Ted’s Takes: Five High School Programs That Impressed Me in June

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the June live period now in the books, I've had a good chance to see some of Illinois top high school programs and see where teams stand heading into the 24-25 high school season. Here's five programs I think had excellent fall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DePaul Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Is it too early to say this team could three-peat? I definitely don't think so. The Rams cruised by essentially all their opponents over the last two weekends capped off with a 32-point blowout vs conference-rival St. Ignatius. The addition of [player_tooltip player_id='1435692' first='Rykan' last='Woo'] from Whitney Young has undoubtedly helped. I've also seen tons of progression from senior PG [player_tooltip player_id='1545133' first='Makai' last='Kvamme'] as well as 2026 F [player_tooltip player_id='1845360' first='Rashaun' last='Porter']. Oh yeah. They aren't even healthy yet. Hopefully we can see [player_tooltip player_id='1385297' first='Jonas' last='Johnson'] back on the court soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Benet</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite losing top 2026 player Gabe Sularski, the Redwings looked really strong over the past couple weekends. I'm very impressed with the evolvement of [player_tooltip player_id='1598682' first='Daniel' last='Pauliukonis'], who recently picked up his first D1 offer. The backcourt of Brayden Fagbemi and Jayden right is super electric with both having excellent varsity experience as well. Up front is 7'0" 2026 big man [player_tooltip player_id='2105376' first='Colin' last='Stack'], who's also gauged plenty of D1 interest. Redwings had some really strong wins over the last couple weeks including a 4-0 week at R-B.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DeKalb</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Barbs were one of the under-the-radar programs that really caught my attention. Back at R-B, I saw them dominate Hinsdale Central en route to a 4-0 weekend. The evolvement of [player_tooltip player_id='1545123' first='Sean' last='Reynolds'] should not be overlooked. He should be one of the best point guards in Illinois next season with his dynamic shooting and playmaking abilities. Two-sport superstar [player_tooltip player_id='2105355' first='Davon' last='Grant'] made tons of athletic plays at the rim, too and should be a threat in the paint. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Warren</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They went 32-0. Yes, unbeaten in all their matchups this June. An insane number. 4A super-sectionalists are returning almost everyone from last year. [player_tooltip player_id='2194324' first='Jaxon' last='Davis'] will be ranked near the top of the 2027 class. You also have the returns of [player_tooltip player_id='2291830' first='Javerion' last='Banks'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2437519' first='Braylon' last='Walker']. Two electric point guards who can make plays on both ends of the floor. Closing it out is [player_tooltip player_id='2437515' first='Jack' last='Wolf']. The 6'4" senior has come alive over the past few months and is expected to pay a key role for the Blue Devils this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Homewood-Flossmor</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defending 4A Champs are set to return several key pieces. Including [player_tooltip player_id='1385293' first='Bryce' last='Heard'], who's ranked at the top of the PHI 2025 class. Heard was a machine when I saw him at Ridgewood. Showed me there isn't a shot he can't make on the floor. 5'11" PG [player_tooltip player_id='1774274' first='Jayden' last='Tyler'] brings plenty of experience to the backcourt. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->