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Brian Stinnette's News and Notes From The World Of High School Basketball and College Basketball Recruiting
Brian Stinnette September 18, 2007 Email Questions/Comments To brian@chicagohoops.com Former Chicago Carver star LaMarr Drake of Division II NJCAA National Champion Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan is a player to keep a close eye on this season. Drake, a 6-2 point guard, will team with highly regarded former Chicago Von Steuben star Jeremie Simmons in the Mott backcourt this season, and has firmly established himself as a bona fide Division I player. Two players who you don't hear a lot about, but who just may go a long way toward determing just who is the best team in the Chicago Public League are 5-10 point guard Lazeric Jones of Chicago Simeon and 6-5 wing Marvin Thigpen of Chicago Farragut. Both players are "X" factors for their respective teams. Expect to hear these two names a lot this year. Class of 2008 Fenwick star Derek Tartt of the Illinois Wolves is expected to host the University of Colorado on an in-home visit this week. Keep an eye out for 5-11 Class of 2008 Wheeling point guard Chris McClellan. Hey folks, this kid can really play! Class of 2008 Mt. Zion star Mark Yelovich is getting strong interest from Division I Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne, and is expected to check out the this week. IPFW has already hosted Fenton star Gozie Umeadi and Bartlett star Cory Hryndyk on visits, and are actively recruiting both Bryan Hall of Chicago Whitney Young and Champaign Central star Donald Stewart. Isaac Chew of Murray State University is fast-rising as one of the hardest working recruiters on the college basketball recruiting trail. You are going to hear a lot from Chew on the recruiting trail over the next couple of years. Virginia is giving Class of 2010 Mundelein star Ben Brust of the Rising Stars a look. Davidson is actively giving a hard look at 7-0 Kyle Rowley of Lake Forest Academy, 6-8 Jack Cooley of Glenbrook South and 6-1 Class of 2010 star Ben Brust of Mundelein. Look for Boca Raton, Florida-based Florida Atlantic University to continue to hit the recruiting trail in Chicago hard with head coach Rex Walters, and hot shot assistant coach Jeff Guin, a tireless performer on the recruiting trail. Fresh off of a strong season which saw them ranked as high as #6 in the country, downstate juco heavyweight John A. Logan College has added a pair of Division I transfers. Norman Wells from Indiana State, and Brooks Taylor from South Alabama have both transferred in and will immediately bolster the John Logan attack. Former Rich Central star Jarvis Walker is also poised for a big year. Former Chicago Harlan star Andre Gullens is now at Redlands Community College in Oklahoma. Last year, Gullens, a 6-6 wing who is known for both his athleticism, and his ability to score the basketball, starred at Eastern Oklahoma last year as a freshman. A pair of guards from the far north suburbs to watch this year are Class of 2009 standout Keith Ford of North Chicago, and Class of 2008 star Rodney Clinkscales of Zion-Benton. Pierre Sneed (Chicago Simeon), Isiah Nunn (Moline), Tony Nixon (Seton Academy) and Kenny Stevenson (Seton Academy) were all on campus at the University of Wisconsin this past weekend, and took advantage of the opportunity to take in the Wisconsin/The Citadel football game. Class of 2008 point guard Ray Gregory will lead Chicago Fenger this year. Look for 6-8 Class of 2008 star Jawan Nelson of Bloom Township to have a big senior senior season. Nelson, who has made great strides with both his game and his overall conditioning, is extremely difficult to handle inside, and has developed a nice soft touch on his mid-range jumper. Illinois-Chicago and Miami (Ohio) are both among the schools that have offered Nelson a scholarship, and he is continuing to add to his list of suitors. Nelson competes on the travel team circuit with the Illinois Bobcats. |
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