Monday Night News – August 31, 2015
Simeon’s six foot four southpaw Zach Norvell unveiled some offensive arsenal late summer that propelled his recruitment to new heights. Norvell often brandished along the circuit that he’s comfortable with the ball in his hands and he’s more than capable of providing buckets. Zach is a player we’ve always viewed as a potential 2 way threat who can be used in multiple variations offensively, particularly posting up smaller opponents he can pose some match-up challenges while bringing a sense of toughness to the floor especially defensively. He’s being recruited by the likes of Georgetown, Florida State, Oregon, Illinois and Gonzaga.
Unheralded 2017 recruit Josiah Wallace, a six foot three silky-smooth guard out of Marshall (IL) has been making his rounds on the campus tours. In the Chicagoland area during the month of August he surfaced at DePaul and Northern Illinois where he took part in their team’s elite camp Aug. 9th. Wallace has Purdue penciled in as his next stop. You can see him at the Spot-Lite Event on Sept 13th.
Silver-quick Lemont H.S. 2017 PG, PJ Pipes has gotten a little Bay area fever & the 6-2 diamond in the rough prospect made the track to Stanford’s elite camp then took in the climate at Cal-Berkeley, now he has Santa Clara fully interested in his services. PJ can be viewed on-the-scene at the Spot-Lite bash in Plainfield, Sept. 12th.
Little known Illinois prospect, Mount Carmel (IL) six foot seven junior Justin Carpenter visited Evansville recently and has a scheduled date with Purdue coming up soon. You can see Justin at the Spot-Lite event in Plainfield.
The passing of former Philadelphia 76er Darryl Dawkins took my memory back to the days when he and Bill Willoughby applied for hardship and went directly to the NBA out of high school, they were the trendsetters. Dawkins was a vicious dunker and was affectionately labeled as the “Chocolate Thunder” and he referred to himself as a player from the “Planet of Love Tron”. He was funny and goofy at times and shattered quite a few backboards during his era. He was a drafted as a 5th overall pick in the 1975 draft out of Orlando, FL and he played with some very talented and colorful players such Julius Erving, George McGinnis, Bobby Jones, Doug Collins, Caldwell Jones, Henry Bibby, Lloyd B. Free, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Steve Mix and Terry Furlow. He will be missed.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Updates: 08/30/2015
Contrary to what many opinions viewed, the Southern-Illinois-Carbondale program has added some ammunition to a sagging offense that contributed heavily to the team’s disappointing 2014-15 season. Coach Barry Hinson and his staff are ecstatic over the arrival of the quintet head-lined by Leo Vincent a six foot one combo guard out pf Harcum (PA) junior college. Vincent bagged out a 16.5 markers per outing on a 26-4 team and earned Juco All-American honors. 5-10 PG Michael Rodriguez out of Boston, Mass averaged close to 19 points a game at Marshalltown Community College in Iowa, he is expected to spearhead the offense, six foot six left-handed athletic wing Jeremy Postell from New Mexico Junior College will add defense & versatility to the rotation. Postell averaged 7 pts, but he played on a squad with four division one recruits that averaged in the double digits nightly. 6-9 four man Rudy Stradnieks a skilled performer that hails from Lee Academy in Maine, the Ukrainian has impressed everyone during early season workouts, he came in great shape after work-outs with the Ukraine national team. Sean Lloyd a multi-talented wing, 6-4 from Philadelphia (PA), the nephew of famed high-scoring Drake University star Lewis Lloyd. “Black Magic” as they often called him, was MVP of a competitive Missouri Valley Conference in 1980-1981, the Valley was full of pro prospects in that era Sean an incoming freshman will add scoring & toughness to a team that was obviously missing that ingredient. The departure of last season’s freshmen Jordan Caroline and Deon Lavender doesn’t sting after-all. Our Salukis just might surprise some folks in the MVC this season.
UIC men’s basketball head honcho Steve McClain threw out the ceremonial first pitch Friday night (Aug 28th) in the Sox-Mariners yearn fest, McClain had his Bill Lee (former Boston Red Sox bullpen ace) impersonation as he hurled from the mound. DePaul’s Dave Leito awaits.
Loyola-Chicago hired assistant coach Bennie Seltzer a respected veteran, bench-coach and recruiter. He brings experience to a young staff.
Sometimes malcontent forward Jerry Miles considered to be a top 10 prospect in a subpar 2016 class is out for eight more weeks with a broken toe. The East Moline talented lefty suited up for Net Gain Hoops during the spring then landed on Wichita, KS based club program Prey-N-Play for the summer period he was certainly missing in action and had a relatively quiet summer he’s still being sought after by Loyola-Chicago, IL State, Creighton and Chicago State may be in the picture.
UIC men’s basketball head honcho Steve McClain threw out the ceremonial first pitch Friday night (Aug 28th) in the Sox-Mariners yearn fest, McClain had his Bill Lee (former Boston Red Sox bullpen ace) impersonation as he hurled from the mound. DePaul’s Dave Leito awaits.
Loyola-Chicago hired assistant coach Bennie Seltzer a respected veteran, bench-coach and recruiter. He brings experience to a young staff.
Sometimes malcontent forward Jerry Miles considered to be a top 10 prospect in a subpar 2016 class is out for eight more weeks with a broken toe. The East Moline talented lefty suited up for Net Gain Hoops during the spring then landed on Wichita, KS based club program Prey-N-Play for the summer period he was certainly missing in action and had a relatively quiet summer he’s still being sought after by Loyola-Chicago, IL State, Creighton and Chicago State may be in the picture.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
10 FOR 10
10 FOR 10
This will be our last addition of this segment.
This will be our last addition of this segment.
- Mike Smith SR 5-9 MM PG Fenwick/D’Rose – A quintessential student athlete, 30 ACT score, 4 year starter. Often regarded as the second or perhaps third best point guard in the 2016 class. In lieu of that status, Ice Mike probably might be more equipped and seasonally ready to quarterback a team at the next level than the PG’s rated ahead of him now. He’s illustrated patience & intelligence for the game his first 3 years of varsity play. The biggest question-mark he faced repeatedly all summer was his average athleticism and concerns over his size and defensive effort. He could quell those doubters by playing with a chip on his shoulder this upcoming season, he’s always displayed the ability to be a respectable scorer. He has offers from Dartmouth, Drake, LeHigh, Loyola-Chicago, UIC, Wis-Green-Bay, Tenn St.
- Micah Bradford SR 6-1 MM PG Bradley Bourbonnais/Example Sports – Highly recognized as one of the elite play-makers in the 2016 group, Micah has the ability to be a game changer with his speed & quickness, in addition he’s capable of putting his stamp and imprint on the defensive end by applying pressure on opposing ball-handlers 94 feet. Slick innovator capable of creating offense for others as well as himself and he can nail jumpers with 3 range. Has some classroom work to shore-up, but he could be a diamond in the rough, lacing his game in conferences such as the WAC, Conference USA, Horizon League. Offers from: Bradley, UIC, Chicago State, Valpo, Wright State has shown strong interest.
- Darias Oliver SR 6-5 MM WF Chicago Leo/Mean Streets – After a relatively quiet junior campaign where he netted close to 20 points per outing and provided a hefty combination of rebounding & shot-blocking, Darias still didn’t receive the recognition he deserved. He’s certainly one of the top scorers in the 2016 class, 2nd leading scorer in the Catholic League and based on his statistics, he’s a deserving top 10-15 prospect in the class. Sneaky athlete, really excels in transition with finishing plays at the rim. St. Louis, Wis-Green-Bay, Rice. Under-recruited now, but he will be a gem for someone.
- Zion Morgan SR 6-1 MM G Chicago Kenwood/All-In Athletics – He’s gotten more comfortable handling the rock over the summer, we still view him more as a combo than a true point. Has the potential to be a solid 2 way player who would probably flourish immediately in a system type setting. Zion has to improve his offensive ability or he will be lumped into a label as a utility performer. High character kid – the likes of Valparaiso, Western Michigan have offered; St. Louis interested. I’m surprised Northern Iowa isn’t pursuing him.
- Lorenzo Edwards SR 6-7 MM SF Lake Forest/Mean Streets – This late bloomer has a huge upside and likely could top out as one of the top 15 players in the class. Lorenzo battled & competed all spring/summer versus taller opponents in the Nike EBYL play. He established himself as front-court prospect with a feathery touch, good hands and an uncanny ability to provide shot-blocking and rebounding consistently. Has a 21 ACT and 3.6 GPA – Recruitment has the likes of offers from Loyola-Chicago, Tenn St, with strong interest coming from UIC & St. Louis.
- TaJuan Agee SR 6-7 MM-LM+ SF Chicago Hyde Park/Illinois Spartans – Lanky performer, relatively unknown outside of the Chicago Public League Red-Central Division. His identity was unraveled by mid-July with some sparkling outings which were clearly regulated to the back gyms in Milwaukee and other venues. Agee, showed the ability to play effectively inside, then he’d take defenders outside & drain jumpers with accuracy from 3 pt land. He can handle the ball respectably, above average athlete with an impressive wingspan of 7-1 ¼ which makes him a feared swatter. His promising status has drawn offers from Chicago State, Texas Rio Grande Valley (formerly Pan-America) and strong interest from Wis-Milwaukee, UIC, SIU-E, NIU, Florida Gulf-Coast. Has a 17 ACT score & reportedly will qualify academically.
- Jeameril Wilson JR 6-6 MM+-MM WF Niles Notre Dame/? – A rapidly emerging prospect, he looks primed for a breakout season; he has enormous physical tools and a knack for making plays at both ends of the floor. Jeameril has the potential to be a versatile scorer as well as a defender who capably could guard a 1-4, this kid’s future looks awfully bright, the southpaw carries over a B average in the classroom, once he improves his perimeter shooting, he could soar to upper tier of the rankings in the 2017 class.
- Rafael Cruz JR 6-2 MM PG Von Steuben/Chicago Demons – “An ultra-smooth-performer, plays with grace and intelligence.” Operates effectively handling-it and distributing, a splendid outside shooter with long range ability, vastly under-rated, Cruz is one of the top Latino players in the state and he’s considered to be by many the no. 1 prospect in the CPS Red North Division. Chicago State absolutely loves his potential value and what his profile would mean to their program’s building blocks. Excellent student, ranks high academically in his class.
- Damarius Jacobs JR 6-3 MM+-MM G Chicago Uplift/All-In Athletics – “Doesn’t cart around the billing that some of the other notable 2017 dudes brandish, but he’s got mad game.” Damarius gave a quick glance of what the future may hold for him when he tallied a quick flurry of buckets in Uplifts 2A State Championship victory versus Rockridge. He’s shrewd & confident and gaining a reputation as a scorer, he can get you some baskets, in addition Damarius is a pretty good decision maker. He likely could be the best player ever out of Uplift H.S. He and Cruz are the top 2 players in the conference.
- Elijah Ward JR 6-4 MM G/F Joliet West/All-In Athletics – This talented versatile performer with an almost-college-cut physique has a golden chance of being an immediate impact player if he continues to focus on his books and improving the glaring weaknesses in his play and effort is one of them. Top flight athlete, has missed several notable elite camps in the area such as: Northern Illinois, DePaul, UIC. “We need to investigate what gyms he’s posted-up in.” Karrington Ward’s lil brother!
Extra Shots
Extra Shots
Charlie Moore, Morgan Park’s highly decorated senior guard, notably acclaimed by many to be the no. 1 senior in the state, has narrowed his list of 4 schools he will officially visit in the upcoming weeks. “This south-side heart-throb at times resembles a modern-day replica of Mateen Cleaves (former Mich St stand-out) especially branded by the winning formula Moore brings to a program. Lil Charlie has a tough slate ahead where he will crunch 4 consecutive weeks together opening with California-Berkeley (Sept. 11th & 12th), Pittsburgh (Sept. 18-20), Illinois (Sept. 25-27) and Memphis (Oct. 2-4).
I’m predicting he ain’t making all of them.” A couple of those conferences Moore may opt to perform in might pose some challenges from the start. Guys of his stature must be armed with far more than skills & quickness to survive successfully in certain conferences. They have to be a wizard with the ball, nasty & tenacious from the moment they hit the hardwood in a competitive environment. Darius Smith (Marshall) a one-time U. Conn recruit got that memo late when he arrived in Storrs, Conn. I’m not saying he can’t succeed at any of those schools!
Kudos to Lebron James, the charity work he’s providing for youth in his home-town of Akron, OH is extraordinary. James is embarking on a legacy off the court as well. He and his foundation is committed to helping thousands of young children growing-up with the deck stacked against them in his area. Lebron is a real crime fighter a hero in his community. “I wonder if the folks in Robbins, IL feel that way about DWade.”
Anthony Cameron a 6-9, 270 pound junior left Tilden H.S., a public school once touted for producing superior athletes, but now basking in obscurity along the neighboring lines of Englewood & the back of the yards communities. The slowly developing big man is still somewhat of a project, but his future as an aspiring Div I recruit might have picked-up some momentum when he enrolled in Hyde Park Academy just recently, there he can polish up his skills.
Charlie Moore, Morgan Park’s highly decorated senior guard, notably acclaimed by many to be the no. 1 senior in the state, has narrowed his list of 4 schools he will officially visit in the upcoming weeks. “This south-side heart-throb at times resembles a modern-day replica of Mateen Cleaves (former Mich St stand-out) especially branded by the winning formula Moore brings to a program. Lil Charlie has a tough slate ahead where he will crunch 4 consecutive weeks together opening with California-Berkeley (Sept. 11th & 12th), Pittsburgh (Sept. 18-20), Illinois (Sept. 25-27) and Memphis (Oct. 2-4).
I’m predicting he ain’t making all of them.” A couple of those conferences Moore may opt to perform in might pose some challenges from the start. Guys of his stature must be armed with far more than skills & quickness to survive successfully in certain conferences. They have to be a wizard with the ball, nasty & tenacious from the moment they hit the hardwood in a competitive environment. Darius Smith (Marshall) a one-time U. Conn recruit got that memo late when he arrived in Storrs, Conn. I’m not saying he can’t succeed at any of those schools!
Kudos to Lebron James, the charity work he’s providing for youth in his home-town of Akron, OH is extraordinary. James is embarking on a legacy off the court as well. He and his foundation is committed to helping thousands of young children growing-up with the deck stacked against them in his area. Lebron is a real crime fighter a hero in his community. “I wonder if the folks in Robbins, IL feel that way about DWade.”
Anthony Cameron a 6-9, 270 pound junior left Tilden H.S., a public school once touted for producing superior athletes, but now basking in obscurity along the neighboring lines of Englewood & the back of the yards communities. The slowly developing big man is still somewhat of a project, but his future as an aspiring Div I recruit might have picked-up some momentum when he enrolled in Hyde Park Academy just recently, there he can polish up his skills.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
The Moment of Truth
The Moment of Truth
We got a huge chuckle (all in fun) when Northwestern coach and Glenbrook North alum Chris Collins threw out the ceremonial first pitch recently before the Cubs-Giant game at Wrigley field. I often razz him about his Theo Epstein (Cubs GM) like optimism regarding the Wildcat’s recent resurgence as well as his sunny prospective on the program’s future. In lieu of the Wildcat’s climb, DePaul, Northern Illinois, Eastern Illinois, Loyola-Chicago, Western Illinois, UIC and Chicago State will give us locals an exciting brand of hoops to follow this upcoming season. Chicago area fan base has snoozing on the progress of programs like Eastern, Western and Chicago State. Stay tuned . . .
I find-it-mind boggling as well as risky when area high-school teams participate in 6-8 week fall leagues, regularly playing all day on Sundays sometimes Saturdays. The alarming fact to the matter is most of the coaches’ risk jeopardizing their upcoming season for a six-eight week commitment to a fall league. “These types of lengthy venues are one injury away from folding.” Recently a panel of local observers were asking what purpose does it serve? Not much . . . what weekly camaraderie among league players & coaches? Or perhaps a viewing vehicle to see what disenchanted player/family will be available for a transfer wire. We all know these fall events aren’t about team building, because most times when you see these same programs that take part in the fall affairs their teams usually lack synergy & not an ounce of continuity when you see them perform early in November/December! “Let’s keep-it-one-hundred, it’s not like the Chicago area as well as our surrounding boundaries are spitting out division one caliber prospects at a high-rate, like the area was once regarded for.” There are no Jahlil Okafors or Jabari Parkers come through the ranks any time soon. Let’s face-it Chicago public league is a depleted source right now. What I’m suggesting is scrap leagues in late September & the month of October get our players acclimated early academically, then get them filtered through some kind of cross country program or a 4-5 week conditioning piece. This would take some unwanted stress off-the kids as well as the family regarding what gym or game time he’s running to in September/October. This would allow our kids time to rest on certain weekends and focus on being a student or just a traditional regular little Johnny. Meanwhile respective coaches can polish their craft by spending weekends going to various coaching clinics which can be sought in a 35-50 mile ratios. There are no excuses for not being prepared once the season starts, that’s why our neighboring state Indiana is so far ahead of us from a high-school coaching & development stand-point.
Doesn’t really matter who breaks a story first? Just asking!
2017 guard Alonzo Verge Jr. one of the most exciting players we’ve had in our area in recent years (home grown) will suit-up at Proviso West this season. It’s a shame things weren’t ironed out at Wilowbrook H.S. where he performed last season. Hopefully this decision to attend Proviso West will help him continue his surge as one of the area’s most exhilarating talents.
Chicago was once a hot bed for talent, year in & out the city produced bona-fide high major players/athletes. This ground breaking trend has come to a screeching halt. After listening to some miscellaneous dudes at the UIC team camp, the banter just validated my thoughts all along. The city has fallen on some lean times, a lot can be contributed to our club team culture, not just the whole freight falls in the arms of our newly abundance of inexperienced high-school coaches even some of our 5th & 6th year coaches haven’t proven they are equipped or qualified at developing players on the court or in the classroom and it clearly shows, we are witnessing the decline each season. You see we have no more veteran technicians such as Robert Collins, Bob Hambric, Luther Bedford, Chuck Frazier, George Stanton, Sonny Cox, Herb Brown, Charles Stimpson, Lee Umbles, Larry Hawkins, Dan Davis, Jim Foreman, Earl Eldridge – blah, blah, blah . . . It’s going to take a heroic crime fighter to clean-up all the debris eroding the Chicagoland area. There is an astonishing amount of travel coaches/club/AAU culprits that have no business manning the side-lines at any summer tournament or venue most of them are clueless (not all) when it comes to mentorship coaching, development, recruitment or potential level of a player. These are some significant requirements majority are lacking. Most of them think taking a player all over the country during the spring & summer automatically penchant them to be on first name basis with Tom Izzo or Krzyzenski, let alone most of them can’t even bring home a title. What they don’t realize is that they are hurting the game that they don’t respect anyway, not only hindering the growth of players, “some of these jokers find-it-amusing.” They act as if they’re coaching in an intramural rec league. After viewing our deteriorating scene for a few years now it’s time to exhibit some talking points of changing the way we conduct business in our grass-roots basketball landscape.
I’m often hesitant to touch this sensitive topic, University of Illinois being our state’s flagship school has taken some serious hits of late, the Darius Paul saga was so disturbing, here he is in France injured not slated to suit-up and he’s out plastered at 5 AM on a destructive rampage reportedly. I feel bad for coach John Groce and his staff these guys are some hard working grinding guys who only want to be successful and the cards have not fell in their favor since they landed on campus in March 2012 they’ve often performed with weapons not equipped to rumble every night in a highly contested Big 10 battle. The picture in Champaign is gloomy but I’m hoping these guys can persevere and get through this in a positive finish. The program has sagged since Bill Self bolted off to Lawrence.
And – NO – I’m not mad at anybody and have no personal gripes with anyone in particular.
We got a huge chuckle (all in fun) when Northwestern coach and Glenbrook North alum Chris Collins threw out the ceremonial first pitch recently before the Cubs-Giant game at Wrigley field. I often razz him about his Theo Epstein (Cubs GM) like optimism regarding the Wildcat’s recent resurgence as well as his sunny prospective on the program’s future. In lieu of the Wildcat’s climb, DePaul, Northern Illinois, Eastern Illinois, Loyola-Chicago, Western Illinois, UIC and Chicago State will give us locals an exciting brand of hoops to follow this upcoming season. Chicago area fan base has snoozing on the progress of programs like Eastern, Western and Chicago State. Stay tuned . . .
I find-it-mind boggling as well as risky when area high-school teams participate in 6-8 week fall leagues, regularly playing all day on Sundays sometimes Saturdays. The alarming fact to the matter is most of the coaches’ risk jeopardizing their upcoming season for a six-eight week commitment to a fall league. “These types of lengthy venues are one injury away from folding.” Recently a panel of local observers were asking what purpose does it serve? Not much . . . what weekly camaraderie among league players & coaches? Or perhaps a viewing vehicle to see what disenchanted player/family will be available for a transfer wire. We all know these fall events aren’t about team building, because most times when you see these same programs that take part in the fall affairs their teams usually lack synergy & not an ounce of continuity when you see them perform early in November/December! “Let’s keep-it-one-hundred, it’s not like the Chicago area as well as our surrounding boundaries are spitting out division one caliber prospects at a high-rate, like the area was once regarded for.” There are no Jahlil Okafors or Jabari Parkers come through the ranks any time soon. Let’s face-it Chicago public league is a depleted source right now. What I’m suggesting is scrap leagues in late September & the month of October get our players acclimated early academically, then get them filtered through some kind of cross country program or a 4-5 week conditioning piece. This would take some unwanted stress off-the kids as well as the family regarding what gym or game time he’s running to in September/October. This would allow our kids time to rest on certain weekends and focus on being a student or just a traditional regular little Johnny. Meanwhile respective coaches can polish their craft by spending weekends going to various coaching clinics which can be sought in a 35-50 mile ratios. There are no excuses for not being prepared once the season starts, that’s why our neighboring state Indiana is so far ahead of us from a high-school coaching & development stand-point.
Doesn’t really matter who breaks a story first? Just asking!
2017 guard Alonzo Verge Jr. one of the most exciting players we’ve had in our area in recent years (home grown) will suit-up at Proviso West this season. It’s a shame things weren’t ironed out at Wilowbrook H.S. where he performed last season. Hopefully this decision to attend Proviso West will help him continue his surge as one of the area’s most exhilarating talents.
Chicago was once a hot bed for talent, year in & out the city produced bona-fide high major players/athletes. This ground breaking trend has come to a screeching halt. After listening to some miscellaneous dudes at the UIC team camp, the banter just validated my thoughts all along. The city has fallen on some lean times, a lot can be contributed to our club team culture, not just the whole freight falls in the arms of our newly abundance of inexperienced high-school coaches even some of our 5th & 6th year coaches haven’t proven they are equipped or qualified at developing players on the court or in the classroom and it clearly shows, we are witnessing the decline each season. You see we have no more veteran technicians such as Robert Collins, Bob Hambric, Luther Bedford, Chuck Frazier, George Stanton, Sonny Cox, Herb Brown, Charles Stimpson, Lee Umbles, Larry Hawkins, Dan Davis, Jim Foreman, Earl Eldridge – blah, blah, blah . . . It’s going to take a heroic crime fighter to clean-up all the debris eroding the Chicagoland area. There is an astonishing amount of travel coaches/club/AAU culprits that have no business manning the side-lines at any summer tournament or venue most of them are clueless (not all) when it comes to mentorship coaching, development, recruitment or potential level of a player. These are some significant requirements majority are lacking. Most of them think taking a player all over the country during the spring & summer automatically penchant them to be on first name basis with Tom Izzo or Krzyzenski, let alone most of them can’t even bring home a title. What they don’t realize is that they are hurting the game that they don’t respect anyway, not only hindering the growth of players, “some of these jokers find-it-amusing.” They act as if they’re coaching in an intramural rec league. After viewing our deteriorating scene for a few years now it’s time to exhibit some talking points of changing the way we conduct business in our grass-roots basketball landscape.
I’m often hesitant to touch this sensitive topic, University of Illinois being our state’s flagship school has taken some serious hits of late, the Darius Paul saga was so disturbing, here he is in France injured not slated to suit-up and he’s out plastered at 5 AM on a destructive rampage reportedly. I feel bad for coach John Groce and his staff these guys are some hard working grinding guys who only want to be successful and the cards have not fell in their favor since they landed on campus in March 2012 they’ve often performed with weapons not equipped to rumble every night in a highly contested Big 10 battle. The picture in Champaign is gloomy but I’m hoping these guys can persevere and get through this in a positive finish. The program has sagged since Bill Self bolted off to Lawrence.
And – NO – I’m not mad at anybody and have no personal gripes with anyone in particular.
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