ESPN

Simeon junior forward Jabari Parker, ESPN’s No. 1 ranked Class of 2013 player, is featured on Sports Illustrated’s most recent cover and is deemed “the best high school basketball player since LeBron James.”

Parker joins James and Sebastian Telfair as the lone high school basketball players to be featured on Sports Illustrated’s cover in the past decade. Kevin Garnett also made the cover when he was a senior at Farragut High School in Chicago in 1996.

In Sports Illustrated’s article, Parker talks about his Mormon faith and being torn on whether to go on a mission when he turns 19.

(Read full post)

Marshall senior guard Milton Doyle was prepared to commit to Kansas on Tuesday, but he was told to hold off because the Jayhawks are still waiting on the status of other recruits, Doyle’s mother said.

Doyle, a 6-foot-4 guard, made an official visit to Kansas on Monday and Tuesday and is set to return to Chicago on Tuesday night. He met with Kansas coach Bill Self on Tuesday afternoon.

“They told him they were waiting on other recruits and whether they would qualify,” Doyle’s mother Lisa Green said. “He’s disappointed. We have no choice but to wait because it’s late in the game. They told him they’ll let him know by Friday. We will be talking to other schools.”

Doyle previously signed with Florida International, but he was let out of his letter of intent after the school fired coach Isiah Thomas. Doyle averaged 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists while playing in the Chicago Public League his senior season.

“This is the school of his dreams,” Green said of Kansas. “He dreamed about Duke, Kansas and Kentucky.”

Doyle flew under the radar for much of his high school basketball career. He attended Tilden his first two years and then transferred to Marshall. He broke his wrist and did not play his junior season. He also didn’t play the summer club circuit prior to his senior season.

St. Rita freshman guard Charles Matthews awoke to a phone call from his high school coach notifying he had been offered by DePaul and Illinois on Tuesday.

Matthews stayed home from school Tuesday because he wasn’t feeling well and had already missed one call from St. Rita coach Gary DeCesare before he was finally reached with the news.

“It was such a blessing,” said Matthews, a 6-foot-4 guard. “It’s truly an honor and a blessing to be offered these opportunities. I’m just a freshman, and I have three scholarship offers. I’m grateful.”

Matthews previously was offered by Arizona in April. DePaul and Illinois watched Matthews while he played with MeanStreets, a club team, during the April recruiting period.

“You always want to have an in-state school on your list,” Matthews said of the two offers. “My doors are going to be open to both of those schools in the long run.”

Matthews didn’t anticipate jumping on any of the offers soon. He said he has seen too many players make mistakes with early commitments.

“I’m going to take my time to look it over,” Matthews said. “I’m not going to rush into it. I notice a lot of people de-committing after they commit early. I don’t want to be one of those people to go back and forth with my college decision. I want to make a firm decision that I’m comfortable with.”

DeCesare, who was previously a Division I assistant coach, has mixed feelings about Matthews’ offers.

“I don’t think I believe in the system offering kids so early,” DeCesare said. “Who knows who’s going to be there three years from now? But I guess it’s a necessary evil because they look at who’s being offered.”

Matthews started for St. Rita’s varsity team as a freshman and averaged nine points and six rebounds.

“I think he’s got great versatility,” DeCesare said. “He could play in high school at all five positions. I think he could be an off-guard in college. I think he could be a point guard. He’s got great size to him. His size for a freshman to be a 6-4, 6-5 and handle the ball is obviously a huge plus for anybody.”

The National Federation of State High Schools announced Tuesday its basketball rules committee voted against the addition of a shot clock for its 18,000 basketball-playing schools, which includes Illinois. A shot clock is used some states, including California and New York.

“In addition to the fact that there is some concern about the costs associated with the use of a shot clock, the committee also expressed a belief that the game is typically played with an up-tempo style even without a shot clock,” NFHS director of performing arts and sports Kent Summers said in a statement. “In addition, the committee believes that coaches should have the option of a slower-paced game if they believe it makes their team more competitive in specific situations. This could be especially true for smaller schools with limited budgets, which comprise a significant number of the 18,000 basketball-playing schools. Since the NFHS writes rules for all sizes of schools and teams, it has to consider what is best for the masses.”

(Read full post)

Even though Hillcrest senior Jayon’e Troutman witnessed Ryan Royall killed by a stray bullet in June of 2011, it took Troutman months to realize his close friend and high school basketball teammate was truly gone.

“I was in disbelief for two months,” Troutman said on Thursday. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Nearly a year has passed since Royall’s death, but Troutman hasn’t forgotten Royall. Troutman’s mission is to keep his friend’s memory alive, and the Chicago United Hoops Classic, an annual Chicago-area all-star game, will help his cause on Saturday.

All of the game’s participants, which include Troutman, are required to sign the Norm Van Lier Scholarship Fund non-violence pledge, a 125-word document vowing to avoid fighting with weapons, fists or language and declare, “The violence stops with me.”

“Norman could not stand the fact that so many kids were in harm’s way in their own neighborhoods where bullets fly frequently,” said Susan Van Lier, the wife of the late Norm Van Lier, a former Chicago Bulls player and television commentator. “We are trying to create a new generation of leaders who believe violence should be eliminated.”

The game will be held at the University of Chicago’s Gerald Ratner Athletic Center at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The annual game is a primary funding source for the Norm Van Lier Scholarship Fund.

(Read full post)

Simeon junior Jabari Parker has stated he has one individual goal for his high school career -- to be considered the best player to ever come out of Chicago.

That's a lofty aspiration considering some of the names to come out of his hometown, including former Simeon star and NBA MVP Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls. In fact, Parker has said comparisons to Rose help fuel his dedication.

If the awards given to Parker this season are any indication of his status, Parker appears to be aligned directly with his goal after three high school seasons.

Parker added one more honor to his 2011-2012 season on Thursday as he was named the Gatorade National Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year. He was the fourth underclassman to receive the award, joining LeBron James, Greg Oden and Brandon Knight in that honor.

In all, Parker was named Team USA’s 2011 Male Athlete of the Year, Illinois’ Mr. Basketball, Illinois’ Gatorade Player of the Year and the ESPNChicago.com Player of the Year. He was the first underclassman voted Illinois’ Mr. Basketball since the award began in 1981.

“I’ll always have the hunger to work and improve my skill set,” Parker said recently. “I’m driven by seeing a lot of players in the NBA. That’s my goal. I just want to be a record-breaker and win a lot.

“Being compared to Derrick also drives me. I know if I get better than him or break the records he broke I could be one of the best players to come out of Chicago. I look forward to being one of those players.”

Parker, who is considered the No. 1 junior in the country, averaged 19.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 3.3 blocks and 1.4 steals this past season. He helped Simeon to its third consecutive state title.

“He’s one of the top 5 players to ever play in the state of Illinois right now,” Simeon coach Robert Smith said. “It drives him. He wants to be better than Derrick. That’s his ultimate goal.”

Rose recently gave Parker advice, and it wasn't necessarily to follow in his footsteps.

"Stay patient," Rose said. "His work ethic is definitely up there. I wish him nothing but the best, but remain humble and be himself."

Simeon and Proviso East finished in the top 15 in the final ESPNHS POWERADE FAB 50 boys basketball national rankings.

Simeon held strong at the No. 6 spot for a ninth consecutive week. The Wolverines went 32-1 this season and defeated Proviso East in the Class 4A state championship. Their only loss was to Nevada’s Findlay Prep, which finished No. 2 in the rankings.

Proviso East jumped two spots to No. 15 in the final rankings. The Pirates went 32-1 on the season with their only loss being to Simeon in the state championship.

In the Midwest regional rankings, Simeon and Proviso East filled the top two spots. Also from Illinois, Rockford Auburn (32-3) finished No. 14, and Peoria Central (28-3) ended up No. 15 in the regional rankings.

Crete-Monee senior point guard Michael Orris said Monday he plans to remains committed to Illinois after speaking with new Illini coach John Groce over the weekend.

Orris, a 6-foot-3 point guard, is the lone player Illinois has signed for its Class of 2012. He averaged 12 points and four assists during his senior season.

Orris said it wasn’t one specific thing Groce sold him on remaining in Illinois’ plans, but more of an overall picture.

“Coach Groce is a great guy and seems to be a great coach,” Orris said. “He is a players’ type of coach and values having relationships. He is passionate and excited to get to work and to work hard.”

Orris’ decision to remain signed with Illinois ends what had been a wild recruiting ride for him. He committed to Creighton in May 2011. He decommitted from there in June after his former high school coach and recruiting advisor was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor. Orris then committed to Illinois in September 2011. Bruce Weber was fired from Illinois on March 9, and Groce was hired on Thursday.

“It feels good,” Orris said of having recruitment complete.

Class 3A state champion Peoria Central believes it can defeat Simeon.

Class 4A state champion Simeon believes it can defeat Peoria Central.

Who’s right? We’ll never know.

Peoria Central and Simeon never played during the 2011-12 regular season and did not meet in the state playoffs because they were in different classes. Prior to the IHSA going to four classes in the 2007-08 season, the two teams would have met in Class AA and could have decided it on the court.

“It is one of the pitfalls,” Peoria Central coach Dan Ruffin said of the four-class system on Tuesday. “The question still comes up, ‘Are you still seeing the best Illinois has to offer with the system we have with the classes divided up. Are we giving the best teams an opportunity to perform at state?’”

Simeon coach Robert Smith went through a similar debate in 2010 when Hillcrest won the Class 3A state championship and Simeon won the Class 4A state title.

“I guess that’s why some people like only the two classes, so you can figure it out and everybody can play everyone,” Smith said. “I don’t think they had that many debates when it was A and AA.”

Smith does believe the two best teams in Illinois played for a state championship this year with his Wolverines facing Proviso East in the Class 4A title game. Simeon was ranked No. 1 the entire season and didn’t lose to an in-state team. Proviso East was ranked No. 2 and was undefeated before losing to Simeon 50-48 in Peoria on Saturday.

“It’s not even close who the best team in the state is,” Smith said. “The best two teams in the state played and [other teams weren’t] close.”

Ruffin, whose team went 28-3 this season, disagrees with Smith. Ruffin believes Peoria Central could beat Simeon. Peoria Central defeated Hillcrest and North Chicago, two Chicago-area teams, on its way to the Class 3A state championship over the weekend.

“Do I think we could give them a game? That’s funny,” Ruffin said. “I think we would be able to hold on, and we could really probably beat them as often as they could beat us. I think we match up well.

“I think our guards are better. We have big men who can guard their big men. They don’t have a big advantage there. Jabari [Parker], we have someone who could guard him on the floor and when he comes to the basket. We’re going to bring some problems to them because they don’t handle pressure well.”

Although Peoria Central and Simeon can’t determine which team is better this season, both would like the IHSA consider a way of doing so in the future.

“Maybe there could be something where the state champions play each other?” Smith said. “Maybe the second-place teams play each other, too? There wouldn’t be a problem with that.”

Ruffin did agree with Smith on that.

“That would be a great idea,” Ruffin said. “What teams are best? You’ll know. Bring all your champions together, and that would be a great weekend. That’s another weekend the IHSA could make some money. It would be the tournament of champions.”

Chicago's Simeon Career Academy coach Robert Smith on Monday suspended nine underclassmen for one game next season after they removed their shoes and placed them on the court following their third straight Class 4A state championship in Peoria, Ill.

Read the entire story.

PEORIA, Ill. -- Simeon’s players took their shoes off and laid them side by side on the basketball floor at Carver Arena as their fans surrounded them on Saturday night.

It was a sight unseen at the state tournament before. But then again, Simeon just got finished doing something no program in the state had done before.

With Simeon’s 50-48 victory over previously-unbeaten Proviso East in the Class 4A state championship on Saturday, Simeon became the first program in state history to win six state titles, surpassing Peoria Manual’s and Peoria Central’s five trophies.

“The kids wanted to leave their footprints on the floor,” Simeon coach Robert Smith explained of the shoes.

Simeon and Smith did set themselves apart on Saturday. The Wolverines won their third consecutive title and fifth in the last seven years. Smith also became the first Illinois coach to win five titles.

“This is not it,” Smith said. “We’re on our way to try to come back again here next year.”

(Read full post)

PEORIA, Ill. -- UIC coach Howard Moore, a former Chicago prep star, expressed his displeasure with four-class Illinois high school basketball during the state tournament on Saturday.

Moore graduated from Taft in 1990, and his high school career was played when the state only had two classes. The IHSA expanded basketball to four classes during the 2007-08 season.

“I’m not a fan of four classes,” said Moore, who attended the state tournament on Friday and Saturday. “I just think it really takes away from the strength of the state. When you split everyone up and dissect the talent and make different classes play against one other, I just think it really dilutes what we got in our state. I think it takes away from some of the natural rivalries and matchups that you would historically see.”

Moore watched in the front row of Carver Arena as Peoria Central defeated North Chicago in the Class 3A state championship on Saturday afternoon. Despite its state title, Peoria Central will likely still be considered to rank behind Class 4A finalists Simeon and Proviso East.

Moore was disappointed Peoria Central wouldn’t have the opportunity to prove whether it was better than the two Class 4A teams. Peoria Central had won three previous state titles in the two-class system.

“I just think if you get back down to two classes, then it’s even more competitive,” Moore said. “It’s even more exciting to see these kids go at it and compete. Why not see Peoria Central play against Proviso East in matchup? That’s a great matchup. It’s too bad they had to go to two more classes.”

Despite disagreeing with the four-class system, Moore enjoyed being at the state tournament.

“I think it’s great down to be here,” Moore said. “I think it means a lot. It’s our state’s Final Four if you want to put in that nature. It means a lot to our kids, our programs, our schools. This is a great venue.”

PEORIA, Ill. -- Illinois high school basketball fans will get what they’ve been dreaming about all season -- a Proviso East vs. Simeon matchup in the Class 4A state championship --– but neither team was exactly impressive in setting it up.

One game after Proviso East scored four points in a quarter and pulled out an ugly win over Rockford Auburn, Simeon had its own struggles in a 45-35 victory over Bloom in the second Class 4A semifinal.

“They pushed us to the limit,” Simeon coach Robert Smith said. “From my aspect, I really thought we should have lost the game.”

As a surprise to most in the building, Bloom (28-4) nearly made that happen. The Blazing Trojans frustrated Simeon star Jabari Parker, holding him to 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting, and were carried offensively by the hot hand of Lejavius Johnson, who scored a game-high 18 points.

“Yeah, it was the most frustrating [game of my season,]” Parker said. “Like coach Rob said, this is a bad time to be messing up, especially in the end. We just have to tweak some things and get back to the blueprint.”

Bloom proved in the early minutes Friday it was going to give Simeon (32-1) all it could handle. The Blazing Trojans jumped out to a 13-8 lead in the first quarter and extended it to 15-9 in the opening minutes of the second quarter.

“I knew that before the game that we could play with them from the jump,” Johnson said.

(Read full post)

PEORIA, Ill. –Proviso East junior Sterling Brown has a ways to go to match the accomplishments of his older brother Shannon Brown, a Phoenix Suns guard who starred at Michigan State.

But on Friday, Sterling finally found a way to one-up Shannon, first simply playing in the state tournament and then by starring in it. Brown led Proviso East to a 55-45 win over Rockford Auburn in the Class 4A state semifinals.

“It is really big,” Sterling said. “He was never able to get down here. He lost in the super-sectionals his junior year [at Proviso East]. It just feels good to do something he never did and hopefully we can win a championship like he never did.”

Sterling had begun separating himself from Shannon during his junior season, and he continued to do so Friday. While Sterling’s teammates felt the butterflies of playing on the big stage and struggled early against Auburn, Sterling acted as he had been there before.

Sterling scored all four of Proviso East’s points in the first quarter, had six points and seven rebounds by halftime and kept on producing the rest of the way. He finished with 13 points, 15 rebounds, two blocks and one steal.

“I think Sterling understands what it’s all about,” Proviso East coach Donnie Boyce said. “I think with Shannon being his older brother, he’s played in his shadows. I think he has really stepped out of Shannon’s shadows and has made his own identity.

“I think Sterling has a better overall feeling for the game [than Shannon]. Shannon is more athletic, better outside shooter. I think Sterling, when it’s all said and done, will be the better player because of his length and the many different things he can do on the court.”

With Sterling the only player clicking early, Proviso East (32-0) had to rely on its defense to get it by Auburn. The Pirates threw two defenders at Auburn star guard Fred Van Vleet, a Wichita State recruit, and forced his teammates to beat them.

The plan worked to perfection. Proviso East held Van Vleet to two points and forced him into six turnovers in the first half while the Pirates went ahead 20-13 at halftime. The Pirates extended their advantage to double digits in the third quarter.

Van Vleet got his points by the end of the game, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, but it was too late for Auburn. Proviso East’s lead was never trimmed to less than seven points.

“I thought it obviously wasn’t the best played game,” Boyce said. “I thought in the first half and part of the third quarter we did a great job of shutting down and containing Van Vleet, but he’s such a great point guard.

Paris Burns (14 points) and Javon Carter (nine points) contributed for Proviso East.

It was the second time Proviso East defeated Auburn (31-3) this season. The Pirates first knocked off Auburn off in the Proviso West holiday tournament semifinals in December.

PEORIA, Ill. -- Hillcrest junior Jovan Mooring's explanation for his team's 60-50 loss to Peoria Central in the Class 3A state semifinals Friday was as simple and precise as possible.

"Shots just weren't falling like they were during the season," Mooring said.

Mooring, an ESPNChicago.com all-area selection, was 0 for 8 from the field. Virgil Fleming was 3 for 11. Kyle Oden was 1 for 10. As a team, Hillcrest was 18 of 49.

It was just one of those days.

Peoria Central (27-3) will play North Chicago for the championship on Saturday. Hillcrest (26-6) will face Springfield Lanphier in the third-place game.

Hillcrest did hang with Peoria Central for a quarter. But with the game tied at 15 after the first eight minutes, the two teams went their separate ways. Peoria Central out-scored the Hawks 14-4 in the second quarter and went ahead 29-19 at halftime. Hillcrest shot 0 for 6 from the field in the second quarter.

The third quarter wasn't any better for Hillcrest. Its offensive woes continued, and Peoria Central extended its lead to 42-26 heading into the fourth quarter.

Hillcrest coach Don Houston thought Peoria Central's large front line did have something to do with some of its problems. The Lions' roster included 6-10 Kevin Jordan, 6-5 Aldonis Foote, 6-7 Trey Kellum and 6-6 Shamar Hill.

"We got to give some credit to Peoria," Houston said. "They have a lot of length in there, and they altered a lot of shots. We've seen some length throughout the season, but them altering a lot of those shots it made us miss some shots that we normally make."

Hillcrest did find some life in the final quarter. The Hawks' shots started finally finding the net, and Hillcrest was able to cut Peoria Central's lead to single digits in the final minutes. Hillcrest outscored Peoria Central 24-18 in the fourth quarter, but it was too late for the Hawks.

"We came out and played a strong fourth quarter, and it shows the character of my players that they've had all season," Houston said. "I'm just extremely proud of them. I'm proud that they didn't lay down, and I'm proud that they went out ahead and fought all the way to the end."

Jayon'e Troutman (13 points, four steals) and Jalen Loving (16 points) led Hillcrest.

Foote (21 points, four steals), Kellum (11 points), Kevin Jordan (10 rebounds) and Myles Boone (10 points) contributed for Peoria Central.