EARLY 2020 COMMITMENTS

NAME / HT / POS / RANK / HIGH SCHOOL / COLLEGE CHOICE

• Chris Hodges 6-8 PF 3 Schaumburg / University Wisconsin

• Connor Enright 6-2 PG 12 Mundelein / Drake University

• Ahmad Bynum 6-2 G 4 Simeon / DePaul University

• Bryce Hopkins 6-7 G/F 2 Fenwick / University Louisville

• Isaiah Barnes 6-7 WG 6 Oak Park/Simeon / University Michigan

Several of my favorite young guys have a ‘new residence’ on their coaching resume. Hyde Park named Jamere Dismukes as its new head coach. He comes to Jackson Park area highly touted and brings a wealth of star quality. Dismukes will look to accelerate the Program pass the likes of Simeon, Bogan, Curie, Morgan Park, and Corliss who have been perennial powers in the Red South Conference for the last several years. Jamere was a first-year coach at Rich East last season where he won 15 games.

Phil Gary Jr. will take over the Oak Park Program after spending last season as Walter Payton’s head coach. Remember he replaced Quinn Peterson last summer who went on to the University of Missouri. Matt Maloney stepped down in May leaving an open vacancy at the West Suburban school. Gary, an Oak Park High Alum, will have his hands full starting from scratch with the departures of two highly regarded 2021 prospects. Isaiah Barnes will look to build on his rep nationally at Simeon sharing some of the limelight with “Black Cat” Bynum and junior guard Jaylen Drane. Now 6-3 guard Josh Smith ranked 22 in the Class at the Spot-Liter will take his rising game to Culver City, California. This has to be heart breaking for many of us in our area to constantly witness the loss of several of our top players to California and Arizona schools in recent years. Phil Jr. will do a fantastic job rebuilding that Program.

Mike Smith will look to resurrect some steam into the Perspective High School Program, formerly known as Calumet. He is going to have to restart the building blocks without 6-4 senior Jeffrey Oakley who was the team’s best player and prospect. He averaged close to 17 per game last season. Oakley darted off to Corliss. Smith will be an instant splash at the newly plush south side school on 87th Street off the Dan Ryan expressway.

The 2020 Class had 31 players sign Division One scholarships. Those are woeful numbers for our big city area, in fact those are small market numbers. There has to be an immediate change in the next few classes.

University of Illinois took a project in 6-11 Brandon Lieb of Deerfield High School. This looks to be a good pick up where they will have two to three years to develop this big fella who runs the floor well, competes at a high level, and he is a rim protector. The flip side is that he would be patient and would not be looking to put his name in the draft for a while. The key is to keep him out of the transfer portal. Lieb was the 31st Division One recruit.