Hoops scouting still an inexact science

Font Size

Email

Bookmark

Black Text

White Text

True story from a prep boys basketball game played at Zion-Benton in late February of 2007.

Remember, now, this is the year BEFORE the Zee-Bees finished second in the IHSA Class 4A state tournament, and TWO years before the Zee-Bees finished FIRST in the IHSA Class 4A state tournament.

But enough about looking ahead.

Today, we're taking a look back ... back to something that was said in the Zion-Benton High gym late in the 2006-2007 season when Ronald Steward was a sophomore point guard, Lenzelle Smith was a freshman reserve who never saw a shot he didn't like, and Markus Yarbrough was a sophomore who more resembled a gob of goo than a polished low-post scorer.

All three saw extensive playing time on that night -- a lopsided regional-tourney victory at home over Libertyville.

But the memorable part of the evening wasn't what transpired on the court. Rather, it was what was being said about Zion-Benton's young stars-in-waiting by a guy who gets paid to evaluate prep hoops talent for colleges.

The guy was in the stands to see if there was anything to rumors that had been swirling that the Zee-Bees has some prime-time players.

After watching for slightly more than a half, this was his evaluation.

In his own words: "There isn't a Division I player on the court."

Say what?

Sixteen months later, and all three of those guys are NCAA Division I recruits -- headed by Smith, who is emerging as the best prep basketball player in the state in the junior class.

Smith's time, of course, will come.

Interesting today is what people are now saying about our gentle giant -- the 6-foot-7 Yarbrough.

Where once he huffed and puffed his way down the court and could only play in three-minute spurts, he's transformed himself into exactly what the college scout said he'd never be: An NCAA Division I recruit.

Here's what was written about Markus on the ChicagoHoops.com Web site regarding his play at the second annual Chicago Summer Classic hoops tourney.

"The big fella came up huge in the second half against the Iowa Barnstormers with a strong effort in the paint. Yarbrough solidified his Division I credentials and will be tracked closely for the rest of the tournament."

Currently, the gentle giant is being recruited to play the "4" (power-forward) position at mid-major type schools. And, it all honesty, that's probably a perfect fit for him.

As for that college scout in the stands that night ... well, let's just say that no one can be right all the time.

And that comes from someone who is right almost none of the time.

Shawn Marion ... one of the good guys

Observations from watching NBA star and North Chicago native Shawn Marion interact with youngsters at his free three-day hoops camp at North Chicago High last week:

  *He has as much -- if not more -- fun being with the kids than the kids do being with him.

  *His grandma, who lives in North Chicago and attended the camp, did a great job helping raise him.

  *Our community is lucky that Shawn remembers us.

  *Other than the rental car he was driving -- a Hummer that pretty much could have seated half the people attending the camp -- he was very much one of the guys at camp. In other words, his feet are on the ground and his nose is not stuck up in the air.

  *There are a couple hundred kids around here whose favorite team is now the Miami Heat (the team Shawn plays for).

Wyoming building area grid pipeline

With Zion-Benton High graduate Quincy Rogers already solidly entrenched as a starting defensive back, the University of Wyoming's football team has reached out to our area and plucked another winner -- Wauconda High graduate Brad Wisniewski.

The Wiz was this area's top running back in each of the last two seasons and rushed for more than 4,000 yards in a three-year varsity campaign.

When he joins Wyoming, he could find a spot playing fullback, or the 6-foot-2, 230-pounder who just as easily wind up playing linebacker. At Wauconda High, he was a two-way player.

In an interview with a Chicago paper, Wauconda coach Glen Kozlowski compared Wisniewski to former NFL running back Earl Campbell, one of the all-time great power backs.

"In the first and second quarters, linebackers try to hit (Wisniewski) head on. But by the third and the fourth quarters, they're stepping back and trying to take angles at him," Kozlowski said. "He's really a solid ballplayer."

Wyoming plays in the pass-happy Mountain West Conference, where scores usually are in the 40s and teams run the ball about as often as the Bears win the Super Bowl.

ROMEOVILLE ... OH ROMEOVILLE

Waukegan High's first football game this coming season is against the Romeoville Spartans, a program that has won six varsity football games in the last five years. You've gotta like our chances in that one.