Henricksen: All things July

The important but sometimes over-analyzed month of July has come to a close. Club basketball programs across the state have wrapped up their summer season and college coaches are back in their offices working on the “big board,” prioritizing recruits, official visits and offers.

The high school basketball season is now only four months away. But from an individual standpoint there is always a lot to learn during the month of July. The City/Suburban Hoops Report takes a look back at a few of the highlights from the July evaluation period.

Hoops Report’s Biggest Stock Riser

➤ Evan Gilyard, Simeon (Class of 2017)

Gilyard is the single biggest summer riser in the state, particularly in the Class of 2017. The 5-9 point guard has shown tremendous growth as a player. His progress led to him putting in serious work for Meanstreets in the month of July, shining with both the 17U and 16U teams. Tough, explosive and a disruptor at both ends of the floor, Gilyard makes plays and impacts games on a regular basis. He has gone from a mid-major prospect to one high major programs will be taking a close look at over the next 12 months.

Hoops Report’s other big July winners and stock risers

➤ Charlie Moore, Morgan Park (Class of 2016)

This was one highly-regarded, highly-ranked Illinois prospect in the senior class who enhanced his stock with his play in July. He showed why he’s a Hoops Report top three prospect in the Class of 2016. There were a few high-major programs who thought he was a high-major point guard. There were plenty of others who hoped he was. Although there are some skeptics out there as to whether he’s your ideal point guard, the 5-10 Moore quieted most doubters and answered any remaining questions as to what level he can play at in college.

➤ Justin Pierce, Glenbard West (Class of 2016)

As his game and body developed over the course of his sophomore and junior year, the 6-5 wing flew under the radar. He’s come a long way and, as a result, no player in the Class of 2016 from Illinois has gained more interest and added more offers this spring and summer than Pierce. The scholarship list for the high-academic Pierce is a lengthy one.

➤ Tarkus Ferguson, Belleville Althoff (Class of 2016)

Maybe it was because he’s bounced around a bit from high school to high school and AAU team to AAU team. Maybe it’s because he played for a loaded Althoff team this past year. For whatever reason, the versatile 6-3 Ferguson didn’t receive his due. But he’s among the Hoops Report’s top 10 prospects in the senior class and has way more college interest than he did three months ago.

➤ Loudon Vollbrecht, Geneva (Class of 2016)

Even after averaging 10.8 points and 6.6 rebounds a game for a team that finished fourth in the state in Class 4A this past March, Vollbrecht remained an afterthought on the basketball recruiting front heading into the summer. But the 6-8, 290-pound center has improved his game and body language since. As a result, this past month he’s picked up offers from Northern Illinois, Western Illinois, South Dakota State and University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Vollbrecht is also a Division I football prospect.

➤ Alonzo Verge, Jr. (Class of 2017)

Of all the established, big names that have been talked about in the Class of 2017, it could be argued that Verge, an exciting talent with the ball in his hands, arguably made the biggest impact and name for himself in July. The easy, natural flow to his game, along with a skilled and savvy scoring ability, has Verge emerging as a possible Hoops Report’s No. 2 prospect candidate in the Class of 2017 in Illinois as July closes out.

➤ Javon Pickett, Belleville East (Class of 2017)

No, Pickett didn’t raise his stock with the City/Suburban Hoops Report –– he was already the No. 8 ranked player in the class in the spring –– but the 6-4 wing did get a chance to showcase his skills, upside and basketball intuitiveness in July in front of a lot of college coaches. And they were impressed. Mid-major programs are offering left and right and will now keep their fingers crossed he doesn’t end up as a true high-major. Good luck.

➤ Collin Stallworth, Rochester (Class of 2017)

The fact is the Hoops Report projected the 6-5 Stallworth, who hails from Rochester, just outside of Springfield, as a borderline Division I prospect heading into July. But Stallworth is arguably the most improved player in the junior class and a bonafide Division I prospect.

➤ Tai Bibbs, West Chicago (Class of 2017)

An absolute unknown coming into the spring when he opened the eyes of the City/Suburban Hoops Report. But the smooth, slender point guard is smart, has a terrific upside and continues to blossom and get better. A true stock-riser as he’s gone from a no-named prospect to a pair of mid-major offers (from Toledo and Buffalo) and rising interest while playing with the Mercury Elite program.

➤ Tim Finke, Champaign Central (Class of 2018)

Those around the state were well aware of the 6-5 wing. He’s been regarded as one of the top two or three talents in the state in the Class of 2018 since he entered high school, so he’s hardly an unknown. But Finke, whose older brother Michael is a redshirt freshman at Illinois, has gained notoriety nationally and added a whole lot of high-major interest with his play in July.

Underrated Senior

Yes, he has his high-major school and is headed to the Big Ten. He’s even ranked among the top 100 players in the country in at least one national ranking. But because he plays in Dixon (and not at a Young, West Aurora, Evanston or Hillcrest) and for the Quad City Elite (and not with the Fire, Meanstreets or Wolves), Isaiah Roby is too easily forgotten. The Nebraska recruit is still maturing physically and as a basketball player, but the 6-7 Roby doesn’t have the name recognition that comes with being one of the top two or three prospects in a class in Illinois.

Underrated Junior

Dwayne Rose, Jr., a 6-3 guard from Crete-Monee, is one of a handful of players in the 2017 class who probably –– no, definitely –– hasn’t received the interest, pub and attention he probably deserves up to this point. An impressive sophomore season was followed up by what should have been a summer of opening the eyes of college coaches. In what is a deep and very talented group of players in the Class of 2017, Rose remains a mid-major prospect right now who should be getting a little more love.

Underrated Junior: Part II

There are few who have even heard the name Demarius Jacobs, a 6-3 guard who plays at Uplift in Chicago. But he’s a talent who is just beginning to come into his own. Although still just a fawn, Jacobs had moments this July where he was so impressive. College programs will get a glimpse of Jacobs sooner or later and get excited about the potential he possesses.

Underrated Junior: Part III

Alright, so Cameron Krutwig of Jacobs is one of the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top dozen prospects in the Class of 2017. So it’s difficult to put Krutwig in an “underrated” story when he’s rated. Still, the talented big fella is highly under-recruited at this point, adding only Loyola and UIC offers this July. The big-bodied, 6-8 junior has more than enough size, skill and production to warrant a whole lot more interest and offers than just Loyola, UIC, UAB and Vermont.

Biggest Player Evaluation Misnomer

Every college coach, talent evaluator and prep basketball fan that watches Belleville Althoff’s 6-3 junior Jordan Goodwin must stop with the, “But what position is he at the next level?” question. Maybe, just maybe, Goodwin has finally played his way through the misnomer of not having a position.

With all the high-level production and winning in his two years of high school, along with the basketball savvy, versatility and competitiveness he plays with, who cares what position he is at this point. Put Goodwin on the floor, let him play, and he produces, gets things done. This is the rare player that transcends basketball positions.

Best Individual Performance

The first couple of weeks of July were tough for Simeon’s Zach Norvell. He was forced to do some things he’s not accustomed to on the floor and his shot wasn’t falling while going through the difficult time of losing a relative just as the month began. But, boy, did he finish it off with a bang in the final weekend in Las Vegas. And for a kid who plays, acts and competes the right way and is so easy to pull for, it was great to see Norvell put together the best individual performance of the month. The 6-5 senior put on a show while playing in Las Vegas for the Mac Irvin Fire as he hit 14 three-pointers, including several from 24-28 feet, and scored 53 points.

Biggest July storylines

• Lack of talent in 2016

We were all hoping, from the City/Suburban Hoops Report who covers the prep scene all year long to college coaches who recruit this state so heavily, that a handful of the “top players” in the senior class would break through this July. It didn’t happen. The class, as has been noted so many times, is extremely down. With a few exceptions, the class didn’t show any better during the evaluation period.

How would you like to be a Division I program with four or five scholarships to give in the Class of 2016 and who relies heavily on targeting and recruiting the state of Illinois?

An indication of where we are with this Class of 2016? It was the slowest summer in memory for college programs extending offers to an Illinois senior class. There were very few players who impressed so much that it opened the door to more scholarship offers. In fact, there was probably more stock “falling” than “rising” among prospects in the senior class.

• Class of 2017 gets better and deeper

Names and reputations were established this past winter and spring, with Jeremiah Tilmon of East St. Louis, DaMonte Williams of Peoria Manual, Alonzo Verge of Willowbrook, Nojel Eastern of Evanston, Justin Smith of Stevenson, Larkin’s Christian Negron and Jordan Goodwin of Belleville Althoff all securing high-major offers. But the class keeps adding to its high-profile list –– Hello, Charles Payton of Bloomington, Evan Gilyard of Simeon, Elijah Joiner of Curie and Cameron Krutwig of Jacobs! –– and gaining more and more Division I depth.

• Race for top spot in 2018

It’s early. Very early. And there are three years of high school basketball still to be played. And to top it off, it really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. But it will be interesting to see the continued rise and development of the top two players in the sophomore class: Simeon’s Kezo Brown and Champaign Central’s Tim Finke. There are also others lurking with a game and upside, such as Westinghouse’s Ayo Dosunmo.

• Favorite Club Team of 2016

Last summer it was the Central Illinois Net Gain team that was so fun to watch and enamored the City/Suburban Hoops Report and college coaches with its play and ability to play with and beat some of the big boys in the AAU world. This summer it was Quad City Elite with a group of players from the western part of the state.

Maybe it’s because the best player and high-major recruit is so unselfish. Maybe it’s because so many players on the team have so much to prove. Maybe it’s because they simply don’t get the recognition the other club programs from the Chicago area receive. But a team led by Nebraska recruit Isaiah Roby of Dixon, a pass-first, creative 6-7 point-forward, was disciplined, played so well together and won a lot of games without the big names.

Nonetheless, the likes of Roby, Noah McCarty of Sterling Newman Catholic, Isaac Gassman of Ottawa, Donovan Oliver of Kewanee, Mike Pollack of DeKalb and others on that Quad City Elite team all opened eyes with their individual and team play this past July.

Follow Joe Henricksen and the Hoops Report on Twitter @joehoopsreport