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Verdell Jones III - Champaign Central

Best of the Unsigned Seniors
by Pat Benninger
January 13, 2008

Class of 2008
Pos	Name	Hgt	Wgt	Schools
WF	Kyle Cassity Pinckeyville (IL) HS St. Louis Gateway	6'6"	190	Albany, Arkansas State, Michigan, Missouri-Kansas City, SIU-Edwardsville, South Carolina, St. Louis, Vanderbilt, VCU
A skilled and sizey wing that has developed from a great high school player to a Division I prospect. Cassity is another one of those guys who does a lot of things well. He’s not overally athletic but is a skilled worker with a high IQ and a strong basketball sense. He is an adequate shooter, rebounds well, and plays within himself. He’s been very strong for a quality team since his freshman season and showed he could compete against tougher competition during the AAU season.
PG	Ruben Cotto Alton (IL) Senior FL Pump-N-Run Elite	6'1"	185	Illinois, Iowa State, La Salle
A strong and heady point guard with great offensive ability. He’s a gifted scorer. Cotto can shoot it lights out on a consistent basis. He is very strong, very quick and has a great handle and great court vision. He plays with great poise and executes plays effortlessly. Defensively, he tends to gamble a lot, but has all the necessary ability to play at the high major level. Averaging better than 26 points per game.
G	Dion Dixon Chicago (IL) Crane Chicago Express	6'3"	185	Akron, Colorado, Marquette, Texas A&M-CC, Toledo, UAB, UNLV
He’s been Chicago’s most overlooked guard for a while. A season ago, it looked as if Iowa was going to get Dixon’s services but the coaching staff split up to different schools. The 6’3” combination guard is a great long range shoot and a great athlete as well. He’s very poised and lets the game come to him. He can handle and score and also rebounds and defends well. He’s got good strength and will be a pleasant surprise wherever he ends up.
WG	Ryan Hare Chicago (IL) Marshall Illinois FIre	6'4"	200	Arkansas, Baylor, Ball State, Bradley, Colorado State, Illinois-Chicago, Indiana State, Marquette, Northern Illinois, UTEP, Wichita State
A one-time Oregon State commit that decommitted right before his former high school teammate, Mike Stovall, transferred from the Beavers. Hare is a strong and skilled wing with plays his heart out. He’s a great rebounder and an underrated ball handler and shooter. He does everything well, especially defend. He has been labeled as an undersized small forward, even by us, but has proven that he’ll have the ability to play the shooting guard at the college level.
PG	Verdell Jones Champaign (IL) Central Ft. Sooy-No Limit	6'5"	175	Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia
Noted by many as the state’s best point guard. Jones is a great scorer and distributor. He’s the state’s most skilled at his position, especially when it comes to ball handling. He has outstanding court vision and a very nice midrange game. His long range game is a bit inconsistent, but when he’s on, there’s no stopping him. Footspeed, athleticism, and defense have all been questions to his game but his size and skill level are currently outweighing those issues.
PF	Eric McCullough Normal (IL) U-High Team Illinois	6'9"	220	Ball State, Eastern Illinois, IUPUI, Loyola-Chicago, Western Illinois
An athletic shot blocker that didn’t emerge as a Division I prospect until this past December, after being discovered by MidStateHoops.com at the 2007 State Farm Holiday Classic. McCullough will be a very good mid major player. He’s a true post presence that runs the floor well and possesses good athleticism. He’s an aggressive competitor that can block shots and rebounds well. He’s got good footwork and scores very well over his left shoulder.
WF	Isiah Nunn Moline (IL) HS Ft. Sooy-No Limit	6'6"	180	Chicago State, Eastern Illinois, Lehigh, Loyola-Chicago, Minnesota, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, SIU-Edwardsville, The Citadel, Western Illinois, Wisconsin
An athletic wing that has taken his game to a whole nother level since last season. Nunn went from a possible mid major to a high major prospect. He’s very long and athletic and is a true perimeter player. He scores well and his numbers have been very efficient. He’s had big time games this year including 28 points, against Northern Illinois bound Tyler Storm, on 7-7 shooting (including 3-3 from 3-point range) and shooting 11-11 from the free throw line along with a 34 point, 13 rebound output against Illinois bound Joseph Bertrand.
WG	Donald Stewart Champaign (IL) Central Team Illinois	6'5"	190	Drake, Eastern Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Indiana State, IPFW, Loyola-Chicago, Missouri-Kansas City, Morehead State, SIU-Edwardsville, Tennessee Tech, Valparaiso, Youngstown State
A versatile swingman capable of playing three different positions. Stewart plays alongside Verdell Jones, a top 5 statewide player, but he has made his own reputation as a Division I prospect, as evident by the 12 scholarship offers he has on the table. Ducky, as he is nicknamed, can shoot the ball, can handle it, can pass, can drive, and can rebound. He’s a great on the ball defender due to his length and has great leadership qualities. SIU-Edwardsville and Missouri-Kansas City sit in the driver’s seat of his recruitment.