Top Teams in Illinois- Morgan Park

Our series continues with a team that came onto the scene as a major threat to win state last year when one of the state’s top talents in SG Wayne Blackshear led a talented group on underclassmen deep into the playoffs. Now the torch is being passed like Vito Corleone did to Michael. There are not one or two amazing talents in this group like I’ve talked about in the past with each team. On this team, the collective group together is one of the best. Led by several juniors, the underclassmen will have to carry just as much leadership to make yet another deep run in the state playoffs. We travel a little further south, but not too much, to see some of Chicagoland’s underrated team…….

Morgan Park High School- When a team does so well in large part because of the performance of one player, that team tends to have a major drop off the following year that player departs-- see LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavilers. This year’s team does not seem to have the same firepower as last years, but some under-the-radar-type players are due for a big season. The biggest question will be on the incoming juniors handle the pressure as focal points of the offense, and that’s a big if, but even if two of the three main juniors can hold their own, as expected, then the Mustangs will keep on rolling. This will be a very young team that will most likely feature 3 juniors and 2 sophomores in the starting lineup. With no major contributing senior on the team, the juniors will have to be the de facto leaders. Fortunately, one of, if not the most important position on the court happens to be the Mustangs’ best player.

Meet future DePaul Blue Demon, Jr. PG Billy Garrett, Jr (6-2, 165 lbs, left). The son of a coach, Garrett, Jr’s knowledge of the game is beyond his years. While opponents teamed up on Blackshear last year, Garrett, Jr. made defenses pay for his explosiveness to the rim and his elite distributing ability. When Billy wasn’t making defenses look sillier than Shaq dressed as a Miami Police Officer, Garrett, Jr. was typically guarding the opposing team’s best player. This level of defense at the point guard position is almost as coveted as passing the ball. With his ideal height, Garrett, Jr. could guard and play both positions. Playing Robin to Garrett, Jr.’s Batman, the Champ Kind to Garrett, Jr.’s Ron Burgundy is yet another junior, PG/SG Markee Williams (5-9, 160 lbs, looked at by UIC, Loyola, and SIU). Despite being 3 inches (and that might be a generous estimate) smaller than Garrett, Jr., Williams plays off the ball and is a great compliment to Billy. As a left hander, Williams has great quickness and swift feet on both offense and defense. Combined with Garrett, Jr., the two might form the best 1-2 defensive combo in the state. If watching the NBA this year has taught us anything, beside Chris Bosh looking funnier with his spider dreadlock he had in Toronto compared to his weirdly shaped bald head in Miami, defense wins game. What this represents for Morgan Park is that they will not be taken out of games because of the opposition’s offense.

Good guards are like a good fastball pitcher- effective and helpful to beat the opponent but nothing without another option. Enter Jr. C Xzavier Taylor (6-8, 210 lbs, looked at by NIU, Northwestern, Florida State, Oklahoma, left). As a sophomore, Taylor showed at times slow feet and about as good as a motor as 1960’s Volkswagens Beetle on the Audubon. However, on the AAU circuit, Taylor has gained some quickness and has been more effective on both the offensive and defense boards. Taylor will be important for the Mustangs in their inside-out offensive sets they run. Last year, Taylor was the benefactor of some Garrett, Jr. feeds and played of star senior Blackshear freeing up him against defenders in the paint. Taylor won’t have that luxury this year but his added quickness and overall post moves should improve Morgan Park’s inside game. With most of the attention set on the Mustangs’ back court that will also include major contributions  from Jr. SG Terrance Quinn (6-1, 160 lbs, no offers), Taylor should be set for a big year in the points and rebound department.

Looking at this team, there is as much star power as a party at Andy Dick’s house. Garrett, Jr. will far and away be the Mustangs’ best and most important player. There are several good role players on this team that should take some of the load off of Billy. If Taylor could become a legitimate double-double threat game after game, and if Morgan Park could get another guard like Quinn or Williams to become a constant scorer, Morgan Park should be in the top ten, if not top 5 teams in the state.

NEXT WEEK: TOP TEAMS IN ILLINIOS (THE LAST ONE)

Top Teams in Illinois- De La Salle

This next team we’re about to talk about had the potential to be the top team in 2012, despite the talent on other teams. The loss of a key player is more crippling than high jumper in a wheel chair. Some people will write them off and they might not even crack the top 5 in Illinois for best men’s basketball teams. I’m a believer that talent wins out in most cases. Senior leadership will be lack and some young stars will have to grow up quickly for this team to have success. They will have their share of hiccups along the way, but ultimately, I see this team being a serious contender to make it downstate (or upstate if you’re reading this in southern Illinois). This year will be the warm up run before a more experienced and more talented team that will be ready to run down their opponents. For this year, the learning curve starts now……

De La Salle Meteors----- Driven by a couple seniors, De La Salle looked poised for a run to Peoria. After a tough loss to Whitney Young a couple rounds into the state tournament, the Meteors were left to pick up the pieces of a lost season. Some young ballers emerged last year and grabbed some attention from several scouts and for once, it looked like a team could match back-to-back state champion Simeon in talent. A new season begins and that experience and some of the talent no longer are there. This will force the incoming juniors and sophomores to take on a bigger role. For a team that had such high expectations, giving the keys to the car to kids that can’t drive yet can be a bit scary. And after graduation of a couple seniors and the blueprint for a successful season was beginning to be laid out, abruptly, one of De La Salle’s top players opted to take his talents to Simeon and continue his education and basketball career for the Wolverines making them more dangerous than they already were. The decision for Jr. PG Jaylon Tate (6-1, 175 lbs) to transfer left a lot of people in shock, like when people found out Hootie from Hootie and the Blowfish was black. This created a big hole for the Meteors to fill as their backcourt was now depleted. Fortunately for De La Salle, there is enough talent for this team to recover.

The leadership of this team will fall on two of its most talented players, despite some seniors on the team. Jr. SF Alvin Ellis (6-4, 185 lbs, recruited by Illinois, Northwestern, and DePaul, left) and Jr. SF/PF Alex Foster (6-8, 200 lbs, offers from Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Purdue) will have to take on bigger roles as leaders on and off the floor. The talent of these two could make De La Salle a contender. Ellis had a descent season last year playing second fiddle to the senior wings on the team, but this year, Ellis will have a chance to shine in a new role. Foster, on the other hand, will improve on and develop more into a role from key role player in the starting lineup to the key player in the starting lineup. This would be like making Ringo Star go from Drums to lead guitar and vocals for the Beatles. Due to Foster’s talents of an athletic wing who can drive, shoot, and distribute, this should not be a daunting task. If this team has success this year, these two will have a large part in it. However, others will need to step up into bigger roles and be the role players Foster and Ellis were last year.

An unexpected departure led to an unexpected delivery. When the Meteors looked depleted, De La Salle received a surprising transfer all the way from the land of schnitzel and lederhosen; Germany (sorry Milwaukee). Class of 2013 C Gavin Schilling (6-9, 230 lbs, recruited by Iowa, Missouri, and Oregon), makes his voyage back from Germany to his home town of Chicago. As a freshman, Schilling generated some publicity as an athletic big man with good post moves. Schilling decided to follow some family back to Germany and hone his craft in Deutschland. As basketball has become a realistic career for Schilling, Gavin returns stateside to team up with the Meteors. Schilling will add some size to an undersized team and will definitely crack the starting line-up (though an ACL injury has sidelined him, Gavin should be ready for the season). With Schilling, Foster, and Ellis, De La Salle should have a dynamic frontcourt that should compete with most other teams they will face.

The question for this team is how the young stars will develop and who will step up in the backcourt and be the Meteors everyday point guard like Tate was for them last year. If both questions can be answered positively, this should be a very exciting and promising season. In the end, this year will just be the long build up to what should be one of the top teams in Illinois next year in 2012-2013. Foster has a chance to be special; even more so than PF Mike Shaw and SF Dre’ Henley were for the Meteors last year. Win or lose, I expect big things from Ellis and Foster at the end of the season and should be in the forefront of some of the elite recruits coming out of Illinois in 2013.

NEXT WEEK: TOP TEAMS IN ILLINOIS

Top Teams in Illinois- Whitney Young

The gap between this next team and the team I reported about last weekend might be bigger than the gap between Jennifer Aniston and Michael Moore in a beauty contest. With that said, this next program is very capable of winning a state title and finishing in the national top 25. This program consistently is one of the top programs in Illinois and seems to be a revolving door for division 1 athletes. But after some key departures, this years’ team will rely on a senior point guard and some key young ballers that will be coming to a division 1 program near you. So without further ado, let’s introduce the probable second best team in the state….

Whitney Young Dolphins—Last year was supposed to be the year for the Dolphins: they had one of the top seniors in the state and one of the deepest benches as well. But after a couple of injuries and a slow start for a couple of players, Whitney Young had to play some catch up to raise their ranking in the state. This season, the roster is a bit lighter and some key departures, most notable, SF Sam Thompson, will certainly impact the team. Outside of the point guard, the Dolphins will throw out a younger lineup than last year. Some of the youngsters from last year have showed some great strides this AAU season and might be the difference between a very good basketball team to a great one.

The three players, Jr. C Thomas Hamilton, Jr. (6-9, 230 lbs, offers from Illinois and Michigan State, left), So C Jahlil Okafor (6-8, 255 lbs, offered by Syracuse, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Arkansas, DePaul) and So SF/PF Paul White (6-7, 185 lbs, offered by DePaul, Illinois, Ohio State, Syracuse, Michigan State) will be the heart and soul of this team. The two sophomores spent some time with team USA and U16 tryouts this summer and scouts have loved what they have seen. With these three, not only will the Dolphins have one of the best front courts in the state, but most likely the country with 3 potential 5 star athletes. The development of Hamilton, Jr. will be just as impactful. Thomas has developed from an overweight big man that can dictate defenders inside to a skilled big man that can step out and hit a jumper to match his inside game. Conditioning and rebounding will be key as Hamilton, Jr. hopes to solidify himself from a fringe 5 star to a sure-fire 5 star recruit.

With Okafor and Hamilton, Jr., this could be a dominating 1,2 frontcourt, but the key to this whole group might be White. Last year, the Dolphins were bailed out by Thompson’s athleticism and scoring ability. That will surely be missed and could be the different between a good and great season for Whitney Young. Thompson was able to guard multiple positions and play at different positions on the court. No one on this team, so far can come close to that. The player that might become what Thompson was last year is White. His athleticism is beyond his years and White is very crafty around the net. He was limited in his role on the team last due to just being a freshman, but White should see plenty of minutes this year. White can attack off the dribble and with his superior ball handling; White can create for himself and others. It will be his versatility that will allow Whitney Young to have a good outside and great inside game.

There are some young studs on this team that definitely garnish plenty of star power, but the floor general and presumed lone senior in the starting lineup will be the difference between a young, erratic team vs. a composed and mature team. Sr. PG Derrick Randolph (5-7, 150 lbs, interest from UIC and NIU) will take on a bigger role as point guard this year after sharing time with PG Kwai Pearson. Randolph might look like Mini-Me compared to everyone else on the floor but Randolph’s style of play is similar to a bowling ball in that he charges down the lane knocking over a couple defenders, including himself, who get in the way. His point guard skills are still raw but Randolph is a flashy passer and will be asked to look to distribute more to players inside like Okafor and Hamilton, Jr. His developing point guard skills and composure, something he did not always display last year, will be inertial to this year’s team.

In most other states, Whitney Young would be favored to win a state title. In Illinois, finishing second seems like a good accomplishment. The Dolphins might not be as deep but they are more skilled at other positions than they were last year. If White, Hamilton, Jr., and Okafor can develop as expected, this should be a very fun team to watch as much of a competition to dethrone Simeon as state champs. But there are some ifs on this team but at the very worst, the three big stars, figuratively and literately, will make this an exciting season for Whitney Young.

NEXT WEEK: TOP TEAMS IN ILLINOIS 

Top Teams in Illinois- Simeon

Due to the fact the NFL might go into a lockout for the year this upcoming season, I figured I would take a bye week of my own. We jump right back into our magical mystery tour of the Future of Basketball for our top teams here in Illinois. Over the next several weeks, or until I can find a better topic during the slow season of high school basketball, I will point out some of the teams that we will most likely see in Peoria this upcoming Spring competing for a state title.  What better way to start off this list with a team that most likely will be cutting down the nets this upcoming spring, and maybe more…………..

Simeon- As the most likely number one team in the state this 2012-13 season, picking Simeon was easier than picking out Kevin James in a crowd of anorexics. With a roster that has about 6-7 future division 1 college players, Simeon is the big kid on a small block. Winners of back to back state titles, Simeon is poised to win its 3^rd straight. A team that had its biggest contributors as underclassman, most of the players from last year’s team come back to defend their crown once more. With just a couple seniors on Simeon this year, the Wolverines look like a viable candidate to win another state championship the following year as well. However, there has been a recent addition to this year’s team that was already primed from a state title run. As they say, the rich get richer. As a sophomore, PG Jaylon Tate was already one of De La Salle’s, another top team in the state, best player. But when considering issues other than Tate’s basketball future, Jaylon’s parents and him deciding transferring from one of the top teams in the state to the best team in the state would only brighten his future.

As a rising point guard in the class of 2013, Tate (left) looked to be one of the leaders on a team set to dethrone Simeon’s run to the top. Now as a member of the Wolverines, Tate only enhances Simeon’s chance to win it all once again. Tate joining forces with the likes of SF Jabari Parker, PF Steve Taylor, and SG/PG Kendrick Nunn is like Bill Gates winning the Powerball lottery. Simeon’s starting lineup looks like a mid-level college team. With a true point guard, players like Parker and Nunn will have pressure taken off of them to create for themselves. The 6-1 point guard will have more weapons at his disposal and should further is stock as an up and coming recruit. Possibly the biggest benefactor of this transfer is Parker who found himself bringing the ball up the court and distributing the ball last year. With a reliable point guard this upcoming year, Parker can focus more on finding spots on the court to get free and make moves to the basket. As one of, if not the top player in the class of 2013, Parker’s offensive numbers will improve and his role will be more defined as a scorer more so than in the last two years.

Tate will most likely jump right into the starting lineup for the Wolverines. This does mean that players like Jr PG Brandon Clemons (5-10, 155 lbs, no offers) and Sr. PG Jelani Neely (6-0, 165 lbs, UIC interest) will have playing time cut. This of course means Simeon will be much deeper, but especially for Neely, who was expected to be one of the impact seniors on this team will most likely come off the bench. As a pure point guard such as Tate, another player who will get hurt, not with playing time but more in experience at the position is Nunn. Already one of the top players in Illinois for the loaded class of 2013, the undersized Nunn was poised to take more time at point guard. Already one of the top defenders on the team and top shooters, Nunn would increase his stock as one of the top recruits in the country if he could develop more of a floor general’s game. At 6-2, Nunn does not have the ideal size for a shooting guard despite is superior ability to put the ball in the basket from anywhere on the floor, so Nunn may have had better future success developing more as a point guard. Now with Tate in the picture, Nunn will play more off the ball than I anticipate previous to this season. Nunn will most likely enter college as a combo guard and figure things out from there, but this seemed like a great opportunity to become a better point guard.

This year’s team will be led by Sr. PF Steve Taylor and Jr. SF Jabari Parker and a state championship seems imminent. What really sets this team apart is the depth they can throw out each night that surely will keep all of their players fresh throughout the game and wear down opponents. Even before the transfer, Parker’s game has exploded even more playing for team USA’s U16 team and Steve Taylor has opted not to play football this year as in year’s past and focus more on basketball. Taylor, though, was probably in no danger of an injury if he stuck with football as the 6-7 kicker, yes kicker, played football more for the conditioning. Although, who doesn’t like to see a giant kick a football around. I’m sure Yao Ming would put butts in the seats as a kicker for Chicago Bears. Now with Tate, Simeon’s starting lineup not only might be the best in the state, but it might be the best in the entire country. Simeon will definitely be in the top 10 in national rankings for high school basketball this year. If Tate could mesh well with the rest of his teammates, Simeon has a legitimate chance of winning a national title.

NEXT WEEK: TOP TEAMS IN ILLINOIS