Player Search

The BigTen recruit showed why she is being heavily recruited by the top schools in the country. At SimpsonElite Runs Powers had a stretch in the second half when she made the teams final 9 points, she's that good. She has good size at 6'1 scoring off the bounce, can post up for a over the right shoulder finish and she has great court vision. The Junior wing can score anywhere on the floor and I was really impressed on how efficient she shot the ball off the bounce and finished through traffic with her size. Powers was sidelined last year due to injury but it does not seem as though she missed any action off the court, running the floor, pushing the ball in transition, and making walk in threes, she is the complete package. With her length and lateral quickness she has the ability to be a great defender and if she grows any bigger, I wouldn't be schocked if she can guard 1-5. You can find Powers playing AAU ball with Mac Irvin Fire in the summer.

SimpsonElite Runs All First team Owen Giannoulias Yaris Irby Dejaun Graise Braeden Carlsen Nick Taylor SimpsonElite Runs All Second Team Cayden Mudd Josh Stewart Dillon Schmidt Nick Popovic Dontrell Graise

Here at SimpsonElite we offer strength and conditioning, skill development, and a mentorship that will last the kids a life time. Simpson Elite training is off to a great start with the addition of Keith Ford. The North Chicago native decided it was time to give back and that's exactly what he is doing. He brings another dynamic to SimpsonElite Training with his knowledge of the athletes body, alongside strength and conditioning. Mike Simpson who is also a North Chicago native is giving back by doing skill development and being a mentor for the kids. Simpson is deemed one of the best point guards to ever come from North Chicago and his championship moment with Cardinal Stritch, he's familiar with winning and we are excited to have him. If you're interested in training, please email Simpsonelite15@gmail.com or call 224-419-2969.

At 6'0", Hadjistamoulou is mostly operating out of the point guard position. Along with that, he possess a great pace and feel for the game that we haven't seen at SimpsonElite Runs. Hadjistamoulou is great at manipulating ball screens where it almost revert into a scoring opportunity when the ball is in his hands. He does a great job at reading the defensive coverages whether he is snaking the ball screen when the screen defender is in a drop coverage, shooting behind the screener because the defender went under the ball screen or using the probe dribble because the defender went over the ball screen. Hadjistamoulou high IQ was on display Saturday evening, it seemed as though he was apart of every play on the offensive end. He shoots the ball very well off the dribble, adequate shooter, great playmaker, and a decent defender that can gets steals.

Nabb came into SimpsonElite Runs to prove that he could hang with the top players in the state and he didn't disappoint. The 5'11 guard from Warren Township is entering his Junior year of high school, and this is a big season for the junior guard. Nabb is very crafty, intentional thinker, handles the ball well under pressure and he can finish at the rim with the best of them. Nabb's strong suit is his ability to create off the bounce attack the rim hard. Nabb's ability to shoot the long ball, pull from mid range, makes him very deadly to guard when he can play inside and out. I expect to see him take more of those shots to open up driving lane opportunities. One thing I notice about Nabb's game, once he gets aggressive, all bets are off. There were a few glimpse of how great Nabb can be once he decides that no one in the gym could guard him.Once he gets that mentality each possession with the ball, Warren is going to have a better season this upcoming winter. You can find Nabb playing summer ball with All In Athletics and this upcoming winter with Warren Township High School.

The tangibles that make up a solid point guard is IQ, and and knowing when your team needs you to attack. Burton has the skill set that can take him a long way with his solid ball handling, shooting ability, and ability to create off the bounce. I was impressed with the young guard IQ, cutting with a purpose, the angles he used off ball screens and knowing when to lob the ball or give a bounce pass. Once Burton get a consistent jump shot, the sky is the limit with what he can do on the floor. His shooting ability will eventually open up driving lanes and more scoring opportunities for his teammates.Burton has a certain toughness about him and he is the ultimate competitor. Burton is coming!

This is Keith Ford with Simpson Elite Media, I got a chance to catch up with my guy Nick Wiggins. It’s been a pretty busy summer for him coming back from Taiwan and jumping straight into the traveling and supporting role. Nick attended the playoff games over the summer cheering on his younger brother Andrew as the Golden State Warriors won the NBA Championship. This summer he focused on spending some quality time with his family and daughter. Most importantly he’s staying ready for his next opportunity overseas. When I caught up with Wiggins, he had this to say 1. What did it take to transition from juco straight to a Division 1 school and compete at the highest level in the NCAA playing with Wichita State? “The transition wasn’t easy from JUCO to D1. It took a different level of focus and commitment. In JUCO you are in a grind, you gotta prove yourself day in and day out. The good will separate themselves. Division 1 is a whole different animal. Everyone is good. Everyone has an elite skill and that’s the reason they are there. But for me, the main thing was holding myself more accountable. Handling my business off the court. In Juco you can float around and do what you want. Nobody is going to chase behind you, especially not your coaches and teammates. So you gotta drop all those bad habits and your only focus should be on 3 things. Focusing on school, becoming a better player everyday, and contributing to helping your team win ball games.” 2. When you guys entered the NCAA tournament undefeated at 34-0 with Wichita state what was the atmosphere like in the beginning of the season? And how did you guys stay so locked in? How would you describe playing with Fred VanVleet arguably the best point guard to come out of Wichita state? “In the beginning of the season, the atmosphere was great. Due to our previous year (2013-14) making it to the final four, all our returning players had a certain swag, certain confidence. We had a very special group. Zero egos. Everybody was for the team, and not for themselves. We stayed locked in because the only goal in our eyes was winning the whole NCAA. We knew we’d get everyone’s best shot every night, but honestly felt like we couldn’t lose. We were THAT good. It’s not even arguable. It’s facts. FVV is the best guard to ever come out of Wichita state and he’s hands down the best point guard I’ve ever played with. The two years I played with him at Wichita State our record was 67-10. Super IQ for the game, gym rat, and his drive and toughness is second to none. Deserves everything he’s accomplished. Straight up winner.” 3. Being Andrew Wiggins older brother how proud are you? How does it feel to watch him shut the critics up and be a key part of golden states championship this year? If you could share a glimpse of Andrews mind set going into the playoffs, how would you describe that? “Man, the whole family is super proud of Andrew. Watching him turn his dreams into reality, and have a huge contribution to bringing home an NBA championship was special. As his big brother watching his path he took to get the the league, he deserves a huge praise for the way he’s carried himself and become a true professional. Projected #1 pick. Compared to LeBron coming out of high school. Those aren’t easy expectations to live up to when you’re just a 8th grader, but he wore it so well. He was destined for greatness. To watch him shut all the haters up and silence all the critics was good and I know he felt good doing it because he never paid them any attention or gave their noise any life. True professional. His mindset going into the playoffs was being the best Andrew Wiggins he could be out there on the floor for the Warriors and do everything he can to help them win. Whether that’s defending the opposing teams best player 94 feet from the basket, or taking over games being the best rebounder on the floor. He was locked in, and you seen the result.” 4. If you could give these young athletes a piece of advice when it comes to playing overseas, g league and NBA what would that be? “The only advice I have for players and athletes looking to compete on the pro/overseas/G league and NBA level is one thing. You have to LOVE the game. Overseas is amazing. Traveling seeing the world with a basketball as your guide. It’s beautiful. But overseas has its up and downs. Time away from friends & family, missed birthdays/events; you’re really on your own for 5-6 months grinding away from home with 11 others guys that you probably don’t know! The NBA and G league are more Americanized -nationalized leagues, so things will be ran a lot smoother than another league across the world. It’s tough. 72 game season. Injuries. Conditioning. Media. Winning. You gotta really fall in love with the process of being a professional basketball player. Wake up, eat, workout (lift) , shoot, sleep. Repeat. Treatment. Repeat. That’s 6/7 days out of the week. If you don’t love it the game, the process will drive you miserable and the game will just chew you up and spit you out.” 5. What does your playlist look like on game day? “On gameday, I like to listen to some rap or hip hop get me in the mood for the flow of the game. Some of the names I listen to are Kevin gates, young thug, Kendrick Lamar.” 6. What country did you enjoy the most while playing? And where can we see you playing this season? “My favourite country that I played in was definitely Brazil! I was out there for two seasons. The team set me up really well I was very comfortable away from home and they had me in a really nice apartment. I had a great year playing wise and just the living situation was great! Fans were amazing and the food was great also. I’m looking forward to jumping back in that Asian market. I was in Taiwan last year I’d love to go back!” Simpson Elite Media would like to thank Nick Wiggins for his time and energy to agree to do this interview. We can't wait to see what Wiggins has in store for himself as he get another opportunity to play Pro ball. SimpsonElite is rooting for Nick Wiggins to sign his next contract and to have a healthy career. -Keith Ford

The gym was blazing with talented players from all over the state from Wauconda, Lake Zurich, Antioch, Buffalo Grove, etc. The first week tipped off with a combine feel for the kids. We had agility drills, 4 cone lane drill where we tested the kids lateral footwork, to see how quick they could recover after getting beat. Another drill I enjoyed was the 3 cone curve drill where we had the kids head hunt around the arc as if they were walking into a jump shot and had to release to the other basket for a sprinted layup/dunk. SimpsonElite welcomes strength and conditioning coach Keith Ford as he led the agility drills. After the water break we broke the kids into groups of teams, black vs white as we put them through team concept drills, where they learned passing and cutting, one more pass, moving without the and more. The game itself was a joy to watch. Lake Zurich standout Nick Popovic went home with the MVP while pouring in 23pts, 3ast, and 3rbs. SimpsonElite Runs are taking steps to becoming the biggest Highschool open run in IL. Make sure you stay tuned for any updates.

W-O-R-K H-O-R-S-E. Not often do you see players play hard for a full 32 minutes, but you can count on Uremovich to bring the effort night in and night out. He's the type of player who always have lots of deflections, give his team another opportunity to score, always crashing the glass, and diving for loose balls. Caring every possession, having that mindset of wanting to get a stop, having a pride that you don't want your guy to score and he's doing this while be effective of the offensive end. The 6-foot-6 wing doesn't have handles that wow you, but when giving the opportunity to blow by you, he can attack the basket with either hand. Really good spot up shooter and solid off the bounce shooter. He has a sense of spacing, he runs to fill lanes and he know how to react in pick and roll situations. With his size, I can see him being able to guard 1-4 at the high school level and using him in pick and pop situations can be deadly for Stevenson this upcoming winter.

The 6-foot-2 sophomore showed great poise at the SimpsonElite Runs. Knock down shooter is what Fuller is, he knows spacing, timing, and footwork. Fuller is effective with or without the ball and I think that is going to make him special as his game develops. Fuller has some speed to him, don't be fooled by the jump shot, he will blow right by you. He has the euro step in his package that navigates him through the lane for a nice finish. Fuller impressed the coaches at SimpsonElite Runs with his ability to finish around the basket, understanding, balance, angles, and acrobat. Once he touches up his ball handling ability I think Fuller will be a solid player that is going to be hard to keep him out the paint.

The 5'7 class of 2026 guard held his own competing at SimpsonElite Runs with top players in the state of IL, at the varsity level. Carter is well rounded and is very fundamental. The kid can ball! For his age, his court vision is sharp and precise. He moves with a purpose, you can tell he is a few plays a head of the next one. Carter is tenacious on the defensive end, with his size, rightfully so. He is a young exciting guard who has a huge ceiling if he continues to work on his game. I wouldn't be surprised if Coach Ron Ashlaw start the young freshman because he is that good.

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.