Is There A #1 Player In Illinois From The Class Of 2012?

February 10, 2010

4:36 P.M. CST

When it comes to sizing up the current high school basketball recruiting classes in Illinois, most of the talk centers around either the class of 2011 or the class of 2013 and rightfully so.  After all, the 2011 class is one of the most talented in recent memory and sports enormous depth, while the three top-ranked players in the class of 2013 are absolute studs.  The class of 2012, meanwhile, appears to be caught in the middle, as it currently lacks a top-flight player nationally.  In fact, at the present time we have to say that there is no clear-cut #1 player in Illinois from the 2012 class.

We believe that there are several reasons why the class of 2012 in Illinois doesn't immediately jump out at anyone.  For one, all of the top prospects in this class play the same position--point guard.  To take matters a step further, no one amongst that group has turned in a dominating performance this season.  Therefore, none of them have separated themselves from the rest of the pack in order to justify being called the #1 player in that class.

The player who we still think has the best all-around skill set of any guard in Illinois from 2012 is 6'0 point guard Keith Carter from Proviso East High School in Maywood, IL.  However, Carter is not enjoying the dominant season that we expected him to have and has actually been less than spectacular in a number of games in which we have watched him.  Our biggest concern is that he often appears to lack aggressiveness and while he is extremely unselfish, too often he tries to make the spectacular pass rather than letting the game come to him.

Another player who is definitely in the mix is 6'1 combo guard Curtis "C.J." Jones from Orr High School in Chicago.  We really like Jones' toughness and versatility.  He may be the best open-court performer amongst all of the top-ranked 2012 guards in Illinois.  However, like the others Jones also needs to show more consistency.  A strong performance either today against Hyde Park in the second round of the Chicago Public League playoffs or in later rounds would certainly go a long way toward helping Jones lay claim to the #1 spot.

And then there is 5'10 point guard Antonio "Bobo" Drummond from Central High School in Peoria, IL, who has probably received the most national hype of any 2012 prospect in Illinois thus far.  We thought that Drummond was solid when we saw him at the Deron Williams Shootout At The Hall.  But again, in terms of elite status, there isn't anything that wows you right off the bat. 

Actually, the player who may be enjoying the best season in terms of numbers is 5'10 Aaron Simpson from North Chicago High School in North Chicago, IL.  There is no question that Simpson can put points on the board, as he has great quickness and can also keep defenses honest from downtown.  Nevertheless, we would still like to see him work on refining his point guard skills, as he is too undersized to be a 2-guard at the high major level.

Looking at the 2012 class in Illinois as a whole, there is a reason why all of the top-ranked prospects, including Carter, Jones, Drummond, Simpson and 5'9 guard Malcolm Hill-Bey from Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago only have one scholarship offer between them thus far, as opposed to the class of 2013, where 6'8 Tommy Hamilton Jr. from Whitney Young High School in Chicago, 6'7 Alex Foster from De LaSalle Institute in Chicago and 6'5 Jabari Parker from Simeon all have offers on the table.  With that in mind, we have to ask where any of the 2012 prospects would rank if they were placed in either the 2011 or 2013 classes.  Allow us to answer that--all of them would be hard-pressed to crack the top ten in the class of 2011, while no one amongst that group would be better than the bottom of the top five in 2013.

We also don't want to hear about a couple of other players who have both been ranked as the #1 player in Illinois from 2012 by another so-called analyst.  We are talking about 6'9  center Emmanuel Ochenje from Brehm Prep in Carbondale, IL and 6'4 wing Charles Harris from Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, IL.  The bottom line is that Ochenje has barely gotten off the pine in any of the games in which we have watched him play, while Harris is simply too much on the tweener side at the present time.  Another 2012 prospect who plays on his school's varsity team has already offered up a college commitment despite the fact that he is only averaging five minutes of playing time per game.  All we can say is that this is once again indicative of the massive overhype that has been thrust upon a majority of high school basketball players at too early an age.

Overall, we believe that the 2012 class in Illinois does have some talented players who are more than capable of being successful at the college level.  However, it lacks depth, especially in the front court, where there are very few quality big men.  And that is why when it comes to garnering national attention, it still has a considerably long ways to go. 

Recruiting Notes

... Ken Stevenson, the head coach at Seton Academy in South Holland, IL has confirmed that two of his players--6'8 power forward Chris Olivier and 6'3 wing forward Khameron Harper both took official visits to Prairie View A&M and have been offered scholarships.

... Once again offering an example of the direction that college basketball recruiting has taken, 6'7 Jahlil Okafor, a rising 8th grader from Chicago's northwest suburbs, has received a scholarship offer courtesy of DePaul University.  Okafor ranks as one of the top class of 2014 prospects in Illinois along with 5'11 guard Larry Austin from Springfield, IL and 6'3 shooting guard Milik Yarbrough from Zion, IL.

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.