My first one of the season with the Chicago Public League included in the rankings.
1) Simeon(Chicago)- Class of 2021 DePaul commit Ahmad Bynum, and Oak Park transfer Michigan commit Isaiah Barnes lead the way. Look out for Class of 2022 Jaylen Drane and Avion Morris, along with Class of 2023 Jaylen Griffith.
2) Whitney Young(Chicago)- Tinley Park transfer Class of 2022 AJ Casey(6'8") leads the way. Class of 2021 guard Jaehshon Thomas is key as is Grant Newell(6’7”) Class of 2023 point guard Dalen Davis and Class of 2022 Xavier Amos.
3) Evanston Township(3-0)- Class of 2021 Princeton commit Blake Peters(6'1"), Isaiah Holden(5'9"), and Elijah Bull(5'9") have been huge as they are 4 year varsity performers. Von Steuben transfer Ola Ajiboye(6'8") gives them size. Look for a jump from Class of 2022 Rashawn Bost.
4) DePaul Prep(Chicago)(1-0)- Class of 2021 Loyola commit Ty Johnson(6'2" point guard) is the leader along with fellow classmates Massachusetts commit Brian Matthews(6'10"), Wisconsin Parkside commit Rasheed Bello. Class of 2022 Dylan Arnett(6'9") is a nice stretch four.
5) Hillcrest(Country Club Hills)(2-0)- Senior laden team is ridiculously talented. Class of 2021 point guard Mar'Keise Irving(6'0"), Julius Rollins(6'6"), Hamahrie Bowers(6'5"), and Jakobi Heady(6'6") give this team lots of flexibility.
6) Mundelein(4-1)- Lost to Lake Forest without Class of 2021 Southern Illinois commit Scottie Ebube(6'8"). Drake commit Connor Enright is another 4 year varsity player along with Ebube.
Trey Baker and Jack Bikus are other Class of 2021 standouts. Look out for Class of 2023 post Chris Martin(6'7"). Beat Notre Dame College Prep.
7) Notre Dame College Prep(Niles)(5-1)-Class of 2021 standouts Anthony Sayles, Southern Illinois commit Troy D'Amico, Harvard commit Louis Lesmond are the linchpins of this team. Class of 2023 Sonny Williams is an up and comer at guard. Lost to Mundelein today.
8) Curie(Chicago)- Class of 2021 Nick Owens is the only returning starter. Look for Class of 2021 Phil Berryhill and Jermel Grigsby to take huge steps up in production and play. Nine seniors on this roster looking for a chance to prove their talent.
9) Fenwick(Oak Park)(3-0)- Kentucky commit Class of 2021 Bryce Hopkins is the big time star on this team as he has been for three seasons. Loss of Class of 2022 Trey Pettigrew to a prep school is huge. Class of 2022 talents Gabe Madej, Elan Pugh, and David Gieser will look to share responsibilites replacing Pettigrew's missed production.
10) Bolingbrook(3-0)- Class of 2021 Kai Evans(6'3") looks to use his run/jump ability to get his team to keep the speed up for their high octane offense. Fellow Class of 2021 guard Kyonte Thomas looks to step up his scoring to help out. Look for promising Class of 2023 talents Donoven Younger(6'8") and Mekhi Cooper(5'11) to step forward in bigger roles this year.
11) Neuqua Valley(Naperville)- Class of 2021 Yale commit John Poulakidas will have a huge senior year. Fellow classmate Connor Davis will be a big time second option.
12) Thornton(Harvey)- Class of 2021 guards East Tennessee State commit Brandon Hall and Sean Buress return to a team who lost a lot in a surprisingly strong season last year. Look for Rich South transfer Darius Robinson and Kelsey Tarver(6'8") to bring rim protection.
13) St Patrick(Chicago)(2-0)- Class of 2022 Timaris Brown has brought himself some big time attention from recruiters. Class of 2021 guards Caleb Corro and Nick Galati bring a steady backcourt to the mix. Class of 2021 Augustana commit Michael Hamilton(6'6") brings some size and rebounding to the table.
14) Glenbard West(Glen Elyn)(3-0)- They return 5 starters led by Class of 2022 talents Braden Huff(6'9") and Caden Pierce. Hilltoppers have a lot of size to hep Huff with Danny Mulcare(6'6") and Aiden Murphy(6'5"). They should not be outrebounded by many opponents this year. Guard play will be key.
15) Rolling Meadows(4-0)- The Christie brothers led by Class of 2021 Michigan State commit Max Christie(6'7") consensus Top 20 recruit in the nation. Class of 2023 Cameron Christie(6'4") will make a huge step up this year. Help comes from Class of 2021 Daniel Sobkowicz, Ryan Stubitsch, and Class of 2022 guard Orlando Thomas.
16) North Lawndale(Chicago)- Leading scorer Class of 2021 Daequan Davis returns as well as leading rebounder Larry Johnson. They will run a three guard offense with Davis, along with Class of 2023 talents Ronald Chambers and Damarion Wyatt.
17) Glenbrook South(Glenview)(6-0)- Replacing my player of the year Dominic Martinelli seems to have been seemless. Class of 2022 guard Cooper Noard and Nick Martinelli(Dominic's brother) have played very well to get out of the gate. Will contend for Central Suburban South title along with Evanston Township.
18) Homewood Flossmoor(2-0)- Reloading with Class of 2021 Chad Readey and fellow classmates Christian Meeks, and Kenton Pryor. Watch out for Class of 2023 6'8" twins Wes and Miles Rubin.
19) Clark(Chicago)- This team moved up to the Chicago Public League Red North/West this coming season. Coach Terry Head is at it again as he did a great rebuilding job at Foreman earlier in the decade. Class of 2022 Darrius Perryman, Suliman Agiste(6'9") and Class of 2023 Cordy Johnson return from Blue Champs. Farragut transfers Class of 2022 twins Mikell and Mikqwon Jones take them to another level as both are underrated.
20) Lake Forest(3-1)- Beat Mundelein( missing Ebube). Class of 2021 Walt Mattingly transferred from Deerfield. Class of 2022 Jack Malloy and Asa Thomas one of the top Class of 2023 players in the State make them the 2nd best team in Lake County.
21) Kenwood(Chicago)- A crazy young team who nevertheless could contend in the Chicago Public League Red South/Central. Morgan Park transfers Class of 2023 JJ Taylor and Darrin "Dae Dae" Ames make them contenders. They could be the #1 and #2 players in the State in Class of 2023. Add Class of 2023 Darius Loury(who's a monster in his own right), and Class of 2024 stud Christopher Riddle and look out.
22) St Rita(Chicago)(1-1)- Another crazy young team to look out for in the future. The present they could scare a lot of opponents in the Chicago Catholic League. Class of 2021 Christian Henry needs to steady the youngsters. Class of 2023 Kaiden Space, Class of 2024 James Brown(6'9") #1 prospect in the Class, and Class of 2024 Monez Johnson Jr makes them loaded. Class of 2023 St Joseph transfer Bryce Coleman adds to the young talent.
23) Kankakee(1-0)- Loss of AJ Storr to transfer sets them back a bit. They still have some talent left with Class of 2021 Rashard Harris(6'4" point guard) and Willie Strickland(6'5") return. They have more size with Class of 2021 Joeron Hill(6'5") and Jalen Maddox(6'8"). Watch for Vocational(Chicago) transfer Amarion Osborne.
24) Waubonsie Valley(Aurora)(3-1)- Look for Class of 2021 Loyola recruit Ben Schweiger(6'5") along with a bunch of classmates to have a great season.
25) St Ignatius(Chicago)(2-1)- Class of 2021 talents Parker Higginbottom and John Digenan are returnees who'll have to carry the young team full of Class of 2022 and Class of 2023 talents.
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