ESPN

Simeon forward Jabari Parker, the nation’s No. 2-ranked senior, is considered doubtful for his team’s season opener on Dec. 1, his father said on Friday.

Parker, a 6-foot-8 forward, fractured his right foot while playing with Team USA at the FIBA under-17 World Championships in Lithuania in July. He is currently wearing a boot and undergoing rehab.

(Read full post)

The IHSA state football championships shouldn’t disappoint again this season. It’s full of all of the essentials, and all of the games can be seen on WatchESPN.com on Friday and Saturday.

All-American player? Check. Crete-Monee wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, ESPN’s top-ranked wide receiver, will be playing in the Class 6A state championship. There are plenty of other D-I players throughout the title games.

Defending champions? Check. Aurora Christian (3A), Rochester (4A) and Montini (5A) are all back in their respective classes’ title games after winning state last season. Montini is attempting to grab its fourth consecutive state title, and Rochester is going for its third.

Traditional powerhouses? Check. Mount Carmel (8A) has won nine state titles. Montini (5A) has won four. Belleville Althoff Catholic (2A) and Morris (5A) have won three. Rochester(4A) and Stockton (2A) have won two. Aurora Christian (3A), Cary-Grove (6A), Glenbard West (7A), Lincoln-Way East (7A) and Maroa-Forsyth (1A) have won one.

Legendary coaches? Check. Mount Carmel coach Frank Lenti has gone 325-59 with nine state titles in 29 years. Montini coach Chris Andriano has gone 255-119 with four state championships in 34 years.

Former NFL player coaching? Check. Former NFL wide receiver Don Beebe is in his ninth year as Aurora Central Christian’s coach. He’s gone 87-22, finished runner-up once and won one state championship. His son Chad is a senior on the team.

Here are the links to watch this weekend’s games, including all eight IHSA state championship games:


Chicago High School Football Prep Bowl: Friday at noon, Watch!

Class 1A Championship: Friday at 11 a.m., Watch!

Class 2A Championship: Friday at 2 p.m., Watch!

Class 3A Championship: Friday at 5 p.m., Watch!

Class 4A Championship: Friday at 8 p.m., Watch!

Class 5A Championship: Saturday at 11 a.m., Watch!

Class 6A Championship: Saturday at 2 p.m., Watch!

Class 7A Championship: Saturday at 5 p.m., Watch!

Class 8A Championship: Saturday at 8 p.m., Watch!

Chantel Jennings catches up with Shelby Spence, a 2014 quarterback prospect from De La Salle (Chicago) who still awaits his first scholarship offer.

The nation's no. 2 overall player, Jabari Parker (Chicago/Simeon), talks about what he's looking for in a school and when he anticipates making a decision.

CHICAGO -- If a college basketball coach is going to have one close relationship with any high school in Chicago, Simeon would be the desirable place.

The Wolverines have owned Illinois high school basketball for nearly a decade. Simeon has won five state championships and has had one runner-up finish in the past seven years. It has produced two players ranked in the nation's top 5 during that span and will have delivered at least 16 players since 2006 to Division I programs after the upcoming season.

(Read full post)

Chantel Jennings catches up with running back Ty Isaac, a USC commit, as Joliet (Ill.) closes in on a state title. Isaac is ranked No. 70 in the ESPN 150.

CHICAGO -- Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers may be 20-plus years removed from his playing days at Proviso East High School in Chicago’s western suburbs, but he’s still loyal to the program.

Prior to Monday’s game against the Chicago Bulls, Rivers was asked how he felt about Proviso East being back on the rise after reaching the IHSA Class 4A state championship last season. It was the first return trip to the finals since 1992.

“What do you mean on the rise?” Rivers said in a harsh tone. “They’re always on the rise.”

Rivers was only joking, but he does really still keep close tabs on Proviso East. And the Pirates, for the most part, have been one of Illinois’ most consistently successful programs. They’ve reached 14 state tournaments, won four titles and have produced past and present NBA players like Rivers, Jim Brewer, Donnie Boyce, Sherell Ford, Michael Finley, Shannon Brown, Dee Brown, Reggie Jordan and Steven Hunter.

Plus, like in Rivers’ day, Proviso East still wears jerseys with sleeves.

“Proviso East is what it is,” Rivers said. “You know what it is. It’s a heck of a school. For basketball, I don’t know if there’s any place better in the country, not only in the state, as far as the history of it."

Rivers does still keep close tabs on Proviso East, too. He often talks with his brother Grady Rivers, who still attends games, and Boyce, the current Proviso East coach, about the team.

Boyce said their conversations are important to him and his players.

“It means a lot,” Boyce said. “He’s not only a friend, but a mentor to me. I’m always taking things from him and watching him coach. He helps pass my message to the players and show what the program is all about when he talks to them.

Boyce even one day hopes to follow Rivers’ footsteps into the NBA as a coach.

“I want to coach at the highest level,” Boyce said. “I want to attack it just as when I was a player.”

Proviso East enters this season as one of the state favorites again. The Pirates’ roster includes SMU recruit Sterling Brown, Shannon’s younger brother, and Illinois State recruit Paris Lee.

ESPN recruiting coordinator Jared Shanker breaks down movements in the ESPN 300 player rankings in the Midwest.

Jabari Parker, the nation's No. 2 senior out of Chicago's Simeon Career Academy, does not have a leader in the recruiting process, and he may miss his team's season-opener on Dec. 1 because of the fracture in his right foot.

Parker has visited Michigan State, Duke and Florida the past three weekends and still plans to visit Stanford and BYU in November. His final visit will be to BYU the weekend of Nov. 24. His father, Sonny Parker, said his son will commit after the early signing period (Nov. 14-21) and then sign in the spring.

Read the entire story.

Thanks to a pair of top 10 ESPN 100 prospects, Florida's Billy Donovan has already put together one of the top recruiting classes in the country.

With local products and AAU teammates Kasey Hill (Eustis, Fla./Montverde Academy) and Chris Walker (Bonifay, Fla./Holmes County) already on board, the Gators have one of the best point guards and power forwards in the country heading to Gainesville next year.

This weekend, the rich will look to get richer as the Gators host No. 2 senior Jabari Parker (Chicago/Simeon) officially and No. 9 junior Justise Winslow (Houston/Saint John’s) unofficially.

Read the entire story.

Dave Telep and Paul Biancardi compare No. 1 SF Andrew Wiggins and No. 2 SF Jabari Parker based on athleticism, established skills, intangibles, scoring, and potential.

Enoch Smith holds a handful of FBS offers, but he stills waits for one from Michigan. Chantel Jennings talks to Smith about recruiting and the season at Mount Carmel.

It's been an eventful few days for the top players in the Class of 2014. Last Thursday, No. 1 prospect Andrew Wiggins (Thornhill, Ontario/Huntington Prep) reclassified from 2014 to 2013. On Friday, new ESPN 60 No. 1 Tyus Jones (Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley) talked about his new ranking and visiting both Duke and UNC.

And on Sunday night, elite junior big man Jahlil Okafor (Chicago/Whitney Young), the new No. 2 player in the ESPN 60, discussed how his recruiting was progressing and wanting to play in college with Jones.

Read the entire story.

Joliet Catholic (Ill.) offensive lineman -- and lead blocker for USC commit Ty Isaac -- J.B. Butler still waits for his first scholarship offer. The Class of 2014 prospect talks to Chantel Jennings about his recruiting.

Former Illinois basketball player Jereme Richmond was returned to Lake County (Ill.) Jail on Thursday after he violated terms of his probation, according to assistant state's attorney Jim Newman.

Read the entire story.