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Angus Brandt doesn't rank among the five Chicago area players who turned in the best performances of the summer, according to Brian Stinnette of Chicagohoops.com, but the 6-9 Australian will attract a lot of college recruiters during the 2008-09 season.
Brandt, a senior center, will enroll at Lake Forest Academy. He played with the Chicago Elite and was impressive in the Chicago Summer Classic.
Stinnette's top five picks are 6-4 junior Lenzelle Smith of Zion-Benton, 6-3 senior point guard Chris Colvin of Whitney Young, 6-4 senior guard Matt Vogrich of Lake Forest, 6-5 sophomore guard Wayne Blackshear of Curie and 6-2 senior guard Darius Smith of Marshall.
Lenzelle Smith was terrific at the Reebok Breakout Underclass Camp in Deerfield and put himself on the national map. Stinnette said he arguably was the best player at that event, which featured many of the top freshmen and sophomores in the nation. He has been offered by Ohio State, Virginia and Boston College.
Colvin, a true point guard, has great ability to score. He was MVP of the 17-and-under division at the Chicago Summer Classic in Deerfield. His recruiting has picked up considerably with Kentucky and Florida State extending scholarship offers.
Vogrich, the best shooter in the class of 2009 with Nik Garcia, who is transferring from Niles West to Evanston, had an incredible month of July that saw him go from having offers from St. Louis University, William & Mary and Miami (Ohio) to landing offers from Notre Dame, Northwestern, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Colorado, Iowa and 10 other major schools.
Stinnette said Blackshear "was absolutely off the charts in July." He was outstanding in Las Vegas, played up at the 16-and-under and 17-and-under levels, and was a difference-maker for coach Mac Irvin's Fire. He is a high major prospect at the off-guard position.
Darius Smith, who has been offered by DePaul and Iowa State, had a terrific summer traveling with Larry Butler's Illinois Warriors. "He isn't a true point guard but he flat out does everything on the court. Put him on the floor and let him play. He has the ability to make plays," Stinnette said.
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Well Taylor as usual forgot to do your homework. Chris Colvin is a senior not a junior and the top player in the Class of 2009 as far as I am concerned. Nic Garcia is a good addition for Evanston. Might put us back in the running for powerhouse team in the area. Lenzelle Smith is a very good player but Zion Benton will not win state in 4A. Too many powerful teams in 4A for them to win it.
I definitely have the same opinion with you about this topic. Nice article. Already bookmarked for future purposes.