Taylor Bell: December 2007 Archives

Farragut is ranked No. 1 in the Chicago area--at least until the Admirals prove themselves in the Board of Education Holiday Shootout on Wednesday through Saturday--and boasts arguably the best college/NBA prospect in the state in 6-10 Michael Dunigan.

The Oregon-bound Dunigan has elevated himself to being one of the elite players in the nation. A year ago, coach William Nelson admitted Dunigan was "so-so, lukewarm, had potential but hadn't arrived."

Now Nelson has another opinion. "He has more polish and is more aggressive. He belongs in a class with the best big players we have produced--Kevin Garnett, Elliot Poole, Michael Wright, Curtis Ganes," Nelson said.

In the wake of the Mitchell Report and all of the recent revelations about doping and drug usage in amateur and professional sports and the Olympics, the public is getting a not-too-respectful view of how the media goes about doing its business.

As a card-carrying member of the print media for nearly 50 years, I must admit that I am embarrassed by it all.

One Hall of Fame writer excused the Barry Bonds/Roger Clemens reports in major league baseball by pointing out that the game has never been more popular, that the presence of record crowds indicates fans will tolerate anything as long as the home team wins.

After losing some outstanding senior recruits to Duke, Kansas and Indiana and failing to cash in on his Final Four appearance in 2005, Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber opted for a new recruiting strategy--and it appears to be paying off.

Weber still is counting on the loyalty of home-grown players but he is focusing on freshmen and sophomores, not seniors. He is building solid relationships from the grass-roots level and counting on his time-tested ability to evaluate talent to uncover future stars.

High school basketball fans in the Chicago area haven't heard about Dyricus Simms-Edwards or Zeke Schneider. But they will. They are two of the fastest rising juniors in the state. Illinois coach Bruce Weber knows about them. So does Kansas coach Bill Self. That should tell you all you need to know.

Why didn't anyone know about them until now? Because neither Simms-Edwards, a 6-1 junior guard at Washington, and Schneider, a 6-9, 220-pound center at Metamora, played AAU last summer. They didn't receive an iota of exposure.

This season, Simms-Edwards is playing in the same backcourt with Indiana-bound Matt Roth on one of the top teams in the state and Schneider is averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Contrary to anything you might have read on the Internet in recent months, Diamond Taylor still is playing basketball at St. Joseph in Westchester.

If you want to become one of the best performers in your sport, does it make sense to transfer from a school that produced Isiah Thomas and has sent players to colleges from Illinois to Indiana to Iowa to Penn State to Marquette to Kansas State to Nebraska and on to the NBA?

Coach Gene Pingatore may have gotten a bad rap in the award-winning documentary "Hoop Dreams." But his track record for developing outstanding players and championship teams is unblemished.

Please help me out here.

If you were writing a book on high school football in Illinois, what would you include in it?

Well, University of Illinois Press in Champaign has asked me to author a book on the subject. Lots of books have been written about high school basketball in Illinois. I know. I wrote two of them. But football? Never before.

It's an argument that never will be settled to everyone's satisfaction.

Who were the five best high school basketball players you ever saw?

After observing and covering the game for 50 years, I think my starting lineup would hold its own on any playground or in any gym.

Farragut's Kevin Garnett. St. Joseph's Isiah Thomas, Carver's Cazzie Russell, Marshall's George Wilson, Simeon's Derrick Rose.