Five things that would have happened during the canceled June basketball live period

The live April evaluation period for college coaches was lost.

So, too, were the many May events on the club basketball circuit where evaluators would have watched and analyzed the growth of players and followed up with both warranted and unwarranted hype.

The newfound two evaluation period weekends in June that proved to be so highly beneficial in the recruiting landscape a year ago were also wiped away.

Every class has been hit hard. But the Class of 2022, next year’s junior class, was just getting prepared to put themselves on the map. There would have been a lot of attention thrown their way as college coaches started to familiarize themselves with the next group of up-and-coming prospects.

Here are five storylines the City/Suburban Hoops Report believes would have developed over the course of the past month if June basketball had been played throughout Illinois.

Glenbard West tandem would have opened eyes

There are two bonafide Division I prospects in Glen Ellyn who have hardly been seen.

While Glenbard West has produced Division I players in John Shurna (Northwestern), Justin Pierce (William & Mary/North Carolina) and Evan Taylor (Lehigh) in recent years, it’s not exactly a household basketball name. The Hilltoppers weren’t must-see for college coaches this past winter.

Then the coronavirus wiped out April, May and June, so both 6-9 Braden Huff and 6-4 Cade Pierce were unable to showcase their talent and versatility or live up to the City/Suburban Hoops Report pub it put out there over the winter months.

Huff was labeled as “the area’s best unknown prospect” in a Sun-Times story back in January, while Pierce was projected as a surefire Division I prospect by the City/Suburban Hoops Report.

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

Huff and Pierce, a pair of promising prospects in the Class of 2022, would have certainly opened eyes in June while playing with their very promising Glenbard West team. Nonetheless, the interest is starting to trickle in for both.

Northwestern and Virginia Tech have both offered Huff while a surplus of high-major programs have jumped in and are involved in his recruitment. Pierce picked up an offer from UIC and is hearing from several other low-major and mid-major programs.

Jaden Schutt would have solidified early billing, raised profile

While he’s been among the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top prospects in Illinois in the Class of 2022 since his freshman year, Yorkville Christian’s Jaden Schutt had not been seen all that much by the time his sophomore season ended.

That was all set to change this spring and summer.

The Class of 2022 as a whole generally gains more focus among college coaches as the group inches closer to their junior season. Schutt was set for a big run with the Illinois Wolves on the club circuit and Yorkville Christian would have been watched in June.

The player who I said back in December was as pure and natural of a shooter as I’ve watched in 24 years of publishing the City/Suburban Hoops Report recruiting service still gained a ton of recruiting attention. Even without actually playing in live events over the past month, the tape and local superlatives didn’t lie.

He’s picked up offers from Creighton, Illinois, Iowa, Marquette, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern and Xavier among others.

But with a full spring and summer platform, Schutt would have garnered more national attention from evaluators and college programs outside the Midwest. He’s on pace to become a top 100 player in the country in the Class of 2022.

A star would have emerged at St. Pat’s

There is a blossoming talent coach Mike Bailey has at St. Patrick in the Class of 2022.

Timaris Brown, a developing 6-4 versatile wing, averaged 12.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 blocks this past season as a sophomore. Brown also knocked down 40 three-pointers on the year.

While Brown doesn’t have a ton of name recognition, he was poised to take off and become a fixture in the class this summer. He’s already among the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top dozen prospects in the Class of 2022.

A super intriguing college prospect, the lefty not only fills up a stat sheet but boasts the physical tools that are so attractive with his basketball body and athleticism. Plus, he has that whole “just scratching the surface as a player” thing going for him.

Central Illinois pair would have made a name for themselves

Although it’s no fault of their own, it sometimes takes a little longer for things to heat up around central Illinois and southern Illinois prospects. But the tandem of Jalen Quinn of Tuscola and Zach Cleveland of Normal were set to do so.

Quinn, a point guard with terrific 6-3 size, has been an impact player at Tuscola, located 30 minutes south of Champaign, since he entered high school. This past season he put up 20.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and four assists. He plays with poise and a feel at a position that calls for it.

UIC and Southeast Missouri State both offered the Tuscola guard in June, and there have been 20-plus Division I programs who have been in contact with Quinn.

Cleveland is a relatively unknown player outside the Bloomington-Normal area. But the 6-6 junior-to-be put together a rock solid sophomore season, averaging 15.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks a game. The athletic 4-man runs the floor, finishes above the rim and has a family tree of height that could potentially push him to 6-7 or 6-8.