More thoughts on prep school basketball teams...and some recruit news...

To make much of the following comments -- you have to have read yesterday's blog entry about prep schools. (LINK)
I don't have a particular bias against all prep schools but I do have a bias against some of them that's fueled by a few questions....

First -- a question nobody ever seems to address or answer - who is paying for all this? Most of these kids are from poor or inner city families, or they are kids coming from overseas in Europe or African nations, and someone is paying the $10,000 to $50,000 per year tuition and costs for these kids.
Personally I am a little puzzled that nobody's done much to call this into question since it borders on some form of freebie or impermissible benefit.
I guess I'd like for someone to pay $50,000 of my kid's educational expenses..but obviously nobody would unless there was something BIG TIME expected in return...
Remember when the coach at St. Louis Vashon High School paid a bunch of expenses for his students?? That was clearly a major impermissible benefits violation - LINK

Recently -- the series of ESPN articles does scratch the surface and shows a lot of money being paid by sponsors to get these kids into prep schools and funneled to certain D-I schools... and that this is clearly a VIOLATION! LINK

All I ask is that if these kids at prep schools are getting an unfair advantage because someone, some outsider with ulterior motives, is putting up lots of money to get the kids to top D-I programs...then isn't that a whole lot more serious that a kid getting a hamburger or being overpaid for a summer job (stuff the NCAA seems to go after aggressively), and isn't that a HUGE violation that someone ought to look into? Any talented kid will choose one of these crooked prep schools if they can make tens of thousands of dollars scott-free compared to making nothing playing for their local public high school team.


Second -- as was my main point yesterday -- where's the evidence of the success that these prep schools brag about? I have even more evidence to throw into this argument.....DESPITE those prep schools loading up with tons of solid talent and 5-STAR prospects, and hiring big name coaches, they simply do not win very much!
What gives -- anyone got an answer?

Here's the latest -- yesterday at the DePaul team camp -- La Lumiere played the Chicago Simeon team without their THREE stars...and La Lumiere DID have all their stars - Bobo Drummond, Hanner Perea, Obij Aget, and even had Jay Simpson...and yet Simeon - with their skeleton crew roster beat them!

Here's the Sun Times account -

"La Who?
The much ballyhooed La Lumiere basketball team came to the De Paul Team Camp with a lot of buzz. With two Illinois products -- Champaign Central's Jay Simpson and Peoria Central's Bobo Drummond -- part of the program, along with a host of other big-name players, including 7-footer Obij Aget, La Lumiere lost to a Simeon team that didn't have Jabari Parker, Kendrick Nunn and Kendall Pollard."
http://blogs.suntimes.com/hoopsreport/


In another bit of La Lumiere news....top prospect Jerron Wilbut was rumored to also be going there but now he is not!!

Also from that Sun Times piece...
"Although it appeared Downers Grove South standout Jerron Wilbut would be headed to La Lumiere Prep School next year, he instead will remain a Mustang. The 6-2 athletic guard vaults Downers Grove South to a different level. Wilbut was outstanding in action at the DePaul Team Camp and is clearly the No. 2 prospect in the class behind Simeon's Steve Taylor."

Good for him -- I think he's making the right decision!


BTW -- I saw these comments about what happened yesterday at the DePaul team camp despite that it is widely known to be an outstanding and well run team camp....

-first a German kid who is a transfer in at Chicago De La Salle HS -- was highly touted -- Gavin Schilling, a talented 6-8 kid but he immediately ruined any chance to actually see how good he is....he fractured his left wrist yesterday when he was knocked to the floor going up for a dunk......

-second - several people noted that a couple brawls broke out between kids on various teams...one included DePaul assistant coach Billy Garrett's son...and there were even games cancelled!

https://twitter.com/#!/WesReynolds1/status/83389347226845184

https://twitter.com/#!/wolves10/status/83388833449783297

https://twitter.com/#!/HankPlona_SPC/status/83395381983055872

http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/5893

http://depaul.scout.com/2/1081454.html

-lastly these team camps are NOT supposed to be used for the recruiting purposes of the school hosting the camp...but clearly DePaul is guilty of this as was noted in that Daily Herald link above...
"Immediately after Morgan Park edged Bowman, Simeon took the court for the next game. Purnell, Billy Garrett and fellow DePaul assistant Dr. Ron Bradley formed a ring around Simeon rising senior forward Steve Taylor as they joked around with one of their primary 2012 targets."

and here -- even the kids previously unknown to the DePaul staff were getting recruited - LINK



Mention in Chicago of Peyton Allen's BU offer and Brett Bisping -
http://ilprepbullseye.com/New_Offers.html


Here's more on Tanner Williams who is now being recruited by Bo Ryan and Wisconsin per his own text message -
"Just received a text message from Orion senior-to-be Tanner Williams who said
Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan recently added Williams to the Badgers' recruiting list-
Williams, the two-time reigning ..Area Player of the Year has already received a scholarship offer from Missouri State"
https://twitter.com/#!/danmak_QC/status/83291324241035264



Here's a bit from the FIBA Americas U16 Men's Championship....
The Canadian team that includes Shayok Shayok's brother Marial Shayok beat the Chilean team 96-51.
Marial scored 13 points and 8 rebounds, Tyrell Bellot-Green had 16 pts.

The USA team beat Brazil 105-70 with Jabari Parker scoring 27 with 10 rebounds.
Jahlil Okafor had 19, Stanley Johnson had 14, and Aaron Gordon had 11.
Box score

USA plays Argentina today.