Transfers bolster Simeon, Curie, Orr
CITY/ SUBURBAN HOOPS REPORT
What have we learned in the offseason? That many of the major teams in high school basketball, particularly several in the upper echelon of the Chicago Public League, have upgraded their talent through transfers.
Maybe the biggest addition was on display this past weekend at the Riverside- Brookfield Shootout as Simeon welcomed Zion Young. The 6- 3 shooting guard, who is from Merrillville, Indiana, but most recently attended Wasatch Academy in Utah, opened eyes with his body, strength, toughness and shooting ability.
It’s easy to see, based on one weekend of play at the R- B Shootout, the effect Young will have for Simeon. He clearly is among the top 10 prospects in the Class of 2018 in Illinois and could push toward top- five status.
Curie has reloaded with three transfers. Maurice Commander, last year’s East Suburban Catholic Conference Player of the Year at Marist, former St. Joseph star Marquise Walker and underrated 6- 4 Jayden Gasby fromUrban Prep Englewood will make an impact.
Defending Class 2A champ Orr returns the majority of its team and last week added Chase Adams, who transferred to the West Side power after being a significant contributor at Marian Catholic.
Conditt’s continued rise
In a little over four months, 6- 10 George Conditt has gone from an unknown prospect who played for little- known Corliss and an AAU team called Team RWA to a topfive prospect in the Class of ’ 18 with a dozen- plus Division I scholarship offers.
After a multitude of low- major and mid- major offers, Conditt landed his first high- major offer last weekend from Illinois while on an unofficial visit Saturday.
Larkin impresses
Larkin was among the teams that opened eyes at the RiversideBrookfield Shootout. The Royals beat two- time defending Missouri champ St. Louis Vashon behind the 1- 2 punch of guard Anthony Lynch and 6- 9 Jalen Shaw. Lynch was impressive in scoring 30 points in the victory over Vashon.
Coach Deryn Carter’s team will be among the top squads in the western suburbs and a likely preseason top- 25 team. Lynch is a scoring lead guard, while Shaw provides a major presence around the basket.
In addition, Larkin welcomes back Pierre Black, who was a major contributor last season as a sophomore, 6- 5 Isaiah Talley and guard KindrellMorris from a team thatwon 19 games and playedwithout injured star Christian Negron.
ESCC’s best
After a breakout junior season and opening eyes on the club circuit during the spring, St. Patrick’s Xavier Pinson has established himself as the top player in the East Suburban Catholic Conference heading into the 2017- 2018 season. In the first four games St. Patrick played in the R- B Shootout, the slender 6- 2 point guard averaged 23 points, including a 37- point, buzzerbeating performance over Batavia.
Away- too- early top 10
We’re more than five months out from the season, so there will be plenty of player development and possibly a transfer — or three. Nonetheless, here is a look at a very early preseason top 10: 1. Simeon, 2. Young, 3. Morgan Park, 4. Orr, 5. Curie, 6. Fenwick, 7. Bolingbrook, 8. Bogan, 9. Waukegan, 10. Kenwood.