10 FOR 10

10 FOR 10

During the end of July as well as the month of August we will feature a short capsule of 10 prospects and their recent summer performances & happenings surrounding.

1. Jarrin Randle    SR    5-11    MM-LM+    G    Morgan Park/Mac Irvin Fire – Has improved his all-around play which was on full display during the NY 2 LA Summer Jam where he elevated his status.  Randle has always been a feared outside marksman, now you can clearly see he’s worked on his ball skills.  He can break-down a defender and get to the rim with either hand now.  Had a subpar showing though during the Big Foot event in Vegas.  Eastern Illinois seems to be in hot pursuit as is Northern Illinois, Northern Kentucky, Bethune Cookman while Loyola-Chicago recently showed soft interest.
   
2. Tarkus Ferguson    SR    6-4    MM    WG    Belleville Althoff S.W. Jets – The brother has game/talent, you can see his confidence soaring since the high-school campaign ended.  Marvelous athlete, has those long arms which enable him to guard multiple positions.  Tarkus use to glide often in his play, now he plays fairly hard all the time.  He’s a threat as a perimeter shooter – Indiana State, Illinois State, Western Kentucky, SIU, Tennessee St. have all offered, Bradley could be a major player as well.
   
3. Drew Evans    SR    6-5    LM+-LM    G/F    Thornwood/Chgo Lock-Down – Superb athlete, has the potential to become a dual threat as a scorer and a lockdown defender.  Evans played a small role in Thornwood’s successful run last season where they dropped a close game to St. Rita during the regionals.  We were impressed in his open-court prowess at the NY 2 LA demonstrating the ability to perform well in a half-court setting.  He consistently knocked-down mid-range jumpers and handled the rock effectively.  A late bloomer, OVC, MAC and Summit League should keep tabs on his development.
   
4. Charlie Moore    SR    6-0    HM-MM+    G    Morgan Park/Mac Irvin Fire – A maximum leader, this kid will end his Morgan Park career as one of the most decorated public leaguer’s in recent memory, especially at the point-guard position.  Jabari Parker of Simeon had a portfolio of 4 state titles.  Moore has already captured two 3A State Titles and one 3rd place finish.  A tough competitor, who flourished in the Nike EBYL league, then capped off his summer circuit with a reaffirming outing at the Nike Global Challenge held in Chicago.  He is now viewed as the top player based on performance in the 2016 class.  Iowa, Illinois, Loyola-Chicago, and now University of California seems to be in hot pursuit for his services.
   
5. Evan Gilyard    JR    5-9    MM+-MM    PG    Chicago Simeon/Mean Streets – The slick lil lefty sizzled in Vegas, carrying over some steam from the NY 2 LA bash in Milwaukee last week where Evan had a few ground-breaking performances which accelerated his status as one of the top 4 play-makers in the 2017 crop.  He had a hot summer.
   
6. Collin Stallworth    JR    6-5    MM+-MM    WF    Rochester/IL Jets – Impressive looking underclassman; he has a physical athletic frame equipped with the ability to score in a variety of ways.  Once he improves his perimeter shooting his recruiting value may soar.  Collin handles the ball fairly well and possess the penchant to be a top notch defender, also rebounds the ball well.  A10 & Missouri Valley have zeroed in.
   
7. Kaleb Thornton    SO    5-9    MM+-MM    PG    Nazareth/Mean Streets – “An innovator with mad game”; shrewd with tight ball handling skills; very capable of creating offense for others, he hits the open-man while making smart reads; has excellent game changing speed & quickness; his jumper could be tuned-up but we won’t overly-examine his game.  He’s a throw-back type to the traditional Chicago playmakers we use to unravel in 70’s & 80’s.
   
8. Brandon Suggs    SR    6-8    LM+-LM    F/C    Winnebago/D’Rose – This small town kid had a pretty good July, reaffirming his status as a legitimate division one recruit.  A poor spring showing had critics questioning what level he would be best suited for.  He was a valuable part to a D’Rose squad with his ability to run the floor, finishing at the rim and was a reliable rebounder and protected the rim nicely.  Now he has to get in the gym fine-tune his offensive skills, once he adds some strength his value may rise.  OVC & Summit league should pursue.
   
9. Ethan Meeker    SR    6-2    LM    PG    Galesburg/Quad City Elite – Arguably played for the No. 1 travel team in our state this summer obviously the Quad City group doesn’t play the schedule of the likes of what the Mac Irvin Fire venture into, but their success ratio at tournaments were enormously high.  Meeker provided a nice weapon coming off the bench, spreading the floor with his outside shooting and his surprisingly stout defense.  He held his own with his backup point-guard duties.  He may opt to walk-on at some Big 10 or Missouri Valley situation.
   
10.  Elyjah Goss    SR    6-7    MM-LM+    SF    Plainfield East/IL Celtics – This kid is an untapped talent, he’s a very good athlete with improving skills, there aren’t many players in the state with his physical stature. Learning the intricate basics of the game would help him tremendously, just figuring out how play, once that happens, his confidence would take a major leap, consequently he’s an ideal candidate to be a red-shirt.