Ten for 2011

This is an early look into my thoughts on the 2011 class. These are PLAYER, not prospect, rankings.

1. Donivine Stewart 5'9" PG Limestone - Isn't much of a "prospect" but is the best player in his class. No freshman has had a better season.
   
   
2. Wayne Blackshear 6'5" WF Curie - Supurb prospect with showstopping athleticism.
   
   
3. Mike Shaw 6'9" PF De La Salle - Skilled, sizey, great potential...A future All-American?
   
   
4. Ryan Boatright 5'10" WG East Aurora (USC) - A great player that can really score the ball.
   
   
5. Chasson Randle 6'1" PG Rock Island - Has been compared to Verdell Jones at the same stage...seems right to me!
   
   
6. Tyler Tarrence 6'8" PF Midland - Big with good footwork. Has the size and game is steadily improving. Could be a high major guy.
   
   
7. Hayden Hoerdemann 6'2" G Blm. Central Catholic - Very skilled guard with nerves of steel...the kid is clutch!
   
   
8. Andrew Wilson 6'4" WF Peoria Woodruff - Skilled perimeter player with size. Work ethic needs improvement but the skills are there.
   
   
9. Brandon Watson 6'5" PF Peoria Manual - He's very good inside but will he grow?
   
   
10. George Marshall 5'8" PG Brooks - Distributing point guard with a very high IQ.

Top 10 Sophomores

The class of 2010 is a pure perimeter class. The bigs are thin but the guards and 3men are very plentiful and talented. Here's my top group of ten.

1. Jereme Richmond 6'6" WF Waukegan (Illinois) - A stat-stuffer. Has the potential to be an All-American.
   
   
2. Crandall Head 6'4" WG Rich South - More athletic than Luther at the same age and just as skilled. Most expect UI to get the commitment.
   
   
3. Anthony Johnson 6'2" G Whitney Young - An excellent scorer that is limited due to amount of talent at WY.
   
   
4. Alex Dragievich 6'4" WG Glenbrook North - Not the next Jon Scheyer but the school's best player since. High major player.
   
   
5. Lavonte Dority 5'10" PG Foreman - Sherron Collins may have a long lost brother.
   
   
6. DeAndre McCamey 6'1" PG St. Joseph - Demetri's brother. More skilled at the same age.
   
   
7. Lenzelle Smith 6'3" WG Zion-Benton - A Ryan Hare type player. Already sporting high major scholarship offers.
   
   
8. Rayvonte Rice 6'2" G Champaign Centennial - A pure scorer with a great body.
   
   
9. Jarod Oldham 6'3" G Decatur Eisenhower - Very smooth. Can score but makes point guard decisions.
   
   
10. Hoopy Jones 6'2" G Mounds Meridian - A true combination guard.

Top 25 Seniors

1. Aziz N’Diaye 7’0” C (Recruited by a lot of Big XII programs)
2. Iman Shumpert 6’4” G Georgia Tech
3. Verdell Jones 6’4” PG (Heavily considering Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Minnesota)
4. Lewis Jackson 5’9” PG Purdue
5. Mike Dunigan 6’10” C Oregon
6. Dion Dixon 6’3” G (Heavily considering Texas A&M-CC, UNLV, and Wyoming)
7. Kevin Dillard 5’11” PG Southern Illinois
8. Ryan Hare 6’4” SF (Recruited by Baylor, Northern Illinois, Ball State, and others)
9. Matt Humphrey 6’5” SG Oregon
10. Matt Roth 6’3” SG Indiana
11. Brett Thompson 6’11” C St. Louis
12. Tyler Storm 6’7” SF Northern Illinois
13. Nick Fruendt 6’5” SF Northwestern
14. Jawan Nelson 6’10” C Texas A&M-CC
15. Jeremy Robinson 6’7” PF Illinois State
16. Donald Stewart 6’5” SG (Heavily considering SIU-Edwardsville and UMKC)
17. Ruben Cotto 6’0” G (Recruited by SEC and ACC programs)
18. John Shurna 6’7” PF Northwestern
19. Elliott Brown 6’0” G (Underrecruited scoring guard)
20. Jeremy Montgomery 6’1” G (Heavily considering MAC schools)
21. Supo Sanni 6’4” SF Illinois (Football recruit)
22. Josh Crittle 6’8” PF Oregon
23. Aaron Garriott 6’3” G SIU-Edwardsville
24. Luke Fabrizius 6’9” PF Dayton
25. Stan Simpson 6’9” PF Illinois

Top 15 Seniors By Position

Point Guards

1. Verdell Jones 6’4” Champaign Central
2. Lewis Jackson 5’9” Decatur Eisenhower (Purdue)
3. Kevin Dillard 5’11” Homewood Flossmoor (Southern Illinois)
4. **Ruben Cotto 6’0” Alton, Sr.
5. **Elliott Brown 6’0” De La Salle
6. **Aaron Garriott 6’3” Blm. Central Catholic (SIU-Edwardsville)
7. John Moran 6’0” Jacobs (Northern Iowa)
8. Mike DiNunno 6’0” Von Steuben (Northern Illinois)
9. A.J. Rompza 5’9” Whitney Young (Central Florida)
10. Kenyon Smith 6’0” Simeon (Illinois State)
11. **Jeremy Leonard 6’2” TF North
12. Isiah Williams 6’1” Farragut
13. Deonte Lundeen 5’8” Von Steuben
14. Darieus Perry 5’7” Bloomington
15. Donovan Foster 5’10” Curie (Detroit)

Shooting Guards

1. Iman Shumpert 6’4” Oak Park-River Forest (Georgia Tech)
2. **Dion Dixon 6’3” Crane
3. Matt Humphrey 6’5” Hales Franciscan (Oregon)
4. Matt Roth 6’3” Washington (Indiana)
5. **Donald Stewart 6’5” Champaign Central
6. Jeremy Montgomery 6’1” Lincoln Park
7. Kenny Leverette 6'3" O'Fallon
   
8. Gozie Umeadi 6’4” Fenton
9. Daniel Barnes 6’2” Oak Park-River Forest (Eastern Michigan)
10. Cornelius Chatt 6’2” Madison
11. Anthony Campbell 6’6” Edwardsville (Austin Peay)
12. Armani Williams 6’3” Elgin
13. Adam Hodge 6’4” South Elgin
14. Pierre Sneed 6'4" Simeon (Ball State)
    
15. Zavion Neely 6'1" Hope (Illinois-Chicago)
    

Small Forwards

1. Ryan Hare 6’4” Marshall
2. Tyler Storm 6’7” Geneseo (Northern Illinois)
3. Nick Fruendt 6’5” Batavia (Northwestern)
4. Supo Sanni 6’4” Homewood Flossmoor (Illinois) (FB RECRUIT)
5. Carl Richard 6’5” Richards (Indiana State)
6. **Isiah Nunn 6’7” Moline
7. Chris Parrish 6’3” Riverside-Brookfield
8. Peter Boehm 6’7” New Trier (Harvard)
9. Isiah Simelton 6’5” West Frankfort
10. Kyle Cassity 6’6” Pinckneyville
11. Kaleb Wright 6’4” Blue Island Eisenhower
12. Marvin Thigpen 6’7” Farragut
13. Mark Yelovich 6’5” Mt. Zion
14. Darius Stowers 6’3” Farragut
15. Rob Belcore 6’5” Loyola Academy (Penn)

Power Forwards/Centers

1. **Aziz N’Diaye 7’0” Lake Forest Academy
2. Mike Dunigan 6’10” Farragut (Oregon)
3. Brett Thompson 6’11” Vienna (St. Louis)
4. Jawan Nelson 6’10” Bloom Township (Texas A&M-CC)
5. Jeremy Robinson 6’7” Decatur Eisenhower (Illinois State)
6. John Shurna 6’7” Glenbard West (Northwestern)
7. Josh Crittle 6’8” Hales Franciscan (Oregon)
8. Luke Fabrizius 6’9” Hersey (Dayton)
9. Stan Simpson 6’9” Simeon (Illinois)
10. Steve Goins 6’10” Curie
11. Byron Woods 6’7” Proviso West
12. Jake Lindfors 6’9” Addison-Driscoll (Albany)
13. Kamil Janton 6’10” Bartlett (Eastern Michigan)
14. Trey McCorkle 6’10” Bismarck-Henning (IPFW)
15. Homer Denson 6'7" Von Steuben
    

**Keep an eye out for this season

Top 25 Seniors (2008)

1. Iman Shumpert 6'4" PG Oak Park-River Forest/Full Package - Down to Marquette, Georgia Tech, and UNC.
   
2. Aziz N'Diaye 7'0" C Lake Forest Academy - Just moved to the states but after I got my first look, WOW! He could have easily been #1.
   
3. Verdell Jones III 6'4" PG Champaign Central/Ft. Sooy - Has tons of offers and is very "hush, hush" in terms of his recruitment.
   
4. Matt Humphrey 6'5" SG Hales Franciscan/MeanStreets (Oregon)
   
5. Mike Dunigan 6'10" C Farragut/MeanStreets (Oregon)
   
6. Lewis Jackson 5'9" PG Eisenhower/Indiana Elite (Purdue)
   
7. Kevin Dillard 5'11" PG H-F/MeanStreets (SIU)
   
8. Ryan Hare 6'4" SF Marshall/Illinois Fire (Oregon St.) - May transfer from Marshall due
   to firing of Lamont Bryant.
   
9. Dion Dixon 6'3" SG Crane/Chicago Express - Offers from TX A&M-CC and UNLV.
   
10. Brett Thompson 6'11" C Vienna/Illinois Warriors (St. Louis)
    
11. Donald Stewart 6'5" SG Champaign Central/Team Illinois - Most underrated guard in his class. Has offers from IPFW, I(nd)SU, Tenn. Tech, and UMKC.
    
12. Matt Roth 6'3" SG Washington/Indiana Elite (Indiana)
    
13. Nick Fruendt 6'5" SF Batavia/Illinois Wolves (Northwestern) - A proven winner that competes. Not the most talented but somehow always comes away with the "W".
    
14. Josh Crittle 6'8" PF Hales Franciscan/MeanStreets - Down to Oregon and Minnesota.
    
15. Stan Simpson 6'8" PF Simeon/Illinois Warriors (Illinois)
    
16. Jeremy Montgomery 6'1" SG Lincoln Park/Illinois Fire - Can really score the ball. Will be great at the mid major level.
    
17. Luke Fabrizius 6'9" PF Hersey/Illinois Warriors (Dayton)
    
18. Jeremy Robinson 6'7" PF Eisenhower/Team Illinois (ISU) - Has yet to identify a true position.
    
19. Tyler Storm 6'7" SF Geneseo/Martin Bros. (NIU)
    
20. Jawan Nelson 6'10" 265 lbs C Bloom Township/Illinois Bobcats - State's most underrated post player. Has great size, mobility, and post moves.
    
21. A.J. Rompza 5'7" PG Whitney Young/Chicago Ferrari
    
22. Isiah Williams 6'1" PG Farragut/Chicago Ferrari
    
23. Kenyon Smith 6'0" PG Simeon/Chicago Express (ISU)
    
24. John Moran 6'0" PG Jacobs/Illinois Wolves (Northern Iowa)
    
25. Jake Lindfors 6'9" PF Addison Driscoll/Rising Stars (Albany)

2008 Predictions

Iman Shumpert will choose Thursday. He's down to North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Marquette. I'm 90% confident that he will choose the Golden Eagles. I think Georgia Tech was his second choice but nowhere near Marquette. IMO, UNC was just in his final 3 because it is UNC and who wouldn't want to at least visit there?

This is a tricky one...If I had to guess, I'd say Verdell Jones is pretty much down to Kentucky, Minnesota, and South Florida. All three have offered and though his family has a strong relationship with Kentucky, I'd say their out of the picture as they have received commitments from two big time point guards in the 2008 and 2009 class. I'd say it's a 50/50 chance between Minnesota and South Florida but his recruitment is very hard to gauge. Who knows what's really going on?

Josh Crittle is down to Minnesota and Oregon. I'm pretty sure he'll end up at Minnesota partly because there is more of an opportunity there for him. Mike Dunigan will surely hold down the center position while Joevan Catron will still have two years at the PF. He's got a chance to get minutes early playing for Tubby.

If Shumpert takes Marquette, which I believe he will, I'd predict Dion Dixon to UNLV. He has a chance to be a great player in the Mountain West and will likely be much more successful than a lot of the highly regarded prospects in his class.

Top 10 Sophomores in Illinois

This is a list of the top 10 sophomores throughout the state. I've pretty much seen everyone in contention for a top 25 ranking. Remember these are PLAYER rankings, not prospect rankings. I've also added a some stars for the players based on mostly on potential but a lot on current skill level as well.

1. Jereme Richmond 6’6” SF/SG Waukegan (Rising Stars) – Athletic and skilled wing with size. Very versatile. Shoots it well. Good at getting to the basket. Good passer. Needs to improve perimeter defensive skills. Rebounds well. Improving ball handling. Has a very high ceiling…All-American potential! Had a great freshman campaign averaging a high double-double and will compete against much greater competition this season. Committed to Illinois...5-Stars

2. Anthony Johnson 6’2” Guard Whitney Young (Chicago Ferrari) – Very good scorer. Shoots it well and can also get to the basket. Good defender. Improving handle. Good passer. Plays with confidence. A rising star...4-Stars

3. DeAndre McCamey 6’0” PG St. Joseph (Illinois Wolves) – A skilled point guard with very good strength and athleticism. Poised. Handles it well and makes plays. Competes very hard. Good defender. High basketball IQ. Has a game similar to his brother, UI freshman Demetri McCamey...4-Stars

4. Paul Bunch 6’10” Center North Lawndale (Indiana Elite-Ft. Wayne Flyers) – Inside player with a lot of size. Is adding strength. A good rebounder and shot blocker. Improving offensive skills. Will be considered for the state’s top ranking if he plays more aggressive. A sure fire big time recruit. The sky is the limit! Grade problems prevented him from competing on the varsity squad last season...4-Stars

5. Lenzelle Smith 6’3” SG/SF Zion-Benton (Illinois Stars) – Athletic and strong. Hard worker. Very good defensively. Gets to the basket well. A leader. Draws comparisons to Ryan Hare of Chicago Marshall...3-Stars

6. Lavonte Dority 6’1” PG Foreman (Illinois Fire) – Advanced point guard with good skills. Very poised. A leader on the floor. Handles and passes well. Can also score. Good defender. Plays with the mentality of an experienced high school senior at a young age. Had an amazing freshman campaign at Foreman. Already has some big time scholarship offers...3-Stars

7. Reggie Smith 6’0” Guard Thornton (Illinois Fire) – Very, very athletic guard. Great at attacking the basket. Improving point guard skills. Defends well. Explosive. Needs to improve shooting. Finds ways to score. Strong. Rebounds well from position. Would compete for a position as the state’s top guard if he was a bit taller...3-Stars

8. Crandall Head 6’3” SG Rich South (Illinois Warriors) – Extremely athletic wing with raw skills. Explosive leaper. Good defender. Improving handle and shooting. Athleticism helps him score while attacking the basket. A little less skilled than his brother (Houston Rocket-Luther Head) at this age but more athletic...3-Stars

9. Chancellor Carter 6’4.5” PF Loyola Academy (Rising Stars) – Athletic forward with a very strong body. Has great footwork inside. Renlentless rebounder. More agile than he looks. Scores well inside and improving perimeter game. Needs to trim up to play the wing if he doesn’t grow a good 3-4 inches. Reminds of a much more athletic Tim Flowers (Wisconsin-Milwaukee)...2-Stars

10. Isiah Jones 6’2” Guard Mounds Meridian (Illinois Warriors) – One of the state’s most overlooked guards but not for long. Can distribute and score the ball. Is very posied. Plays hard on both ends of the floor. Should have a breakout season this year...2 1/2-Stars