Brust Opts For The Big Ten 

July 1. 2009

2:30 P.M. CST

Oftentimes when a recruit is having a difficult time selecting a school the final choice ends up being based on what he feels in his heart.  That was undoubtedly the case with respect to the recruitment of Ben Brust, the 6'2 shooting guard from Mundelein High School in Mundelein, IL, who verbally committed today to the University of Iowa.  Brust made his decision official earlier this afternoon and chose the Hawkeyes over Butler, Northwestern, and Stanford.

According to Mike Weinstein, Brust's traveling team coach, the decision was an extremely difficult one for Brust from amongst his final four schools.  In the end, he simply felt in his heart that Iowa was the place for him.  Brust sees himself being a vital ingredient in helping the Hawkeyes reach the upper echelon of the Big Ten conference.

There were several other factors that proved to be to Iowa's advantage.  First and foremost is his close friendship with Cully Payne, a class of 2009 recruit who committed to the Hawkeyes this past spring.  Brust and Payne had spent considerable time talking about the possibility of playing together at Iowa, and as it turns out that will be the case.  Brust also emphasized how impressed he is with the entire Hawkeye coaching staff, including head coach Todd Lickliter as well as assistant coaches Chad Walthall, Joel Cornette and LaVall Jordan and referred to all of them as class acts.

Brust took his second visit to the Iowa City campus this past Monday and after returning home decided to wait a day and mull over his decision.  As we have stated previously, he had been looking at a timetable all along whereby he would commit just before the start of the July evaluation period.

There is no question that Brust is one of the premier shooters in the state of Illinois and just might be the best that there is from the class of 2010.  He has range that extends well beyond the 3-point line, a quick release and the ability to get his shot either spotting up or coming off the dribble.  However, there are also other parts of Brust's game that get taken for granted.  For one, he is much more athletic than a lot of people give him credit for.  He has also greatly improved his ball handling skills.  To top it all off, he is also an outstanding student and a gym rat with a work ethic that is second to none.

Brust will be in action with his Rising Stars Gold traveling team throughout the July evaluation period, including the Chicago Classic in Deerfield, IL; the NY2LA Sports Summer Jam in Milwaukee and both the 17-under Super Showcase and the 17-under National AAU Tournament in Orlando. 

Additional Notes

... Jordan Threloff, the 6'10 class of 2010 center from DeKalb High School in DeKalb, IL, has received a scholarship offer from Drake University.  Bulldogs head coach Mark Phelps extended the offer to Threloff while he was on an unofficial visit to the DesMoines campus.  Threloff has a long line of schools that remain in the running for his services, including Illinois State, Southern Illinois, Loyola-Chicago, St. Louis, Bradley and Northern Illinois just to name a few.

... There is currently much talk about where 6'5 class of 2011 swing man Dre Henley will end up playing next year now that he is no longer at De LaSalle Institute in Chicago.  Right now we know that he will undoubtedly be going the prep school route but we do not know where.  Rumors have begun to swirl that Henley could stay in-state and may be headed to Brehm Prep in Carbondale, IL.  However, multiple sources have told us that in all likelihood Henley will opt for a prep school somewhere on the east coast.  We shall see.

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