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<p>In our third installment of coverage from last weekend's Team Illinois event, we turn to the offensive standouts from club team play. Representing four states, these three uncommitted 2028s and three 2029s made their mark on offense:</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Uncommitted 2028's</h2>
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<p>LaRue was a player I'd been meaning to see since our '28 Midwest rankings. Coming from one of Ohio's top programs, St. Ignatius, he'll keep trending up. I'd describe him as sneaky athletic. He doesn't have overwhelming speed or height, but he brings great IQ, footwork, strength, and deception to both sides of the ball. Offensively, LaRue uses his strength to work through defenders near GLE and get to the middle for shots. Physicality doesn't faze him. In space, he mixes bounce and hesitation moves to make defenders play at his pace. He also reads the game well, manipulating slides with the ball and recognizing when an off-ball defender turns his head, giving him a window to cut. His feet held up defensively, too, and he brought a physical edge to his matchups. One play Sunday stood out: he unexpectedly jumped a pick and forced a turnover, showing the anticipation that matched his footwork and strength. Look for LaRue to be a Midwest prospect who comes off the board sooner rather than later.</p>
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<p>Gaffaney was consistent across the five games I watched him play over the weekend, recording at least a point in each. That's the kind of reliability college coaches look for. A big, strong right-handed midfielder, he can power through defenses, but what I like most is how he reads and manipulates them. He looks beyond his own matchup, recognizing where slides are coming from and how to influence them. He knows when he has the slider's attention and can hold that defender in place or draw him out before moving the ball. When slides were slow this weekend, Gaffaney sliced into the defense with sweeps, S-dodges, and underneath moves. He leaned on his physicality when needed, too—even drawing a rare two-handed ward call at one point. When it's time to finish, he brings the heat and deception, showing off his ability to duck his head to control goalies and change his release points when he needs to blow it past them.</p>
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<p>Patterson had a strong weekend at X, both in the showcase and with Lou Fusz during club team play. A two-handed threat, he's difficult for poles to play straight up. He has the speed to attack defenders, enough shake to keep them on their toes, and hard rolls and split dodges to create separation. I especially liked his work up the hashes. He kept his head up, shopping for cutters while remaining a threat to fire quality shots on cage. That ability to feed or shoot without tipping his hand kept goalies off balance. His game also looks like it could translate to midfield at the next level. His comfort with either hand gives him options to sweep toward the middle or attack down the alleys.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2029's</h2>
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<p>It doesn't take long to see why White wears No. 22. Physically reminiscent of a young Michael Sowers, he's a little undersized, quick-twitch, deceptive, and skilled. I watched the ProMo '29s in three games and barely had enough room for all my notes and stats on White. He does his damage from behind the cage up to the lefty wing. In invert situations, he dictates the pace, taking his time against shorties and baiting them into lunging before accelerating past them up the left hash. From there, he proved equally capable of finding a teammate or finishing himself.</p>
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<p>His hesitations, rockers, and changes of direction keep defenders guessing. Pair that deception with his speed, and he's difficult to cover straight up. Give him even the smallest angle, and he can beat his defender to a spot, making his S-dodges and sweeps to the middle from the wing look easy. White was also fearless in the groundball game. Despite his size, he stuck his nose into scrums and frequently came away with possession. Just as importantly, he recognized when to move the ball quickly, turning those pickups into advantages for his team.</p>
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<p>Originally from Long Island, Quinn recently moved to Missouri and formed a productive pairing with Isaac White for the ProMo '29s. The two worked off each other well throughout the weekend, trading dodges from behind the cage, swinging the ball through one another, and connecting frequently for goals.</p>
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<p>Quinn has the size and athleticism to be a threat up either hash, showing he can feed and score with both hands. His biggest impact, though, came from the wing. He did some dodging from there, but he was at his most dangerous finding stepdown opportunities off the catch. As the point man in transition or settling into a skip lane, Quinn put himself in spots where he could catch, set his feet, and let it fly.</p>
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<p class="text-gray-700">A smaller, skilled lefty, Baumann led the scoring in both games I watched him play this weekend—one with Yeti in club play and another with Team Four in the showcase. He was consistently reliable off-ball, giving teammates a target on the backside pipe for a quick finish or cutting through the middle for a catch-and-shoot opportunity. Baumann also knows when to turn on the burners. Defenders often pressed out on him because of his size, only to watch him fly past them. As one of Yeti's primary scoring threats, he showed he could handle contact, too. At times, he was a bowling ball, staying upright through multiple slides and finding ways to finish on the doorstep.</p>
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In our third installment of coverage from last weekend's Team Illinois event, we turn to the offensive standouts from club team play. Representing four states, these three uncommitted 2028s and three 2029s made their mark on offense:
LaRue was a player I'd been meaning to see since our '28 Midwest rankings. Coming from one of Ohio's top programs, St. Ignatius, he'll keep trending up. I'd describe him as sneaky athletic. He doesn't have overwhelming speed or height, but he brings great IQ, footwork, strength, and deception to both sides of the ball. Offensively, LaRue uses his strength to work through defenders near GLE and get to the middle for shots. Physicality doesn't faze him. In space, he mixes bounce and hesitation moves to make defenders play at his pace. He also reads the game well, manipulating slides with the ball and recognizing when an off-ball defender turns his head, giving him a window to cut. His feet held up defensively, too, and he brought a physical edge to his matchups. One play Sunday stood out: he unexpectedly jumped a pick and forced a turnover, showing the anticipation that matched his footwork and strength. Look for LaRue to be a Midwest prospect who comes off the board sooner rather than later.
Evaluations are normally subscriber-only but when an athlete subscribes, theirs becomes free for all readers.
Subscribing doesn't change who the Scout covers, it changes who gets to see it.
Gaffaney was consistent across the five games I watched him play over the weekend, recording at least a point in each. That's the kind of reliability college coaches look for. A big, strong right-handed midfielder, he can power through defenses, but what I like most is how he reads and manipulates them. He looks beyond his own matchup, recognizing where slides are coming from and how to influence them. He knows when he has the slider's attention and can hold that defender in place or draw him out before moving the ball. When slides were slow this weekend, Gaffaney sliced into the defense with sweeps, S-dodges, and underneath moves. He leaned on his physicality when needed, too—even drawing a rare two-handed ward call at one point. When it's time to finish, he brings the heat and deception, showing off his ability to duck his head to control goalies and change his release points when he needs to blow it past them.
Evaluations are normally subscriber-only but when an athlete subscribes, theirs becomes free for all readers.
Subscribing doesn't change who the Scout covers, it changes who gets to see it.
Patterson had a strong weekend at X, both in the showcase and with Lou Fusz during club team play. A two-handed threat, he's difficult for poles to play straight up. He has the speed to attack defenders, enough shake to…
It doesn't take long to see why White wears No. 22. Physically reminiscent of a young Michael Sowers, he's a little undersized, quick-twitch, deceptive, and skilled. I watched the ProMo '29s in three games and barely had enough room for…
Originally from Long Island, Quinn recently moved to Missouri and formed a productive pairing with Isaac White for the ProMo '29s. The two worked off each other well throughout the weekend, trading dodges from behind the cage, swinging the ball…
A smaller, skilled lefty, Baumann led the scoring in both games I watched him play this weekend—one with Yeti in club play and another with Team Four in the showcase. He was consistently reliable off-ball, giving teammates a target on the backside pipe for a quick finish or cutting through the middle for a catch-and-shoot opportunity. Baumann also knows when to turn on the burners. Defenders often pressed out on him because of his size, only to watch him fly past them. As one of Yeti's primary scoring threats, he showed he could handle contact, too. At times, he was a bowling ball, staying upright through multiple slides and finding ways to finish on the doorstep.
Evaluations are normally subscriber-only but when an athlete subscribes, theirs becomes free for all readers.
Subscribing doesn't change who the Scout covers, it changes who gets to see it.
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