I spent the opening day of the Illinois Satellite Team Camp at Moody Bible in Chicago checking out many of the top prospects in state including prime Marquette targets.

Marquette’s Major Targets

G/F Wayne Blackshear, Morgan Park: The talented 6-5 junior wing had the most college ready body in attendance and possesses freakish athleticism.However, his perimeter shot needs a lot of work and at this time Blackshear scores most of his points going to the rim.  He looks to have good form on his jumper so it has the potential to improve, but that must happen for him to rank among the top 20 players in the country and the best in Illinois.  A positive note is that Blackshear showed solid fundamentals guarding the perimeter and has all the tools to become a lockdown defender.  Blackshear will play at the high-major level but still needs to elevate his game to be a difference maker.

Mike Shaw, De La Salle:  The most confounding player in Illinois, Shaw plays on the wing despite being the biggest player on the floor most nights (6-8 and at least a solid 220) and has little interest playing inside (especially on the offensive end).  Shaw will play at a forward spot on the college level but it still baffles talent evaluators that someone with Shaw’s size and athleticism does not dominate games on the interior.  Now, Shaw already has advanced passing skills and can score from the mid-range, but needs work on his perimeter shot if he wants to be an effective combo forward.  Best suited to play on a team likes to run, Shaw has the chance to be a very good college player if his skill package fully develops. 

G Lavonte Dority, Foreman: Dority’s stock has fallen over the past year but he looked very good in both games I watched him in.  A scoring combo guard, Dority can hit perimeter shots in bunches and also has the speed and ability to create his own shot.  Looking forward to the next level, Dority will have to work on creating for teammates and slowing things down on occasion.  Currently a borderline high-major player, Dority should earn quality offers if he can play as well in July as he did on Monday.  One issue is that Dority can lose his cool at times and earned a T in their game against Simeon.

G Brandon Spearman, Simeon:  Spearman had a quiet game in terms of point production playing against Dority’s Foreman team, focusing on setting up his teammates and not looking for own shot.  That he primarily played as a lead guard is a story however as he has been viewed as a wing guard by most evaluators.  Looking comfortable in the role of distributor and floor general, Spearman could guarantee himself a spot at the high-major level if he proves to be a consistent combo guard.  Marquette and others should take a good look at Spearman during the July evaluation period.

Alex Dragicevich, Glenbrook North:  A big guard with a sweet shooting stroke, he looked like a high-major player in their game against Whitney Young.  Standing 6-6 with a solid stature, Dragicevich showed that he can do more than just hit the perimeter shot and has the athleticism to handle playing at any level.  While not a high-flyer or speed burner by any means, Dragicevich can create his own shot and draw contact at the rim.  He has also has the ability to set up open teammates and thread the needle on crisp passes.  Currently being heavily recruited by Miami-Ohio among others, Dragicevich could become a hot name in July if he knocks down shots on a consistent basis.  Should Marquette miss out on top targets like Jelan Kendrick, Jamail Jones, and Vander Blue (just a hunch that Marquette will strongly pursue him at some point), Dragicevich is worth a closer look in my opinion as a shooter to compliment the athletic guards and wings.  In the end he may have to decide on becoming a star at the mid-major level or settling on being a rotation player at a high-major school.

F/C Nanna Egwu, St. Ignatius:  Long-term Egwu may be the most promising player at the event not named Jereme Richmond.  An athletic big man with developing skills, Egwu plays with consistent effort and looks to have gained a good understanding of post play fundamentals.  Already a long 6-9, Egwu will be a load to handle once his body fills out and he works with collegiate strength and conditioning coaches.  At this point Egwu is more of a shot-blocker and rebounder, but he can create second shots and put back misses from the offensive glass.  Once he matures and becomes comfortable as an offensive threat, Egwu will rank among the top big men in Illinois and the country.  Thought to be a strong lean to Bruce Weber and the Fighting Illini, Egwu will still be heavily recruited until he makes a verbal commitment.

Notes on Other Players

Dority’s Foreman teammate Mike McCall was heavily recruited by Tom Crean while at Marquette and could be a rotation player at the high-major level.  A solid shooter from the perimeter, McCall has also worked on his point guard skills and could potentially play that role if he decides to play at a lower level.

2011 Illinois commitment Tracy Abrams played superbly against St. Joseph’s, showing the ability to hit the perimeter shot and the quickness to get the basket while creating his own shot.  Projecting as a scoring lead guard at the college, Abrams plays off the ball for Mt. Carmel because of the presence of talented 2012 point guard Malcolm Hill-Bey.  Hill-Bey had a quiet game against the Chargers but his talent is still noticeable and he also has the potential to play at a high-major school.

He may not be universally viewed as a great prospect, but mark me down as a fan of Whitney Young’s lead guard Ahmad Starks.  Standing at just 5-8, Starks commands the talented Dolphins squad and is the most important player on a team that boasts multiple high-major players.  Not a great shooter and at times a poor decision maker, Starks just finds a way to make the right play at the right time and could be the missing piece to compliment Oregon State’s strong 2009 recruiting class.

On the other end of the spectrum, Young freshman standout Thomas Hamilton Jr. screams star from the moment you first witness him.  Despite his young age, Hamilton already looks like a college big man and has advanced feel and skills in the post.  While he did not hit any perimeter shots during my viewing of him, Hamilton can reportedly hit the three-pointer as well and projects to being a versatile four/five that schools drool over (he recently received an offer from Illinois). 

Tidbits

Marquette target and former De La Salle wing Andre Henley will be transferring a prep school (final destination still unknown).  Also, the rumors still persist that Shaw will be transferring to Morgan Park to team with close friend and Mac Irvin Fire AAU teammate Wayne Blackshear.

Speaking of Shaw and Blackshear, both returned home from their Louisville visit with scholarship offers and will strongly consider accepting them.  At the very least Louisville now sits at the forefront of the recruitment for two of top 2011 players in Illinois.

Along with Hamilton, 2013 prospects Jabari Parker and Alex Foster also received scholarship offers from Illinois at the event.

The long awaited battle between Blackshear’s current Morgan Park squad and former Curie team ended with tension in a not so shocking development.

Finally, I would be remised to not give credit to University of Illinois staff for conducting a fine event and the Bullseye Brothers for being a great source of discussion and information about Illinois prep basketball.  Roy and Harv Schmidt continually confirm their well earned reputation for being the best talent evaluators of Illinois high school basketball players and their unbiased evaluations of all notable players.