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Flames hot on recruiting trail
LOOKING AT VERSATILE GUARDS, BUT LOSE McCOMBS
(8/23/06)
Brad Carroll (right) is a team-first point guard that wants to play his college ball in the Midwest. UIC is among the top teams interested. According to numerous reports, the coaches have been very active, especially in scouting backcourt talent.
One intriguing possibility, according to a source, comes in the form of 6-foot-6-inch, 200-pound point guard Brad Carroll of Tempe (Ariz.) Corona del Sol.
Carroll, who will be a senior this season, helped to lead Corona to a runner-up finish in the Arizona Class 5A (large schools) state tournament and a 28-2 record. While Carroll wasn’t counted on to be a big scorer on a loaded, senior-laden squad, he was the glue of the team as the starting point guard. His assists-to-turnover ratio is around 4-to-1 and has been described as the most fundamentally sound player in the state.
Carroll, a strong mid-major prospect, is a capable scorer and will be counted to score more this upcoming season as Corona loses some key veterans. He is a strong shooter, draining 80 percent of his free-throw attempts. After playing with the junior varsity, Carroll helped Corona rebound from a 12-17 season in 2004-05. He was ranked as the No. 3 guard prospect in Arizona’s Class of 2007 by Scout.com.
Flames assistant coach Mark Coomes got a long look at Carroll at the Adidas Rising Superstar Camp in July. Carroll also played AAU ball with a team from Arizona Premier Basketball Academy. He also was the camper of the week at the University of Illinois camp held in Champaign in June. In addition, Carroll also spent time working with former Wright State coach Ed Schilling at Champions Academy in Indianapolis.
Schools said to be very interested in Carroll include UIC, Loyola, Southeast Missouri State, Ball State, IPFW, Wright State, Northern Colorado and Princeton. Other schools with some interest are Evansville, Cornell and South Dakota State. Carroll has a strong academic pedigree, earning a 3.4 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Carroll is very interested in playing his college ball in the Midwest as his family has deep connections in Illinois. His father, Doug, graduated from Illinois, while uncle Steve was an assistant coach under Lou Henson with the Illini in the mid-’80s.
“He’s more like a (Scottie) Pippen than a (Michael) Jordan,” Mark Nelson, one of Carroll’s AAU coaches, told the Champaign News-Gazette in June. “He’s the type of secondary-scoring type guy. His personality is to get other guys involved, but when the opportunity presents itself, he can step up and score.”
Nelson has also praised Carroll’s all-around game, including his rebounding and defense.
Flames coach Jimmy Collins (center) has had his share of success in recruiting guards, including Robert Bush (left) and Josh Mayo. Collins and his staff are looking at numerous 2007 backcourt prospects. Jordan, a 6-1 point guard, can slash to the basket and is a highly regarded defender. He is also strong finisher and solid rebounder. In addition, like former Flames star Cedrick Banks, Jordan is a lefty.
Jordan is also considered a solid prospect by ChicagoHoops.com, who report that Northwestern, DePaul, George Washington, Loyola, Santa Clara, UC-Santa Barbara, Wyoming, Holy Cross, Colgate, Lehigh and Davidson. Wright State and Wisconsin-Milwaukee have also been reported to be in the mix for Jordan recently. Some additional high majors have shown interest in the last year. Jordan is ranked as the No. 14 senior in the state by MidStateHoops.com.
Another 2007 target for coach Jimmy Collins and the Flames is Proviso West point guard Justin Hightower. According to MidStateHoops.com, the 6-2, 170-pound Hightower is a hard-nosed left-hander with a good handle and driving ability. He can drain shots from beyond 15 feet.
Others interested in Hightower include Loyola, Cleveland State, Eastern Illinois, Indiana State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Louisville, Howard, Yale and South Dakota State.
One 2007 prospect that got away is Dwight McCombs, a 6-8, 220-pound power forward from Whitney Young, who committed to Miami (Ohio) and coach Charlie Coles. The Redhawks beat out UIC and Loyola among others.
Additional prospects that the Flames have been looking (from prior reports) include Glenbrook South forward Danny Monckton (6-6, 180), Edwardsville center Terrance Williams (7-0, 225), Mt. Zion (N.C.) guard Tyree Graham (6-0, 165), and New Port Richey (Fla.) Gulf guard Anthony Jackson (5-8).
The Flames aren’t only interested in 2007. They are also hunting for potential Class of 2008 talent, according to MidStateHoops.com, UIC has its eyes on junior point guard Davon Smith of Dyett. The 5-10, 170-pound Smith logged major minutes for Dyett, a Class A school in the Chicago Public League.
Other programs interested in Smith are DePaul, Wisconsin, Villanova, Texas-El Paso, UAB (with assistant coach Tracy Dildy), California, Florida State, Cincinnati and Rutgers.
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