Early ascension for St. Laurence’s Jeremiah Williams and other young stars

It’s still early.

There are freshmen and sophomores still getting their feet wet at the varsity level. There are juniors and seniors who will continue to blossom over the course of the season.

But there are a select few who have set the Chicago area on fire with their ultra-productive fast starts to the season. These players have made significant jumps and are quickly making a name for themselves as players and college prospects.

And there hasn’t been a bigger breakout star than Jeremiah Williams of St. Laurence.

The somewhat surprising start by St. Laurence — the Vikings are 9-1 — has been fueled by the impact of the junior guard. The long, rangy Williams is closing in on 6-4 and looks as if he will continue to grow and fill out physically.

But is there anyone who is filling a stat sheet more than the highly versatile Williams?

Williams is averaging a double-double with 19.3 points and 10.5 rebounds a game while also dishing out 4.5 assists and blocking three shots a game. Those are some eye-popping numbers. And he’s been efficient in doing so as he’s shooting 65 percent from inside the arc and 33 percent from the three-point line.

“He’s a natural leader, a terrific decision-maker and is letting things come to him while being much more assertive offensively,” says coach Jim Sexton.

Williams made an impact last year as a sophomore –– he averaged 11 points and six rebounds a game as a sophomore –– but has taken his game to another level.

“He was passive offensively last year,” says Sexton. “He has a willingness to shoot and attack more.”

He defends every position on the floor for Sexton and projects as a player who can guard all three perimeter spots at the next level. He plays point guard for St. Laurence and can move off the ball. With a smooth and easy way about him, Williams eludes defenders skillfully to create openings to the rim while his perimeter jumper continues to show improvement.

“He impacts every part of the game,” says Sexton.

Williams is blessed with being the player who produces but clearly hasn’t maxed out yet as a prospect. The ceiling is high for a player who has received very little attention up to this point. But Williams is destined to have mid-major suitors soon.

➤ Devin Davis, Westinghouse (Class of 2020)

While attention is hard to come by in the Public League’s White-West, Davis has been electrifying during the first few weeks of the season, scoring 30-plus on both Fenwick and Benet at Thanksgiving time.

The 5-11 guard has taken off as a junior after a brief stint at the varsity level a year ago, including hitting a game-winning basket to advance to the regional final last year.

A terrific student in the classroom and ultra-productive on the floor, Davis is averaging 26 points a game along with 3.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 4.1 steals a game.

“He’s so creative in getting shots off and combines scoring ability and true defense on the ball,” says Fields. “His leadership qualities stand out above everything.”

Davis who has skyrocketed up the City/Suburban Hoops Report player rankings, is wired to score with a smooth, natural jumper with range. He’s a shooting guard in a point guard’s body but has some creativity in making others better –– as shown averaging over four assists a game.

➤ Dom Martinelli, Glenbrook South (Class of 2020)

When you combine improvement, production and efficiency, there isn’t any player in the junior class who surpasses what Martinelli has shown in the first three weeks of the season.

In helping the Titans to a strong 8-1 start, Martinelli has been nothing short of a force. The old school, fundamentally sound 6-4 Martinelli is averaging 24 points, seven rebounds and 1.5 assists a game.

But it’s the efficiency that Martinelli has put his offensive numbers up that’s been so impressive. The inside-outside threat is shooting 67 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three-point line. Throw in making 89 percent of his free throws and points are being scored when Martinelli shoots.

A terrific student in the classroom, it will be interesting to see where Martinelli’s recruitment heads in coming months as he is a bit of an unconventional player and will be an acquired taste for college coaches. The more you watch, the more you like from this fundamentally strong, old school player.

➤ Bryce Hopkins, Fenwick (Class of 2021)

Despite the departures of some key players from last year’s team, first-year coach Staunton Peck has the Friars at 6-3.

A big reason for the start has been the superb play of Hopkins, a multi-faceted 6-5 sophomore combo forward who has great physical tools to go with natural skills.

It’s not as if Hopkins is an unknown. He’s among the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top 10 prospects in the Class of 2021. He picked up an early offer from Wisconsin-Milwaukee last summer and added Loyola, Miami-Ohio and Nebraska offers this fall.

But the impact at the varsity level from the talented sophomore is new. Hopkins is putting up some monster early numbers, averaging 24 points and 6.5 rebounds a game while shooting 41 percent from the three-point line. He’s scored 30-plus points in three of Fenwick’s eight games and hit the game-winning shot to beat rival Oak Park.

Hopkins continues to improve his shooting and as that shot becomes more consistent and a bigger weapon, the sky is the limit for him as an offensive force. He has size, strength and an ability to put it on the floor and score around the basket.

➤ Troy D’Amico, Notre Dame (Class of 2021)

Notre Dame teammate Anthony Sayles burst on the scene last year as a freshman and his again putting up impressive numbers as one of the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top five prospects in the Class of 2020. But D’Amico has taken his game to another level in his second varsity season.

The 6-5 sophomore with the soft touch –– around the basket, mid-range and out to the three-point line –– is averaging 17.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists a game. He’s also shooting 41 percent from beyond the three-point line (13 of 32).

➤ Julian Campbell, Palatine (Class of 2021)

There are some young, talented players with bigger names in the Mid-Suburban League, including sophomores Max Christie of Rolling Meadows and Chris Hodges of Schaumburg. But Campbell doesn’t take a back seat to anyone when it comes to overall production.

Through seven games this season, Campbell is averaging 22.3 points and eight rebounds a game. He’s shooting 63 percent from two-point range and an impressive 42 percent from beyond the arc (14 of 33).

Campbell is a huge physical presence at 6-6, 305 pounds. But he’s very skilled with three-point range and is light on his feet for a player his size.

➤ Kam Craft, Buffalo Grove (Class of 2022)

There are higher-profile prospects and bigger-named freshmen in the Class of 2022, but there aren’t many young players who have put up the numbers that Craft has thus far.

As a freshman he scored 31 points in his varsity debut and has stayed productive ever since. The lanky 6-4 scorer is averaging 21.1 points a game as a shooter from the three-point line and a player who has been almost automatic from the line. He’s shooting 83 percent from the free-throw line and at one point made 22 straight free throws this season.

In addition to his scoring prowess, Craft adds 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals a game for the Bison.