.  The SLU commit played well out of the high post.  He showed that he was a very good passer from this area of the floor.  Also, his long outlet passes were good.  Not quite Kevin Love, but good non the less.  His handle is decent for a big and ran the pick and roll effectively.  Thompson shot is a little slow, but on the other hand his reflexes showed to be quick.  Despite his lack of strength Thompson played a physical game against Mt. Carmel.  Thompson rebounded like a 7 footer should against high school competition in this game.  He is a good, but not great shot blocking presence.  This was a game where Thompson showed a lot of emotion and played with a nice motor.  There were a few negatives I found in Thompson's game.  He needs to keep the ball high when in the post and several times the 7 footer was taken out of the game by smaller guys.  The part that bothered me the most was the Thompson missed some key free throws down the stretch that probably cost his team the game.  Despite that Thompson showed that he is a top 100 prospect in 2008 with by my count a 20 point and 20 rebound game.
 

Anthony Booker PF McCluer North (MO) Class of 2008 (SIU)

Booker's stock sky rocketed after a great summer.  Booker went from a locally known name to a nationally known name in just a few months.  The first thing I wondered about was why didn't Booker come out for the tip.  Booker did not enter the game until 2:52 left in the 1st quarter.  Booker is a legit 6-8 and has a thick upper body.  Early on Booker was out on the perimeter.  He had a smooth release, but did not hit.  His game is in the paint and not on the perimeter.  The power foward showed nice athleticism as well as the strength to finish through contact on the interior.  The SIU commit showed the ability to pass out of the post and will hit the open man when being double teamed.  He is quick off the floor when going for rebounds.  I didn't like how he kept the ball low when he was in the post.  At the next level quicker hands will get the ball away from him.  Defensively, he only blocked 1 shot on the night.  This is an area he could improve on, as well as not going for pump fakes.  He was able to hold his ground in the post and not being backed in towards the basketball.  Booker also lost his man while coming back in transition.  By my count Booker had 13 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block.  He shows flashes of the potential that made him a highly touted recruit throughout the game, but at other times it wasn't there.  The stand out moment for Booker was a spin move to beat 3 defenders.  Overall Booker will end up as a 4-star recruit in the top 55 range.  
 

Torres Roundtree SG McCluer North (MO) Class of 2008 (SIU)

To be honest Roundtree is the best prospect on the McCluer North team in my opinion.  He has a solid shooting guards body, although he could add some bulk to his frame.  The 2 guard has a smooth release with good rotation on his shot.  Roundtree showed a very nice mid range game that will be effective in the MVC starting next year.  Overall he is a streaky shooter from 3 point land.  Roundtree is not only a perimeter threat, he will take the ball hard to the hole, finishes through contact, and gets to the line.  Athelticism makes Roundtree a major player in the transition game both on the wing and running the point on the break.  On the other end of the floor the SIU commit showed that he was a good on ball defender, moving his feet to stay in front of man, and goes for steals at times.  Pressure is the word I would use to describe his defensive ablility.  I did see him struggle getting though screens a few times which could be due to his lack of bulk.  Roundtree finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists by my count.  I really like his game.  He is a 4-star top 45 player in the Class of 2008.