Victory Region Kick Off: Weekend Preview
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These next few days is my first weekend on the road for the AAU season providing coverage for Prep Girls Hoops. For this Victory Region Kick Off event out of Chicago, I was tasked with evaluating the 16U grade level…
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Continue ReadingThese next few days is my first weekend on the road for the AAU season providing coverage for Prep Girls Hoops. For this Victory Region Kick Off event out of Chicago, I was tasked with evaluating the 16U grade level and their top producing prospects within each program.
In the article below, I highlight and cover five prospects that will be competing this weekend, that I’m extremely excited to see play live. These players are individuals that have stood out in the past for being solid talents on the hardwood so I can’t wait to see what they do these next few days in Romeoville.
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When I first had the chance to evaluate Quinn Arundel Quinn Arundel 5’5″ | PG Mother McAuley | 2026 State IL last AAU season, she stood out right away because of her skill while shooting the basketball but she is much more than that as a prospect. Arundel is a competitor. She is a smaller Guard, who can fill up the bucket in a flash with what she brings to the floor. She has many positive attributes as it pertains to this game of Basketball but her best ability really is shooting the ball. She is a dead-eye sniper from deep whenever she catches and I’m talking DEEP. Last season she would take a step or two over half court and pull up with ease, usually making the bucket. On Friday night, Arundel will lace them up for another season with her EBA Ice 2026 team. If she is anything like I saw a year ago, she is going to produce in more ways than one. Especially if she has expanded her game over these last 8 months.
If you have been paying attention to the basketball scene out in Illinois these past few seasons, then you know all about the Fisher family. Well, Lily Fisher Lily Fisher 6’1″ | CG Libertyville | 2027 IL will be one of two 2027’s playing up and competing for her Wolverinas 2026 squad this weekend and I can’t wait to see how she does. Fisher is a talented Guard, that has already received a ton of interest from almost every Division in the college basketball world. She has solid size at just under 6’0, while being able to handle, create, facilitate, score, and rebound. Defensively, I would consider her just as productive. She can get stops on a bigger opponent inside the lane or she can step out and match up with a quicker guard on the three point line. There is a lot to love about Fisher’s play-style. She makes really good choices and she is always calm. She embodies the phrase, “never to high, never to low.” Something I wish more prospects could learn from at this age. Overall, she is an impressive talent, that is going to have a chance to shine this weekend. Now she just has to go out and make it happen.
Highlights
I haven’t had a chance to see Frankie McGinn Frankie McGinn 6’4″ | C Glenbard West | 2026 IL compete as a basketball prospect yet but this weekend that all chances. McGinn stands out to me and everyone else because of her natural size. She is listed at 6’4 and that might be an understatement to how tall she truly is. On a team and within a very respectable program like M14, they don’t move a ton of players up and their top teams are very well off so I would expect that McGinn is going to be able to hoop. She has that natural size that all coaches and evaluators love to see. If she can be put in ideal situations around the basket, she should thrive. I will have to see her mixture of balance, coordination, and touch on the ball for myself but there is a lot of promise here on paper. I’m sure she is going to work hard and make the most of her opportunities. From a coaching perceptive, that’s all you can ask for from someone who may be the tallest player within this entire tournament regardless of age or grade level.
Lexi Baer Lexi Baer 6’0″ | SF Peoria Notre Dame | 2026 State IL is someone that put together a rememberable high school season this past few months and she is ready to get on the road this weekend to compete. Baer is a 6’0 Combo Guard/Small Forward, that has long arms and knowledge of the game. She demonstrated this past few months that she is a high level scoring threat on the offensive end, while also being someone who can get you numerous stops on defense. Every time she takes the floor, she seems to make things happen. She is a smart individual that understands everything is a process. If she trusts in her hardwork, I have a feeling that she is going to do really well over these next few months with Midwest Elite EYBL . She just needs to lock in and stay motivated. Something I’m sure she will have no problem with in the long run.
Alli Linke Alli Linke Prospect | 2026 IL is a top rated player out of her 2026 Class throughout the State of Illinois and I’m sure that will be on full display over the next few days. Linke has great size at 6’2 and she is agile in all of her movements. There is a lot of great things that Linke brings to the table but her best ability is her versatility. She is someone that can go into the post and dominate a matchup or she can move to the outside and play from the perimeter with a nasty handle. She has also displayed the ability to set screens on the outside, sealing and rolling hard toward the basket or she can step out to 15Ft and play off of the mid-post. This weekend she is going to have several chances to take over whatever ball game she is competing in. If she stays true to her ability and this group has any sort of connection, she should do fairly well with the weapons she has around her. She truly is a remarkable talent who will get a chance to compete at the Power-5 level when her high school career comes to a close.