By Roy & Harv Schmidt

There is something about the Purdue basketball coaching hierarchy that jumps out at us immediately. It is the number of assistant coaches who worked under Gene Keady, including Kevin Stallings, Steve Lavin, Bruce Weber, and Matt Painter, who have gone on to become successful head coaches. That is why we are betting that Cuonzo Martin, who was recently hired as the new head men's basketball coach at Missouri State, stands a good chance of being the next name that can be added to this list.

Besides the fact that all of the above names are quality coaches, there is one other thing that they all have in common. They all conduct themselves with the utmost class and integrity. Martin is no exception, and when you combine that with the high degree of exuberance and passion that he has for his job, we believe that Missouri State made an absolutely great hire.

Martin was an all-state player at East St. Louis Lincoln and started on two of their three consecutive state championship teams during the 80s. He is a no-nonsense type of guy, and is a testament to what can be achieved as the result of hard work.

Not only that, but Martin has paid his dues, having served as an assistant at Purdue for the past eight seasons. During that time, he has proven himself to be a coach that players respect and look up to. Matt Painter and everyone else who has worked with Martin at Purdue will be the first ones to say that Martin has been instrumental with respect to player development and helping those players reach their maximum potential. Martin has also shown that he can recruit, as along with Painter he was the driving force behind landing a stellar 2007 recruiting class at Purdue which included E'twaun Moore, Robbie Hummel and Scott Martin, who of course were all vital ingredients on this past season's Purdue squad which reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Recruiting-wise, Martin has strong connections in the St. Louis area and can be expected to recruit that area extremely hard. However, look for him to also be a strong recruiting force in other parts of the midwest as well, especially in Illinois and Indiana, where he has built strong relationships as well. All of which should be more than enough to keep Missouri State competitive in the Missouri Valley Conference year in and year out.

There is also no doubt in our mind that Martin will immediately endear himself to the Missouri State fan base. He has already said that he believes that Missouri State is the best coaching job in the Missouri Valley and has acknowledged that the school has a great core group of fans.

Perhaps the most telling thing about Martin being hired at Missouri State is that he was the only candidate invited on campus for an interview and his hiring was immediately approved by the Board Of Governors. In fact, Martin met or exceeded every one of the board's criteria when it came to the things that they were looking for in a new head coach. There is no doubt something to be said about that.

Just like all of his predecessors before him at Purdue, Martin is someone who truly gets it. For that reason, as well as all of the others that we have listed throughout this blog, we believe that Missouri State hit a home run when they decided to hire him as their next head men's basketball coach.

Posted by Roy & Harv Schmidt at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

It is that time of year again--time to reach into our grab bag and name the recipients of our postseason awards with respect to everything concerning Illinois high school basketball. As is usually the case, some of our award winners are obvious choices, while others are not so cut and dry. Therefore, without any further adieu, here goes.

Honorary Coaching Award: Mike Flaherty-Mt. Carmel
First of all, it is not our intention to downplay the outstanding job turned in by Mt. Carmel's Mike Flaherty, particulary the run that his team enjoyed in this year's class 4A state tournament, knocking off four state-ranked teams in St. Ignatius, Farragut, De LaSalle and Whitney Young. However, after much deliberation we decided to eliminate Flaherty from consideration for this award and instead pay him the ultimate measure of respect. The reason is because simply put Flaherty is the best high school basketball coach in the state. He has been displaying his coaching wizardry on the sidelines for the past 25 plus years and has won everywhere he has coached at, including Mendel Catholic, Thornridge and now Mt. Carmel. The most amazing thing is that while St. Joseph's Gene Pingatore and Rockford Boylan's Steve Goers are the winningest active high school basketball coaches in the state, each with over 800 career victories, Flaherty is younger than either of them and therefore is capable of overtaking them and even becoming the winningest high school basketball coach in state history. We would not bet against him doing it.

Coach Of The Year: Lewis Thorpe-North Lawndale
There were several worthy candidates, but no other coach in the state had to battle the degree of adversity that Lewis Thorpe was faced with all season long. North Lawndale's most talented player, 6'0 junior guard John Taylor, was ineligible for most of the season after transferring from Lew Wallace High School in Gary, IN. The death of a close friend and classmate just before the state finals in Peoria, and other players battling academic ineligibility throughout the year were just some of the other setbacks. But through it all, Thorpe's team united and became even stronger. The results say it all--a share of the Chicago Public League Red-Northwest Section championship (one of the toughest high school basketball conferences in the state)--and finally the ultimate prize--a class 2A state championship. To take it one step further, the best may still be yet to come, as North Lawndale returns virtually every key player next season and stands a good chance of being ranked the preseason #1 team in the Chicago area regardless of class.

Honorable Mention Coaches Of The Year: (In Alphabetical Order)
Kevin Brown-Washington
John Chappetto-Richards
Courtney Hargrays-Marshall
Don Kloth-Zion-Benton
Bobby Locke-Evanston
Tony Martinucci-Morton
Mike Sitter-Elgin
Robert Smith-Simeon
Larry Thompson-Lockport
Mike Waldo-Edwardsville

Class 4A Player Of The Year: Kevin Dillard 6'0 Sr. PG Homewood Flossmoor
No other player in the state had a more productive season from start to finish than Dillard and as we have said on numerous occassions, no one meant more to the success of his team. Dillard was the leader of a team that was ranked #1 in the Chicago area for most of the second half of the season, with H-F's only two losses coming to Whitney Young in the championship of the Proviso West Tournament and to Bloom (on Bloom's home court) in the Class 4A sectional. As a result, he was named the Chicago Sun-Times Player Of The Year. The bottom line is that there isn't a better pure point guard in Illinois, which explains why Dillard is an absolute recruiting steal for Chris Lowery and Southern Illinois.

Class 3A Player Of The Year: Lewis Jackson 5'9 Sr. PG Decatur Eisenhower
Jackson was the leader and catalyst of a team that was ranked #1 in the state in class 3A for virtually the entire season and undefeated until losing to Champaign Central in the class 3A sectional final in Springfield. He reminds of a cross between two outstanding guards who both starred at Crane High School, as he has the upper body strength and physical toughness of Will Bynum and the explosiveness, ballhandling skills and one-on-one ability of Sherron Collins. He is also tenacious defensively, and when you consider everything that he brings to the table, we would go to war with him any day of the week. At the beginning of the season it was believed by many that Jackson would be an academic casualty, but he has since gotten his grades in order. With that being said, we look for him to be an immediate impact player from day one for Matt Painter and Purdue.

Best College Prospect Regardless Of Class: Jereme Richmond 6'6 So. WF ???
Despite all of the problems that Richmond encountered this past season, we still firmly believe that he is the most naturally talented player in the state and therefore the best college prospect. Richmond's level of versatility is amazing. He can score either facing up or with his back to the basket, is highly athletic, can handle the ball and is strong on the glass. There is no questioning his basketball skills. What he now needs to do is grow up and prove to himself (in addition to everyone else) that he can accept authority, especially when it comes from an adult. While most other players will look to enhance their stock with their play on the travel team circuit this spring and summer, Richmond's progress during that time will undoubtedly be determined by how well he deals with things off the court. It is for those reasons that we actually would like to see him remain at Waukegan.

Best Underclassman Based On High School Performance: Donivine Stewart 5'10 Fr. PG Bartonville Limestone
This award was the toughest one to call, but we give the nod to Stewart primarily because of the outstanding numbers that he put up all season long despite only being a freshman in high school. Two of his best performances this season were a 45 point outburst vs. class 3A third place finisher Washington and a 32 point effort vs. Peoria Central. It goes without saying that Stewart knows how to score and he takes it upon himself to do so. Not only that, but he plays with the utmost confidence and seems to feel no pressure. We first noticed Stewart when he was in 7th grade and playing at a local exposure showcase. At that time we said that he was going to be an absolute stud. All of this explains why Stewart has already been offered a scholarship by the University Of Illinois. The scariest part is that while Stewart may have been the best freshman in the state this past season based on performance, when it is all said and done we do not believe that he will wind up as the top college prospect from the class of 2011. That is not an indictment of Stewart whatsoever--it is more of an indication of how strong the 2011 class in Illinois is at the top. Rich South sophomore Crandall Head and Warren junior Brandon Paul (both University Of Illinois commits) were also strong contenders for this award.

Biggest Dow Jonesers (Stock Raisers):
Jack Cooley 6'9 Jr. PF Glenbrook South
Lenzelle Smith 6'3 So. 2G Zion-Benton
Dyricus Simms-Edwards 6'1 Jr. PG Washington
Hopefully this doesn't sound like a copout, but in the end this one was so close that we had to make it a three way tie. We have no doubt that had Cooley played on a team with a winning record that he would have been a first team all-state selection. The amount of improvement that Cooley has shown over the course of the last year has been astronomical, and it ultimately resulted in him accepting a scholarship to attend the University Of Notre Dame.
Smith, meanwhile, was spectacular throughout the course of the state tournament and is the fastest-rising player in Illinois from the class of 2010. He now clearly ranks as the #3 prospect in that class behind Jereme Richmond and Crandall Head. Edwards has been one of the most talked about players in the Peoria area all season long and has proven to be more than worthy of the hype. We believe that he is the best college prospect on Washington's team (ahead of Indiana-bound Matt Roth) and that he now ranks among the top five prospects in the state from the class of 2009.

Team Of The Year: Chicago Marshall (Class 3A State Champions)
This one is a no-brainer. We said at the beginning of the season that Marshall had as much talent from top to bottom as any team in the state, which is why we ranked them as the #2 team in the state in our preseason rankings. As it turns out, they are #1. This team also overcame tremendous adversity, as just prior to the start of the season several of Marshall's players staged an after school rally in support of former coach Lamont Bryant, who was fired from that position. While they remained loyal to Bryant, they came together under new coach Courtney Hargrays and played every game as if they were on a mission. That in large part explains why they came away with the class 3A state championship. 6'4 senior Ryan Hare showed tremendous leadership and 6'2 junior Darius Smith, who is Marshall's best all-around player, was also quite solid. The Commandos have been to the state finals the past three seasons, and with a solid nucleus returning next season, led by Smith, 6'5 Eriq Harris and 6'2 Deon Stamps, there is a good possibility that they could make it four in a row.

Overall, it was a most interesting high school basketball season, especially with the advent of the four class system, which will continue to be debated for quite a while. It is now time for us to turn our attention to high school basketball's second season--the traveling team and AAU season.

Posted by Roy & Harv Schmidt at 04:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

Richards' Eliud Gonzalez, Evanston's Steven Rudnicki and Lockport's Justin Jarosz may not be D1 basketball prospects and may not always fill up a stat sheet, but they are all ideal recruits at the small college level. All three of them were just as instrumental in leading their respective teams to the Class 4A state finals in Peoria as anybody. Not only that, but they all have what it takes to not only be successful in basketball but in the most important game of all, the game of life. It is for those reasons that we believe it is time for them to receive their just due.

Let us begin with Gonzalez. While 6'5 Indiana State signee Carl Richard and 6'8 junior Shaun Pratl draw most of the accolades, both Richard and Pratl will be among the first to tell you that in many ways Gonzalez was the driving force behind Richards capturing the Class 4A championchip in the school's first ever appearance in the state finals.

Gonzalez, a 5'10 point guard, is not a prolific scorer and doesn't do anything flashy. What he does do tremendously well is run his team's offense, as he has good playmaking capabilities and plays under control. He is also outstanding defensively, as he puts pressure on the ball and is adept at being able to get into the passing lanes and force turnovers. In Richards' championship game victory over Zion-Benton, Gonzalez only scored 9 points, but came up with 5 assists and 3 steals. On the recruiting front, Gonzalez is considering the University Of Chicago, Lake Forest, Augustana and St. Xavier, all of which are outstanding academic schools in addition to having quality basketball programs.

And now on to Rudnicki, who is a 6'3 shooting guard. Both he and 6'0 point guard Zach Morton proved to be among the most unheralded back court duos in the state all season long. Rudnicki is an outstanding spot-up shooter with range that extends beyond the 3-point line. He has also shown that he can consistently put the ball on the floor and hit shots off the dribble. While the 2-guard is his natural position, Rudnicki was also used quite a bit at the point for Evanston this season and did an above-adequate job of handling those duties. Recruiting-wise, Rudnicki has drawn attention from the University of Chicago, St. Norbert College in Wisconsin and Augustana.

Jarosz is a 6'6 wing player whose primary strengths are on the perimeter. He is a smooth-shooting lefty with 3-point range and is also capable of handling the ball and is a good passer from the top of the key. There is no question that Jarosz knows how to win and is a leader, as both he and 6'2 guard Brian Bradley have been three year varsity starters and during that time have helped Lockport reach the state finals in Peoria the past two seasons in addition to making a supersectional appearance during their sophomore campaigns. Jarosz has drawn a wide range of recruiting interest, as he has been offered by Michigan Tech and is also receiving attention from North Dakota State, Elmhurst, Carthage, Edgewood and Quinnipiac.

To top everything off, Gonzalez, Rudnicki and Jarosz are all elite students academically. Gonzalez ranks among the top ten in his class at Richards, while Rudnicki posted an ACT score of 30. Therefore, while none of them may become All-Americans on the basketball court, there is no question that their futures indeed look bright.

Posted by Roy & Harv Schmidt at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

There are two people in particular who we believe deserve the bulk of the credit for Marshall's Class 3A state championship--head coach Courtney Hargrays and 6'4 senior Ryan Hare. In this blog we are going to focus on Hare, who has come a long way in comparison to how he was feeling and what he was saying prior to the start of this basketball season. We can honestly say that we are extremely proud of him, as the things that he is now saying, the attitude that he is now exhibiting and the maturity that he has shown over the past five months speaks volumes.

Back in October of last year, Hare and some of his teammates staged a walk-out at Marshall in support of Lamont Bryant, who had just been fired as the head coach of the boy's varsity team. At that time, Hare and some of Marshall's other key players said that they would either quit the team or transfer to another school if Bryant wasn't reinstated as their coach.

Shortly after the walk-out occurred, we wrote a blog saying that Hare and his teammates needed to rethink the situation, as it could set a dangerous precedent and also have a negative effect on their college recruitment. We are now thinking that perhaps Hare or someone close to him read our comments, because we believe that it was Hare's (and his teammates') change in attitude and focus that was instrumental in propelling Marshall to a state title.

From a mental and emotional standpoint, once Hare and the rest of the Marshall players accepted the fact that Hargrays was their coach, we noticed an immediate chemistry set in. Suddenly, everyone at Marshall bonded--players, coaches and administrators. This was clearly evident in every game that we watched Marshall play this season.

On the court, Hare is an absolute warrior. He plays extremely hard at both ends of the floor, never takes a play off and is a fierce competitor who hates to lose. Forget about Hare's 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in Marshall's 69-61 win over Simeon in the Class 3A championship game for a moment. To us, the even more telling statistic while watching this contest (as well as Marshall's 63-57 victory over Washington in the Class 3A semifinals) was that there was never any doubt in our mind that Hare was Marshall's leader. Not only that, but it was plain to see that Hare's positive attitude rubbed off on all of his teammates, and that is why they are holding the Class 3A first place trophy. We remember one play in particular during the Class 3A championship game which personifies what Hare is all about. After failing to finish a play in transition, Hare immediately hustled back on defense and proceeded to take a charge, thus denying Simeon a fast-break opportunity.

As far as Hare's recruiting goes, he reneged on a previous commitment to Oregon State and as a result at the present time is pretty much wide open. Since the start of this season, he has drawn interest from Baylor, DePaul, Bradley, Ball State, UIC and Hawaii, most of whom have come forward with scholarship offers. It will be interesting to see how Hare's recruitment plays out now that the season is over.

If anyone needs any further indication of how Hare has grown up over the course of this season, look no further than the comments that he made just moments after his team won the state championship. Hare said that playing in the NBA has never really been a dream of his, and that his first and foremost goal is to graduate from college and make his mother and the rest of his family proud. He also said that he wants to atone for his past mistakes. Imagine that--a high school basketball player who does not have immediate NBA aspirations and who has his priorities in order. That, even more than his on-court ability, is why Hare is recruitable as a D1 prospect. Simply put, this is what leaders, winners, and state champions are made of.

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Posted by Roy & Harv Schmidt at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

After debating the topic for much of the season, we hope that everyone is listening when we state the following comment emphatically and without hesitation. Simeon's Lazeric Jones is a D1 player and is worthy of a scholarship. If he hadn't proven that already, he certainly did so today with his performance in the Class 3A semifinals in Peoria.

In Simeon's hard-fought 51-46 victory over Champaign Central, Jones was undoubtedly the difference in the game down the stretch. The 6'1 senior guard scored 14 points in the contest, including 10 in the all-important fourth quarter. However, it was not Jones' scoring that was the story as far as we are concerned. What we found to be most impressive was Jones' ability to get to the basket at will and the outstanding job both he and back court teammate Kenyon Smith did of creating turnovers as a result of their defensive pressure when they were both in the game.

While there is no question that the Simeon roster is loaded with talent, we believe that based on both his season performance and overall skill set that Jones is Simeon's third best player behind 6'9 center Stan Simpson and Smith. In today's game vs. Champaign Central the argument could be made that Jones was his team's best player.

What makes Jones an intriguing prospect is that he has a high degree of versatility. Not only does he get to the hoop, but he also has the ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc and when he doesn't finish or get to the foul line he is also capable of driving and kicking the ball to the open man. It is quite clear that Jones is a player who is extremely coachable and that he has bought into Simeon head coach Robert Smith's system. In fact, coach Smith has said that nobody has been able to prevent Jones from getting to the basket this season other than Kenyon Smith in practice. While that may seem like a heavy statement, based