3 Questions: 2022 Call Day, Best Inside/Outside 2021s, Getting Seen in Quarantine
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In our new series 3 Questions we will look at a trio of topics going on in the state of Illinois and recruiting! Check it out! Now that we are in the month of June what 2022 prospects should…
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Continue ReadingIn our new series 3 Questions we will look at a trio of topics going on in the state of Illinois and recruiting! Check it out!
Now that we are in the month of June what 2022 prospects should college programs be prepared to start calling on June 15?
The date June 15 is annually the first day that D1 schools can start college prospects in the rising junior class. For this year that is 2022s. You know that high-major programs are going to be dialing up Tinley Park power forward AJ Casey all day and night. The mobile four man is the top prospect in the class. What other prospects will be hearing from those high-major schools? Fenwick point guard Trey Pettigrew is certain to be a hot name this June as he should start to see his recruitment take off. Big men St. Joseph’s Kyle Thomas Kyle Thomas 6'8" | C St. Joesph | 2022 State #183 Nation IL and Oak Forest’s Robbie Avila Robbie Avila 6'9" | PF Oak Forest | 2022 State #225 Nation IL are garnering high-major consideration. Yorkville Christian’s Jaden Schutt Jaden Schutt 6'5" | SG Yorkville Christian | 2022 State #42 Nation IL already holds multiple offers and we expect a lot of Big 10 schools to be hitting the sharp shooters line.
Who could be priorities for mid-majors? Braxton Stacker should get quite a bit of attention. The best prospect from the metro east would be a dynamic mid-major plus player. Others we expect to be getting lots of calls include Glenbard West power forward Braden Huff, Buffalo Grove wing Kam Craft, and Mascoutah point guard Justin King. Combo guards Solorio’s Donovan Jones and Springfield Lanphier’s Tye Banks should receive quite a bit of attention as well.
Prospects that could be getting calls from both mid-major and high-majors are Jaylen Drane (Simeon), Jalen Quinn (Tuscola), Nigel Hylton (Lake Forest Academy), and Jeremiah Talton (Quincy). These are just a few of the prospects that are going to garner attention from college coaches.
What is the best 2021 inside-outside duo in the state of Illinois?
There could be a case made for several duos here. We are going to examine five of them. DePaul Prep has a good one with combo guard Ty Johnson who has emerged as junior with his slick ball handling and scoring in the lane. Brian Mathews is a tough five man that is impactful around the hoop. Whitney Young has the best duo in the CPS with point guard Jaehshon Thomas and power forward Grant Newell. Each played complimentary roles last year, but if the Dolphins want to make a run they will need to shine. Thornton has physical combo guard Brandon Hall to team up with face up four Donald Coats. From central Illinois one to watch is Shane Miller and Tyvin Garrison. They should combine for quite a few lobs this year. For us the best inside-outside duo is Mundelein’s pair of Drake commit Conor Enright at the point and physical five man Scottie Ebube Scottie Ebube 6'7" | C Mundelein | 2021 State #247 Nation IL . Enright is a high IQ guard that can pass and hit shots. Ebube brings toughness, scoring, and rebounding inside. They both rank inside the top 25 prospects in the PHI 2021 Rankings. Only other duo to claim that distinction is Whitney Young.
With no spring travel team season and the ability play during June with their high school teams taken away as well how can prospects get in front of college coaches?
At this time it is vital for prospects to do everything in their power to make sure they are advocating for themselves. One of the best ways to do this is reaching out to coaching staffs themselves. Most schools have assistant coaches emails on their team website. Be realistic in who you are reaching out to. If you don’t have a single D1 school talking to you probably not the best idea to start firing off emails to Duke, North Carolina, and Kentucky.
Make sure the schools that have shown interest in you have all they need in terms of season highlight tape, two best game films, updated grades, test scores, and contact information for you along with your high school/travel team coaches. When reaching out to new schools introduce yourself to them and tell them why you are interested in their school. Personalize it! Don’t just send out a mass email. Tell that school why you are intrigued by them and why would think you would be a good fit. Give them your tape and information. Let them take it from there.
College coaches are going through tons of tape right now with nothing live to see. Make sure in the highlight video you showcase what you really excel at early in the video. Whether it is shooting, passing, athleticism, defense, rebounding, or shot blocking. Make sure you catch their eye with that skill immediately! Another way to pick up interest is have your travel team or high school coach reach out to some of their contacts that might fit your level of play.
PrepHoops will have evaluations of season highlight films all month for college coaches to check out!