Watch: Simeon vs. Morgan Park

February, 13, 2013
Feb 13
1:48
PM CT
Watch Simeon take on Morgan Park in a Public League semifinal at 5 p.m. CT Wednesday at Chicago State followed by Orr vs. Whitney Young at 7 p.m. Click here to watch the games live.

Big matchups highlight Jordan Classic

February, 12, 2013
Feb 12
12:13
PM CT

There’s no arguing the quality of this year’s Jordan Brand Classic rosters, which were announced on Tuesday. The game is stocked with 22 players, and that means some of the fat has been trimmed off the event.

Read the entire story here.

Morgan Park to retire Garrett's number

February, 6, 2013
Feb 6
7:16
PM CT
Morgan Park High School senior guard Billy Garrett Jr., a DePaul recruit, will have his No. 5 jersey retired by the school prior to Thursday's Chicago Public League playoff game against Lane Tech.

Garrett Jr., a 6-foot-4 point guard, owns the school-record for career points with 2,063. He's averaging 22.5 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Mustangs this season.

"Billy has been with me four years strong," said Morgan Park coach Nick Irvin, who had his number at Carver High School in Chicago in 1997. "I just want to show my appreciation and say a job well done and I'm proud of you.
"He's meant a lot to this program. He was the one who helped jumpstart this program along with (now Louisville guard) Wayne Blackshear. He's helped our program tremendously. Without him, my career wouldn't be as good."

(Read full post)

ESPN 25 Power Rankings: Week: 11

February, 5, 2013
Feb 5
12:50
PM CT
For the second straight week, an in-state battle between top-15 squads served as the marquee matchup in high school hoops.

Following last week's battle of the Chi, St. Benedict's Prep and St. Anthony squared off in a clash of New Jersey Titans Friday night. Prep was able to wrestle away a 47-38 victory, which gave the Gray Bees state bragging rights and snapped the nation's longest active winning streak.

The win, combined with Whitney Young's upset loss to Orr, propels St. Benedict's into the top five for the first time this winter. With back-to-back losses, WY falls to No. 8 behind a pair of red-hot teams in Huntington Prep (six straight wins) and Simeon (10 in a row). La Lumiere gains a spot to move to No. 9 and Long Beach Poly returns to the top 10 on the strength of a five-game winning streak.

WCAC leader Gonzaga reaches its highest point of the season at No. 14 while preseason top-10 team Oak Hill Academy falls to its lowest spot at No. 15. As we get closer to the end of the season, our voters are placing more of an emphasis on strength of schedule rather than overall record, leading to teams like Iowa City and Midwest City experiencing slight drops despite their unblemished records.

Tweet us your top five teams using #ESPN25hoops.

Note: This poll is compiled weekly by the RecruitingNation staff. Every high school team is eligible to be ranked as long as its roster does not include any fifth-year seniors.

Click here for the rankings.

Simeon retires numbers of Parker, Nunn

February, 1, 2013
Feb 1
2:32
PM CT
Jabari ParkerMark L. Baer/USA TODAY SportsJabari Parker will be the last Simeon player to wear No. 22.
CHICAGO -- Chicago Simeon Career Academy forward Jabari Parker, the nation's No. 2 senior and a Duke recruit, has accomplished what few before him have in their high school careers. The latest came during Simeon's final home game of the season on Jan. 25 when the school retired Parker's No. 22 jersey and guard Kendrick Nunn's No. 20 while both players are still active.

[+] Enlarge
Kendrick Nunn
Scott Powers,/ESPNChicago.comSimeon guard Kendrick Nunn is headed to Illinois.
Parker and Nunn, who is ranked No. 59 in the nation and is an Illinois recruit, have played for Simeon's varsity team all four years and have led the Wolverines to three consecutive state championships and one Chicago Public League title. They also won gold medals while playing together for Team USA in 2011 and 2012.

Parker and Nunn each were given their Simeon jersey in a glass case prior to their final home game. They joined Derrick Rose, Bobby Simmons and Ben Wilson as the lone players to have their number retired at Simeon.

"We thought about it last year and their legacies -- the possibility of having a fourth state title, both playing for USA, Jabari being national player of the year, maybe being player of the year again, Kendrick committing to Illinois," Simeon coach Robert Smith said on Friday. "Derrick brought Simeon back up, and they kept it up. It's solely on their backs.

"It was something where we thought about bringing them back after they've gone to college, but I just thought it was fitting for the careers. They've left that mark to do it right away."

It's the latest honor for Parker. As a junior, he was named the ESPNChicago.com Player of the Year, Illinois' Mr. Basketball and the national Gatorade Player of the Year. He was also the 2011 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.

"He's shocked; he's happy they honored him," Parker's father Sonny Parker said on Friday. "He's been through a whole lot being the first freshman to start on varsity. He's had a really good career the last three years. It was a great moment for him to be recognized as one of the great players that came from Simeon and played there."

Nunn has been Parker's wingman the past three seasons and emerged as the team's leader and go-to man when Parker was injured earlier this season.

"In our eyes, we think he's a top Top-15 kid in the country, especially when he's playing well," Smith said of Nunn. "He knew Jabari was banged up, and Kendrick was banged up too, but he decided to go out there and play through it until Jabari came back. He hasn't made any excuses and just played."

Simeon is 18-2 this season and ranked No. 9 in the ESPN 25 Power Rankings. The Wolverines are undefeated against in-state opponents this season.

Telep: Cleaning out the notebook (Insider)

February, 1, 2013
Feb 1
11:41
AM CT
Dave Telep’s Friday recruiting notebook includes an introduction to one of the nation’s most impressive freshmen, a look at Indiana’s big recruiting weekend, why John Calipari’s words resonated with the nation’s No. 2 junior, Illinois putting in work on the recruiting trail and more.

Read the entire story here.
No. 2 senior Jabari Parker and No. 2 junior Jahlil Okafor, whose teams met in a highly anticipated Chicago showdown over the weekend, have different games but share many of the same intangibles that make them successful.

Read the entire story here.

Video: Simeon's Parker and Tate postgame

January, 27, 2013
Jan 27
2:38
PM CT
video

Simeon's Jabari Parker and Jaylon Tate talk about the game they had in beating no. 4 ranked Whitney Young 44-41 on Saturday night.

Video: Simeon beats Whitney Young

January, 27, 2013
Jan 27
2:35
PM CT
video

Paul Biancardi and Joe Davis recap Saturday night's matchup between no. 4 Whitney Young and no. 13 Simeon.
video
When national No. 4 Chicago Whitney Young and No. 11 Chicago Simeon meet on Saturday night at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU, it may prove to be the most intense battle of the high school basketball season, featuring nationally ranked rivals with rosters full of future college stars like No. 2 senior Jabari Parker and No. 2 junior Jahlil Okafor.

Read the entire story here.

Dave Telep updates his impressions of top players and teams in the aftermath of the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass.

Video: Day 3 Hoophall Classic standouts

January, 22, 2013
Jan 22
6:01
PM CT
video

Adam Finkelstein recaps the standout performers from Day 3 of the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass.

Video: Top Hoophall Classic performers

January, 22, 2013
Jan 22
5:48
PM CT
video

Paul Biancardi and Dave Telep break down the top game and top performers from the Hoophall Classic: No. 7 senior Aaron Gordon and No. 2 senior Jabari Parker.

Video: Parker previews W. Young game

January, 22, 2013
Jan 22
5:46
PM CT
video

No. 2 senior and Duke commit Jabari Parker talks to Phil Murphy after a big night against Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.). Parker discusses how Simeon can stay hot on national television Saturday against crosstown rival Whitney Young.
Morgan Park student Tyrone Lawson, 17, was fatally shot after his school took on powerhouse Simeon and top player Jabari Parker in a contentious game Wednesday night at Chicago State.

Read the entire story.
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