Latest Recruiting Blurbs
By Roy & Harv Schmidt
June 28, 2010
9:45 P.M. CST
As one would expect with the July evaluation period just around the corner, there have been a lot of significant developments recently on the recruiting front with respect to a number of top prospects in Illinois from the class of 2011, as well as some interesting news concerning players from the class of 2012 and beyond. The following is everything that is currently of pertinence as it pertains to high school basketball recruiting in Illinois.
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Perhaps no recruiting news at this time is more huge than 6'10 class of 2011 center Anthony Davis from Perspective Charter in Chicago narrowing his list to three schools. Davis' finalists are Syracuse, Ohio State and Kentucky. Davis' father is on record as saying that "style of play" will be the ultimate factor in his son's decision. With that in mind, it could prove to be a most intense battle between this trio of college basketball powerhouses. That is because all three of them play up-tempo basketball and utilize big men who are skilled at facing the basket, both of which are most compatible with Davis' game. And of course the head coaches of these respective schools--Jim Boeheim, Thad Matta and John Calipari are all among the best recruiters in the business.
Earlier in the month Davis was quoted as saying that he wanted to stay close to home and attend a school that was no further than 6-6 1/2 hours driving distance from Chicago. That would appear to favor either the Buckeyes or Wildcats. However, the Orangemen were the first high major program to offer Davis a scholarship and are one of only a trio of D1 schools that have ever seen Davis play, factors which certainly can't be overlooked.
We also find it humorous how the fan bases of two in-state universities that were recruiting Davis seem to be handling the news now that they are out of the running. One seems to be accepting it and is ready to move on, while the other (as we would have expected) once again has a difficult time accepting reality, with some even questioning whether or not the information concerning Davis being down to three schools was legit. Well, it is legit and with that in mind we would not be surprised to see Davis render a final decision before the end of the July evaluation period. It should definitely be interesting!
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While Davis' recruitment appears to be heading into the final stages, a player who we believe is not ready to narrow things down just yet is 6'7 class of 2011 forward Mike Shaw from De LaSalle Institute in Chicago. We can honestly say that we have enjoyed following Shaw's recruitment as much as that of any prospect from Illinois in recent memory. There are a number of reasons for that. One is because of the never-ending back and forth battle amongst those who are trying to control Shaw's recruiting process, which has already been well-documented. But an even bigger reason is that it is has been a long time since we can remember a recruitment such as Shaw's in which you have Illinois, DePaul, Notre Dame, and Marquette all at the forefront, along with Michigan State. In fact, we find it most interesting that depending on who you talk to, sources close to every single one of these programs will tell you that they believe they can land Shaw. We don't think that Shaw has a clear-cut leader as of now and we expect things to play out for a while. However, as we have hinted at in previous reports, we do believe that a few of these programs are much stronger for Shaw's services than most people realize.
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While Davis being down to three schools is highly consequential, it is an entirely different ballgame when a prospect simply talks about which schools he likes, which is why we believe that others are engaging in overanalysis when it comes to the recruitment of Jabari Parker, the 6'6 class of 2013 guard/forward from Simeon Career Academy in Chicago. We say that in light of a recent report in which Parker said that his three "favorites" are Illinois, Kansas and Purdue. Sorry to sound so underwhelmed by this news, but want to know what this means at this point? The answer is "VERY LITTLE" (we stop just short of "ABSOLUTELY NOTHING")! People seem to be forgetting that Parker has not even begun his sophomore year of high school. Not only that, but we can guarantee everyone that Chicago basketball legend Sonny Parker (Jabari's father) is not about to make any hasty decisions with respect to helping Jabari choose a college. He is in complete control of his son's recruitment and will explore all of the pros and cons before any commitment is made. That is why we wouldn't be surprised to see all of the fourteen schools that have already offered Parker a scholarship be given a long close look before it is all said and done. Bottom line--talk to us about this one again around the same time next year or perhaps even later.
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Several D1 programs host either team camps or elite camps during the month of July, but not counting the in-state universities, one school that fielded as strong a contingent of Illinois-based talent to their team camp as anybody was Michigan State University, with Simeon, De LaSalle and Whitney Young all being among the Illinois high school teams that participated. There is no question that the Spartans will continue to maintain a strong recruiting presence in Chicago. Head coach Tom Izzo and assistants Dwayne Stephens, Mark Montgomery and Mike Garland have worked as hard as any staff out there when it comes to the recruitment of Mike Shaw. And despite the fact that both Jabari Parker (who was at the NBA Players Association Camp in Charlottesville, VA) and 6'8 forward Tommy Hamilton from Whitney Young(who has missed the entire spring due to injury) were unable to attend the team camp, we fully expect the Spartans to ultimately become factors in each player's recruitment, as well as in the recruitment of the other member of the "big three" in Illinois from the class of 2013--6'7 forward Alex Foster from De LaSalle. In addition, we also wouldn't be surprised to see Izzo and his staff get an early jump on some of Simeon's other talented underclassmen, including 6'7 class of 2012 forward Steve Taylor and 6'0 class of 2013 guard Kendrick Nunn.
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Staying on the subject of high major programs in Michigan, University Of Michigan head coach John Beilein made an outstanding choice by hiring LaVall Jordan as an assistant coach. Jordan not only has strong ties throughout the state of Michigan, but will also prove to be instrumental in the Wolverines' recruiting efforts in the state of Illinois. At the present time, Michigan is still among the schools on the recruiting list of 6'2 class of 2011 combo guard Chasson Randle from Rock Island High School in Rock Island, IL and the Wolverines are also very much involved with 6'4 class of 2012 guard Austin Angel from Boylan Catholic in Rockford, IL, who attended the recent University Of Michigan elite camp.
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We initially stated that the elite camp held at Loyola University-Chicago could prove to be a valuable recruiting tool for head coach Jim Whitesell and the Ramblers and it looks as though that is already proving to be the case. That is because Whitesell and his staff offered a scholarship to 6'4 class of 2011 guard Aaron Armstead from Hales Franciscan upon the camp's conclusion. Armstead has been effective throughout the spring and early summer playing both with his high school team and on the traveling team circuit for Illinois Old School. Aaron and his brother--6'4 class of 2012 forward Aric Armstead--were one of two brother combinations on hand at the Loyola elite camp, the other being 6'6 twins Keith and Kevin Gray from Brooks College Prep in Chicago. The camp also featured plenty of other prospects that the Ramblers coaching staff is targeting heavily.
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Turning to the D2 ranks, one school that has been a presence at events throughout the Chicago area during June is Lewis University in Romeoville, IL. The Flyers recently had 6'5 class of 2011 wing Darius Draper from Stagg High School in Palos Hills, IL on campus and are also very much involved with several other local prospects from the 2011 class. Among them are 6'3 guard D.J. Tolliver from Farragut Career Academy in Chicago, 6'2 guard Ryan Jackson from Riverside-Brookfield High School in Riverside, IL and 6'5 forward Karrington Ward from Lockport Township High School in Lockport, IL.
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The recent commitments of 6'8 forward Ryan Sawvell to the University Of Evansville and 6'3 wing Johnny Hill to Illinois State University are just two more examples of how well schools in the Missouri Valley Conference continue to recruit the state of Illinois. Both Sawvell and Hill should prove to be valuable contributors for their respective programs down the road. Not only that, but there isn't one coaching staff in the conference that doesn't pound the pavement when it comes to working the recruiting trail in the Land Of Lincoln.
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Illinois Wolves head coach and CEO Mike Mullins tells us that a couple of Big Ten Conference schools (who shall remain nameless for now) could become involved with both 6'1 class of 2011 point guard David Sobolewski from Benet Academy in Lisle, IL and 6'3 class of 2011 shooting guard Will Sullivan from York Township High School in Elmhurst, IL before the end of the July evaluation period.
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And finally, while this may not fall into the recruiting category per se, we didn't know where else to put it so we will mention it here. There may not be a more underappreciated high school coach in the state than Tony Martinucci from Morton High School in Cicero, IL. Simply put, Martinucci has done an outstanding job in resurrecting a program that up until a couple of years ago had been a perennial doormat. Morton reached the sectionals of the Class 4A state tournament in 2009 and Martinucci could have his program on the verge of something special again in the near future, as there is plenty of young talent in the fold. Morton has played quality competition throughout the spring and early summer and is just beginning to come together as a unit, having taken second place at the recent Hoop Mountain Shootout at West Aurora High School in Aurora, IL and defeating powerful Benet Academy this past weekend at the Willowbrook Shootout. Top players on the current Morton squad are 6'5 class of 2012 forward Rocco Belcaster and 6'0 class of 2011 guard Jeff Jarosz.
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We welcome comments regarding this story or any other entry published by Illinois Prep Bulls-eye. They can be made by e-mailing us at royandharv@ilprepbullseye.com.
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