The atmosphere at a high school basketball game differs from that of a college game because during a big high school game, the away team has many fans cheering them on as well, where as the away team in a college game gets booed for 40 consecutive minutes. This Saturday, December 20th, one of the biggest rivalries in high school basketball will take place. The Oak Park-River Forest Huskies will take host to the Fenwick Friars. Saturday will be more than a game for both parties involved, it will be a war. ” Everyone from the community goes to this game,” claimed Fenwick’s North Florida bound point guard Mike Black. ” Kids have been asking me for tickets already. It gets pretty crazy because everyone knows each other from both schools, and this game is a bragging rights game. The winning school gets to talk smack to the other school for the entire year.”

Fenwick (4-2), lead by Mike Black and fellow senior captain Xavier Humphrey, hopes to redeem themselves after two losses to the OPRF Huskies last season. “Oak Park is pretty good this year, but there is no way that we will let them beat us three times in a row,” stated Black. ” It should be a great crowd; our whole team is really excited to get another shot at these guys.”

Oak Park (6-3) is lead by two juniors. Jeff Dirkin, a 6′8 center, and Andrew Godbold, a 6′2 forward, will try to extend their winning streak against their cross town rival. After losing their first three games, Oak Park has won six games in a row and wants nothing more than to have their seventh straight victory come in dominating style this Saturday night.

Luke Scarlata and the Morton Mustangs have lofty expectations following a stellar season last year. After going undefeated in conference play and giving Evanston its only regular season loss, the Mustangs fell to star studded Whitney Young 90-63 in the Regional Championship. This year, Luke knows that his crew can put on a better show. Oscar Macias, Joe Belcaster, and Raul Guzman all all return as starters with Scarlata from last years squad and hope to make some noise across the Land of Lincoln. ” Playoffs will be tough again this year,” Luke stated.  “Our regional and our sectional are both loaded, but I think we can win both of them. That is my number one post season goal, winning our regional and sectional. I’m not going to worry about the state tournament until that times comes.”

Multiple colleges are pursuing Luke, yet he is a rare commodity in high school sports. I say this because his ultimate factor in choosing his future home will be academics. With his superb grades, Luke has Ivy and Patriot teams drooling over him. He attended elite camps at Harvard, Cornell, Princeton, and Yale. The University of Chicago also is at the top of Luke’s list, along with a host of mid-major programs including SIU Edwardsville, Loyola, Louisiana Lafayette, and Boston University. “SIU Edwardsville is up there on my list, but right now, I’m probably leaning towards the educational route,” claimed Luke. “Augustana and Illinois Wesleyan are also on my list. Cornell was probably my favorite Ivy League school, and I really liked the University of Chicago. I’m not going to make my decision until after the Proviso West Thanksgiving tournament.”

Stay tuned with more updates for information on Luke’s recruitment and the rest of the Morton squad…

The #1 player in the class of 2009 has chosen a school. Chris Colvin will be an Iowa State Cyclone.

“Next year I’ll be attending Iowa State,” said Colvin on Comcast Sports Net. “I am real excited, I singed my letter two days ago, but I kept it quiet. It was hard because I wanted to tell everyone I was a Cyclone!”

Colvin has considered a host of schools from every major conference, and then some, throughout the recruiting process, and many people tried to sway his decision. However, when it came down to it only one person’s opinion mattered to Chris.

“I see a lot of those people,” said Chris of the people trying to influence his decision. “But I just listen to one person, that is my father, the person that has been there for me since the get go.

“(it came down to) Iowa State, Providence and UConn,” explained Chris. “We took visits to Iowa State and Providence and we liked it, UConn came in the picture a little too late.”

Now that the decision is over with, Chris is looking forward to the upcoming season with Whitney Young. Chris will team up with Marcus Jordan, Ahmad Starks (Oregon State), Anthony Johnson (Purdue), Stan Brown (Lamar), Franklin Griffin, Antonio Johnson, Sam Thompson, and other talented players on the #1 ranked team in the sate.

“It was a big thing on my back to make a decision, now it’s off I can just concentrate on my grades and this season. I took my visits and Iowa State pursued me a different way than other schools did. They came at me from an education standpoint and that’s what my family is big on. ”

Look for a possible video interview from Chris in the near future.

I’ve known Chris since third grade. The Colvin’s are family friends. Yet, I have NO CLUE where Chris is going.

The Chris Colvin recruitment has been so unpredictable to this point that it is almost comical. I have enjoyed it a lot, and I am sad that it is almost over. Literally dozens of schools have been involved at some point or another, and many schools have looked like the front runner at some point or another: Illinois, Baylor, Iowa State, USC, Arizona, Kentucky, Florida State, many many more…. I can’t wait to see who he picks.

Whoever that lucky school is, they are getting an instant impact player. Not only is he a terrific point guard with fabulous court vision and is great on the break, but he also is a scoring machine that stands out on defense, rebounds with bigs, plays hard and with a competitive attitude, and is committed to getting better.

He is the #1 player in the state, and should lead Whitney Young downstate this year.

Lately, I’ve been writing articles about players who aren’t getting as much publicity as they deserve. Since Illinois is the best high school basketball state in the country, there are many players who fly under the radar simply because there are so many other prospects. Count Cameron Hill in that bunch. The lone returning starter from a Lincoln Way East squad that graduated four key seniors, Hill was overshadowed last season. He decided that the best way to get more publicity was to train harder than ever. Well, the hard work has finally begun to pay off. After several stellar showings at the Full Package Exposure League brought to you by Illinoishsbasketball.com, Hill is a fast rising prospect and a hot commodity amongst small schools looking for a scorer.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE STORY

CLICK HERE TO WATCH CAM’S HIGHLIGHT VIDEO

Class of 2009 guard Paris Gulley is ready to build off last year’s class 2A state runner-up finish when his Peoria Manuel Rams got knocked off 56-42 to North Lawndale in the state championship game. Gulley is a 6-2 combo guard with a slick handle, and a mid-range jumper that at times can be deadly. With the first official day of practice underway, Gulley is excited about what the season holds.

“Conditioning went good; I just really can’t wait for the season to start. I’m trying to get downstate once again this year and get first. I have been playing really good this fall. I think my game really peaked over the summer. I am working on everything right now in my game,” said Gulley.

On the recruiting ront, Gulley currently has no offers but is hearing from a plethora of schools and played in a front of a number of coaches this fall. “Everything with open gym went good we had scouts and coaches in the gym every other week. Kansas State, Iowa, West Virginia, Bradley, Illinois, and Kent State have all been in to open gym. DePaul, Marquette, and Kent State have all been in touch with me. Western Illinois and Eastern Illinois have also contacted me.

“Yeah I want to play for a coach that fits my play of game that runs. I am looking for good academics also,” Gulley said about his college preferences.

While the accolades have rolled in a bit before the season started with Paris already being named a McDonalds All American Nominee. Gulley didn’t stop there he has high hopes for his team and set some individual goals. “Win state first, but I want to make all conference, all tourney in all the tournaments we play in, first team all state, I want to have a big season and hopefully have a shot at Mr. Basketball in Illinois.”

One of Gulley’s biggest supporters and critics is Peoria Irish Coach Gavin Sullivan, who coached Gulley this summer on the AAU circuit. “Paris is an underrated player in my mind. He is a tough hard nosed guard that can play either guard position. Talent isn’t the only thing Paris brings a team either. He has a good basketball IQ, a great work ethic, a want to get better, and is a natural leader,” said Sullivan.

Peoria Manuel will open in the Lincoln Thanksgiving Tournament and again it will have a stout field with Champaign Centennial, Lincoln, East St. Louis, O’Fallon, and Danville.

After taking an official visit to Detroit-Mercy on the weekend of November 7^th, TF North sleeper big man Kyle Cain has verbally committed to play for Head Coach Ray McCullum’s Titans.

The 6-7 power forward raised his recruiting stock this spring and summer while playing alongside DJ Richardson, Darius Smith, David Brown and others for the Illinois Warriors on the AAU circuit. He had a few stand out performances during live periods that really got colleges looking, including a 14 point 12 rebound performance against Athletes First and their front court combo of Daniel Orton (Kentucky commit) and Kyle Hardrick (Oklahoma commit).

More on the commitment, including an interview with Cain, coming soon.

Class of 2009 forward/center Zeke Schneider of Metamora is without a doubt one of the top remaining post presences left on the board in the state of Illinois. Schneider stands at 6 foot 9 inches and a robust 215 lbs with an arsenal of post moves and a good motor. While many programs throughout the state are finishing up their offseason conditioning programs and going through preseason workouts, Schneier and his teammates at Metamora are not only doing that but also adapting to their new coach, Jim Youngman.

“Yeah we have a new high school coach, so we have just been doing workouts and all that stuff,” Schneider stated. “Coach Youngman, he is really good and we are just learning everything he does. He has had a lot of coaches come in,” said Schneider.

This summer Schneider suffered a leg injury that shut him down for July and the most crucial part of his recruitment, the July evaluation period. It’s safe to say Schneider has resurfaced after working hard to recover from his injury, and has now put himself in a position to be a nice get for his potential college suitors.

“I have been talking with Northern Illinois a lot lately I went up there for an unofficial. I went down to Mercer in Georgia, I haven’t been to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville yet, but I am going down soon: they have offered. Mercer I visited a few weekends ago, it was really nice I liked it a lot. I went around the campus then to Mercer Madness and I’m going back when they play Georgia Tech at home.”

Aside from offers from NIU, SIU-E, and Mercer the list doesn’t end there according to Schneider, “Quincy, Colgate, Centenary, and American have all offered as well.”

“Wright State and Ohio are showing some interest also. I probably will make a commitment in the middle of the season and then sign in the late period in March or whenever it is.”

With his injury now behind him, Schneider is prepared to have a big season, “Yeah, the season is going to fun and are new coach is really good.” Metamora will open in the Canton Turkey Tournament along with Macomb, Peoria Notre Dame, and Canton

Class of 2009 combo guard Jeremy Jones of Simeon High School is poised to come into his own and breakout this upcoming season after a stellar fall and summer. Jones is a long 6 foot 2 inches with an uncanny ability to knock down shots from long range, and the kid is clutch. With Simeon’s first game in nearly a month’s time, when they will square off with national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy at the Marshall County Hoopfest, Jones is steadily prepping for the season and weighing his college choices.

“Yeah this is our last week of conditioning, and then we start practice next Monday,” stated Jones. “It’s the last week so we made it through, it was alright. I mean it was hard, but it wasn’t it was just long and a lot of running it wasn’t that bad though,” said Jones.

After breakout performances at Nike MDOC, Nike Peach Jam, and AAU Super Showcase the latter two coming in front of dozens of college coaches, Jones recruiting stock really elevated.

“Basically the only two right now are Kent State and University of Detroit. Both have offered, I am supposed to visit Detroit on the 7th of this month, and Kent State hasn’t scheduled a visit yet. I most likely won’t make the Detroit visit on the 7th, but we are rescheduling it. Kyle (Cain) is going to Detroit on the 7th instead. I will visit Kent State also; I just have to set the visit up with them. It’s really just those two schools right now and whoever else will jumps in during the season,” commented Jones.

While Jones is not planning to make a decision anytime soon, he has a few preferences for his future college. “I know for sure that I am waiting to make a decision after the season. I’m just looking for a good program, location, academics, and coaches all that, and just overall where I fit in at.” Also another possibility Jones is looking at is teaming up with his Illinois Warriors teammate and best friend Kyle Cain from T.F. North. Cain is also being heavily recruited by University of Detroit. “It really makes Detroit’s chances a lot better. We talk about it all the time playing in college together,” Jones said.

With lofty goals every year at Simeon they again are no different this year. “Nothing less than state title, I think we can win it all; we got a great chance to do that and win the city also. I can’t tell you how excited I am for the season.”

If Full Package had a poster boy, it would be Matt Vogrich. The shaggy haired baller from Lake Forest High School looks more like he belongs on a surf board than a basketball court, and that is why we love him. When he walked into his first Full Package AAU practice as a 7th grader everyone knew he could shoot the ball, but I don’t even think he knew how far he could ride this basketball thing. From throwing down dunks, to winning tournament championships, to working toward a 4.7 GPA, to earning a scholarship to Michigan, Matt Vogrich exemplifies what hard work, and a little Full Package can do. Vogrich capped off his stellar FP career by earning MVP honors of the Full Package Exposure League brought to you by Illinoishsbasketball.com.

“I was a real honor to get it,” stated Vogrich. “After all Full Package has done for me over the years, and all the leagues I’ve played in, it feels good to get the MVP. I wish my team could’ve won (the Championship) but we were just out of gas.”

His team lost in the championship, but the fact that they even got there was an accomplishment. Their tallest player was 6′5, and Vogrich, a 6′4 guard, was their leading rebounder. The team they lost to in the finals featured players that stood at 6′10, 6′9, 6′7, 6′7, and 6′5. Their point guard was 6′3. And yet, behind Vogrich and friends, the game managed to stay (somewhat) close.

Congrats to Matt Vogrich and the Vogrich family.