By Joe Henricksen

There are many talented underclassmen already committed to coach Bruce Weber and Illinois, but there is one in-

state prized piece still out there. And if every rumor that has circulated for weeks regarding Rich South sophomore

Crandall Head is true, that piece could be in the fold shortly. And if Head does indeed commit to Weber and the Illini,

it's official: Illini fans should start to salivate.

By Joe Henricksen

If you are a high school basketball fan in this state, the four days following Christmas is an absolute delight.

Whether you are at Pekin, Pontiac or Proviso -- or the Big Dipper, Elgin, Collinsville or Bloomington-Normal, for that

matter -- you will see ranked teams, Division I prospects and the best coaches in prep basketball. Here are five

quick fearless predictions for this holiday tournament season from the City/Suburban Hoops Report.

By Joe Henricksen

If you look up and down the rankings -- from the City/Suburban Hoops Report's Top 25 to the Chicago Sun-Times

Top 25 -- you will find plenty of new teams that weren't there three or four weeks ago. The most recent issue of

the Hoops Report, which came out early this week, has six teams among the Top 25 that weren't there at

Thanksgiving time. Are these teams fit to stay?

By Joe Henricksen

First and foremost, the Shootout at the Hall basketball event is an absolute must-have and must-continue for Illinois

coach Bruce Weber and the Illini coaching staff. While the one-day prep basketball smorgasbord is put together by

a combination of WDWS/News-Gazette and the Champaign County Sports Commission, the big winner is Fighting

Illini basketball.

By Joe Henricksen

This is certainly no revelation after what transpired at Chicago State Sunday night, but Homewood-Flossmoor is

now part of the mix of the state's elite teams. Prior to the tip of the H-F - Whitney Young game, a trio of teams were

beginning to separate themselves in the early part of the season, with all three being from the Chicago Public

League -- Whitney Young, Marshall and Farragut. But H-F's impressive win over Whitney Young shows the Vikings

are more than just the best in the south suburbs.

By Joe Henricksen

There is never a shortage of hype these days surrounding high school basketball players. It (the hype) starts

earlier and earlier, it seems, every year. Whether they deserve it or not, prep freshmen are hyped to the max. What

people forget or just tend to ignore is that Derrick Roses and Corey Maggettes and Jereme Richmonds--three

examples of players who were hyped as freshmen and clearly lived up to the hype, both in how they played on the

floor and carried themselves off of it--are far from the norm. Yet people continue to hype and praise young

prospects and put them in a category that isn't quite deserving.

By Joe Henricksen

The holiday basketball tournaments are right around the corner later this month, but this weekend won't take a

backseat to any other event--or weekend--in Illinois this winter. Thanks in large part to the Chicago Public League

Shootout at Chicago State on Saturday and Sunday, this weekend is a headliner in terms of teams and individuals.

Throw in the Marshall County Hoopfest in Kentucky, which will feature several teams from Illinois, and plenty will be

learned and talked about after three days of basketball.

By Joe Henricksen

There were other storylines coming out of the Public League-Catholic League tripleheader Sunday night at Chicago

State other than the marquee matchup of Whitney Young-Hales Franciscan. Individually, the two biggest

newsmakers in the eyes of the City/Suburban Hoops Report were Whitney Young junior guard Chris Colvin and St.

Rita junior guard Terry Johnson.

By Joe Henricksen

There was one team that came into the Whitney Young-Hales Franciscan showdown Sunday night at Chicago

State with three games under its belt. There was another team playing its season opener. You would never have

guessed which team was which after watching Whitney Young, playing its first game out of the gate as the top-

ranked team, absolutely dismantle Hales in all facets. With both teams entering the game with so much to prove, it

was Whitney Young that answered the bell.