Senior Sunday: Recruiting Updates
Each Sunday throughout the rest of the season we will focus a group of unsigned seniors at a variety of levels across the state to get the latest on their recruitment! It’s time for Senior Sunday!
SG Eric Peterson (Batavia)
We start things off with a commitment! Batavia shooting guard Eric Peterson told PHI on Wednesday night that he had committed to play his college ball at UW Oshkosh. This is a great fit for the shooting guard. He has excellent size and a high skill level being able to stretch the floor and is improving his handles.
SG Isaiah Saulsberry (Harrisburg)
Saulsberry is one of the premier scorers in southern Illinois. The athletic wing can shoot it from deep at a high level as well as score with his explosiveness off the bounce. He holds an offer from D2 Maryville. Southwest Minnesota State has been making him a priority as of late and he plans on visiting there after the high school season is over. Southern Indiana saw him play over Christmas break and he has been there to see them practice. Rockhurst is also showing interest in him. Ohio Dominican is another school that has been hitting up a lot as well. Saulsberry is a player we believe should be a nice fit at the D2 level.
C Paul O’Leary (Lemont)
O’Leary is a physical 6’9” center that anchors down low on both ends of the floor and is difficult to move. He was injured in July so he decided to play the high school season out and see where things went. Right now he has a quartet of D2 offers from Notre Dame College, Hillsdale, Minnesota St. Cloud, and Indianapolis. He has visited Hillsdale and Notre Dame College before he got hurt over the summer. He is going to play the season out and see what schools are interested after the season. He says he has also heard some from Tulsa, Albany, UIC, and DePaul. Northern Colorado has reached out to his travel team coach.
SG Kenny Strawbridge (Rockford Lutheran)
This senior having a strong campaign averaging 26, 11, and 5 in his last high school season. Strawbridge played with the Illinois Wolves throughout his career. He is starting to get more calls now that he is healthy. Schools that he has talked to include Eastern Carolina, Wofford, Lafayette, Prairie View A&M, Portland State, and Eastern Michigan. No offers at this time, but he is expecting a lot of schools to be in to track him the last two months of the season.
SF Josh Boulanger (Brother Rice)
Boulanger is a super athletic and active wing that is an outstanding rebounder. He does the little things well and will be an impact player at the small college level. Olney Central College has offered and is making him a priority. Roosevelt, St. Francis in Joliet, and Waldorf are new schools in the mix. Programs that have been making him a priority for a while include Loras, Augustana, IIT, Benedictine, St. John’s in Minnesota, and Earlham. He has visited both Benedictine and IIT to date. St. John’s is a program he is looking to get up to. Loras, Roosevelt, and Earlham are all schools he would like to visit, but doesn’t have dates set yet.
PG Dravon Clayborn (Niles North)
Clayborn is one of the breakout stars of this season. He will see a massive leap in the next update of the PrepHoopsIllinois 2018 rankings. Clayborn has explosive speed to the hoop, feel for passing, and can drill threes. Friday night he landed an offer from D2 Lewis. His only other offer right now is Northern Michigan. Murray State, Maryville, UAB, Boston College, Lewis, and Tulsa are also monitoring him. Clayborn says he is qualified for both D1 and D2 programs, but is also open to playing JUCO for a year or two. Junior colleges recruiting him are State Fair, Moberly, Highland, Indian Hills, Southeastern in Iowa, and Wabash Valley. He knows he wants to get out to see Northern Michigan and State Fair.
PG Randy Tucker (Rock Island)
Tucker is having a strong senior season per his travel team coach Logan Wynn. The Quad City Elite point guard is a prospect garnering looks from both D1 and D2 JUCO programs particularly Lakeland, Black Hawk, Parkland, and Kirkwood. Solid team first player that will be a nice small college lead guard.
SF Ryan Kutsor (Lake Zurich)
Kutsor is a small forward that can shoot the ball well off the catch. He is a tough defender and quality rebounder from the wing. Right now he has had some D3 schools reach out to him, but nothing significant on the recruiting front at this point with any leaders or schools pursuing him particularly hard. Schools that have reached out include UW Oshkosh, Cornell in Iowa, Illinois Wesleyan, Loras, Rockford, Lindenwood, Webster, and Carthage. We think the top 100 prospect would be an outstanding get for a D3 or NAIA school.
PF Cord Brown (Salem)
We close out this week’s Senior Sunday with another commitment. Not many times does my alma mater have a college basketball commit at any level. This past week Salem power forward Cord Brown gave his commitment to attend Millikin. The 6’6” four man made great strides in his game over the last year being able to run the floor, finish around the cup with a soft touch, and rebound. Nice get for the Big Blue.