Hinton heading to W. Illinois
Curie star surprises again after first commit to SEMO
Curie senior Ramean Hinton, one of the state’s top talents in the Class of 2020, gave an oral commitment to Western Illinois on Saturday. He’s the highest- ranked recruit in Leathernecks history.
Hinton, an all- area, all- city and all- state selection, averaged 17 points and eight rebounds for the Condors, champions of the Red- South/ Central and the Pontiac Holiday Tournament.
The 6- 4 wing won the prestigious AC Williamson sportsmanship/ MVP award at Pontiac. He led Curie to 26- 2 regular season and the top ranking in the Super 25 for the majority of the season.
Hinton signed in the fall with Southeast Missouri State, but coach Rick Ray and his staff were let go after a 7- 24 season. It was a major surprise when Hinton picked SEMO, so the star heading to Western Illinois is a total shock.
New Leathernecks coach Rob Jeter hired former Morgan Park coach Nick Irvin as an assistant two weeks ago, and the move appears to have paid off immediately.
Simeon adds more star power
The first major transfer of the spring is in the books. Oak Park’s star junior, Isaiah Barnes, announced that he’s heading to Simeon. The Huskies are without a coach after Matt Maloney stepped down this month.
Barnes has picked up double- digit highmajor offers in recent months, and his arrival makes the Wolverines one of three teams that could be ranked No. 1 in the preseason.
The defending city champs were already deep without Barnes. They welcome back dynamic Ahamad Bynum, an athletic 6- 2 scoring guard who has committed to DePaul, along with a bevy of other talented players.
Jaylen Drane is one of the top players in the Class of 2022, and sophomore Avyion Morris became a difference- maker in the backcourt. Junior guard Fred Poole is back, while 6- 7 junior Phillip Holmes, 6- 5 junior Dylan Ingram and freshman point guard Jalen Griffith all had their moments this past season.
Hyde Park hires a coach
Jamere Dismukes, a star player at Rich East and the Rockets’ coach this past season, is taking over at Hyde Park.
Dismukes, who guided Rich East to a 1516 record last season, takes over for Reggie Bates, who resigned after a 16- 10 season.
Dismukes previously coached at Indian Hills Community College and Blackhawk College in Moline.
“This is huge,” Dismukes said. “It’s a situation with great resources and great administrators in the best conference in the state.”
The Hyde Park job has long been considered one of the best in the Public League, despite a revolving door of coaches over the last several years. Dismukes doesn’t have any experience coaching or playing in the city and is aware he’ll have something to prove.
“I’m excited for the challenge and excited to prove myself,” Dismukes said. “I think my work will speak for itself. We were competitive in almost every game last year against one of the top schedules in the state.”
Dismukes said he will work at the school in some capacity.
Possible evaluation periods
The NCAA announced last week that there would be no basketball evaluation periods in July, decimating the summer basketball circuit.
However, 247Sports. com reported Friday that the NCAA is considering scheduling evaluation periods in August, September and October. The dates being targeted are Aug. 6- 9, Sept. 4- 6 and Oct. 9- 11.