5 get springing endorsements
While taking inventory of the recently concluded spring basketball scene, which included two “live weekends” in April for college coaches to evaluate prep talent, several players rose to the occasion.
Here are five seniors- to- be who were this spring’s biggest breakout players in the eyes of college coaches.
Myles Baker, Young
Pre- spring: He was a major player for a Class 4A state runner- up team this past winter and had some name recognition. But the 6- 2 guard played in the shadows of seniors Javon Freeman and Xavier Castaneda.
Post- spring: Saint Louis was the first to offer Baker, but Tulsa, Colorado State, Cleveland State and Wisconsin- Milwaukee have all jumped in with offers. Look for that list to grow exponentially by late summer.
Ray J Dennis, Oswego East
Pre- spring: The littleknown 6- 2 combo guard simply had not been seen, yet he was projected by the City/ Suburban Hoops Report back in March to be one of the breakout performers of the spring after a terrific junior year. He transferred to Oswego East from Montini and averaged 17.2 points, 4.9 assists and 4.3 rebounds this past season.
Post- spring: There’s a ton of low- major and mid- major interest after opening eyes on the club circuit in April. Boston University, Cleveland State, IUPUI, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Vermont and Wisconsin- Green Bay have offered.
Nate Ferguson, Lemont
Pre- spring: Ferguson put together a rocksolid junior season and was among City/ Suburban Hoops Report’s top 25 prospects in the Class of 2019. But when the 6- 7 athletic forward’s junior season ended, therewasn’t a Division I scholarship offer on the table.
Post- spring: Ferguson has impressed while playing with Chicago Lockdown on the club basketball circuit. Now he heads into the summer with a surplus of offers and a whole lot of interest. Drake, Winthrop, UWGreen Bay, UW- Milwaukee, Wofford and New Hampshire have extended offers.
DaJuan Gordon, Curie
Pre- spring: Throughout his sophomore and junior seasons, the smooth 6- 4 guard with length and scoring ability showed flashes of being one of the state’s top 10 prospects in the Class of 2019. College coaches, however, took their time.
Post- spring: While there were a couple of offers before the spring, Gordon’s reputation has grown considerably. He now sports a dozen- plus offers, including locals Loyola and DePaul, who offered in April. Saint Louis, Tulsa, UAB and Colorado State extended offers earlier this month.
Another significant jump by July, both with his game and college interest, wouldn’t surprise anyone.
TomWelch, Naperville North
Pre- spring: He didn’t put up gaudy numbers as a junior ( 13.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg), but the 6- 7 forward was on the radar early on because of his size, versatility and upside. He was billed by the City/ Suburban Hoops Report as the biggest sleeper in the class last summer. Yet he was still under- recruited for too long.
Post- spring: There hasn’t been a player in the junior class who has generated more college interest overall in the last two months than Welch. He has added a dozen offers, including Loyola and Southern Illinois in the Missouri Valley, since late April. In addition, a few high- major programs have started to poke around and will keep tabs on Welch in July.