Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson is after Leo's 6-9 forward, plus updates on Oak Park's Iman Shumpert and Washington's DeAndre Liggins...

Simpson, who plays for Full Package, now has offers from Virginia and Indiana. He's receiving interest from Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio State and Minnesota.

Simpson was a late bloomer and is getting his first national exposure on the club circuit this spring. Roy and Harv Schmidt of Illinois Prep Bulls-Eye Report started mentioning Simpson as a player to watch during the holiday tournaments last year, and since then, he has lived up to their billing.

Oak Park's Iman Shumpert, Simpson's Full Package teammate, had a terrific weekend, scoring 34 points against the Georgia Stars and 25 against the King James Shooting Stars. Shumpert is being heavily pursued by a number of schools, including Marquette and Illinois.

Washington star DeAndre Liggins picked up offers from Texas and Kentucky over the weekend. Add those to the list of Memphis, Illinois, Purdue and Kansas. Liggins told Rivals.com that Kentucky, Memphis and Kansas are on him the hardest.

Posted by Michael O'Brien at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

And an update on Morgan Park's Isiah Martin...

Pickens, a 6-7 senior, gave an oral commitment to Jimmy Collins and UIC on Friday.

According to Morgan Park coach Paris Parham, Isiah Martin is down to Boston University and Indiana State. The Sycamores have made a late push for the 6-9 center. Parham said Martin will make his decision in the next couple of weeks.

Also, Parham said Illinois State star Osiris Eldridge, who he coach at Phillips, is a lock to stay in Bloomington.

Posted by Michael O'Brien at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Michael Jordan's oldest son is heading to Illinois...

Loyola athletic director Pat Mahoney sent out a press release this morning announcing that Jordan will be a preferred walk-on at Illinois.

"Illinois is a great school with a strong basketball program," Jordan said in the press release. "I look forward to receiving a great education at Illinois, and I also look forward to proving that I can play and compete at the Big Ten level."

Jordan said his final decision came down to Illinois and Valparaiso.

"Coac Drew and Valparaiso have a great program and a nice school, and I really appreciate how Coach Drew and his staff treated me throughout this process," Jordan said. "But after I worked out at Illinois, met with the coaching staff and the players, and toured the campus with my mon, I just felt more comfortable with U of I."

Posted by Michael O'Brien at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

The IHSA released the enrollment figures for next year's four class system. Here's a look at the list...

I included all the relevant basketball schools, they are in order of enrollment:

At the same time, the Board approved a revised “Playing-Up” policy that allows a school to play in a higher classification, if desired.  A school wishing to play up must make a two-year commitment to the higher class in all sports run under the same system. 

Class 4A

Joliet
Curie
Stevenson
Neuqua Valley
New Trier
Warren
Waukegan
Brother Rice
Lyons
Sandburg
Lockport
L-W East
Leyden
Waubonsie Valley
Bloom
Bolingbrook
Loyola
St. Patrick
West Aurora
Downers South
Evanston
Oak Park
Young
Lake Park
Marist
Homewood-Flossmoor
L-W Central
East Aurora
Proviso West
Zion-Benton
Glenbrook South
Schaumburg
Glenbard East
Mount Carmel
Belleville East
Andrew
Plainfield Central
Conant
Thornton
Hisndale Central
St. Rita
Stagg
Niles West
Von Steuben
York
Wheaton South
Larkin
Farragut
Thornwood
O'Fallon
Mundelein
Hoffman Estates
Lincoln Park
Wheaton North
Jacobs
Elgin
Quincy
St. Ignatius
Alton
Proviso East
Moline
East St. Louis
Pekin
Benet
Glenbrook North
Glenbard West
Bogan
St. Laurence
Rockford Boylan
Morgan Park
Vocational
Hyde Park
Hersey
Rockford Jefferson
Julian
Libertyville
Bradley
Fenwick
Thornridge
Highland Park
East Moline
Batavia
Shepard
Argo
Eisenhower
Oak Lawn
Geneva
Romeoville
Deerfield
Reavis
Providence
TF South
Lake Forest
Foreman
South Shore
Prairie Ridge
Northside Prep
Richards
TF North
Hubbard

Class 3A

Simeon
Dunbar
Rock Island
Danville
Bloomington
Washington
Kenwood
Senn
Joliet Catholic
Rich Central
Oak Forest
Galesburg
King
Corliss
Hope
R-B
Kankakee
Prosser
Freeport
Payton
Peoria Richwoods
Hillcrest
Champaign Central
Lemont
Rich East
Mt. Vernon
Decatur MacArthur
Harlan
Springfield Lanphier
St. Joseph
Brooks
Robeson
Harper
Rich South
Bremen
Decatur Eisenhower
Austin
Carbondale
Marshall
Fenger
Sycamore
Wells
Bartonville Limestone
Washington, IL
Peoria Central
Yorkville
Carver
Morris
Crane
Manley
Peoria Woodruff
Gordon Tech
Lincoln
Pontiac
Johnsburg
Westinghouse
Mahomet-Seymour
Englewood
Leo
Collins
Hales
Phillips
Burlington Central
Bronzeville
Bishop McNamara
Rok Falls
Driscoll

Posted by Michael O'Brien at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

According to Bulldogs coach John Chappetto, Llongbey will sign with Stoneridge Prep in Simi Valley, California...

Llongbey, Dwyane Wade's stepbrother, was a key component of the Bulldogs fabulous 2006-07 season.

Richards finished 26-3, losing to Leo in the sectional semifinals.

Posted by Michael O'Brien at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

and a bit on the Marcus Jordan rumors...

The national class of 2008 is lacking in quality point guards, a fact bemoaned by recruiting analysts and college coaches. Two local point guards stepped up and garnered impressive reviews over the weekend.

Rivals.com's Jerry Meyer was impressed with Jeremiah Kelly of Boys To Men, who played at Kingwood Classic with the Illinois Fire:

"Skilled point guard Jeremiah Kelly was outstanding. He scored 24 points against 2D1 Basketball Academy, hitting 5 of 6 three pointers. Some of those threes came off the catch and the others on pull ups off the high ball screen. It was refreshing to watch Kelly run the show for his team. He was a vocal leader and did a fine job distributing the ball when he wasn't scoring.

According to Rivals, Kelly has offers from DePaul, Valparaiso and Florida State.

Justin Young at Rivals.com singled out the play of Jacob's John Moran, who played at the Pittsburgh Jam Fest with the Illinois Wolves:

"Every year, the Illinois Wolves have a point guard that will step right into a mid-major power and be an instant impact player. History is looking to repeat itself with floor general John Moran. The 6-foot-1 guard from Jacobs High School is a tough and crafty ball-handler that has all of the intangibles. He'll be a guy that plays in March and makes a difference for a tournament team."

Addressing the Jordan rumors:

The rumors that Marcus Jordan may transfer to Young are certainly nothing new. They've been circulating for almost a year and sources at Young are expecting Jordan to be there in the fall. However, until the Jordans themselves say something about the matter, everything is just idle speculation. It seems unlikely they will comment until the school year ends and Jeff graduates.

Posted by Michael O'Brien at 01:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Two games on Saturday at Young will feature a load of stars...

The Boy's Game 1 North vs South All-Star Game is set for 5:00PM with the Boy's Dunk Contest to take place immediately after. The Boy's Game 2 All-Star Game is scheduled for a 7:00PM tip. Below are the rosters for each of the All-Star games.

Boy's Game 1 Rosters

North
Wilfredo Escobar (Prosser)
Darrell Jones (Taft)
Shelton Jackson (Lane Tech)
Nakeem Floyd (Crane)
Alfredo Ramos (Mather)
Duryea Briscoe (Mather)
Mario Booker (Amundsen)
Victor Hampton (Collins)
Deon Hughes (Collins)
Morris Thomas (Foreman)
Franklin Thompson (Whitney Young)
Delonte Burns (Noble Street Charter)
Mitchell Uribe (Schurz)

South
Maurice Oglesby (Kennedy)
Pawel Kielbasa (Kennedy)
Dwayne Pugh (Tilden)
Jarrell Turner (Corliss)
Terrance Jordan (Brooks)
Illya Glover (Fenger)
Nyvelle Henyard (Longwood)
Antonio Ryan (Harlan)
Willie Jackson (Dunbar)
Roosevelt Wilson (Dunbar)
Reggie Elliott (South Shore)
Jeremy Lee (Bowen)

Boy's Game 2 Rosters

North
Michael Thompson (Lincoln Park)
Jonathan Montgomery (Lincoln Park)
J.J. Henley (Lincoln Park)
Michael Fakuade (Von Steuben)
Michael Horton, Jr. (Von Steuben)
Darius Fields (Von Steuben)
Dwight McCombs (Whitney Young)
Byron Pickens (Senn)
Brandon McGee (Crane)
Michael Stovall (Marshall)
Sean Scott (Farragut)
Jamil Harris (Foreman)

South
Aaron Johnson (Hubbard)
Jamel Johnson (Englewood)
Eric Burgin (Hope)
Richie Walker (Bogan)
Isiah Martin (Morgan Park)
Keyon Smothers (Washington)
Bryant Orange (Simeon)
Brandon Hall (Simeon)
Darreon Ingram (Curie)
Cordell Fraction (Curie)
Jaquez Williams (Carver)
Antonio Lofton (Carver)

Posted by Michael O'Brien at 09:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The All-Area forward was the premier late-bloomer in the Class of 2007...

According to Loyola assistant coach Shay Boyle, McCammon signed with the Ramblers today.

McCammon, a 6-4 guard, matured into one of the top three-point shooters in the area his senior season. He chose Loyola over Eastern Kentucky.

Posted by Michael O'Brien at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

It appears new coach Frank Martin has kept the #1 recruiting class in the country, including Proviso East guard Jacob Pullen, together...

According to Jerome Pullen, Jacob's father, Michael Beasley, Dominique Sutton and Fred Brown will all honor their commitments to Kansas State despite the departure of coach Bob Huggins to West Virginia. Bill Walker is also expected to stay.

"All the kids got together and talked about staying together," Jerome Pullen said. "We're really comfortable with [Martin]. He was part of the old regime so we got to know him pretty well over the summer."

Posted by Michael O'Brien at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

One of the top prep schools in the country grabs the south suburban guard...

Blue, a 6-2 guard, is one of the state's most interesting players. He began his career at Thornwood, then transferred to Julian for his sophomore season. The year at Julian with coach Loren Jackson paid off well, as Blue picked up strength and confidence When Jackson left for Boys To Men, Blue transferred back to Thornwood and led the Thunderbirds to a fourth place finish at state.

Blue was incredibly effective within Thornwood's rigid system, but it kept his overall point totals low, which has some college coaches and recruiting analysts believing he's just a low to mid-major player.

Blue has offers from Wyoming, Rice, Illinois State, Howard, Lehigh, Kent State and Wisconsin-Green Bay but has decided to spend a year at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire instead.

"It's all about Trey getting better," said Horace Blue, Trey's father. "There are plenty of colleges out there that said they will be very interested after a year at prep school."

The Blues left the door open for something to change this week.

"We have a spot reserved at Brewster," Horace Blue said. "It's a valuable full-ride scholarship to a very expensive school. But if something popped up this week that we couldn't refuse, we would have to take a look at it."

Other area players who have prepped at Brewster include Blake Schilb, Ced Middleton and Andre Walker.

Posted by Michael O'Brien at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)