High school basketball: Recapping the year in recruiting

Bloom’s Dante Maddox (21), Christian Shumate (24), and Keshawn Williams (0) during the Blazing Trojans game against Evanston.

These unordinary times have left the Class of 2020 with upcoming virtual graduation ceremonies and stripped of the proper senior sendoff.

With their prep basketball careers complete and just days or weeks left in their remote learning education, here is a look back at the best and biggest when it comes to the recruitment of the Class of 2020 in Illinois.

Best still unsigned senior: Ramean Hinton, Curie

There is just one player among the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top 25 prospects in the Class of 2020 still undecided on his college future: Curie’s Ramean Hinton.

The pandemic has certainly slowed down the recruiting process for the 6-4 senior wing who originally signed with Southeast Missouri State.

Hinton, the No. 5 ranked prospect in the class, put together an outstanding senior season and will be a big addition for any program at this late juncture in the recruiting process. Even at this late date, the door remains open with a wide variety of options for Hinton and his camp to figure out.

Biggest Division I recruiting steal: Dante Maddox to Cal State Fullerton

By the time a loaded Bloom team was playing out the 2019-20 season, Maddox was the best player and prospect on a team with five Division I prospects.

Maddox is highly athletic and blessed with a college-ready body. He shoots it well, with range and shows a knack for getting after it defensively. This is a steal for coach Dedrique Taylor in the Big West Conference.

Biggest Division II recruiting steal: Matthew Ambrose to Indianapolis

The coaching change at Indianapolis hasn’t changed a thing. Stan Gouard signed Ambrose before moving on to Southern Indiana and first-year coach Paul Corsaro is excited to keep the 6-3 guard from Stevenson. As Ambrose continues to physically develop and add strength, look for this high I.Q. shooting guard to flourish down the road.

Biggest Division III recruiting steal: Jabari Chiphe to Washington-St. Louis

You just don’t get this type of athlete and player at the Division III level very often. The Payton star, who averaged 23 points and nine rebounds a game as a senior, is an explosive 6-3 wing with a much-improved perimeter jumper with range out to the three-point line.

A high-level student academically gets an elite academic school while having a chance to be a legit difference-maker on the court.

Best walk-on: Dominic Martinelli to Northwestern

This is a win-win for player and program. The Glenbrook South star gets a chance to be a walk-on in the Big Ten with an education that’s among the best in the entire country. The Wildcats get an ultra-productive high school player with grit and a blue-collar approach. The 6-4 Martinelli scored over 2,000 career points and broke the single game school record with 51 points.

Most important signing: Adam Miller to Illinois

With as much time and energy as Illinois put into the recruitment of the Morgan Park star, it was imperative the Fighting Illini locked up Miller. Illinois kept the No. 2 ranked prospect in the state home and filled a glaring need along with it — a bonafide perimeter shooting threat.

Highest profile recruit: DJ Steward to Duke

The 6-3 guard put together a big summer in 2019, emerged as a 30 talent nationally and coveted by high-major programs with offers from Texas, Louisville, North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Arizona and several others.

The Young star follows in a long line of McDonald’s All-Americans from Illinois headed to Duke, including Simeon’s Jabari Parker, Young’s Jahlil Okafor, Fenwick’s Corey Maggette, Glenbrook North’s Chris Collins and Jon Scheyer, Julian’s Sean Dockery and Crete-Monee’s Phil Henderson.

Best recruiting story: Jayson Kent to Bradley

There were a couple of locals on the high-ceiling 6-6 wing from Oak Forest last summer as Chicago State and Northern Illinois extended offers in June of 2019. But that was about it for the little-known prospect.

Kent decided to play out his senior year. He put up numbers (18 ppg) and continued to showcase a budding game and promising upside. He led the Bengals to a 28-4 record and regional championship while picking up a handful of offers in February and March. He ended up as a mid-major, signing with Bradley in April, and among the top 20 prospects in Illinois in the Class of 2020.

Worst recruiting story: Lack of Division I players — again

The Class of 2020 has thus far produced just 30 Division I players in the class. There could be a couple more added to the list, but the downward trend in recent years of Division I talent in Illinois continues.

The good news? It will be a surprise if the Class of 2021 doesn’t push towards the old norm of 40 Division I players as we head into the 2020-21 season.