DePaul and Illinois are in the mix to land Young’s DJ Steward

Duke and North Carolina are also among the eight colleges in the hunt for the state’s top-ranked high school basketball player.

SHARE DePaul and Illinois are in the mix to land Young’s DJ Steward
Young’s DJ Steward (21) tries to get into the paint against Orr.

Young’s DJ Steward (21) tries to get into the paint against Orr.

Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times

Young’s DJ Steward, the state’s top-ranked player in the Class of 2020, cut his list to eight in a video released on Twitter on Thursday.

Steward, a senior guard, is down to DePaul, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Louisville, North Carolina and Texas. Kentucky and Notre Dame were two notable schools that did not make the cut.

The 6-3 guard picked up offers from both Duke and North Carolina following his play at Nike’s Peach Jam on the EYBL circuit in July. Steward has taken unofficial visits to Louisville and Illinois and an official visit to Texas while adding a plethora of high-major offers over the past few weeks. 

“It’s definitely changed my thought process,” Steward says of the uptick in interest from blue blood programs.

Steward had a sensational summer, vaulting up the 247sports national rankings, landing at No. 31 and along the way became the top-ranked prospect in Illinois on the list. Rivals.com followed with its updated rankings and put him at No. 35. 

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