Northern Illinois University Offers Chicago Public League Shooting Guard

June 27, 2009 

9:55 P.M. CST

Illinois Prep Bulls-eye has learned through reliable sources that Northern Illinois University has extended a scholarship offer to Greg Tucker, the 6'3 class of 2010 shooting guard from Lincoln Park High School in Chicago.  Tucker received the offer from Huskies head coach Ricardo Patton today and it was confirmed to us by members of Tucker's family.

Tucker has performed quite well throughout the month of June with his high school team while participating in various team camps, including the Loyola University Team Camp at Loyola University's Gentile Center in Chicago, the Northern Illinois University Team Camp at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and the University of Illinois Satellite Camp which was also held at Moody.

The offer from the Huskies to Tucker is just one more example of how intent Patton and assistant coaches Sundance Wicks, Todd Townsend, and Will Smith are when it comes to recruiting the Chicago Public League.  As we predicted in a previous entry, Northern Illinois has also offered scholarships to the 6'7 class of 2011 twins from Brooks High School in Chicago--Keith Gray and Kevin Gray, who might be the two most improved players in the state from the 2011 class.  We have no doubt that there will be plenty more offers extended by the Huskies to Chicago-based players in the near future.

Additional Notes 

... We are hearing that there is a strong possibility that Larry Butler, the traveling team coach of the Illinois Warriors, may be switching his shoe company allegiance from NIKE to Adidas, as more than one source has told us that he is in the process of seeking Adidas sponsorship and hopes to make the move by the time the July evaluation period arrives.  Butler's Warriors have long been the flagship NIKE program among traveling teams in Illinois.

... Congratulations to Ramon Williams on becoming the new assistant coach at Ohio University.  Williams undoubtedly knows the Chicago area, having been an assistant coach at DePaul University for the past four seasons.  Add in the fact that Ohio U. already has two players from the state of Illinois in the fold as members of their 2009 recruiting class in D.J. Cooper (Seton Academy in South Holland, IL) and James Kinney (Champaign Centennial in Champaign, IL) and we guarantee that both Williams and head coach John Groce will continue to have the Bobcats recruiting heavily throughout the Windy City and the Land of Lincoln.

... We also extend our congratulations to Chris Hollender, who will be leaving his assistant coach posiition at Army to become the new assistant at the University of Evansville.  It will be somewhat of a homecoming for Hollender, who starred as a player for the Purple Aces during the 1990's. 

Continue to check in with Illinois Prep Bulls-eye for all of the latest as it pertains to high school basketball and recruiting in Illinois.