Former Illini star Kenny Battle sat next to Reggie and Derrick Rose at the Orange & Blue Scrimmage on Friday...

"I thought everything went really well," Battle said. "Derrick got down there and had a lot of fun. He enjoyed watching the guys play. It was just a great thing for everyone involved, having one of the top players in the country on campus for a visit."

Battle relished the opportunity to help out his former school.

"I've been associated with the program since 1986," Battle said. "I want to see Illinois flourish and bring in the top recruits. We have a big-time program at Illinois. All of the starters from the Final Four team two years ago is in the NBA now. That says a lot about the program."

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Will it be Memphis, Illinois or Indiana?

Sources close to Rose indicate that the decision could go either way. Here's a breakdown of where the three schools stand.

Memphis: The clear leader. Memphis has been there from the beginning. Reggie Rose has seemed the most comfortable with Memphis, however, he has made it clear to all those around him that the decision is up to Derrick.

Illinois: Out of nowhere the Roses decided to visit Champaign last weekend. All indications are that things went well. However, it's a lot of ground for Illinois to make up in a short amount of time. There are rumors that the Illinois coaching staff was encouraging Rose to take a little more time with his decision.

Indiana: Probably a distant third right now, but not out of the picture. All along it has seemed that Eric Gordon wanted to play with Rose in college more than Rose wanted to play with Gordon. Don't overlook the fact that Gordon wasn't considered the top player in the country until he played with Rose. Gordon, not Rose, benefited from the partnership.

So, which school do you think it will be?

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Former Harlan star Clarence Holloway, a 7-0 center, gave an oral commitment to Louisville and coach Rick Pitino on Monday. Holloway, now at Boys To Men after a year at the IMG Academy, also committed to Louisville in 2003, but he failed to qualify.

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Two former area prep stars, Joliet's Roger Powell and Proviso East's Dee Brown, have made it through the final cuts with the Utah Jazz. Both players were starters for the Illinois team that made the NCAA championship game in 2005.

Brown was a second round pick by the Jazz in 2006. Powell was undrafted last year, but won Rookie of the Year honors in the CBA. George Mikan, who retired in 1956, was the last Joliet-born NBA player.

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Curie coach Mike Oliver's annual shootout will be held at Collins on Dec. 2...

Washington vs. Farragut
Morgan Park vs. Von Steuben
Curie vs. Foreman
Manley vs. Collins

Washington, Farragut, Morgan Park, Von Steuben and Curie all figure to be ranked in the preseason Super 25.

"Six of the top juniors in the city will be in the shootout," Curie coach Mike Oliver said. "Washington is loaded, they played very well over the summer."

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Friday night in Champaign at the Orange and Blue scrimmage game, Reggie Rose told reporters that Derrick will announce his college choice on Nov. 4.

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"I think it's a great idea for Derrick to go and check out Illinois," Simeon coach Robert Smith said. "I was pleased when they told me they'd decided to do that, but I'll support him wherever he chooses to go."

According to Smith, Rose's Simeon teammates Kevin Johnson and Tim Flowers are ready to go with their college choices. An announcement from all three Simeon players could come as early as next week.

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According to his brother Reggie, Derrick will visit Illinois Friday for the Orange and Blue game, a scrimmage of the Illinois basketball team.

"Sometimes you have to step back and re-evaluate the whole process,� Reggie Rose said. ‘‘We don’t want to look back after it’s all over and too late and realize we made the wrong decision. We have discussed it with some close confidants and believe Illinois is a great place. The school has a great [basketball] program and it is in our home state. And no decision would be valid without giving Illinois a serious look.�

In August, Rose cut his list to five schools: DePaul, Indiana, Kansas, Memphis, and UCLA. He also mentioned that Notre Dame and Marquette were still in the picture. Since then, Rose has made trips to Notre Dame, Memphis and Indiana.

It was Reggie Rose that reached out to Illinois. Bruce Weber and the Illinois staff did not continue recruiting Rose after he named his final list of five.

Just last week it seemed that Rose was down to Memphis and Indiana. Memphis has been the heavy favorite all along, contrary to a published report on Friday.

Rose's decision is expected very soon. Right now, the smart money is on Memphis, but there must be a reason why the Rose's decided to take one last look at Illinois.

Sources close to Rose insist that the trip to Illinois isn't just a publicity move or a face-saving favor to the Illinois coaching staff. The Rose's are interested in checking out what Illinois has to offer.

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Our look at the upcoming season continues. Today we take a look at the area's top wing players.

THE ELITE

Evan Turner, 6-5, Sr, St. Joseph: One of the best wing players in the country.

Mike Stovall, 6-5, Sr, Marshall: An amazing athlete. In the long run, could be a better player than Patrick Beverley.

DeAndre Liggins, 6-6, Jr, Washington: Not a stats guy. Liggins does a little bit of everything. Sort of a more raw version of Julian Wright.

Matt Humphrey, 6-5, Jr, Hales: Humphrey, Hare and Fruendt should battle all season for top junior honors. Of the three, Humphrey has the most college potential. He's long, can shoot the three and will probably be a guard at the next level. He is a gym rat. Whenever Hales isn't playing, you can usually find him checking out the best SICA game of the night.

Ryan Hare, 6-4, Jr, Marshall: A warrior. Great rebounder, has a nice mid-range jumper. If he can expand his shooting range he'll be unstoppable.

THE UP AND COMING

Kellen Thornton, 6-7, Sr, Hillcrest: Very underrated. Has a very smooth shooting touch, needs to toughen up a bit.

Supo Sanni, 6-4, Jr, H-F: Incredibly active, great rebounder. Hasn't found a consistent way to score yet.

Chris Parrish, 6-3, Jr, R-B: Can also play both guard positions, strong and capable.

Tyler Thompson, 6-4, Jr, West Aurora: Big threat from three, needs to expand his game this season.

Michael Haynes, 6-5, So, Washington: Will he be able to play this season? Last year, the Public League wouldn't allow anyone Inter-Public League transfers to play.

THE SLEEPERS

Mike Capocci, 6-5, Sr, Glenbard East: Has the talent to post a breakout season.

Parish West, 6-4, Sr, Morgan Park: Had a great summer. Needs to play a leadership role for a Morgan Park team that severley underachieved last season.

Rob Belcore, 6-5, Jr, Loyola: Very good shooter, will play a key role on one of the area's best teams.

Darius Fields, 6-4, Sr, Von Steuben: Erratic. Fields can be great, but then disappear for long stretches.

Denardo Eiland, 6-4, Sr, West Aurora: Huge potential, very raw. One of the area's better rebounders.

TWO TO WATCH

Luke Fabrizius, 6-8, Jr, Hersey: The scouts love him. Great shooter for his size. Hasn't made a big impact on the high school scene yet, but that could change this season.

Peter Boehm, 6-6, Jr, New Trier: Multi-faceted offensive game. Can shoot the three and attack the basket. It will be interesting to see if he can translate his summer success into a big season.

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Former Westinghouse and Proviso West coach Chris Head, who led the Warriors to the Class AA state title in 2002, has been named head coach at Brooks.

“It feels great to be back,� Head said. “I want to thank Dr. (Dushon) Brown for giving me this opportunity.�

“I’m happy to have him,� Brooks athletic director Ron Ragsdale said. “We have a new principal that is willing to take a chance. We’re looking forward to building a basketball program.�

Julian has named a replacement for Rocky Hill. According to Julian athletic director Wesley Yates, D’arcy Steinbeck is the new head coach.

“He helped out with a team in Indianapolis last year and was previously at Chicago State,� Yates said.

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Hope guard Latear Eason made an oral commitment to LSU Sunday night during an official visit.

Easton, a 5-7 guard, averaged 19.3 points last season.

"The coaching staff is great and so is the team chemistry," Eason said. "Ifelt that LSU was the best opportunity for me to get a good education, and on the basketball court, the best place for me to play."

Tina Akouris

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Here's an e-mail from a big Razorback fan who just got his first look at former Marshall star guard Patrick Beverrley, who is a freshman at the SEC school. Beverley, with 25 points, was the leading scorer in the Red-White scrimmage in Arkansas on Friday.

I saw Patrick Beverley play for the first time
Friday night in our red/white game & he is the total
package...drive, defend, score & rebound this kid
does it all. He played well all over the court...we have
got us a winner....he will start by SEC time, thanks
Chicago....

Jerry W.Brooks
Brooks Golf Center
Jonesboro, Arkansas

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The basketball season begins one month from today. Here is a look at the area's best two guards.

THE ELITE

Nick Fruendt, 6-5, Jr, Batavia: The best two guard in the state. This season he will be out to prove he's the best junior.

Darius Smith, 6