Early October 2015 Report

The Jeremiah Tilmon’s recruitment will be intriguing to follow, things look to be flowing smoothly now. The Tilmon clan should be ecstatic about East St. Louis alum Phil Gilbert being at the helm, he has the ability to quarterback all the ins & outs of the process if needed. The 5 who seem to be in strong are: Illinois, Missouri, Purdue, Indiana and North-Carolina.

Illinois State continues to stockpile talent outside of the area, they landed a verbal last week from six foot eight inch Andre Washington out of Dallas, TX, Arlington H.S. Washington thrives as a high-level rebounder, he’s a good athlete who runs the floor exceptionally well. He averaged 22 points per game and 9 boards last season as a junior. This summer he starred on the Adidas circuit with Marcus Smart sponsored club out of Texas. The Redbirds are awaiting a decision from 6-2 point-guard Madison Williams who visited campus over the weekend. He’s a high academic kid out of Augusta, GA. Both players are considered to be highly acclaimed from their respective areas. Both acquisitions would bolster a roster that already possess the most talent of any instate program we have in Illinois.

The trending buzz over in our neighboring state of Iowa had the Hawkeyes landing a verbal from 4 star recruit Tyler Cook. The six foot nine bruiser out of Chaminade H.S. in the St. Louis area. Iowa’s well respected assistant Sherman Dillard utilized some old ties to pull-off the coup with Cook and his family, congrats to Fran and their program. They have one of the better coaching staffs in the Big 10.

Former Loyola Academy grad now assistant coach at Holy Cross Joe Kennedy made his recruiting rounds in the Chicago area in recent days. The former Northwestern & Oregon State assistant made stops at Lake Forest/Loyola Academy/Fenwick/Niles Notre Dame could be next on his trail.

University Illinois at Chicago head coach Steve McClain and his enthusiastic/energetic staff continue to build momentum with some of the finer prospects in the state. This past weekend they had Belleville Althoff’s wiry wing Tarkus Ferguson on official visit along with high-jumping T.F. South forward Brandon Johnson, both considered to be top 10-15 prospects in the 2016 class. The Flames are also heavily involved in Bourbonnais jet quick play-maker Micah Bradford, certainly one of our upper-echelon performers in the 2016 cast.

Eastern Illinois quietly have made inroads in the Chicago area recently, assistant J.R. Reynolds was in viewing De LaSalle’s six foot three silk-smooth George Willbourn Jr. and Bogan’s underrated point-guard Bryce Barnes. The pair Reynolds absolutely loved. I like when Eastern navigates his way up in the Chicago area.

Bethune Cookman assistant Chris Cornelius a Joliet native as well as a former assistant coach at Wisconsin-Green-Bay will come thru the Chicagoland area next week, strolling over to see Willbourn, Barnes, Johnson – Thornwood’s 6-3 Drew Evans; Peoria Central’s DeShawn Jackson and Winnebago’s 6-8 Brandon Suggs. “Corn’s an innovator, he will snag an unheralded prospect out of here. You can bank that one!”

Top 20 2018 Prospects

Top 20 2018 Prospects

It seems we all like to chime in on the conversation regarding this particular group, obviously it’s too early to peg where this class collectively will shake out in comparison to some of the previous ones. “I actually recognize few things at this stage the group has some quality guards, and the top 2 prospects reside in the central part of our state, quite a similar sequence with the 2017 crop with Tilmon & Goodwin (Southern area) at the top.”

1. Time Finke 6-5 G/F Champaign Centennial – “There’s not much of a debate here . . .” He has size and he’s skilled with sneaky athleticism and he’s versatile. No. 1 now but things could change before 2018 arrives.
2. Kendall Moore 6-0 PG Danville – “Has mad-game, possess leadership qualities – his floor game impressive, he can score. One to watch in this group.”
3. Raekwon Drake 6-5 F Chicago Orr – “I like the quiet intensity he brings to the floor, this chiseled-cut North-Sider plays extremely hard, his skills will continue to improve.”
4. Darius Beane 6-3 G Carbondale – “Fearless competitor, knows how to play-already a capable scorer.” I see him moving up the charts.
5. Marquis “Kezo” Brown 6-1 G Chicago Simeon – “Strong body left-hander – still raw in many areas. He seems to wanna be an elite prospect, let’s see how hard he works for it.”
6. Cardell McGhee 6-3 G/F Springfield Lanphier – “Potent slasher with a rapidly improving floor game; shoots-it-on-the-perimeter effectively.”
7. Xavier Castaneda 5-11 PG Chicago Young – “A terrific young play-maker, poised at times, plays with a wealth of maturity, was injured all summer, so he’s starting to round into true form.”
8. Marquan “Bay-Bay” Williams 5-8 PG Perspective – “I was impressed with his leadership qualities, he’s always been a capable scorer. Now fine-tuning some parts of his game, mostly not trying to do too much.”
9. Ayo Dosunmu 6-1 PG Morgan Park – “This promising prospect whom has grown some since last season, he will transition in well with seniors Charlie Moore and Jarrin Randle helping pave the way.”
10. Sanchez Nolley 6-4 WG Chicago Curie – All signals point to him being a bouncy athlete with the “can’t miss tag” to be a standout. “The only thing, he’s unproven.”
11. Talen Horton-Tucker 6-2 G/F Chicago Simeon – “Gritty performer, knows how to generate buckets and he can shoot, starting to lose some baby fat.”
12. Kevin Caldwell 5-10 PG Alton – “”Lil fellow got mad squabbles, he’s clever and entertaining, has perimeter shooting to go with a strong floor game.” Currently a stellar football player.
13. Jake Kosakowski 6-5 F Chicago Young – “The Brother Rice transfer dropped close to thirty something points in a fall league contest at Curie H.S. on (Sat, Sept 26th). He’s got some offensive tools.”
14. Daylan Williams 6-5 WF Danville – “This tireless chisel-cut scorer can flat-out play, he’s a scorer, once he learns to compete at the defensive side-look-out!” He runs the floor well.
15. Drew Pearson 6-4 WG Libertyville – “Excellent understanding of how to play, he’s a skilled scorer, finishes well in transition.” Will play with the Wolves next season.
16. Bailey Dee 5-10 PG Champaign Central – “Silk-Smooth, distributes the rock in the right areas; good mid-range shooter.”
17. Brandon Hunt 6-0 G Marian Catholic – “Strong body with the ability to score, plays with a wealth of confidence.”
18. Joffari Brown 6-4 G/F St. Joseph – “Wears a hard hat when he suits-up; he provides so many intangibles for his team. Has a tendency to try and do too much at times.”
19. Messiah Jones 6-4 F Chicago Simeon – “Big-time leaper, plays with reckless abandonment; skills are improving – attempts to dunk anything near the rim.”
20. Chase Adams 6-4 PG Marian Catholic – “Incoming highly touted, certainly has the pizazz, carts a wealth of confidence & knows how to play. For a small guy, I’d like to see his speed & quickness increase. A growth spurt awaits.”

5 Mid-Low Major Recruits who could Potentially Land Outside the State

5 Mid-Low Major Recruits who could 

Potentially Land Outside the State

(Unheralded Gems)

1. Drew Evans 6-7 G LM+-LM Thornwood – A wiry 2 way athlete with a huge upside; could have helped himself more, but decided to be on the gridiron for his senior year.
    
2. Samson Oladimeji 6-4 G/F LM Fremd – Excellent size & length on the perimeter, first viewed him at the UIC elite camp; came-up sick in recent weeks, so I wasn’t able to view him lately. He left a lasting impression the last time out
   
3. Deshawn Jackson 6-2 G LM+-LM Peoria High – Looking for a versatile skilled back-court player, look no farther, he’s vastly underrated, makes plays & heady. Western IL, Bethune Cookman, Eastern IL, SUI-E should pursue.
   
4. Anthony D’Avanzo 6-7 F LM+-LM Niles Notre Dame – A mobile front-courter with sneaky athleticism and an offensive game that is starting to take shape. He likely could end up at U. Cal Davis.
   
5. Marcus Latham 6-1 G LM+-LM Alton – This left hander can really dial-it-up offensively whether attacking or knocking-down perimeter shots. He’s more of a scorer than a playmaker right now. Eastern IL, Western IL, Bethune Cookman, Chicago St & Jacksonville St should pursue.

2016 Early Verbals

2016 Early Verbals

NAME	HT	POS	HIGH-SCHOOL	COLLEGE
C.J. Duff	6-1	G	Carmel	Western Illinois University
Isaiah Roby	6-8	F	Dixon H.S.	University Nebraska
Rapolas Ivanaukas	6-9	F	Barrington/Brewster Academy	Northwestern University
Devin Gage	6-2	PG	Chicago Curie	DePaul University
Matty Smith	5-9	PG	South-Elgin	Central Michigan University
Barrett Benson	6-10	C	Hinsdale South	Northwestern University
Brendon Gooch	6-6	WF	Belleville Althoff	Southern Illinois University
Nate Kennell	6-5	WG	Metamora	Bradley University
Noah McCarty	6-7	SF	Sterling	Northern Illinois University
Elijah Goss	6-7	SF	Plainfield East	IUPUI
Jarrin Randle	5-11	G	Chicago Morgan Park	Western Michigan University
Zach Hollywood	6-8	F	Bradley-Bourbonnais	James Madison University

Mid September 2015 Report

Mid September 2015 Report

There is a dark cloud over Chicago that is getting increasingly difficult to ignore.  As the summer comes to a close murders are up 21% in the city from last season.  The school system is mired in a monumental budget crises, there could be 1,500 staff Layoffs, while city estimates a $1.1 billion budget deficit for the next school year.  The mayor is seeking a massive property tax hike to make a $500 million pension payment due to the city’s firefighters and police.  But it’s hard to ignore the grim mayhem weekly in the city streets, violence seems to erupt regularly, “this time someone we knew oh-so close was a victim”, Bogan 2015 graduate Deionte (Tae) Harris was gunned-down Sunday morning (Sept. 20) in an ever dangerous Auburn-Gresham community in the city.  In just another senseless shooting in a neighborhood tainted by a gang war supposedly divided between two separate factions.  Harris was a current member of the Olive Harvey Community College squad.  He was a reserve point-guard on Bogan’s city championship team.  “Tae who he was affectionately known was a popular figure around the Chicago hoop scene.”  Harris’ slaying was sadly another tale of a seemingly endless violence that’s become part of our city’s backdrop.  “You know depravity has hit a new low when dismembered body parts of a toddler was recently discovered in a city park lagoon.”  Police don’t have a clue whom the child might be.  We are not happy about the dark cloud that hovers over our city.  “Tae a great kid will be missed, but never forgotten.”

Mike Deane and James Madison quietly swept through the Kankakee area and nabbed Bradley-Bourbonnais six foot nine inch forward Zach Hollywood, a top 25-30 prospect in the 2016 class, the slender face-up shooter with a smooth game has often been projected to be one of the players in a thin 2016 group that will blossom in the right-setting collegiately.  “I like when programs like James Madison, Old Dominion, Texas-El-Paso, Rice, Washington St, SMU, Central Florida, Bethune can wiz in here and identify untapped talent and sign a kid without over examining him.”  Hollywood is a perfect example.

Last week University of Illinois received some news they’d greatly been awaiting, a commitment from anyone of the 4-star point-guards they have been courting.  A missing piece in a potential potent line-up the last couple of seasons, taking nothing away from Simeon alum and current Illini guard Jaylon Tate.  Te’jon Lucas from Milwaukee Washington H.S. is listed as a 5 foot 11 playmaker.  Lucas had offers from Memphis, Old Dominion, Purdue.  Historians mention Lucas could be the first Wisconsin product to suit-up in an Illini uniform next season in 89 years.

Simeon’s highly senior guard Zach Norvell will be shelved for another three-four weeks with a leg injury.  Oregon, Georgetown, Gonzaga may be where he’s angling.