April 2008 Archives

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

After watching most all of the top travel teams in Illinois in both the 17 and 16-under divisions this past weekend at the King James Shooting Stars Classic in Akron, OH, we are convinced that all of them can hold their own with any of the top programs in the nation. As a result, AAU ball in the state of Illinois is as strong as ever. However, the reasons for us saying that go far beyond just the talent level.

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

Consider this blog to be a hodgepodge--a little bit of everything if you will. With that being said, we will try to tie together some loose ends, particularly with respect to recruiting and offer some thoughts on some other things of significance as well.

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

High school basketball talent in various geographical areas tends to go in cycles. A perfect example is Peoria, which has always been a hotbed but has experienced some lean years recently. Now it looks as if the talent level around the River City is shooting back up again, thanks in large part to three can't miss prospects in the class of 2011.

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

We told everyone that a commitment from Ryan Hare was imminent before the end of this weekend, and sure enough that is exactly what happened. Upon the completion of his campus visit, Hare announced for the Missouri Valley conference school that we knew he would inevitably attend.

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

Whether you like it or whether you don't, the bottom line is that in today's world of college basketball recruiting, a player's reputation is either made or destroyed on the basis of how well he plays during the critical April and July evaluation periods. With that in mind, in this blog we are going to take a look at six players who we think stand a good chance of putting themselves on the map based on how they perform on the travel team circuit over the course of the next four months.

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

We began covering Illinois prep basketball during the mid 1980s. As a result, we did not see Cazzie Russell play, and we were still in high school when Isiah Thomas led St. Joseph to a second place finish in the Class AA state tournament in 1978. We have seen a lot of great players come out of the Chicago Public League over the last 25 years, but none have been better than Simeon's Derrick Rose. If he hadn't proved that previously, he has certainly proven it since his first college game at Memphis.