Top Back Court Tandems On Display At NIU Team Camp
June 20, 2009
11:25 A.M. CST
While there was plenty of talent on hand from top to bottom at the Northern Illinois University Team Camp at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, the one thing that jumped out as during our time spent there yesterday was the outstanding array of back court combinations that were prevalent among most all of the top teams from the Chicago Public League that were in attendance. Seeing as though guard play has always been a staple among the upper echelon teams in the Public League, it is no surprise that many of the teams at the NIU team camp that featured top back court talent were among the teams that performed extremely well.
Two teams that definitely fit the bill in this regard are Fenger with 6'1 class of 2010 combo guard Walter Lemon, 6'0 class of 2010 point guard Tavares Herron and 6'2 class of 2011 off-guard Philip Greene and Foreman with their spectacular class of 2010 duo of 6'2 point guard Lavonte Dority and 6'1 shooting guard Mike McCall. However, since we did not get the chance to see either team play extensively, we have decided instead to focus on the teams that we were able to thoroughly observe while at Moody yesterday.
Top Back Court #1: Whitney Young
... The bottom line is that Whitney Young is the defending Class 4A state champions, and seeing as though they return a good chunk of their back court, their group remains the best until someone else proves otherwise. We believe that any combination that head coach Tyrone Slaughter decides to put on the floor from amongst 5'8 class of 2010 point guard Ahmad Starks, 6'5 class of 2011 shooting guard Sam Thompson, 6'3 class of 2010 shooting guard and Purdue commit Anthony Johnson and 5'6 class of 2012 point guard Derrick Randolph still ends up as being the best in the state. Starks is the driving force. He is a model of consistency and is an absolute recruiting steal for Oregon State. Johnson has missed the entire spring as the result of an injury, but told us that he is ready to play right now and will be ready for the July evaluation period, where he will compete on the traveling team circuit with the Illinois Warriors.
Top Back Court #2: Brooks
... There may not be a better coach in the state at developing guards than Chris Head, who had several outstanding back court duos while at Westinghouse and now has another one at Brooks in 5'11 class of 2011 point guard George Marshall and 5'11 class of 2011 off-guard Michael Powell that clearly ranks among the best in the Public League. We are rapidly concluding with the possible exception of Mt. Carmel's Tracy Abrams, Marshall is as good a point guard as there is in Illinois from the loaded 2011 class. Powell has tremendous speed and great scoring capability and now only needs to work on refining his point guard skills, which he will need for the next level. The simple message is don't sell either one of these guys short--they can play with anybody!
Top Up And Coming Back Court: Simeon
... There is no question that the Simeon back court sports as much talent and depth as any team in the Public League. However, we put them in this category because at the present time most of them are still unproven. As of now we believe that the starting point guard will be 5'10 class of 2011 prospect Tywon Pinckney, with 6'4 class of 2013 stud Jabari Parker starting at the 2-guard position. Nevertheless, both 5'10 class of 2012 point guard Jelani Neely and 6'2 class of 2011 shooting guard and 3-point specialist Darien Walker are capable of assuming starting roles at any point in time.
Most Unheralded Back Court: Lincoln Park
... The duo of 6'3 class of 2010 shooting guard Greg Tucker and 6'0 class of 2010 point guard DeMarko Nash doesn't get much pub, but they have proven to us that they can hold their own with anybody. Tucker is an outstanding 3-point shooter who also has a high level of athleticism. He now simply needs to develop better shot selection and tone down the degree of wildness in his game. Nash is as fast as they come from baseline to baseline, does a great job of pushing the ball up the floor and attacking the basket, is strong at the defensive end and has the type of leadership and mental toughness that anybody would want in their point guard. We believe that both Tucker and Nash could end up emerging as D1 prospects.
Keep An Eye On: Orr
... By now most everyone knows about 6'5 class of 2011 forward Mychael Henry and that we regard him as one of the more underrated prospects in the state from that class, but we think that the biggest reason why Orr just might be the best kept secret in the Public League next season is their talented young guard tandem of 6'1 class of 2011 combo guard Santino Siggers and 6'0 class of 2012 point guard Curtis "CJ" Jones. We came away impressed with both of them based on their play at Moody. Playing in the always rough and tough Red-West section of the Public League, they will undoubtedly be tested game in and game out. From what we have seen thus far, we are willing to bet that both Siggers and Jones will repeatedly be up to the task.
Additional Notes
... Getting back to Brooks for a moment, 6'7 class of 2011 twins Keith and Kevin Gray both played extremely well and continue to show immense improvement. As of now Keith is more of a scorer, whereas Kevin is primarily a rebounder. Look for the Northern Illinois coaching staff to get both of the Grays on campus in DeKalb in the near future and make them top recruiting priorities in the 2011 class (i.e. offer both of them scholarships).
... It looks as though North Lawndale will not miss a beat coming off a third place state finish in last year's class 3A state tournament. Their primary strength will be their front court consisting of 6'10 class of 2010 center Paul Bunch, 6'4 class of 2010 forward Jermaine Winfield and 6'6 class of 2010 forward Jevonny Austin. Bunch continues to show flashes, but still disappears far too often and needs to work on increasing his stamina. Winfield is an absolute beast down low and looks like he is ready to assume the role that was filled the past two years by rebounding extraordinaire Jonathan Mills. Also, don't underestimate 5'7 class of 2010 point guard Stephen Thorpe, who has the poise and the demeanor that make it easy to see that he is a coach's son.
... We realize that he is only a class of 2011 prospect and therefore could ultimately project as a possible D1 recruit due to his up side, but as of now we regard 6'6 Luke Hager from Whitney Young High School in Chicago as an ideal small college prospect. Hager plays extremely hard at both ends of the floor and is capable of knocking down shots from just about anywhere on the wing. One D2 program that is already showing heavy interest is Wisconsin-Parkside.
Additional Recruiting Notes
... After completing play at the NIU Team Camp today, George Marshall will travel to Cincinnati tomorrow to participate in Xavier University's elite camp. The Musketeers are recruiting Marshall extremely hard, as are DePaul, Illinois State, Northwestern, Marquette and Loyola-Chicago. Both DePaul and Illinois State have offered, and Marshall competed in the Redbirds' elite camp in Normal last weekend.
... Curie head coach Mike Oliver confirmed to us that the alleged rumors concerning both 6'7 class of 2010 prospect Justin Martin and 6'5 class of 2010 prospect Farroq Muhammad transferring from Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis to Curie are nothing more than rumors and that NEITHER ONE WILL HAPPEN.
... Moving away from the NIU Team Camp for a moment, Sean Connor, the head coach of the Velocity Black traveling team, has informed us that 6'9 class of 2010 center Dave Dudzinski from Kaneland High School in Maple Park, IL has begun to receive interest from Ivy League schools. Cornell has offered Dudzinski a full financial package, while Princeton has also done plenty of inquiry. Meanwhile, 6'8 Tim Rusthoven from Wheaton Academy in West Chicago, IL, who plays for Velocity Red, participated in the University of Virginia's elite camp last week although his play was limited as a result of a leg injury. Rusthoven should be back in full stride by the time the July evaluation period gets rolling. Another Velocity Red player, 6'9 Matt Haas from Naperville North High School in Naperville, IL, is receiving interest from Columbia.
And Last But Not Least
... Kudos once again to Northern Illinois University head coach Ricardo Patton and assistant coaches Sundance Wicks, Will Smith and Todd Townsend on putting together a stellar field at Moody and for all of their accommodations.
Continue to check in with Illinois Prep Bulls-eye for all of the latest as it pertains to recruiting and high school basketball in Illinois.
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