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

6-10 Australian import Angus Brandt is one of the most sought after post prospects in the nation. Not only does Angus now reside right in my backyard, in Chicago’s north suburbs, but the Lake Forest Academy stud was a standout in the Full Package Exposure League brought to you by Illinoishsbasketball.com. Angus took a visit to Oregon State recently with fellow Aussie Rhys Murphy (a trip I will have more on later), and I got a chance to talk recruiting with Brandt right before the visit…

What schools are in the lead right now? “Michigan, Washington State, New Mexico, Colorado, and Oregon State.”

What puts those schools out in front? “They all have styles which suit my style of play, and they all have the courses I want to study.”

When are you going to make a decision? “Um I’m not too sure yet, I’m waiting on the season to start so I can watch teams.”

Have you taken any visits? “I have a visit with Oregon St this weekend and I went to Michigan on an unofficial a couple of weeks back.”

Does it mean anything to you that OSU coach Craig Robinson is Barack Obama’s brother in law (Watch link!)? “Haha a little, but not that much. American politics don’t really interest me, I am Aussie remember, but he’d probably get my vote I guess, he seems like a good (guy).”

Will people that you know going to schools affect your decision such as (fellow Australian) Nate (Tomlinson) at Colorado, Matt (Vogrich) at Michigan or others? “Um not really I mean at the end of the day I need to pick what’s the best fit for me and if it turns out to be a school where I already know someone then that’s a bonus.”

Do you like Lake Forest Academy? “It’s great. I couldn’t ask for a better bunch of guys to play with, we are a real close nit group and Coach Vaughn is great.”

2011 star Chasson Randle (Rock Island) took in a visit on University of Wisconsin’s campus this past weekend. He got a chance to talk with coaches and academic advisers, caught a football game, and toured the campus and facilities.

“It was good,” said Randle of the visit, “I loved it they showed me the campus, the football game was crazy, and the student section was loud. I got a good feel for everything and had good talk with Coach Ryan and Coach Close they guys are pretty good I enjoyed it.

“The campus and the coaches are what really stood out in my mind. I just really liked the talk I had with them and I enjoyed it. They showed me around everything, arena, and weight room we also talked with the academic advisers.”

Alongside Randle on his unofficial visit were Illinois Wolves teammates Devon Hodges and Nnana Egwu. “It was real comforting, I could talk with somebody and tell them my comments. We also had fun we were telling jokes, just playing around, i definitely have fun with my teammates,” Randle said.

In the meantime, Randle is excited for upcoming season and poised to lead Rock Island to new heights. “Man, man, man am I excited about the upcoming season. I am really exited I just got done working out with my team at open gym. I am really looking forward to the season.”

Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, and Purdue are all among the schools recruiting Randle the hardest at this point in time.

“I have been to all of their campuses, but I am going to check out Illinois again soon, maybe even this weekend I just want to get a good look at the campus.”

Class of 2009 forward Shaun Pratl (Richards) recently embarked on two official visits. One was a stone’s throw away from home, at Eastern Illinois, while the other was quite a distance away at Boston University. Pratl is a 6-8 forward who has a versatile game and a wide array of moves in the post and in transition. These two official visits come not long after he decided to play college basketball, rather than football.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Pratl of the visit to Boston. “I mean no one in my family had ever been to Boston, one of my friends who had been to Boston just told me I was going to love it. It was really cool; the city is way different from Chicago. It’s more laid back and ‘chill,’ kind of slower than Chicago and I kind of like that. The team was pretty cool, the coaches were awesome they seemed like just a couple of the guys on the team. I had a lot fun out there, it was nice weather and the city really likes sports everywhere I went someone was talking about Patriots, Red Sox, Boston College, BU. It was pretty cool.”

On top of the city, Pratl liked a lot more of what the school had to offer. “Yeah it’s a great education out in Boston,” he stated. “They said the scholarship is worth almost like $200,000 for four years, and I couldn’t complain with that. They said once you get a degree from Boston you’re pretty much set.”

Two weeks prior Pratl visited Eastern Illinois, and thoroughly enjoyed his visit, “The visit to Eastern was everything I expected it to be. I have some friends that go to Eastern and they say I will never have a bad time. I did have a lot of fun it’s definetly a college campus. It was really a good time down there,” said Pratl.

“The players are really what sold me at Eastern most of them are freshman and sophomores and I will be playing with them for the next two or three years. That’s definetly a big thing and they were all cool. It just seems through the whole process they have wanted me the whole time and they have been patient I just really feel like they really do want me. The coaching staff was awesome at Eastern I have known these guys for a little bit now because they have been recruiting me probably the longest. They have been honest with me the whole time and said I was going to be the first guy to visit.”

Will location be a factor or not? “That’s the thing I’m going to have to decide, I mean it really is huge that my family and friends see my games and stuff. BU games are on the Internet so I guess it wouldn’t be a huge deal, and I liked Boston enough that I could live out there and not mind it. But at the same time it’s kind of important part of my decision that my family is able to see me play,” commented Pratl.

With two visits out of the way and his senior season around the corner, Pratl decision could be coming soon. “It’s pretty much up in the air between those two (EIU and BU) and Saint Louis is a third option. Saint Louis has offered, but I don’t know about them. I might be going down to SLU tomorrow or this weekend. I just want to get the decision out of the way and start focusing on the season coming up.”

This 6-8 forward remains one of the top uncommitted prospects in the state of IL.  So keep it tuned to illinoishsbasketball.com for the latest news and updates…

Zilijan “Zee” Jones is not your average west side kid. He grew up with one thing on his mind. The 5 foot 7 guard from North Lawndale knew he needed basketball since he was a 5th grader growing up on Chicago’s west side, he needed it if he was going to achieve that one thing that was on his mind. While Zee saw his middle school friends and teammates start selling drugs and joining gangs, leaving their childhood hopes and dreams a distant memory, Zee worked, because he had one thing on his mind. He didn’t bank on making the NBA, and he didn’t let the frustration get to him when his cousin John (Mills- pictured below) shot up to be seven inches taller than him in the seventh grade. No, Zee just worked, because he always had one thing on his mind. To get out. And now his dream is finally coming true.

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2010 guard Karl Madison (Springfield Lanphier) took a trip up north this week past weekend to Northwestern where he took in a football game, practice, and toured the campus.

“It was really nice I enjoyed the visit a lot. When I got there I first toured the campus it was really nice, and then I was able to meet the team and take in a football game. It was a lot of fun. I talked with Carmody the head coach for a while then we went to the football game. It really was a lot of fun,” said Madison about his visit.

Madison had many likes about the school, but what stood out in his mind were academics and the coaches.

“Yes I like the academics side of it a lot. It’s a private school and not to big. Tavaras Hardy, he is a really cool coach, I really bonded with him, the other coaches are real nice as well. They haven’t offered me a scholarship yet, but they are close. I could see myself playing at Northwestern.”

“Wichita State is on me pretty hard. I have also been receiving a lot of mail from Miami (FL), Georgia Tech, Marquette, Kansas State, Illinois State, and Stanford,” commentated Madison about other schools taking a note on him. Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Missouri State, and Texas-Arlington are all among the schools who Madison has a standing offer from.

Chris Colvin And Me (He is the one sleeping)

Chris Colvin, the #1 player in Illinois, just got back from a visit to Iowa State. He visited with his father, his cousin Damien and his uncle Curly. Here is what he had to say about the visit:

“It went pretty well,” said Colvin. “I didn’t think it would be that good, because it’s Iowa and I thought Iowa is usually boring, but it went pretty well. I played with team, hung out with the players, went to dinner with coaches and my family. My favorite part was when i got to play with the guys. I got a feel for who I would play with if i went there. They had some talent out there. I played pretty good in the scrimmage, just, you know, usual Chris Colvin,” he added with a laugh.

This was Colvin’s second official, as he has already visited Providence, and he has two more scheduled. That leaves room for one more school to step in and make a late run at the point guard.

“Next week I’ll be at Marquette on an official. November 5th I’ll go to USC. I already visited Providence, and it was the same thing as Iowa State. I didn’t think Rhode Island would be good, because it’s, well, Rhode Island and it must be boring. But I really liked Providence a lot. I have no single school in the lead, but Providence and Iowa State are definetly in it.”

Chris plans to commit to a school on his birthday, November 9th.