MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

North Park continues to build something special at the corner of Foster and Kedzie as 6'9" DJ Wallace of Hoffman Estates High School has tweeted his commitment to the Park. It's been a long time coming but DJ will join former teammates the Vuckovic twins of Hoffman Estates next year to help the Park continue it's exciting program transformation. DJ is a great young man. I retired after working almost thirty years in a Chicago suburban high school and have seen a lot of students and players over that time. DJ is one of the finest young men I've met in those thirty-some years. His numbers and All-Conference/All-Area recognitions speak for themselves (as does his 6'9" frame). DJ is perhaps the finest shot blocker I've seen in HS ball. He can pass, is unselfish, has a good IQ, is an excellent teammate, highly coachable, and showed really nice growth on the offensive end of the floor all season. Over the last couple of years, he has had interest from NAIA, D2, as well as Elmhurst, North Central, Augie, and IWU. Kudos and thanks to Coach Sean Smith who was relentless in his pursuit of DJ. He was at more of the Hoffman games than some of the parents this season - including spending his birthday at one of DJ's games. Watching him build the relationship with DJ this year makes it easy to see how players would go to battle for him like this year's team did. Combine this Hoffman connection with the other recruits announced this week and NPU is likely to continue it's upward trajectory for at least four more years.

Brandon Swann, Trevon Roots, and DJ Wallace all in one week?

Yeah, that's a pretty good week of recruiting.

As I posted in the NPU men's basketball alumni Facebook group this morning, North Park has had no luck at all in recruiting blue-chip high school bigs from the Chicagoland suburbs for decades now. The Vikings have had some good bigs over that time frame (up to and including the four of 'em that will be donning caps and gowns next month), but they've all either been transfers or city kids, with a hard-working four-year overachiever or two from the 'burbs in that roll call as well. The last true blue-chip big to come straight to North Park out of a suburban high school was Chris Stanley from St. Viator, who ended up making the All-CCIW team three times and logged over 1,200 points in his Vikings career. And Stanley was recruited to the Park in ... drumroll, please ... 1988.

This is a serious breakthrough, and it's indicative of the fact that, as Pete said, Sean Smith and his staff are building something special at Foster & Kedzie. North Park looks to be very competitive for the long haul, and the aspirations for the program are now very high -- as they should be.

[Aconsmu]

And it's official.

Thrilled for Vince and excited to have him at the helm.

This is what happens when I don't check the boards for two days during the quiet of the off-season.

I think this is good news for North Central, for Anthony Figueroa, and (stating the obvious) for Vince Kmiec.

Great job. Good for Vince!

[Gregory Sager]

Daniel Carr is going to use his Covid waiver in a postgrad season at D2 Rockhurst.

[Gregory Sager]

North Park has added one of the Trinity International players set adrift by the school's abandonment of in-person undergrad education. He's Nabil Kone, a 6'8" rising junior from Mali.

I wonder if any of the other Trinity International and Cardinal Stritch refugees will find their way onto CCIW rosters?

[Gregory Sager]

Big get for Carthage, as AJ Johnson's 6'7" "little" brother Ryan is following him to the Firebirds. Ryan wowed a lot of people at Oswego East this past season and is a definite blue-chip player.

I think that Stevie D. may have just filled the Bulatovic-shaped hole in his lineup.

[Gregory Sager]

Nikola Raic, a 6'6" forward from Libertyville, is going to Augustana.

[Gotberg]

North Park has added one of the Trinity International players set adrift by the school's abandonment of in-person undergrad education. He's Nabil Kone, a 6'8" rising junior from Mali.

I wonder if any of the other Trinity International and Cardinal Stritch refugees will find their way onto CCIW rosters?

His stats at TIU certainly do not jump out, but after watching his highlight video, his athleticism and length may really fit into Coach Smith's system well.

[Gregory Sager]

That's what I think, too. I think that this may be something of a defense-oriented pickup. It takes a very mobile big man to successfully play the back end of a press, and that's key for a team that plans to press, press, press its opponent to death. And with Sean's switching halfcourt defense a big man may have to spend as much as ten to fifteen seconds in a possession guarding a small, quick player on the perimeter and preventing that player from penetrating. Jordan Boyd did it well because his ultra-quick hands really bothered opposing guards and made them focus more upon protecting the ball than on getting around Jordan. I suspect that Nabil Kone may be expected to succeed in that role by simply being long and having good lateral quickness.

He also looks like a rim protector, which is going to be a more pronounced defensive element in the future for NPU. DJ Wallace and Trevon Roots are two of the best shot-blockers coming out of Chicagoland high schools this year, and with Kone in the fold as well the gambling halfcourt defense of the Vikings might be even bolder in 2023-24 and beyond due to having accomplished shot-blockers backing up the guys doing the harassing and the passing-lane-jumping on the perimeter. Great rim protection can take away some of the lethality of scissor cuts and back-door cuts by the opposition.

I don't expect much from Kone, but, like you, I can see his potential purpose.

[Gregory Sager]

North Park has landed 6'5", 180 guard Trey Brooks from Elyria, OH (where he graduated from Open Door Christian HS and was a two-time all-stater). Brooks is receiving his bachelors degree this month from D2 Lake Erie College, where he played for three seasons. He is enrolling in NPU in the fall as a grad student in the masters in organizational development program. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Sean Smith and his staff are really pumped about the arrival of Brooks, and, having watched Brooks's highlight videos, I can see why. The Vikings may have found somebody really special to step into Jalen Boyd's shoes next season.

[Greek Tragedy]

Former Bowling Green and Libertyville(IL) 6'1" G, Jackson Watson, will be transferring to play for Coach Dernbach and the UWSP Pointers.

Can't find much on Watson, didn't play much at Bowling Green.  Anybody know if he was a walk on?  The high school highlights I could find show some solid athleticism and he's Libertyville's all time leader in 3's made for a single season.  Was All Conference and All County as a Junior and Senior, seems like a significant get to me but other people would know more about him.

Any CCIW folk know much about him?

[Gregory Sager]

Luke Yoder is returning to Illinois Wesleyan after his one-year sojourn at North Dakota State.

[iwu70]

Welcome back, Luke Yoder!

iwu'70

[Gregory Sager]

Word on the street is that Fillip Bulatovic is stepping out of the portal and will be returning to Carthage for 2023-24.

[RogK]

Has inflation affected how much Johnny is charging for that word-on-the-street info?
Is he still set up at the intersection of Devon and Fullerton?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8hTAr7Nw4I
-

[Greek Tragedy]

Is "word on the street" cheaper than "rumor around the campfire"??