High School Sports RSS: Recruiting

East Aurora's Boatright has 'big-time' dreams

BY SCOTT POWERS — Thu, 2 Jul 2009 00:00 CST

With the recent resignation of Tim Floyd from USC, East Aurora star point guard Ryan Boatright has decided to re-open his recruitment. He�s already drawn interest from DePaul, Florida State, Kansas State and Miami.

Graham commits to Ohio State

BY TAYLOR BELL — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00 CST

Wheaton North quarterback Taylor Graham gave an oral commitment to Ohio State. Graham chose the Buckeyes over scholarship offers from UCLA, Colorado, Michigan State, Iowa, Arkansas, Duke and Wisconsin.

Rossi chooses California

BY SCOTT POWERS — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00 CST

New Trier star Alex Rossi gave an oral commitment to California on Monday. He chose the Golden Bears over Northwestern, Notre Dame, Stanford and Virginia.

Former Oswego East hoops star goes D-I

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:00 CST

Recruiting: Lionell Holmes figures it was worth the wait. The career scoring leader (890 points) in the short history of the Oswego East basketball program scored another first this spring when he signed a national letter of intent to play basketball this upcoming season at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Offers start flowing for St. Rita's Gaston

BY TAYLOR BELL — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:00 CST

Though he didn't start till Week 4 of last season, St. Rita defensive tackle Bruce Gaston is drawing plenty of attention from college recruiters.

Vocational duo picks Wisconsin-Milwaukee

BY SCOTT POWERS — Tue, 9 Jun 2009 18:00 CST

After teaming up in elementary school at Dixon, in club basketball for Old Gold and the past three years in high school at Vocational, Hollis Hill and Aaron Williams have both committed to play college ball at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

College football recruiting heats up

BY TAYLOR BELL — Sun, 7 Jun 2009 00:00 CST

Football recruiting is picking up in the post-May evaluation period as colleges zero in on Chicago area prospects in the Class of 2010 who impressed on film or at one-day camps or combines.

Lane's Trinca-Pasat commits to Iowa

BY TAYLOR BELL — Sun, 7 Jun 2009 18:00 CST

Defensive end/linebacker Louis Trinca-Pasat of Lane Tech made an oral commitment to Iowa. The 6-2, 230-pounder chose Iowa over Michigan State and Wisconsin.

UCLA offers Wheaton North's Graham

BY ADAM L. JAHNS ajahns@suntimes.com — Sun, 7 Jun 2009 00:00 CST

Add UCLA to the growing list of major college programs after Wheaton North quarterback Taylor Graham. Bruins head coach Rick Neuheisel extended a scholarship offer to the 6-4, 215-pound junior on Saturday after Graham visited the school.

JCA recruits move to next level

From Staff Reports — Wed, 3 Jun 2009 00:01 CST

JCA: Joliet Catholic Academy has announced several college commitments and signings among its seniors. In addition to those previously announced, the list includes Emma Rambo, who will play NCAA Division I hockey at Union College.

Staying in loop serious business for Boatright

BY RICK ARMSTRONG rarmstrong@scn1.com — Sat, 4 Apr 2009 15:00 CST

Rick Armstrong: Ryan Boatright figured he'd already proved he was nobody's fool. Neither, apparently, is Tim Floyd. When he heard the news Floyd might be leaving his coaching job at Southern California for Arizona, he thought it was just another April Fool's Day joke.

Payne nears final college choice

BY SCOTT POWERS — Fri, 3 Apr 2009 18:00 CST

Not many high school players get the chance to commit to three different colleges, but Schaumburg senior Cully Payne is on the verge of doing just that.

Warren verbally commits to Seton Hall

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 04:00 CST

Girls volleyball recruiting: As an outside hitter, Joliet Catholic Academy junior Alyssa Warren passes like a Porsche, serves aces to the rhythm of Van Halen's "Jump," defends better than Johnnie Cochran during a high-profile trial and attacks with the determination of a shark at suppertime.

Can this kid be saved?

BY RICK TELANDER rtelander@suntimes.com — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:00 CST

Rick Telander: The cracks are everywhere. Our troubled children waver over them like beam-walkers, with spaces on each side that grow wider, with a bottom so deep and dark it might swallow all. ... Mario Miller, 18, does not want to fall.

Brandt heading to Oregon State

BY MICHAEL O'BRIEN mobrien@chicagosuntimes.com — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:00 CST

Recruiting Notebook: Lake Forest Academy's Angus Brandt gave an oral commitment to Oregon State on Thursday and Marshall's Darius Smith recently picked up offers from Duke and Memphis.

JT soccer team gets college kicks

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:00 CST

Prep recruiting: Any lingering negative feelings about the abrupt way in which the Joliet Township boys soccer season ended were erased this week when the JT athletic department hosted a college signing ceremony for five of its soccer athletes -- four members of coach Eduardo Contreras' boys team and Debbie Rios from coach Jeff Lundeen's girls team.

A talent-laden 2010

BY TAYLOR BELL — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:00 CST

Johnsburg�s C.J. Fiedorowicz is the top-rated football prospect in the area in the Class of 2010 -- a class already being praised for its stock of Division I players. Other standouts include Notre Dame-bound lineman Christian Lombard of Fremd and Illinois-bound safety Corey Cooper of Proviso East.

Chicago Area�s Top 30 Juniors

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:00 CST

Taylor Bell and recruiting analyst Tom Lemming break down the top 30 football players in the Class of 2010. Be sure to see if anyone from your team made the cut.

Mustangs' Scott makes up for divided time

BY TAYLOR BELL — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:00 CST

Morgan Park's Victor Scott, a former standout quarterback, quit football after his junior year to concentrate on basketball. Although Scott could be described as a late bloomer, he�s beginning to attract college interest for his basketball skills.

Roberts, Kachmer, Ratay find homes

BY TAYLOR BELL — Thu, 5 Feb 2009 18:00 CST

Quarterback Jordan Roberts of Aurora Christian and running backs Mark Kachmer of St. Francis and Michael Ratay of Geneva will be moving on to the next level.

Breaking down a busy signing day

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 17:00 CST

Want to know where the best player on your team is going to play in college? Be sure to check out YourSeason.com's coverage of National Signing Day here, including columns, rankings and a photo gallery.

Signs of the times

BY STEVE TUCKER stucker@suntimes.com — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 18:00 CST

National Signing Day: Thornton quarterback Darren Jones will follow former Illinois assistant Mike Locksley to New Mexico, signing a letter of intent on Wednesday. Other notable players leaving the state include Maine South quarterback Charlie Goro (Vanderbilt) and Morgan Park defensive lineman Craig Drummond (Mississippi).

LSU stands out; Illini, ND look OK

BY TAYLOR BELL — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 18:00 CST

After Wednesday's National Signing Day, count LSU�s Les Miles, Ohio State�s Jim Tressel and USC�s Pete Carroll among the most excited. But Notre Dame�s Charlie Weis and Illinois� Ron Zook certainly aren�t disappointed even though their incoming freshmen aren�t comparable to recent classes.

Tom Lemming ranks the Big Ten's recruiting classes

Wed, 4 Feb 2009 18:00 CST

Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming breaks down the Big Ten by recruiting classes.

Nation's Super 25 players

Wed, 4 Feb 2009 18:00 CST

Here is a break down of the nation's top players by position, according to recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.

National Signing Day hype signals loss of perspective

BY GREG COUCH gcouch@suntimes.com — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 18:00 CST

Greg Couch: National Signing Day is not officially a national holiday. How did we get here? Shouldn't we feel uncomfortable about dedicating so much time, thought and energy to a bunch of young boys?

Illinois: Zook's class rises with late pickups

BY HERB GOULD hgould@suntimes.com — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 18:00 CST

Ron Zook has set the bar so high that it's not his splashiest class at Illinois. And with 20 signees, it's not his biggest, either. But thanks to some late gets, this class could end up being a very productive one.

Notre Dame: Linebacker Te'o a step up for class

BY NEIL HAYES nhayes@suntimes.com — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 18:00 CST

By signing his name and sporting a blue-and-gold hat, Manti Te'o forever changed the perception of Notre Dame's 2009 recruiting class.

Northwestern: Providence's Ward stands out in balanced class

BY JIM O'DONNELL jodonnell@suntimes.com — Wed, 4 Feb 2009 18:00 CST

Headlining Northwestern's newcomers is four-star offensive tackle Patrick Ward of Providence, who brushed away a list of at least 25 other impressive suitors to become NU's first four-star signee since defensive end Loren Howard in 2001.

Schofield leads group to Big Ten

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 04:00 CST

What was the most difficult situation Sandburg's Mike Schofield found himself in during the last two months? "It sure wasn't accepting a football scholarship to the University of Michigan," the 6-foot-7, 275-pound offensive lineman said with a big smile.

Rothstein has his marching orders

By CURT HERRON For The Herald News — Thu, 5 Feb 2009 04:00 CST

Recruiting: At first, Trevor Rothstein thought that he was just going to play football at the United States Military Academy. But when the Lemont High School senior finally got to witness the pageantry of West Point, he realized that football was a small part of the deal.

Three Southland athletes make commitments to service academies

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 04:00 CST

For the last six years, the Navy Midshipmen have captured the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy, awarded to the winner of a football round-robin between the Army, Navy and Air Force academies.

Area track standouts primed for next level

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 00:01 CST

Recruiting: Was it as easy as 1-2-3? Hardly, but this trio of senior track standouts made it seem that way over the past three years. Waubonsie Valley's Shakeia Pinnick, Batavia's Natalie Tarter and Kaneland's Lindsay Gierke all signed national letters of intent on Wednesday.

Castro already thinking beyond playing days

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 04:00 CST

Recruiting notes: Tyler Castro knew he eventually wanted to get into coaching, but first he had to find the right school. The Waubonsie Valley quarterback ultimately chose Drake over Eastern Illinois, with hopes of majoring in special education and then latching on as a graduate assistant.

Wildcats find a gem in Providence's Ward

BY JIM O'DONNELL jodonnell@suntimes.com — Tue, 3 Feb 2009 18:00 CST

Northwestern and coach Pat Fitzgerald landed one of the best offensive linemen in Illinois: four-star tackle Patrick Ward of Providence in New Lenox.

Q & A with Edgy Tim

BY TAYLOR BELL — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:00 CST

Football recruiting analyst Tim O'Halloran of EdgyTim.com answers questions from the Sun-Times' Taylor Bell.

Proviso West's Prater lands his 17th offer

BY TINA AKOURIS takouris@suntimes.com — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:00 CST

Proviso West wide receiver Kyle Prater is making school history. On Thursday, representatives from Stanford's football team went to the Hillside school and offered Prater a scholarship.

Panthers lineman opts to join Herd

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:00 CST

Prep football recruiting: Oswego offensive lineman Jordan Jeffries, who stands 6 feet 7 inches, found a second home in Huntington, W.Va., at Marshall University, where he will be playing football next season.

Ratay runs his way to D-II power

BY TAYLOR BELL — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:00 CST

Michael Ratay, one of the most prolific running backs in state football history, has made an oral commitment to Division II power Grand Valley State in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Role players, unsung heroes deserve credit

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:00 CST

It takes more than one or two outstanding players to carry a basketball team to the state finals. It takes role players and unsung heroes such as Thornton�s Jamal Gray, Warren�s James Poliquin, Morton�s Oscar Macias, Young�s Franklin Griffin, Waukegan�s Steven Connor, North Lawndale�s Stephen Thorpe and Rich East�s Freddie Lay.

Drummond de-commits from Illinois

BY TAYLOR BELL — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:00 CST

Morgan Park defensive end Craig Drummond, who made an oral commitment to Illinois in November, said Sunday night he has de-committed from Illinois, has re-opened his recruiting process and is seriously considering Mississippi.

Stars will be out at McDonald�s Shootout

BY TAYLOR BELL — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:00 CST

Some of the top girls basketball players will be in the spotlight at the 19th annual McDonald�s Shootout on Friday, Saturday and Monday at Willowbrook. Jim O�Boye, founder and director of the event, has put together a sure-fire recipe for drama and excitement.

Bartlett's Zelinsky chooses Central Michigan

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 04:00 CST

Prep football recruiting: Kyle Zelinsky is scheduled to make an official visit to Central Michigan today. Whomever plays host to the Bartlett star linebacker won't have to go out of his/her way to make it too special of a weekend, though. The Courier News Player of the Year verbally committed to attend CMU recently, spurning several other Division I scholarship offers.

Fictional characters

BY STEVE TUCKER stucker@suntimes.com — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:00 CST

Steve Tucker: You can call it ��Preps Gone Wild.�� Sometime in the 1990s, I first became aware of it when I began receiving ��press releases�� from the overzealous parent of a high school basketball player. The faxes would go into great detail about how this player did and even included quotes.

Romeoville's Hodges heading to Wisconsin

Thu, 8 Jan 2009 04:00 CST

Boys basketball recruiting: He is 15 years old and stands 6 feet 7 and weighs 200 pounds. And Romeoville High School's Devon Hodges is just beginning to fill out now. He thinks he could grow to 6-9 by the time he enrolls at the University of Wisconsin.

Fremd's Lombard picks Notre Dame

BY TAYLOR BELL — Sat, 3 Jan 2009 16:00 CST

Fremd's Christian Lombard, one of the top-rated offensive linemen in the Class of 2010, was watching the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Saturday when he casually announced he has made an oral commitment to Notre Dame.

Here comes Leonard

BY SCOTT POWERS — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 09:00 CST

Just a year ago, Robinson's Meyers Leonard was a nobody in the basketball world. He was a role player on an under-.500, small-school team. But that�s all changed.

How �bout Howard?

BY MICHAEL O'BRIEN -- SUN-TIMES NEWS GROUP — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:00 CST

Michael O'Brien: Bruce Weber�s decision to hire Peoria native Jerrance Howard, a 27-year-old former Illinois player with almost no coaching experience, was criticized in the Chicago area. But since that time, Howard has played a key role in landing commitments from Chicago-area stars.

Abrams chooses Illinois

BY MICHAEL O'BRIEN -- SUN-TIMES NEWS GROUP — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:30 CST

Thursday at Mount Carmel, Illinois coach Bruce Weber became the first coach in the country to claim one of the prized players in the state's 2011 class, as 5-11 guard Tracy Abrams gave an oral commitment to the Illini.

Experts weigh in on Abrams

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:00 CST

Check out what the recruiting analysts have to say about Mount Carmel's Tracy Abrams, the newest Illinois recruit...

Abrams sounds off on Illinois

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:00 CST

Mount Carmel guard Tracy Abrams on his commitment to Illinois: �The players [at Illinois] were like a family, it was an atmosphere that I wanted to be a part of.�

Abrams commitment will benefit Illini recruiting

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:00 CST

Joe Henricksen: With Mount Carmel star guard Tracy Abrams in the fold, he instantly becomes an attraction for Illini basketball for the next wave of talent. Current top prospects love to play -- and want to play -- with Abrams, a likeable player with great character.

Meteors have some football talent, too

BY TAYLOR BELL — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:00 CST

De La Salle is famous for producing Chicago mayors and basketball players, not necessarily in that order. Dan O�Keefe, who recently completed his third season as De La Salle�s football coach, is trying to change that image.