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The future of
Illinois basketball, both as a state and as a University, are in
very good hands. The top players from the 2009, 2010, and
2011 classes were all on hand for the 2008 Illinois Team
Camp. The camp featured 4 Illinois commitments to go along
with 2 Illinois commitments in the stands. There were also
a boat load of 2010 and 2011 talent that will get national
interest over the next few years. Lets break down the
talent!
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Class of 2009
Joseph Bertrand PG/SG Sterlling (IL) Class of 2009 (Illinois)
 The
one game that everyone in Champaign wanted to see was Joseph
Bertrand vs fellow Illini commitment Brandon Paul. The two
matched up in the 2:00 game at Assembly Hall. Bertrand was
tremendous. The first thing that stood out about Bertrand
was his 3 point shooting ability. He was very accurate on
the perimeter shot throughout the day and showed he has
legitimate range on his shot. The other quality that I
really thought was a plus for Bertrand was his quick change of
speed. He plays under control, but in the snap of a finger
he can go from 0 to 60 and blow right past his defender.
Bertrand moved well without the ball to get open and set up his
jump shot. He also has the ability to slice through the
lane and finish though contact, as he was awarded several 2
points on contact fouls around the hoop. The biggest thing
Bertrand needs to work on are adding some weight to his upper
body so he can get though a season in the Big 10 and his pure
point guard skills. He showed good passing ability, but he
played off the ball in the time I saw him. Pluses far
outweigh the minus' for Bertrand. His overall skill level
is the thing that impressed me the most. He reminded me of
Jerryd Bayless. Now, he is not as good as Bayless and will
not be ranked as high as the former Wildcat, but that is the
type of game he has. A combo guard that can play the point
if needed, but is best at moving without the ball and hitting
the 3 ball. He impressed me to the point that I would rate
him as the best prospect in the 4 man Illinois class and top 35
overall.
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Brandon
Paul SG Warren (IL) Class of 2009 (Illinois)
 The
first thing that comes to mind when just looking at Paul is that
his body is well developed for his age. The rising senior
has a muscular upper body that is strong and athletic.
This is where he has the big advantage on Bertrand. Paul
has a very smooth game. He is at his best when driving and
exploding to the hoop. He can attack the hoop for
sure. There was not a time where he couldn't get in the
lane. That is completed well by his solid handle.
Paul did go on the interior and snatch some tough defensive
rebounds. The thing that surprised me was his jump
shot. It has so much air on it I thought it would never
come down. It is a good form shot, but it has way to much
arc on it and did not go down at a consistent basis. Paul
also showed that he has the physical tools to be a good
perimeter defender on the Big 10 level. Physically Paul is
ready for college, but the skills need to continue to
improve. He has a world of potential, and on potential he
is the best player in the Illinois 2009 class and in the state
for 2009. If his jumper improves to the point where it
will consistently go down he could be a first round draft choice
in a few years. Paul is a top 40 player in the class of
2009 nationally.
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Tyler
Griffey PF Layfatte (MO) Class of 2009 (Illinois)
 Tyler
Griffey was not here to play, but that did not stop him from
coming up to see his future teammates at Illinois. Griffey
sat with his uncle at Assembly Hall and then moved down to the
scorers table to chat with Jay Price and Bruce Weber. He
looked like he was enjoying himself and physically looked like
he has bulked up some since I last saw him during his sophomore
campaign. Griffey still needs to add weight in the weight
room, but I really believe that the national analysts are
sleeping on Tyler. He is the perfect compliment to the 3
guards in the Illinois 2009 class.
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Marcus
Jordan SG Whitney Young (IL) Class of 2009
The son of "his airness" is one
of the trio of guards that will lead the Dolphins to a great
season this upcoming year. Marcus is an athletic SG
prospect. Anyone surprised? Like his brother Jeff,
Marcus shoots with his left hand. Jordan is built very
solid. The two best facets of Marcus' game are his
athleticism around the hoop and his jump shot. Jordan
attacked the hoop and knew how to finish with athleticism and
strength. Several times in the two games I saw Marcus play
he got to the hoop and either got the guaranteed 2 points or got
to the line for an and-1. His jump shot is so pure.
The lefty stroke is a thing of beauty. It is effective in
both the mid range and stretches out to the 3 point arc.
From what I heard he shot well in the other games he played throughout
the day. Marcus is not just a getting pub because he is
the greatest of all time's son. He is a legit prospect
with a game that could land him in the top 100 in the Class of
2009 rankings.
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Chris
Colvin PG Whitney Young (IL) Class of 2009
Colvin is the floor general for the
Dolphins. Colvin is a solid all around player that plays
smart and under control for the most part. There is
nothing that blows you away when you watch Colvin play, but his
game is well rounded and will be a good find for a team looking
for a floor general in the Big 10. Like teammate Marcus
Jordan, Colvin is a potential top 100 player in the class of
2009.
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Brock VanNordeck PF DeCatur Eisenhower
(IL) Class of 2009
Brock will be the big man that Eisenhower
hopes replaces Jeremy Robinson's production on the
interior. VanNordeck has a good body and skill
level. He is willing to fight in the post. The big
man was beat up on all day by the other teams big men. He
kept fighting for position down low and showed the toughness and
skill level to score down there. He could be a steal for a
mid major team in the MVC.
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Class of 2010
Jereme Richmond SF Waukegan (IL) Class of
2010 (Illinois)
The savior of Illinois basketball was at
his future home to show the Illinois faithful what to expect in
two years. Like always J-Rich can get in the lane at will
against anyone because of his quickness and size. He
glides to the hoop and over the floor. The best facet of
Jereme's game in my opinion his is passing ability. At
times he can be a very flashy passer which will lead to some
turnovers, but several times he got the ball to the free throw
line and made a quick pass to a teammate for a lay-up or open
shot. He won't need to at Illinois with all the talented
guards coming in, but Jereme could play some point forward if
needed. The one thing I would like to see out of Richmond
is the ability to dominate a game. He has so much ability
and potential, but at times he settles and does not take
over. If he develops the killer instinct that the
great players must have he could be the #1 player
nationally in the class of 2010. As of right now he is
still in the top 5 mix nationally and will be a potential 1 and
done at Illinois.
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Anthony Johnson SG Whitney Young (IL)
Class of 2010
 Johnson
is the youngest member of the holy trinity of Whitney Young
guards, but might have the most upside of any of the
three. He gets good lift on his jumper and shows a nice
shooting stroke. Several times Johnson led his team down
the floor in transition with the ball in his hands. He is
quick, has a good handle, and showed nice passing ability when
he needed to. He is a combo guard that can play PG for
Whitney Young when Colvin is not on the floor. Johnson is
the most intriguing prospect on his team and is a top 60 player
in the Class of 2010.
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Lenzelle Smith SG Zion-Benton (IL) Class
of 2010
Lenzelle has a thick body and is strong
for a guard his size. The lefty hit a couple of nice shots
and proved he can hit from the perimeter as well as mid
range. I did not get to watch Lenzelle as much as I would
have liked to throughout the day, but in the time I did see him
he looked like a Big 10 level player that has room to grow into
a very solid wing.
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Jarod Oldham SG DeCatur Eisenhower (IL)
Class of 2010
 Oldham
is a player I saw during his sophomore year and thought he
played under control and knew his role on a team that was led by
Lewis Jackson and Jeremy Robinson. Now Oldham is the
star. He is the go to player with the target on his
back. He seems to be adjusting well. Oldham is not a
prolific scorer or shooter but is solid in both. The time
when Oldham is at his best is in transition. The only
thing I can compare Oldham to is a jack rabbit. He is SO
QUICK! Quick in transition and very quick on
defense. He gets in passing lanes and gets the
steal. Oldham is wiry and has a good frame, but still
needs to bulk up his upper body. I really like Oldham
overall and think he can be a great #3 option for a high major
in the Big 10. Oldham is a potential top 75 in 2010.
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Crandall Head SG Rich South (IL) Class of
2010 (Illinois)
Like Griffey, Head was just here to enjoy
the action and watch his future teammates. He was seen
setting behind one of the baskets for some of the earlier games
at Assembly Hall and later stood next to me on the rail while
watching friend Mike Shaw play at the Ubben. Rumor has it
that Crandall is putting the full court press to get Shaw to be
the first member of what could potentially be a tremendous class
of 2011 for the Illini. Head in his own right has elevated
himself into the 5 star discussion for 2010 nationally.
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Class of 2011
Mike Shaw PF De La Salle (IL) Class of
2011
 The
great players just keeping coming in the state of
Illinois. Shaw is a physical freak for his age. If
you just look at him and did not know his age, you would think
he was a rising senior and not a rising sophomore. Shaw's
body is long, strong, and athletic. His body looks like it
could develop into a NBA body in the not to distant
future. Despite most likely being a post player throughout
his expected long career, Shaw has a good handle and seems to
like playing out on the perimeter. The future NBA draft
pick cleans up the offensive glass nice. If he can play
consistent throughout the next few years Shaw could be the #1
player nationally in the Class of 2011. He might have even
more long term potential than Jereme Richmond, and that is
saying something! Shaw's best moment of the day was when
his team was down 1 with 1.2 seconds left in the game after the
refs made a bad foul call on the other end. The pass went
3/4 of the floor, Shaw caught it turned at the free throw line
and shot. The ball banked in at the buzzer and De La Salle
won a thriller against Zion-Benton. Shaw had the biggest
smile on his face after this shot. He is not a potential
star he is a potential SUPERSTAR! Shaw is a lock for the
top 3 in 2011 and has a very good chance at #1 overall.
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Donivine Stewart PG Limestone (IL) Class
of 2011
 I
had my doubts. I had heard all about this under 6 foot
scorer that averaged in the 30's throughout his freshman
year. I was totally wrong. Donivine Stewart is a
STUD!!! The word to describe Stewart is SCORER! He
does it in every single way. The key to basketball is
putting the ball in the hoop and Donivine does exactly
that. He accelerates to get in the lane and slips by all
the big guys to finish around the hole. The first two
possessions of basketball of the day I saw were two buckets by
Stewart on drives. This is attributed to his toughness and
his quickness to get to the hoop. Stewart can also drain
it from downtown. His jump shot was very pure throughout
the day and showed legit 3 point making ability. All in
all he plays hard and fights hard throughout the game. The
only thing holding him back is height and remember he is only a
rising sophomore. He was one of the most impressive
players I saw all day and is a top 25 player nationally in the
class of 2011.
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Chasson Randle PG Rock Island (IL) Class
of 2011
Like Stewart, Randle was a player I had
heard a lot about. He was not as impressive to be as
Stewart was today. Randle played under control, has a
solid handle, and showed good looking form on his jump
shot. He is a good athlete. Overall he just didn't
stand out like Stewart did for me. He is a solid prospect
for the class of 2011 and will be interesting to follow over the
next several years.
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Andrew Jordan SF/PF Limestone (IL) Class
of 2011
I had planned to watch Andrew Jordan play
for Woodruff, but was surprised when I walked into the gym and
saw him playing with Donivine Stewart and Limestone. He
has a tall and athletic body. Most of the time he played
in the post for his new team. Jordan can handle the ball
some, but overall is still very raw.
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Notes:
* There have been numerous rumors that the
top player in the class of 2012 nationally Zach Peters from
Texas is moving to Effingham, Illinois and will attend Effingham
St. Anthony high school. He was not with the St. Anthony's
team at the tournament and it is not a lock that he is going to
be this upcoming season. A parent of one of the players on
the team informed me that it is down to St. A, a high school in
Texas, and a prep school for Peters' services.
* One of the best things that comes out of a event like this for
the host school is getting talent young prospects familiar with
your school, facilities, fans, and coaching staff. I saw
head coach Bruce Weber throughout the entire day. He was
his usual upbeat self. Who wouldn't be with this much
talent on campus! I saw him chatting with commitments
Crandall Head, Tyler Griffey, Joseph Bertrand, Brandon Paul, and
Jereme Richmond throughout the day. As I was leaving the
Ubben at the end of the day I saw Weber and star recruit Jereme
Richmond alone in one of the gyms setting talking one on
one. Coach Howard was seen throughout the entire day and
was very friendly with everyone he came across. He is a
truly great recruiter and will make a great head coach one
day. Coach Price was also seen talking to the commitments
throughout the day. If the Illini can add some of the 2011
talent that was on display today, it could be SCARY!!!
Weber and the staff have turned the corner into not a good
recruiting staff, but a great one.
* Andrew Jordan played with Limestone instead of his former
Woodruff team. I asked Andrew if he had switched Limestone
and he told me he had.
*The only bad part about watching the games was there was no air
conditioning in Assembly Hall. It was HOT!
* The Ubben is a great facility and was easy to go back and
forth between the two practice courts to watch the different
games at the facility.
* Illinois fans came out and supported the staff, future
commitments, and potential recruits on a Sunday in the middle of
summer. From the time the games started until the games
were all over there were fans in orange and blue all over the
place.
Last I would like to name my First Team All-Tournament Team
PF Mike Shaw
PG Donivine Stewart
SG Joseph Bertrand
SG Marcus Jordan
SF Jereme Richmond (in spurts he showed greatness, but not
throughout entire day) |