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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.

Alexy Chapa is going to be a real surprise for the state of Illinois to see. Her game was put on full display in SimpsonElite Runs with her shifty ball handling, dazzling passing and a pure shooter. Chapa has a nice feel for the game where she recognizes double teams coming or just knowing when to give the ball up early. Her biggest strength, is her shooting ability. She can score the ball from almost anywhere on the floor and she does very well with finishing in traffic. A floor general, Chapa did a great job of setting her teammates up for easy points and directing traffic for teammates to make plays. Be on the lookout for this point in the future.

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.

Week two was filled with bucket getters and some big time names. Derek Bishop 2025 ranked #15 in the state of IL. Yaris Irby 2025 ranked #21 in the state of IL. Dejaun Graise 2025 ranked top 15 in the state of WI. It was a bucket affair. Nick Tayler 2024 the 6'6 Glenbrook south native had a great showing with his athletic ability, shooting ability and he also has a nice handle for his size. Irby showcased why he is sought out to be one of the top players in the state. His high IQ plays, his street ball handle and his shot making ability is going to separate him from the pack once his senior year hits. Dejaun Grasie and his brother Dontrell Graise from Wisconsin was a shocker! Dejaun with his smooth play left the gym in awe with ball handling ability, his hesitation dribble and his ability to get a bucket from anywhere on the floor. While his brother 2023 Dontrell Graise was doing all his work in the paint with highlighted dunks and cleaning the glass. Dontrell even showed that he can play on the perimeter and make timely shots. Through it all, there was the Wauconda standout Braeden Carlson 2024 went for a SimpsonElite Runs record with pouring in 53 points. He was clicking on all cylinders with scoring all over the floor. Transition 3's, pull up 3's, off the dribble 3's, doing his work in the paint, hitting the mid range, the kid was unstoppable. With this performance the kid was deemed MVP of the SimpsonElite Runs. Be on the look out for week 3, it only gets better.

The 6'3 guard Rice is very intelligent prospect, showing impressive maturity and fundamentals despite being the youngest player in the SimpsonElite Runs. He moves off the ball well and passes the ball unselfishly, often making the extra pass along the perimeter and cutting smartly as the defense over plays him. He's not flashy or a high volume shooter but is very efficient when he does decides to be aggressive. Rice doesn't take bad shots, and rarely turns the ball over. In SimpsonElite Runs, the guard was very intentional with his patten fadeaway move, where he drained 5 of them over defenders. Rice smooth play and scoring ability reminds me of a young Devin Booker and I look forward to seeing his development over the years.

Jasyln Hurt is looking to make an impact on the defensive end for North Chicago girls basketball club this upcoming winter. Her primary agency is her ability to turn defenders and disrupting passing lanes making it very difficult for the offense. At SimpsonElite Runs she was nothing short of that. Her effort and motor is what makes her unique. She has long arms and is very quick, that no one wanted to dribble the ball in front of Hurt.

Simpson Elite is proud to say that we partnered with the Waukegan district to host the Simpson Elite runs and it will add that excitement playing in the dog pound. This upcoming week Sept 3rd and 4th, we will host our first Girls Run on the 4th at 12pm and we are excited about that. On the boys side, the level of talent we have coming is going to be one for the ages. Week 2 had a lot of talent and we are happy to say this week will be even better. Simpson Elite Runs have grown to be a popular event in the state of IL and WI, we thank everyone who supports and want to run, unfortunately we only have 3 weeks left of runs. We will be hosting runs mid spring and early summer, stay tuned for more updates.

North Chicago boys basketball team did not have the season they were hoping for with having an under .500 winning season. Mayfield-Wright class of 2025 is a 5'10 guard who is very crafty with his ball handling ability, can defend at a high level, and his court vision is top notch. With the addition of Mayfield-Wright he brings an edge to North Chicago program that has been missing for quite sometime. North Chicago needs a leader and a guy who can walk the talk, Mayfield-Wright can fill that void. At SimpsonElite Runs the Junior guard hit the ground running with making fancy passes, attacking the rim off the bounce and finishing in traffic, it was exciting to watch. Im expecting a big turn around in North Chicago woes with Mayfield-Wright leading the way.

When you talk about shooting lights out and being a hybrid guard, Visnejevac is that guy. The 6-foot guard is the kind of player you want on your team rather than guard him. His deceptive ball handling and manipulation of ball screens is what makes him hard to contain. Visnejevac does a great job of creating for himself and others, but the way he can shoot off the dribble after creating space, you can count the bucket. He's a crafty guard with good ball control. Visnejevac orchestrates the offense well and is like a coach on the floor- its obvious that he's been around the game for a long time. He gets his teammates involved and makes some really nice passes, while putting some pressure on the defense with his scoring ability. Natural born leader, Visnejevac was putting his guys in position to be successful on the floor and he does not stop talking, the kid is a steal for any college that is looking for a scoring guard.

Loughlin 2028 is considered to be one of the top 10 players in the state of IL and 62 in the country, per Top25Scouts. Loughlin has been with SimpsonElite training for 2 years now and he's made a tremendous impact in the organization. With his raw talent of ball handling and soft touch floater, Loughlin feels as though SimpsonElite played a part of his skill development. Owner of SimpsonElite Aaron Simpson had this to say about Loughlin. "Luke already had raw talent when we met him at Limitless (AAU program), we saw the potential in Luke and wanted to polish his game up just a little, everything you see him doing is just a product of work he puts in and Luke puts in the work." Luke has been to Chris Paul National Middle School combine "Top 25 All star", MSHTV National Camp "Top 20 All star, and most recent he was at MADE Hoops Middle school academy "Top 20 All star"Luke can be seen playing on the circuit with the Chi-town Bulldogs who is considered to be the top 25 team in the country. To follow Luke's progress, follow him on instagram @LukeLoughlin2028

Hicks is probably one of the most complete basketball players we've seen at the SimpsonElite Runs. When you talk about athleticism, speed, will to win and a player who does the dirty work, you're talking about Hicks. The 5'8 guard ability to move her feet and keep the ball in front of her to get stops is what she is capable of. She guarded the biggest players on the floor and ended the possession with a box out and rebound. Hicks ran the lane like a deer and finished through defenders. She dished out a few assist and made a few highlight plays like at the end of the game, she through up a half court heave that went in all net! Hicks is the ideal player of playing both sides of the ball. She's looking to go out with a bang for her season season!

Dillon Schmidt is your prototypical point guard that can lead a team when the ball is in his hands. He has was pushed to play combo guard at St. Viator, where he struggled a bit but has a new light with joining Barrington's basketball club. Schmidt is a 6'2 point guard that is pass first guard but can get the job done by scoring the ball as well. At SimpsonElite Runs Schmidt had his passing ability on display for the gym to see. With over the head passes, to driving, engaging two defenders and making the right read, the kid can see the floor very well. Schmidt aggressiveness is what keeps the defense honest when guarding him, and adding a player like Schmidt to the line up will open flood gates for the rest of the team. Schmidt reading and reacting skills are at a high level, he can shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor, he handles pressure very well, can create for others, and his ability to create space from defenders is something special to have. You can find Schmidt playing fall ball with Limitless and high school with Barrington Broncos.