Commit Breakdown: AJ Casey

Restonp

Recruit
Joined
Jul 3, 2017
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Andre (AJ) Casey:
#12 PF
#3 player in Illinois #2 PF
6’7 180lbs
Future: wing/5

Casey plays for the Whitney Young Dolphins in the CPHS league. They finished the season 8-0 in conference and 25-10 in total, getting destroyed by Glenbard West in the state championship. WY has a lot of highlight tapes as they play a lot of tournaments, and play against high-level teams. ESPN has Casey as the number 7 PF in this class. Casey is a modern-day 4, he can play on the perimeter and down low, and can guard multiple positions (another common theme). Casey is an uncut gem, raw has some skill, and is oozing with potential. The most optimistic part is he has a high IQ, and what he tries to do makes sense just needs to develop the skills to get it done. For this breakdown, I decided to use two full games and the rest are from highlights. One game is against Sierra Canyon, they did a very good job of freezing Casey in this game, never allowing a clean pass to him, but did show a lot in this game. The other was against Kenwood in the Proviso West tournament, did use much of this game as the camera was really bad.

Size:

247 labels him as 6’7 I think he’s closer to 6’8/6’9, I hope that he keeps growing to 6’10. He’s long (a common theme this class) and skinny at only 180lbs definitely needs to add some weight. I would like to see him in the 195-210lbs range.


Athleticism:

This is probably where Casey gets his high ranking from. Casey is what I’d call a smooth athlete, he makes it look easy when he jumps and runs. He runs with long strides but without much control. This is something that can change with time and experience, once he learns he doesn’t need to go 100% all the time. Wong had this same problem his freshman season, and Ant Walker still has this problem. The game needs to slow down a bit for him.


  • 6:50-7:05: This is the potential of Casey, he blocks the jump shot, grabs the rebound turns on the jets, with well-spaced dribbles. He gets called for the charge (correct call), 25 didn’t fill his lane well enough he pulled up instead of sprinting to the corner. In the same breath, Sierra Canyon does a good job stopping the break and cutting off the lanes.
  • 26:01-26:05: gets out in transition after the steal, after two awkward dribbles he bobbles the ball then gets fouled but it’s not called.


  • 1:50-1:53: Type of things adding weight will help with, get’s outmuscled in the air but does a good job contesting without fouling.

Finishing:

Smooth finisher has a great touch around the rim and does a lot of his damage in transition, with put back and from within 15ft. He needs to develop better hands, he fumbles the ball too much. Can finish in many ways, need’s to add weight and develop better balance to succeed at the next level. Also, needs to develop a left hand but that’s not that important in college vs the pros. I expect his finishing will get much better in college when playing with better guards and in a system that uses lots of back door cuts and lobs. His teammates miss him quite a few times, or simply can’t make the necessary pass.


- 9:26-9:31: Get’s on the break, takes a dribble then takes two good steps, he gets hit on the arm (not called) then with the beautiful finish with his right.
- 15:45-15:52: After a scramble, he gets the ball and takes a dribble into a nice spin and tough finish.

  • 1:25:50-1:26:00: Casey sneaks weakside, Davis finds him, and Casey takes a power step and catches a body. A year in D1 S&C that’s a stronger dunk, he was exhausted at this point as he’d played the whole game plus Sierra Canyon was running them out of the gym.
    • -1:26:06-1:26:37: A few different angles. Misses the free throw but makes an attempt to get his rebound.

Shooting:

Still developing his stroke. It looks good and is better than most raw prospects we’ve seen in the past. Most of his shots will come off spot-ups. I’m not expecting 3- level scoring from him. He also has a good and expanding post-game.

Milton (GA) vs. Whitney Young (IL) - 2022 Bass Pro TofC Third Place Game - ESPN Broadcast Highlights
  • 1:49-1:55: Three off a V-cut, then shoots right over the smaller defender, this is why 6’9 shooters are so valuable, they are really hard to effectively contest.
    • 2:36-2:34: Same play different angle. Shows his quick release, if he can further develop his shot it will be dangerous.

  • 2:59- 3:01: Another quick release, will benefit him and us in the future if he can constantly get his shot off fast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLFDDoCxfco&t=1818s
  • 1:31:39-1:31:45: His pull-up looks good, just too strong.

Dribbling and Passing:

Has the ability to go coast to coast, need’s to tighten up his dribble and space then up some more so he can get more speed. I can’t recall any bad passes in the film, but not many mind-blowing passes. Which is good, he trusts the offense they run and plays within it and himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRgoFjINIC8
  • 6:09-6:15: Really just a beautiful pass, he gets trapped in the corner. He doesn’t panic and try to split the double team. He’s taller and longer and he knows it. He soccer passes the ball 50ft to the opposite corner.
  • 7:39-7:42: Makes a full-court outlet pass, a difficult pass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRg0G322ZIE
  • 10:55-11:05: Shows potential as a break starter grabs the rebound and goes coast-to-coast. Need’s to cut down on the number of dribbles to maximize speed

Defense:
Definitely a better off-ball defender than On-ball, he does a good job of rotating (sometimes he over rotates) and defending without fouling. He is also good at playing passing lanes on the perimeter. He needs to work on his on-ball defense, I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly he needs to work on but there are one too many clips of him closing out the wrong way, giving the ballhandler their strong hand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR_yvmBZwI0
  • 2:43-2:47: Shows good on-ball defense against a guard moving his feet and cutting off the only way he can go, then steals the ball without fouling.
  • 3:17-3:25: Doesn’t deny entry and then gambles for a steal putting him out of position, then bites on the shot fake, should go straight up but goes for block and get’s scored on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRg0G322ZIE
  • Two closeouts, the first one he should’ve forced the shooter to drive with his left. In the second one, he gives up the baseline. Mental things that will come with experience.

Attitude and work ethic:

Works Hard all-around, play’s the majority of the minutes for his team, and is always active around the glass. He needs to be more physical down low and box out, but he is constantly around the boards. He seems like a calm dude, I never see him freak out or complain to the ref too much but instead, he moves on to the next play. This shows when he makes mistakes he just gets back on defense. Needs to demand the ball more to become more involved. Does move a lot on offense which will benefit him at the D1 level with D1 playmakers around him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjikjs7jfxo
-10:53-11:00: Again needs to secure the rebound, but he comes from outside the three-point line to try and get the board.

All in all:

I’m excited about this one, I’m a sucker for potential and Casey has a lot of it. He has equally a great chance to be whatever he wants. He is constantly flashing, he just needs time to develop. He seems to be really coachable, he doesn’t freelance much even when the game is getting out of hand. He shows trust in his teammates and coaches. He gets missed a lot on cuts, rolls, and pops, but doesn’t check out because of it. I can see him getting spot minutes as a freshman depending on who leaves and who we bring in, we are light with size in the frontcourt so he might get fast-tracked. In an ideal world, he will be a backup and then start for the next 1-3 years. Definitely think he needs a year with D1 coaching and weight room to become an important role player or impact player.

I can’t really think of a comparison for him. Not sure if he will take Walker's minutes, but there is a chance we see a fair amount of him next season.

Bonus:
Dalen Davis 2023 is a take, keep an eye on him he might be a riser next season. He’s started for them since his freshman season. I hope we get in early and offer him for 2023, highly doubt we do though. Has offers from Illinois Kanas and Depaul, the kid’s legit. He puts a lot (maybe too much) of the offensive weight on his shoulders at WY but when he gets going it's fun to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXvQN7V-txI

  • Casey also had some good highlights in this one, including a couple of threes.

His game is kinda hard to describe. But what do yall think about Casey?
 
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Andre (AJ) Casey:
#12 PF
#3 player in Illinois #2 PF
6’7 180lbs
Future: wing/5

Casey plays for the Whitney Young Dolphins in the CPHS league. They finished the season 8-0 in conference and 25-10 in total, getting destroyed by Glenbard West in the state championship. WY has a lot of highlight tapes as they play a lot of tournaments, and play against high-level teams. ESPN has Casey as the number 7 PF in this class. Casey is a modern-day 4, he can play on the perimeter and down low, and can guard multiple positions (another common theme). Casey is an uncut gem, raw has some skill, and is oozing with potential. The most optimistic part is he has a high IQ, and what he tries to do makes sense just needs to develop the skills to get it done. For this breakdown, I decided to use two full games and the rest are from highlights. One game is against Sierra Canyon, they did a very good job of freezing Casey in this game, never allowing a clean pass to him, but did show a lot in this game. The other was against Kenwood in the Proviso West tournament, did use much of this game as the camera was really bad.

Size:

247 labels him as 6’7 I think he’s closer to 6’8/6’9, I hope that he keeps growing to 6’10. He’s long (a common theme this class) and skinny at only 180lbs definitely needs to add some weight. I would like to see him in the 195-210lbs range.


Athleticism:

This is probably where Casey gets his high ranking from. Casey is what I’d call a smooth athlete, he makes it look easy when he jumps and runs. He runs with long strides but without much control. This is something that can change with time and experience, once he learns he doesn’t need to go 100% all the time. Wong had this same problem his freshman season, and Ant Walker still has this problem. The game needs to slow down a bit for him.


  • 6:50-7:05: This is the potential of Casey, he blocks the jump shot, grabs the rebound turns on the jets, with well-spaced dribbles. He gets called for the charge (correct call), 25 didn’t fill his lane well enough he pulled up instead of sprinting to the corner. In the same breath, Sierra Canyon does a good job stopping the break and cutting off the lanes.
  • 26:01-26:05: gets out in transition after the steal, after two awkward dribbles he bobbles the ball then gets fouled but it’s not called.


  • 1:50-1:53: Type of things adding weight will help with, get’s outmuscled in the air but does a good job contesting without fouling.

Finishing:

Smooth finisher has a great touch around the rim and does a lot of his damage in transition, with put back and from within 15ft. He needs to develop better hands, he fumbles the ball too much. Can finish in many ways, need’s to add weight and develop better balance to succeed at the next level. Also, needs to develop a left hand but that’s not that important in college vs the pros. I expect his finishing will get much better in college when playing with better guards and in a system that uses lots of back door cuts and lobs. His teammates miss him quite a few times, or simply can’t make the necessary pass.


- 9:26-9:31: Get’s on the break, takes a dribble then takes two good steps, he gets hit on the arm (not called) then with the beautiful finish with his right.
- 15:45-15:52: After a scramble, he gets the ball and takes a dribble into a nice spin and tough finish.

  • 1:25:50-1:26:00: Casey sneaks weakside, Davis finds him, and Casey takes a power step and catches a body. A year in D1 S&C that’s a stronger dunk, he was exhausted at this point as he’d played the whole game plus Sierra Canyon was running them out of the gym.
    • -1:26:06-1:26:37: A few different angles. Misses the free throw but makes an attempt to get his rebound.

Shooting:

Still developing his stroke. It looks good and is better than most raw prospects we’ve seen in the past. Most of his shots will come off spot-ups. I’m not expecting 3- level scoring from him. He also has a good and expanding post-game.

Milton (GA) vs. Whitney Young (IL) - 2022 Bass Pro TofC Third Place Game - ESPN Broadcast Highlights
  • 1:49-1:55: Three off a V-cut, then shoots right over the smaller defender, this is why 6’9 shooters are so valuable, they are really hard to effectively contest.
    • 2:36-2:34: Same play different angle. Shows his quick release, if he can further develop his shot it will be dangerous.

  • 2:59- 3:01: Another quick release, will benefit him and us in the future if he can constantly get his shot off fast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLFDDoCxfco&t=1818s
  • 1:31:39-1:31:45: His pull-up looks good, just too strong.

Dribbling and Passing:

Has the ability to go coast to coast, need’s to tighten up his dribble and space then up some more so he can get more speed. I can’t recall any bad passes in the film, but not many mind-blowing passes. Which is good, he trusts the offense they run and plays within it and himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRgoFjINIC8
  • 6:09-6:15: Really just a beautiful pass, he gets trapped in the corner. He doesn’t panic and try to split the double team. He’s taller and longer and he knows it. He soccer passes the ball 50ft to the opposite corner.
  • 7:39-7:42: Makes a full-court outlet pass, a difficult pass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRg0G322ZIE
  • 10:55-11:05: Shows potential as a break starter grabs the rebound and goes coast-to-coast. Need’s to cut down on the number of dribbles to maximize speed

Defense:
Definitely a better off-ball defender than On-ball, he does a good job of rotating (sometimes he over rotates) and defending without fouling. He is also good at playing passing lanes on the perimeter. He needs to work on his on-ball defense, I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly he needs to work on but there are one too many clips of him closing out the wrong way, giving the ballhandler their strong hand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR_yvmBZwI0
  • 2:43-2:47: Shows good on-ball defense against a guard moving his feet and cutting off the only way he can go, then steals the ball without fouling.
  • 3:17-3:25: Doesn’t deny entry and then gambles for a steal putting him out of position, then bites on the shot fake, should go straight up but goes for block and get’s scored on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRg0G322ZIE
  • Two closeouts, the first one he should’ve forced the shooter to drive with his left. In the second one, he gives up the baseline. Mental things that will come with experience.

Attitude and work ethic:

Works Hard all-around, play’s the majority of the minutes for his team, and is always active around the glass. He needs to be more physical down low and box out, but he is constantly around the boards. He seems like a calm dude, I never see him freak out or complain to the ref too much but instead, he moves on to the next play. This shows when he makes mistakes he just gets back on defense. Needs to demand the ball more to become more involved. Does move a lot on offense which will benefit him at the D1 level with D1 playmakers around him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjikjs7jfxo
-10:53-11:00: Again needs to secure the rebound, but he comes from outside the three-point line to try and get the board.

All in all:

I’m excited about this one, I’m a sucker for potential and Casey has a lot of it. He has equally a great chance to be whatever he wants. He is constantly flashing, he just needs time to develop. He seems to be really coachable, he doesn’t freelance much even when the game is getting out of hand. He shows trust in his teammates and coaches. He gets missed a lot on cuts, rolls, and pops, but doesn’t check out because of it. I can see him getting spot minutes as a freshman depending on who leaves and who we bring in, we are light with size in the frontcourt so he might get fast-tracked. In an ideal world, he will be a backup and then start for the next 1-3 years. Definitely think he needs a year with D1 coaching and weight room to become an important role player or impact player.

I can’t really think of a comparison for him. Not sure if he will take Walker's minutes, but there is a chance we see a fair amount of him next season.

Bonus:
Dalen Davis 2023 is a take, keep an eye on him he might be a riser next season. He’s started for them since his freshman season. I hope we get in early and offer him for 2023, highly doubt we do though. Has offers from Illinois Kanas and Depaul, the kid’s legit. He puts a lot (maybe too much) of the offensive weight on his shoulders at WY but when he gets going it's fun to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXvQN7V-txI

  • Casey also had some good highlights in this one, including a couple of threes.

His game is kinda hard to describe. But what do yall think about Casey?

These were awesome. Any chance you can do Aire? @Restonp
 
Andre (AJ) Casey:
#12 PF
#3 player in Illinois #2 PF
6’7 180lbs
Future: wing/5

Casey plays for the Whitney Young Dolphins in the CPHS league. They finished the season 8-0 in conference and 25-10 in total, getting destroyed by Glenbard West in the state championship. WY has a lot of highlight tapes as they play a lot of tournaments, and play against high-level teams. ESPN has Casey as the number 7 PF in this class. Casey is a modern-day 4, he can play on the perimeter and down low, and can guard multiple positions (another common theme). Casey is an uncut gem, raw has some skill, and is oozing with potential. The most optimistic part is he has a high IQ, and what he tries to do makes sense just needs to develop the skills to get it done. For this breakdown, I decided to use two full games and the rest are from highlights. One game is against Sierra Canyon, they did a very good job of freezing Casey in this game, never allowing a clean pass to him, but did show a lot in this game. The other was against Kenwood in the Proviso West tournament, did use much of this game as the camera was really bad.

Size:

247 labels him as 6’7 I think he’s closer to 6’8/6’9, I hope that he keeps growing to 6’10. He’s long (a common theme this class) and skinny at only 180lbs definitely needs to add some weight. I would like to see him in the 195-210lbs range.


Athleticism:

This is probably where Casey gets his high ranking from. Casey is what I’d call a smooth athlete, he makes it look easy when he jumps and runs. He runs with long strides but without much control. This is something that can change with time and experience, once he learns he doesn’t need to go 100% all the time. Wong had this same problem his freshman season, and Ant Walker still has this problem. The game needs to slow down a bit for him.


  • 6:50-7:05: This is the potential of Casey, he blocks the jump shot, grabs the rebound turns on the jets, with well-spaced dribbles. He gets called for the charge (correct call), 25 didn’t fill his lane well enough he pulled up instead of sprinting to the corner. In the same breath, Sierra Canyon does a good job stopping the break and cutting off the lanes.
  • 26:01-26:05: gets out in transition after the steal, after two awkward dribbles he bobbles the ball then gets fouled but it’s not called.


  • 1:50-1:53: Type of things adding weight will help with, get’s outmuscled in the air but does a good job contesting without fouling.

Finishing:

Smooth finisher has a great touch around the rim and does a lot of his damage in transition, with put back and from within 15ft. He needs to develop better hands, he fumbles the ball too much. Can finish in many ways, need’s to add weight and develop better balance to succeed at the next level. Also, needs to develop a left hand but that’s not that important in college vs the pros. I expect his finishing will get much better in college when playing with better guards and in a system that uses lots of back door cuts and lobs. His teammates miss him quite a few times, or simply can’t make the necessary pass.


- 9:26-9:31: Get’s on the break, takes a dribble then takes two good steps, he gets hit on the arm (not called) then with the beautiful finish with his right.
- 15:45-15:52: After a scramble, he gets the ball and takes a dribble into a nice spin and tough finish.

  • 1:25:50-1:26:00: Casey sneaks weakside, Davis finds him, and Casey takes a power step and catches a body. A year in D1 S&C that’s a stronger dunk, he was exhausted at this point as he’d played the whole game plus Sierra Canyon was running them out of the gym.
    • -1:26:06-1:26:37: A few different angles. Misses the free throw but makes an attempt to get his rebound.

Shooting:

Still developing his stroke. It looks good and is better than most raw prospects we’ve seen in the past. Most of his shots will come off spot-ups. I’m not expecting 3- level scoring from him. He also has a good and expanding post-game.

Milton (GA) vs. Whitney Young (IL) - 2022 Bass Pro TofC Third Place Game - ESPN Broadcast Highlights
  • 1:49-1:55: Three off a V-cut, then shoots right over the smaller defender, this is why 6’9 shooters are so valuable, they are really hard to effectively contest.
    • 2:36-2:34: Same play different angle. Shows his quick release, if he can further develop his shot it will be dangerous.

  • 2:59- 3:01: Another quick release, will benefit him and us in the future if he can constantly get his shot off fast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLFDDoCxfco&t=1818s
  • 1:31:39-1:31:45: His pull-up looks good, just too strong.

Dribbling and Passing:

Has the ability to go coast to coast, need’s to tighten up his dribble and space then up some more so he can get more speed. I can’t recall any bad passes in the film, but not many mind-blowing passes. Which is good, he trusts the offense they run and plays within it and himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRgoFjINIC8
  • 6:09-6:15: Really just a beautiful pass, he gets trapped in the corner. He doesn’t panic and try to split the double team. He’s taller and longer and he knows it. He soccer passes the ball 50ft to the opposite corner.
  • 7:39-7:42: Makes a full-court outlet pass, a difficult pass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRg0G322ZIE
  • 10:55-11:05: Shows potential as a break starter grabs the rebound and goes coast-to-coast. Need’s to cut down on the number of dribbles to maximize speed

Defense:
Definitely a better off-ball defender than On-ball, he does a good job of rotating (sometimes he over rotates) and defending without fouling. He is also good at playing passing lanes on the perimeter. He needs to work on his on-ball defense, I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly he needs to work on but there are one too many clips of him closing out the wrong way, giving the ballhandler their strong hand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR_yvmBZwI0
  • 2:43-2:47: Shows good on-ball defense against a guard moving his feet and cutting off the only way he can go, then steals the ball without fouling.
  • 3:17-3:25: Doesn’t deny entry and then gambles for a steal putting him out of position, then bites on the shot fake, should go straight up but goes for block and get’s scored on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRg0G322ZIE
  • Two closeouts, the first one he should’ve forced the shooter to drive with his left. In the second one, he gives up the baseline. Mental things that will come with experience.

Attitude and work ethic:

Works Hard all-around, play’s the majority of the minutes for his team, and is always active around the glass. He needs to be more physical down low and box out, but he is constantly around the boards. He seems like a calm dude, I never see him freak out or complain to the ref too much but instead, he moves on to the next play. This shows when he makes mistakes he just gets back on defense. Needs to demand the ball more to become more involved. Does move a lot on offense which will benefit him at the D1 level with D1 playmakers around him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjikjs7jfxo
-10:53-11:00: Again needs to secure the rebound, but he comes from outside the three-point line to try and get the board.

All in all:

I’m excited about this one, I’m a sucker for potential and Casey has a lot of it. He has equally a great chance to be whatever he wants. He is constantly flashing, he just needs time to develop. He seems to be really coachable, he doesn’t freelance much even when the game is getting out of hand. He shows trust in his teammates and coaches. He gets missed a lot on cuts, rolls, and pops, but doesn’t check out because of it. I can see him getting spot minutes as a freshman depending on who leaves and who we bring in, we are light with size in the frontcourt so he might get fast-tracked. In an ideal world, he will be a backup and then start for the next 1-3 years. Definitely think he needs a year with D1 coaching and weight room to become an important role player or impact player.

I can’t really think of a comparison for him. Not sure if he will take Walker's minutes, but there is a chance we see a fair amount of him next season.

Bonus:
Dalen Davis 2023 is a take, keep an eye on him he might be a riser next season. He’s started for them since his freshman season. I hope we get in early and offer him for 2023, highly doubt we do though. Has offers from Illinois Kanas and Depaul, the kid’s legit. He puts a lot (maybe too much) of the offensive weight on his shoulders at WY but when he gets going it's fun to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXvQN7V-txI

  • Casey also had some good highlights in this one, including a couple of threes.

His game is kinda hard to describe. But what do yall think about Casey?

Threes a good thing 🙌
 


That was a terrific write up OP!

My comp for Casey is poor man’s Josh Jackson, as an above the rim athletic slashing forward.

I think he can give us good minutes as a True Freshman, but not be expected to be a primary scorer.

His biggest impact early on can be on the Defensive side of the ball more than anything, until he develops into a full time go to option on Offense, which more than likely won’t happen until his Sophomore year.
 
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That was a terrific write up OP!

My comp for Casey is poor man’s Josh Jackson, as an above the rim athletic slashing forward.

I think he can give us good minutes as a True Freshman, but not be expected to be a primary scorer.

His biggest impact rly on can be on the Defensive side of the ball more than anything, until he develops into a full time go to option on Offense, which more than likely won’t happen until his Sophomore year.

His jump shot may already be better than Josh Jackson. But you are correct that he moves like Jackson.
 
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