The July evaluation period is almost upon us, and there is no question that it is the most important time of the year from a recruiting standpoint, as it determines who gets scholarships, and player reputations are either made or destroyed based on their performance in front of college coaches. And of course the national analysts will also be out in full force at all of the marquee events. Knowing how most of them tend to evaluate, we are about to offer our predictions on the four players from Illinois who are most likely to climb the national rankings this coming month.

We are not sure what Rivals' basis was for dropping Richmond down, but in our minds there is certainly no justifiable reason for doing so, as Richmond has done absolutely nothing to warrant it. Perhaps Rivals was going on all of the scuttlebutt they had heard regarding Richmond's "attitude" problems. Or more likely, it may have had everything to do with the fact that Richmond did not attend the recent NIKE Hoops Jamboree in St. Louis, an event that Rivals had evaluators in attendance for.

On the flip side, Simeon's Brandon Spearman is Rivals' fourth highest ranked player in the class from Illinois, as he is ranked 56th. While we like Spearman as a prospect, we are a bit baffled by this one and we do not understand what Rivals' rationale was behind the ranking. We say this because Spearman was not one of the main cogs in the wheel last season as a sophomore at Hales Franciscan and since transferring to Simeon has played only sparingly on the AAU circuit. The only possible explanation we can come up with is that Spearman attended the NIKE Hoops Jamboree. All of this is indicative once again of the "big event" mentality that seems to encompass most national analysts' methods of evaluation, where a player can climb the ladder solely on the basis of a single game performance.

With all of this in mind, the following are our predictions on the four players who we think are most likely to ascend the national rankings once the July evaluation period is over and done with.

1) Lenzelle Smith 6'3 Jr. 2G Zion (Zion-Benton) Team NLP
There is not a player in the state who has been more disrespected on the national level than Smith, as Rivals currently doesn't even have him ranked in the top 100 from the class of 2010. He deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Jereme Richmond and Crandall Head, yet he isn't. Perhaps it is because he is perceived as a tweener, but anyone who has seen him on a regular basis knows that is an entirely inaccurate assessment. With Smith attending the Reebok All-American Camp in Philadelphia as well as the 17-under Super Showcase and 17-under National AAU Tournament in Orlando, we are willing to bet that the national perception of Smith is going to change in a hurry and that he will be one of the most talked about players during August.

2) Dyricus Simms-Edwards 6'1 Sr. PG Washington (H.S.) Illinois Wolves
Despite an outstanding junior season at Washington in which he helped lead his team to a fourth place finish in the Class 3A state tournament, in the eyes of national analysts he plays third fiddle on the Illinois Wolves 17-under traveling team behind Wisconsin commit Diamond Taylor and Illinois commit Joe Bertrand. Not only that, but a number of mid-major programs who have worked their tails off recruiting Simms-Edwards have to be shaking in their boots over the possibility of him "blowing up" during July and receiving high major scholarship offers. There is no question that Wolves' AAU coach Mike Mullins will do everything he can do to help get Simms-Edwards recruited at the highest possible level. Therefore, should Simms-Edwards turn in strong performances during the July evaluation period, we look for his stock to skyrocket.

3) Chris Colvin 6'1 Sr. PG Chicago (Whitney Young) Chicago Express
Colvin has had an outstanding spring and has made a strong case for becoming the #1 ranked prospect in Illinois from the class of 2009. However, most all of his performances during that time have gone unseen by national evaluators. That is sure to change during July, as he will have the opportunity to showcase himself at the Hoosier Shootout in Indianapolis, the Chicago Classic in Deerfield, IL and the NIKE Main Event in Las Vegas, which is the center of the basketball universe during the fourth week of July. Barring a complete collapse, chances are very good that it will result in Colvin attracting additional scholarship offers and making a huge jump in the national rankings.

4) David Brown 6'3 Sr. 2G Rockton (Hononegah) Illinois Warriors
We have not seen Brown play at all since the start of the spring, as he played with the Madison Spartans (as opposed to the Illinois Warriors) when we were in attendance at the King James Shooting Stars Classic in Akron, OH and was not with his high school team at a recent team shootout that we attended. We can also guarantee that our competitors haven't seen Brown all that much either despite them continuing to write about him. He also remains a mystery in the eyes of the national analysts, as he is currently ranked only two stars by one national service. However, college coaches certainly know who Brown is, as he has attracted a multitude of scholarship offers from the likes of DePaul, Oklahoma State, Northwestern, Baylor, Cincinnati, Loyola, Wright State, Northern Illinois, Illinois State, Western Michigan and Eastern Illinois and strong interest from plenty of others. People in Brown's camp are touting him as one of the top three players in Illinois from the class of 2009 with a chance to end up as the best. We will find out for ourselves when we watch him at the NIKE Peach Jam. If Brown lives up to his billing during the July evaluation period, he could rapidly become the most talked about player in the state.

There you have it--these are the four players who we believe national evaluators will suddenly discover how good they really are by the end of July, if not sooner. Should that happen (and in all likelihood it will) all that we ask is that people give credit to the local scouts and analysts who knew about these kids long before they were suddenly "discovered" by any of the national gurus.

We do not know all of the particulars behind why Diamond Taylor recently decided to transfer from St. Joseph to Bolingbrook. Therefore, this blog is not going to be about whether Taylor made the right or wrong decision and if it was in his best interest. Instead, we are going to focus on how we think several people at both Bolingbrook and St. Joseph could end up being aided by this move, especially in the long run.

Taylor's decision to transfer should not come as a total shock if one remembers that this rumor first surfaced right around this same time last year and was even reported (and later retracted) on another internet site. At that time both St. Joseph head coach Gene Pingatore and Mike Mullins (Taylor's AAU coach with the Illinois Wolves) stepped in and encouraged Taylor to remain at St. Joseph, telling him that it would be in his best interest from a recruiting standpoint. Taylor played his junior season for Pingatore and ultimately ended up committing to the University Of Wisconsin.

Now that Taylor's recruitment is behind him, there are certainly other factors that had to have weighed into his decision. Right at the top of the list is the fact that his father is an assistant varsity basketball coach at Bolingbrook. Taylor had also mentioned in the past how he did not enjoy the long commute from Bolingbrook to Westchester. There are probably other things that influenced the decision as well, but as we eluded to earlier, we are not going to speculate any further.

What we do know is when we look at how the whole thing went down, there could actually end up being many more winners than losers. The biggest winner could end up being one of Taylor's teammates at Bolingbrook--6'5 forward Troy Snyder, a class of 2009 prospect with D1 ability. With both Taylor and Snyder, there is no question that Bolingbrook should have a team that will be at or near the top of the Suburban Southwest conference.

Snyder is an outstanding athlete who at this point is primarily a slasher. He has a great nose for the ball and has strong instincts on the glass, which is why he excels as an offensive rebounder and scores a multitude of points on put backs. In addition, Snyder also has the ability to defend both in the post and on the perimeter. He has a solid mid-range game and simply needs to work on extending his shooting range.

Snyder currently has scholarship offers from Northern Illinois and Illinois-Chicago and is also attracting heavy interest from Evansville, Northern Iowa, Loyola-Chicago and Illinois State. With Taylor manning the Bolingbrook backcourt, there is no question that it would allow Snyder to play more around the basket and focus on what he does best.

Finally, as crazy as it may sound, another big winner in all of this could end up being Pingatore. Yes, we know that he will now begin the upcoming season in November without his top two players from last year's team, as 6'1 class of 2010 guard DeAndre McCamey is expected to be out until December due to a torn ACL. However, even without Taylor and McCamey the cupboard at St. Joseph is not bare.

One of the biggest reasons why Pingatore is among the best high school basketball coaches in Illinois is because he has consistently been able to mold teams during the summer. This situation will offer him yet another opportunity to do so and just might enable unheralded players such as class of 2009 guard Nate Rogers and class of 2010 wing Brandon Carr to step up even more. We could find out as early as this week when we trek out to the always talented Oak Park summer league at Oak Park-River Forest High School.

Before others misinterpret what we are about to say, let us emphasize that we still believe Warren's Brandon Paul is the #1 player in the state from the class of 2009. However, Whitney Young's Chris Colvin is rapidly making a strong push for that spot. And we are not saying that based on one game--we are saying it based on the solid performances that he has turned out throughout the spring.

At the University of Illinois' elite camp last weekend in Champaign, there were many who thought that Colvin was the best player there. While we aren't going to quite go that far, there is no question that he was among the top five players based on performance. At the Illini's satellite camp at Moody Bible Institute which concluded yesterday, Colvin was undoubtedly the best player in attendance, as he helped lead Whitney Young to the camp championship.

What we like the most about Colvin is that unlike many of the other talented guards in Illinois from the class of 2009, Colvin is a pure point guard. In fact, he doesn't try to be anything else. With that being said, he brings a huge amount of leadership and intangibles to the table.

Colvin is an outstanding ball handler who is virtually unstoppable in a one-on-one situation. We believe that there is no one capable of staying in front of him when guarding him man-to-man. Colvin is absolutely explosive to the basket and when he finds a free path in the open court, not only is he going to leave his defender in the dust, he is either going to score or get fouled almost every time. Simply put, he does everything well except shoot. Recruiting-wise, Colvin's frontrunners include Florida State, Oklahoma, Iowa and Providence (all of whom have offered), and he is also receiving heavy interest from Marquette.

Last season there were times when it was difficult for Colvin to even get minutes for Whitney Young because of the enormous amount of depth that existed in their back court. We can guarantee everyone that won't be the case next season. Colvin, along with Marcus Jordan, are the undisputed leaders of a team that is already making a strong argument to be ranked as the preseason #1 team in the state come November. Add 5'8 junior Ahmad Starks into the mix, and it goes without saying that Whitney Young has a guard trio that ranks as the best in the state.

At the present time, we would break down all of the top guards in Illinois from the class of 2009 in this way: Brandon Paul is the best defender, the most well-rounded and has the best up side; Peoria Central's D.J. Richardson is the best scorer and the one guard that you want to have the ball in crunch time; Sterling's Joe Bertrand is the best shooter; North Lawndale's John Taylor may actually be the most naturally talented and Colvin has been the most consistent and offers the most intangibles.

In a class which is undoubtedly guard heavy, all of these aforementioned players are unique in their own special way. That is perhaps the biggest reason why we have long said that there is no clear-cut #1 player from Illinois in the class of 2009. We still give the nod to Paul right now, but at the rate Colvin is going, he is quite capable of laying claim to that honor by the end of the July evaluation period.

As scouts and talent evaluators, you never want to put too much emphasis on a single event. However, make no mistake about it--when it comes to being able to sort out and fine-tune our evaluations of the elite players in Illinois from the classes of 2009, 2010 and 2011, this Sunday's high school team shootout on the campus of the University Of Illinois is absolutely huge. In fact, in many ways it offers us the ideal environment in which to evaluate players.

Games will begin at 10:30 A.M. and will take place at the Ubben practice facility as well as Assembly Hall. While most Illini fans are especially excited about the opportunity to see Illini recruits Brandon Paul, Joe Bertrand and Jereme Richmond, as well as plenty of other prospective Illini recruits in action, from our standpoint we are more psyched up about being able to evaluate so many talented players all within the course of a single day. With that being said, there will be plenty of matchups that we will be paying especially close attention to.

One matchup that we will be keeping an eye on is when Bartonville Limestone faces Rock Island. This game will have two of the top point guards in the class of 2011--Limestone's Donivine Stewart and Rock Island's Chasson Randle, going head-to-head. Randle has been one of the most talked about players in the class over the course of the past month.

We will also make a point to watch De LaSalle do battle vs. Zion-Benton in a game that will feature our #1 prospect prospect in the state from the 2011 class in De LaSalle's Mike Shaw and one of the top prospects from the class of 2010 in Zion-Benton's Lenzelle Smith. And then there is also the contest between Sterling and Warren, which might ultimately help us decide who is better equipped between Brandon Paul and Joe Bertrand to step in as the Illini's future point guard.

From a team standpoint, there is probably no better matchup than the one between Whitney Young and Zion-Benton, a game which could go a long way towards determining who will claim the honor of being ranked as the preason #1 team in the state in Class 4A come November.

All in all, it should be one exciting day of high school basketball where every game will matter. Will it be the end all when it comes to evaluation? Of course not, because as we have stated repeatedly, player evaluations are never finalized based on one event. However, we have to admit that this event will carry more weight than most, especially when one considers the fact that so many elite players will all be in the same location, they will all be going head-to-head against one another, and that the level of competition will be so high. As talent evaluators, what more could one ask for?

As we have indicated before, it is a common tendency for plenty of others who evaluate high school basketball players to fall in love with a player on the basis of a single game performance. All too often the mentality is one which consists of "what have you done for me lately?" That mentality may be suitable for talk radio and the tabloids, but not for anyone who wants to operate a legitimate scouting service. Anyone who needs to see examples of what we are talking about needs to look no further than others' current evaluations of the class of 2011 in Illinois.

The best example of what we are talking about involves Chasson Randle, a 6'1 point guard from Rock Island. Let us begin by saying that Randle is a very good player and certainly one of the top prospects in the state from the class of 2011. That is the good news. The bad news is that other evaluators are getting carried away with their evaluation of Randle. Another internet service now has Randle ranked as the second best player in the class of 2011 and there is no question that it is solely because Randle plays for the Illinois Wolves traveling team and the Wolves' coach is the personal benefactor of the person who runs that site. In other words, the ranking has absolutely nothing to do with Randle's actual ability. Since then others have followed suit, as they have also moved Randle up in their rankings and continued to heap praise despite the fact that they haven't seen Randle play on more than a couple of occassions at best.

But the latest example is the one that really has us scratching our head. As it turns out, there is now one evaluator who believes that Mt. Carmel's Tracy Abrams is the #1 player in Illinois from the 2011 class. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, we can't help but wonder what the basis for this ranking is, especially seeing as though just yesterday this same evaluator told us that he believed that De LaSalle's Mike Shaw was the #1 player in the class. In other words, was it a single game performance from Abrams at the Riverside-Brookfield Summer Shootout this past weekend that got this evaluator to change his mind? It certainly seems that way, and offers a perfect illustration of the "flavor of the month" mentality.

With all of this being said, let's be clear about one thing right now-- Mike Shaw was the state's #1 player from the class of 2011 yesterday, he still is today, he will be tomorrow and we are willing to bet that he will be for a very long time. Simply put, at 6'7 Shaw has an overall skill set that is unmatched by any other player in the class and is capable of doing things that the rest simply can't do. Okay, maybe Shaw wasn't able to lead his high school team on a deep run through the state tournament the way Abrams was this past March. We say "so what?" Shaw has proven himself time and time again against quality competition. Furthermore, if you were to ask at least ten D1 college coaches who they believe is a better college prospect between Shaw and Abrams we are willing to bet that the majority (if not all) of them would say Shaw.

Please understand that none of this is intended to be a knock on Abrams. Anyone who has read our blogs on a regular basis knows that we are among Abrams' biggest fans. We believe that Abrams has now firmly established himself as the second best player in Illinois from the class of 2011. Simply put, there is nothing wrong with being #2, especially when one examines the enormous degree of talent existing amongst the top players in this class.

One argument that is being made in support of Abrams being the top player in the class is that he is "fearless." While we certainly agree with that assessment, fearlessness is an intangible and is not something which sets Abrams apart from the rest as a player. The same thing can be said about Bartonville Limestone's Donivine Stewart. In fact, every time we have watched Stewart we have come away saying that he is fearless. Therefore, we once again get back to overall skill set, and our nod undoubtedly goes to Shaw.

The other thing that gets us is the tendency for other evaluators to get overly enamored with athleticism, as Abrams is now being called "the most athletic guard in the class of 2011." While that may be true, Shaw is also pretty darned athletic, plus he is at least 7 inches taller than Abrams.

So the only questions that now beckon pertain to what lies ahead this month. Come the end of June, will these same evaluators have a new #1 player should he turn in an outstanding performance at any upcoming events? Again, when one looks at their method of talent evaluation, it certainly makes one wonder. People may remember us saying in a previous blog that Abrams and Stewart could possibly get a chance to go head to head at the Pekin Insurance Holiday Tournament next December. We now only wish that game was being played tomorrow.

With all of this in mind, here are Illinois Prep Bulls-Eye's rankings of the top ten players in Illinois from the Class Of 2011:

1) Mike Shaw 6'7 WF Chicago (De LaSalle)
2) Tracy Abrams 6'0 PG Chicago (Mt. Carmel)
3) Donivine Stewart 5'10 PG Bartonville (Limestone)
4) Wayne Blackshear 6'5 WF Chicago (Curie)
5) Sam Thompson 6'4 2G Chicago (Whitney Young)
6) Jay Parker 5'9 PG Harvey (Thornton)
7) Chasson Randle 6'1 PG Rock Island (H.S.)
8) Andre Henley 6'5 PF Chicago (De LaSalle)
9) George Marshall 5'9 PG Chicago (Brooks)
10) DeShawn Greer 6'5 WF Chicago (Simeon)
10) Andrew Jordan 6'5 WF Peoria (Woodruff)

It is possible that the top two prospects in Illinois from the class of 2011 just might end up hailing from the Chicago Catholic League. De LaSalle's Mike Shaw is clearly #1, while Mt. Carmel's Tracy Abrams is beginning to make a strong case for #2. However, while we believe Shaw's ranking is etched in stone, there is still work to be done on Abrams' part to help him claim the #2 spot and solidify it. We have a suggestion that we think might enable him to do that.

As of now, Shaw is hands down the best player in Illinois from the class of 2011 and as we have also stated previously, we believe that there is a considerable gap between him and whoever you want to call the second best player in the class. In our minds the #2 through #5 players in the 2011 class are Curie's Wayne Blackshear, Bartonville Limestone's Donivine Stewart, Abrams and Whitney Young's Sam Thompson. Any one of these players are capable of laying claim to the #2 spot. In fact, one could make an argument for any of them and we would have no problem with it.

The rest of this blog is going to focus on Abrams, who we think could very well end up as the second best player in the class when it is all said and done. This is because of the four players mentioned in the previous paragraph, Abrams has the best overall skill set. Unfortunately, at the present time few people outside of Chicago know who Abrams is and he has not come close to carving out the national reputation that the four other top players in the 2011 class have begun to develop. The question therefore becomes what can Abrams do to remedy that? We think that we might have the answer.

On the traveling team circuit, Abrams plays for the 15-under Chicago Express, a team that is loaded with young talent. Abrams was absolutely spectacular when we watched him this past weekend at the Windy City Classic at the University of Illinois-Chicago. He got to the basket with ease, did a superb job of playmaking and breaking down the defense, and consistently nailed shots from beyond the arc. But herein lies the problem--he is doing all of this against players his own age or even younger. We have hereby concluded that Abrams could benefit tremendously by playing up in age division.

Shaw, Blackshear, and Thompson all play for a traveling team (the Mac Irvin Fire) which has already played in several high-profile national events this spring and have thus received maximum exposure, as they have been seen by a considerable number of college coaches and national evaluators. And for the most part all of them have gotten it done against this level of competition. Stewart's traveling team (Peoria Carver) is not quite as high-profile. However, they have played up in age division at a couple of events this spring where Stewart has proven to be among the best players.

Thus far Abrams has not enjoyed the same advantage. Yes, his Express team competed at the King James Shooting Stars Classic in Akron, OH, but we get the feeling that most evaluators that were present in Akron (such as ourselves) were focused on watching the 16 and 17-under divisions. And yes, Abrams undoubtedly made a name for himself this past March with outstanding performances in the state tournament, helping Mt. Carmel reach the Class 4A supersectionals. But again, outside of a few locals no one was there to see it.

By playing up in age division, especially at national events, Abrams would have the opportunity to be seen by a wider scope of people, which is of primary importance during the July evaluation period. Furthermore, everyone would have the chance to see what Abrams can do against the highest level of competition. If this were to happen, we are willing to bet that Abrams could end up receiving a considerable number of scholarship offers this summer, despite the fact that he will only be going into his sophomore year of high school.

Right now we believe that Abrams and Stewart are the top two point guards in the state from the class of 2011. They could end up facing one another at the Pekin Insurance Holiday Tournament in Pekin, IL in late December, as both Mt. Carmel and Bartonville Limestone are among the participating teams. At this point we can only hope and pray that the matchup occurs.

We can't believe we are doing this. In fact, it almost goes against our principles. However, when you have talent at the elementary school level that is as good as what we saw last week at the Bill Hensley Memorial Run 'N Slam All-Star Classic, you have to at least talk about it. Therefore, that is exactly what we are going to do in this blog, hopefully keeping everything in perspective while doing so.

However, it just may be that the predominance of talent within the Fire program lies with the 15-under team. What makes this a heavy statement is that this team consists largely of players who have not yet played a single regular season high school game. In other words they are seventh and eighth graders, and good ones at that.

Three players in particular who stood out when we watched them last weekend at the Bill Hensley Memorial Run 'N Slam All-Star Classic in Ft. Wayne, IN were 6'8 Thomas Hamilton Jr, 6'7 Steve Taylor and 6'8 Jermaine Morgan. Before we go any further, it is important for us to emphasize that we only watched Hamilton and Taylor for a little over a quarter and caught Morgan sparingly as he played up with the 16-under team. It was not our intent to come away with detailed evaluations on any of them, but rather to catch glimpses of them for the purpose of determining how well they stack up versus the big boys.

With that in mind, we think it is safe to say that all three players are indicative of two things: 1) how the talent level in the state of Illinois continues to get better and better at an even earlier age and 2) that the future of high school basketball in Chicago remains as bright as ever. On that note let's begin with some comments on Hamilton Jr.

Hamilton Jr. is a 6'8 seventh grader at Beasley Elementary School in Chicago. One only has to look at him for a second to see that he is the spitting image of his father, who starred on King High School's 1993 state championship team and had a cup of coffee in the NBA with the Boston Celtics. Simply put, it is unbelievable how skilled he is for just being a seventh grader. He is capable of handling the ball, posting up and hitting turnaround jumpers in the paint or drilling shots from behind the 3-point stripe. Seeing as though Thomas Hamilton Sr. was a classic example of what could have been when it came to getting to the next level, we can guarantee everyone that he is determined not to have the same thing happen to his son.

Taylor, meanwhile is a 6'7 eighth grader and teammate of Hamilton's at Beasley. He is ferocious around the basket, as he gets after it on the glass, can score consistently in the paint and has great hands. There is no question that together both Hamilton and Taylor will continue Beasley's rich basketball tradition. In fact, we are thinking that Beasley would probably be able to beat most Illinois high school teams in class 1A and probably even a few in class 2A. By the way, one of Beasley's most famous basketball alums is Derrick Rose, who stands a good chance of being the #1 pick in the NBA draft next month.

Morgan is a 6'8 eighth grader at Mayes Elementary School in Chicago and while he was playing up an age group at Spiece, showed that he is more than capable of holding his own with anybody. He is long and athletic, runs the floor well and finishes with consistency. Like Hamilton and Taylor, he plays with a high level of confidence and seems to fit in well with the abundance of talent that surrounds him.

While it is fun to talk about the skill levels of these players, what you have to worry about first and foremost are the intangibles. There is no question that in today's day and age a high school player's ego can undoubtedly get out of control. However, this becomes an even bigger issue and you have to safeguard against it even more at the elementary school level. While several of our competitors will actually attempt to rank seventh and eighth graders (which we think is ridiculous) and invite them to one exposure event after another, we prefer to wait until these players reach high school before assigning evaluations to them.

As we pointed out earlier, the biggest thing that Hamilton, Taylor and Morgan have going for them right now is that they have good people in their corner who are bound and determined to keep them on the right path. That right there is half the battle, as we have always said that talent speaks for itself. It will therefore be interesting to see what the future holds in store for all of these young men.

Northwestern head coach Bill Carmody filled a huge recruiting need today by receiving a commitment from a skilled in-state post player who had been one of their top priorities from the beginning. As it turns out, the impact of this commitment is going to come much sooner than most people realize

There is no question that that Rowley was Wildcat head coach Bill Carmody's #1 recruiting priority from the get-go as far as post players go. With that being said, the impact of landing Rowley is absolutely huge in more ways than one.

First of all, we have learned that Rowley will reclassify as a 2008 recruit. What this means is that he could sign his letter of intent with Northwestern before the end of the Spring signing period and possibly as early as this week. Rowley is an outstanding student and has been on pace to graduate from Lake Forest Academy early.

Rowley provides the Wildcats with someone who can step in right away and be an immediate post presence. Besides being a strong and physical player, Rowley has great hands and instincts on the glass. As a result, he is a consistent finisher, an excellent rebounder and a solid scorer in the paint area. Rowley continues to compete on the traveling team circuit for Full Package Athletics and was impressive when we watched him recently at the King James Shooting Stars Classic in Akron, OH.

In addition, Rowley is also another testament to the outstanding job that Carmody and assistant coach Tavaras Hardy continue to do with respect to targeting players who are quality student-athletes and perfect fits for their system. Simply put, they work their tails off and are flat out getting it done on the recruiting trail.

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.

Meanwhile, Mean Streets reached the quarterfinals in the 17-under diamond bracket, defeating the loaded Mac Irvin Fire squad in the process, and the Chicago Express reached the semifinals of the ruby bracket. The Illinois Warriors, Mac Irvin Fire and Team NLP also achieved impressive victories. In the 16-under division, the Illinois Warriors reached the semifinals of the gold bracket while the Rising Stars won the championship in the silver bracket. All in all, most all of the Illinois-based teams that were in Akron can hold their heads high.

There is no question that all of the top travel teams from Illinois that played at King James, including Rising Stars Gold, the Mac Irvin Fire, the Illinois Warriors, the Illinois Wolves, Team NLP, Mean Streets, Full Package, the Chicago Express, Illinois Elite and the Illinois Stars are stacked with talented players at the top. Obviously that is a huge factor when it comes to explaining why these programs have been so successful, but there is much more to it than that.

In addition, all of these programs have quality roll players, hidden gems if you will who have either fallen under the radar or have gone unnoticed by many others. On the Warriors, we knew virtually nothing about 6'6 Kyle Cain from Thornton Fractional North High School prior to the King James event. However, after watching him we agree completely with Warriors coach Larry Butler when he says that Cain will end up being better than former T.F. North product Demond Watt. The Fire, meanwhile, has a pair of unheralded guards in 6'5 Tony Nixon and 6'5 Zeke Upshaw, who can both shoot the ball with accuracy from deep range.

On Team NLP Lake Zurich's Connor Mooney immediately comes to mind. While Lake Forest Academy's Kyle Rowley grabs most of the headlines with Full Package, 6'4 shooting guard Matt Vogrich from Lake Forest and 6'4 swing man Matt Sullivan are just as valuable. On Mean Streets the athleticism and energy that 6'5 Jordan Walker from Hales Franciscan brings to the table goes underappreciated. While virtually every member of the starting five for Rising Stars Gold is a high major D1 prospect, Marcus Jordan from Whitney Young continues to get a bum wrap on the national level, despite the fact that at one time he was regarded by many locals (including us) as the #1 player in Illinois from the class of 2009. We could go on and on, but we think everyone gets our point.

Above everything else, every aforementioned program is also filled with quality kids. Not only are the majority of them talented basketball players, they are also good students and conduct themselves with the utmost class off the court. We can't stress enough how important that is to any travel team's success. The bottom line is that most travel team coaches do not want the headaches that accompany putting up with kids who have bad attitudes, lousy work ethics and simply prove to be uncoachable.

Which leads us to the coaches themselves. You name em--Larry Butler, Mac Irvin, Mike Weinstein, Mike Mullins, Dickey Simpkins, Tai Streets, Steve Pratt and Nate Pomeday. What do they all have in common besides coaching extremely talented teams? They all care just as much about their players' development away from the court as they do on it. That is why they have come to be coaches that parents have come to trust and are comfortable with having their kids play for. There really is something to be said for that.

With all of this having been said, not only is traveling team basketball in Illinois here to stay, but at the present time we firmly believe that it is headed in the right direction and has come a long way with respect to erasing the negative impressions that many had when it first began. In fact, if it continues to follow the paths that we have outlined in this blog, we see it only getting better and better in the future.

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.

... A player who is undoubtedly shooting up the charts at a rapid pace is 6'5 Mikel Brigham from Danville High School in Danville, IL. Brigham was sensational when we watched him at Flash's Spring Hoops Review in Bloomington a couple of weeks ago and has also been playing extremely well on the AAU circuit with both the Illinois Stars and Illinois Elite. Brigham is also a highly recruited football prospect, although there is a possibility that he may have to attend either junior college or prep school. He will continue to run with the Stars and Illinois Elite throughout the spring, and then play for Team Illinois during July.

... Look for this weekend's King James Shooting Stars Classic in Akron, OH to perhaps be the premier event of the spring, as it is absolutely loaded with talent. All of the top 17-under programs in Illinois will be in attendance, including the Illinois Warriors, Illinois Wolves, Mac Irvin Fire, Rising Stars Gold, Full Package Athletics, Team NLP, Mean Streets, Illinois Elite, Illinois Stars, and Chicago Express. There are also age groups ranging all the way down to 10-under.

... Turning to the scholarship front, here are the latest players to recently receive new offers:
David Brown 6'3 Jr. PG Rockton Hononegah-- Illinois State
James Kinney 6'1 Jr. PG Champaign Central-- Murray State
Phillip Jackson 6'8 So. PF Providence-St. Mel-- Southern Illinois
Anthony Johnson 6'2 So. 2G Whitney Young-- Purdue, Iowa

... We would not be at all surprised to see Kinney, as well as Niles West's Nik Garcia, Hales Franciscan's D.J. Cooper, Washington's Dyricus Simms-Edwards, Marshall's Darius Smith and St. Rita's Terrance Johnson be among the players who receive additional scholarship offers after college coaches get an opportunity to watch them in Akron.

... Does anyone think that it is a coincidence that Southern Illinois University is now more involved with prospects from the Mac Irvin Fire traveling team program than ever before now that Chris Lowery hired Lance Irvin as an assistant coach? We don't. The Salukis already have class of 2008 prospect Ryan Hare (who played for the Fire) in the fold, and will be in the running for plenty of other targets from the Fire before it is all over.

... Loyola-Chicago is heavily recruiting many of the top guards in Illinois from the class of 2009. They have already offered both Terrance Johnson and David Brown and are close to extending offers to D.J. Cooper and Darius Smith.

There you have it. Hope that is enough to whet everyone's appetite for now!

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.

Since that time the Peoria area has still produced quality players such as Shaun Livingston, Bill Cole and Dan Ruffin, but yet most people agree that the depth of talent has not been the same. However, a sudden resurgence could be taking place thanks in large part to three talented players from the 2011 class in Illinois. The three players that we are talking about are 5'10 point guard Donivine Stewart from Limestone High School in Bartonville, 6'5 Andrew Jordan from Peoria Woodruff High School and 6'5 Brandon Watson from Peoria Manual. All of them put their skills on display yesterday at Flash's Spring Hoops Review at Illinois Wesleyan University's Shirk Center.

Stewart has undoubtedly been the most publicized of these three and caught everyone's attention when University of Illinois head coach Bruce Weber offered him a scholarship not long ago. Simply put, Stewart is a magician with the basketball, as he has a superb handle and explosive quickness to the basket. Not only that, but he has terrific court vision, is an outstanding passer and plays with a high degree of poise and confidence.

Put all of these things together and it is easy to see why Stewart has all the makings of being a dynamite point guard at the college level. The only knock with respect to Stewart's game is that he lacks a consistent jump shot, but remember that he is still young and shooting is always an area in which a player can improve over the course of time.

Jordan is a great athlete and in fact may be the most athletic player we have seen in Illinois from the 2011 class this side of Curie's Wayne Blackshear. He runs the floor and finishes with consistency, moves well without the ball and has the power and speed to repeatedly beat his opponent to the basket in one-on-one situations. What is especially scary is that in many respects Jordan is still learning the game, but when you take your first look at him it is easy to see the vast potential. College coaches certainly agree, as Jordan has already begun to attract recruiting attention from several D1 programs.

Finally, not to be outdone is Watson, who is probably the least heralded of these three players, but from what we saw at Flash's event is not that far behind either Stewart or Jordan. Watson has solid post-up skills and showed us that he is a consistent scorer in the paint area. He also gets after it on the glass, is a strong finisher and a good interior defender. We look for him to continue to make noise over the course of the spring and summer.

Stewart, Jordan and Watson all played on the same team at Flash's Hoops Review and despite their youth, from what we saw we believe they can hold their own against virtually any other AAU team in Illinois. Someone else who was in the gym yesterday at Illinois Wesleyan must have agreed, as initially the team with the three young studs from Peoria was supposed to face the Illinois Wolves in what would have been the marquee game of the day. However, for whatever reason that matchup ended up getting switched.

With all of this being said, there is no question that the future of high school basketball in the Peoria area looks bright indeed. Not that basketball fans in that area ever have a reason to be bored, but with players like Stewart, Jordan and Watson around for another three years of high school, there is a good chance that high school hoops in central Illinois could reach a level of excitement rivaling the years of the Peoria Manual dynasties.

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.

The Salukis had emerged as the favorite to land Hare ever since Marshall won the class 3A state championship last month. What may have put the rubber stamp on Hare's commitment was when Saluki head coach Chris Lowery recently hired Lance Irvin as an assistant coach. Irvin's father is Mac Irvin, who is the founder of the traveling team that Hare competed on (the Illinois Fire, which is now called the Mac Irvin Fire).

In addition, Hare's commitment was greatly aided by the strong push that came from another Saluki recruit, that being 6'0 point guard Kevin Dillard, who was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Illinois. Dillard was quite vocal about how much he wanted Hare to be a part of the 2008 recruiting class at Southern Illinois. In fact, both he and Torres Roundtree (another Saluki recruit from the class of 2008) made it a point to be on campus in Carbondale for the point of scrimmaging with Hare while he was on his visit.

Hare is a jack-of-all-trades type of player and undoubtedly personifies the kind of recruit who thrives in Chris Lowery's system. He is a warrior who plays hard at both ends of the floor and never takes a play off. Throughout his senior season Hare emerged as Marshall's team leader and was especially at the top of his game during the state tournament. To top everything off, he is a strong rebounder, rugged defender and a solid mid-range scorer who thrives in transition.

With his commitment now in the fold, Hare will now await the results of his ACT, which he took yesterday. Word has it that he is very close to achieving a qualifying score.

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.

The second case is more recent and involves Oak Park's Iman Shumpert. While Shumpert had already established himself in the eyes of local scouts and media with a strong junior season at Oak Park, he had gone virtually undetected on the national radar until last spring. Then all of a sudden it happened. Playing for Full Package Athletics at the King James Classic in Akron, OH, Shumpert went off and totally dominated every game. From that point on, one national guru proceeded in touting (or do we dare say overtouting?) Shumpert to where high major programs were all over him. The end result? Shumpert was named a McDonald's All-American and ended up signing with Georgia Tech.

So there you have it. Players come out of the woodwork during the spring and summer, and we are willing to bet that there is a good chance that it could happen again this year. Therefore, we now take a look at six players who we think are on the verge of breaking out and could really enhance their reputations between now and the end of July. We ask that everyone keep an open mind about this, as this is only a preliminary list, meaning that more players could easily be added once we get an opportunity to see them.

Seth Evans 6'1 PG Seneca (H.S.) Illinois Stars
Evans was very much the glue to his team when we watched the Stars at the 17-under state AAU competition at East Aurora High School a week ago. He is a smart and heady point guard who when he plays under control can prove to be quite effective. Not only does Evans see the floor well and do a good job of pushing the ball up the court, but he can also keep defenses honest from 3-point land. Evans has already committed to Wisconsin-Green Bay, where we think he will prove to be a most serviceable point guard.

Connor Mooney 5'10 PG Lake Zurich (H.S.) Team NLP
While both NLP teams that competed at the 17-under state AAU competition were loaded, Mooney may have turned in the best performance of any player on either team when we watched him on the second day of action. Mooney plays with a high level of confidence and is much quicker than people give him credit for. He showed us that he can get to the basket vs. quality competition and is effective at either converting or drawing contact and getting to the free throw line. Not only that, but if you back off of him, he is capable of burning you from downtown. Mooney definitely warrants close monitoring, and some D1s have already begun to take notice.

John Taylor 5'11 PG Chicago (North Lawndale) Mac Irvin Fire
We will stand by the comments that we have made all along when it comes to Taylor's game--he has as much offensive versatility as any other guard in the 2009 class from Illinois and based on sheer talent alone ranks among the top five players in the class. The problem is that not too many others know it because Taylor missed a huge chunk of North Lawndale's contests down the stretch (he sat out the entire state tournament) because he was academically ineligible. However, he plays on a traveling team which might sport more talent from top to bottom than any other in the state, which is why we believe that it is now his time to shine.

Drew Crawford 6'4 2G Naperville (Central) Illinois Warriors
While others are much higher on Crawford than we are at this point, that does not mean that we think that Crawford isn't capable of being a terrific college player. He is long and athletic, plays with a high degree of energy, is an outstanding mid-range scorer and while he is streaky from beyond the arc, he undoubtedly has range. To top everything off, he plays for a traveling team that will fully maximize all of his strengths. Crawford is already drawing a wide range of recruiting interest from a number of D1 programs.

D.J. Cooper 5'9 PG Chicago (Hales Franciscan) Mean Streets
Although both Matt Humphrey and Josh Crittle were more highly publicized, we thought that Cooper was unquestionably Hales Franciscan's MVP this past season and proved so in a number of high-profile contests. It appears as if Cooper is picking right up where he left off, as reports are that he has performed extremely well at this weekend's Boo Williams Invitational in Hampton, VA. Cooper has tremendous court savvy and is capable of controlling the game despite being only 5'9. We continue to be amazed at how a player can be so quick and yet consistently play under control, but Cooper manages to do it repeatedly. We see him as an ideal mid-major prospect.

Ben Brust 6'2 2G Mundelein (H.S.) Rising Stars 16-Under
Forget about the fact that Brust is only a sophomore--he is one of the best shooters in the state regardless of class. Not only does Brust have textbook form, but he also has a quick release and is capable of getting his shot from virtually anywhere on the floor. He is also effective in the open court, as he is adept at getting out on the break and scoring in transition. We would still like to see him continue to improve his ball handling and diversify his game even more, but overall the skill set is definitely there. Programs such as Wisconsin, Iowa, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Virginia and Illinois State have already been in contact.

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.

While Rose was at Simeon, the two biggest knocks on him were that he couldn't shoot and that he wasn't assertive enough, that he didn't look to take over games the way a dominant player and a player of his ability should. At that time those assessments were accurate. And we were not the only ones saying it. Despite all of this, we were also quick to point out that we didn't believe that it was all Rose's doing, and when one now looks at how things have panned out, there is more evidence of that than ever.

Simply put, Simeon head coach Robert Smith runs a system that is not conducive to any one player being a star, no matter how talented he may be. It is kind of similar to when Michael Jordan was at North Carolina and the standard joke was that the only person in the world who could hold Jordan under 20 points a game was Dean Smith. We are not saying that Robert Smith was wrong for the way in which he utlized Rose. After all, Simeon won back to back state championships in Rose's junior and senior years, so who are we to argue with success? The only person who may be kicking himself a bit is ex-Simeon head coach Bob Hambric, who has to wonder what might have been had he decided to play Rose on Simeon's varsity team as a freshman. We are thinking that there is a good possibility that Simeon would have won four consecutive state championships.

The bottom line is that from the first day Rose arrived at Memphis, John Calipari decided to turn Rose loose and give him free reign over his team's offense. As a result, you are now seeing the real Derrick Rose. In Memphis' NCAA tournament victory over Texas in the South regional final in Houston, Rose was unstoppable, as he finished with 21 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds. He totally dominated Texas' D.J. Augustine. Use whatever superlative you like--Rose took Augustine to the cleaners, had him for lunch--you name it, Rose did it. And now for the ultimate praise--Rose even made a couple of plays in that game that were Jordan-like.

The one thing that impresses us above all else with Rose and makes him a truly special player in our eyes is that nothing seems to phase him. He does not get rattled. Even during the time when the criticism was being thrown Rose's way with respect to him not consistently dominating games when he was at Simeon, Rose never let it bother him. He simply went about his business. That is what great players do. Not only that, but with each game that passes by it seems as if we see something extra from Rose that we haven't seen before, in much the same manner as a Jordan or a Kobe Bryant. That is a rare treat, and when it happens we simply want to sit back and enjoy it.

During our 25 plus years of covering high school basketball in Illinois, we have seen plenty of phenoms from the Chicago Public League come and go. We are still on record as saying that the best high school basketball player we have ever seen come through Chicago is Farragut's Kevin Garnett. However, people make a legitimate argument when they say that Garnett is a transplanted Chicagoan, as he transferred to Farragut from Mauldin, SC just prior to his senior year in high school. Therefore, we are most comfortable in saying that when it comes to pure-bred Chicagoans, Rose is the best player that we have seen come out of the Windy City in the last 25 years. He is everything that Jamie Brandon, Ronnie Fields, and Imari Sawyer wish they could have been.

In all likelihood Rose figures to be a one and done player at Memphis and enter the NBA draft this coming June. We believe that he should be the #1 pick in the draft. Unfortunately, knowing what has been the common trend of NBA general managers who have the top draft pick, Rose will probably go either second or third, with the #1 overall pick being a big man. If that happens, we only have one question for whichever general manager ends up in the #1 position. Can you say Sam Bowie?

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.

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.