Preps News

    Players to watch in the Chicagoland 3A, 4A preps basketball sectionals

    4 weeks ago • Tim Stebbins
    Generic Preps Basketball Photo

    The 2023 IHSA boys basketball state tournament is in full swing.

    The sectional championships are scheduled this week as the road to Champaign continues. As playoff action rolls along this week, here are some players to watch from the Class 3A and 4A fields.

    Tune in next Monday, March 6 at 6 PM CT as Marquee Sports Network airs IHSA Boys Basketball Class 3A and 4A Super-Sectional Matchups. Matchups airing on Marquee to be announced following the Sectional Final games this Friday.

    3A

    Miles Rubin, Wes Rubin — Simeon

    Star senior big men and twin brothers Miles (Loyola-Chicago signee) and Wes Rubin (Northern Iowa) led Simeon to the Public League title earlier this month. They now look to bring home the Wolverines’ eighth state title in retiring coach Robert Smith’s final season

    Asa Thomas — Lake Forest

    Thomas recently earned his second straight North Suburban Conference Player of the Year honor with Lake Forest, the No. 1 seed in the Grayslake (Central) sectional. The 6-foot-7 senior is a Clemson signee.

     

    Macaleab Rich — East St. Louis

    Rich posted 25 points and 13 rebounds in No. 1-seeded East St. Louis’ win over Jacksonville in the Centralia sectional regional finals. The 6-foot-7 senior forward is a Kansas State signee.

    DeAndre Craig — Mount Carmel

    Craig scored 17 points in No. 2-seeded Mount Carmel’s win over Bogan in the regional finals. The 6-foot-1 senior point guard is a Denver signee.

    Jurrell Baldwin — Hyde Park

    Baldwin, a 6-foot-7 junior forward with offers from Saint Louis and Murray State, put up 14 points and 11 rebounds in Hyde Park’s win over Nazareth in the regional finals. Hyde Park will square off with Mount Carmel in the sectional semifinals.

    Richard Barron — St. Ignatius

    The 6-foot-5 Barron, a George Mason signee, scored 28 and 20 points in Ignatius’ two wins en route to the regional championship.

     

    4A

    Darrin “Dai Dai” Ames — Kenwood

    Ames, a Kansas State signee, has had plenty of memorable moments this season — from his 65-point game in December to going toe-to-toe with top 2023 recruit DJ Wagner of Camden N.J. last month. He dropped 16 points with seven assists in No. 1-seeded Kenwood’s win in the regional finals.

     

    Brock Harding, Owen Freeman — Moline

    Harding scored 26 points and Freeman notched 15 in Moline’s regional final win over Bradley-Bourbonnais. The senior point guard-forward combination are both Iowa signees.

    Morez Johnson — St. Rita

    One of the nation’s top recruits in the class of 2024, Johnson finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in St. Rita’s win in the regional finals. The 6-foot-9 forward is committed to play for the Fighting Illini.

    Jeremy Fears Jr. — Joliet West

    Fears is a Top 30 recruit in the class of 2023 and a top-ranked player from Illinois, according to 247 Sports. No. 1-seeded Joliet West’s point guard is a Michigan State signee and will play in the upcoming McDonald’s All-American Game.

    James Brown — St. Rita

    Brown is a Top 30 player in the Class of 2024, according to 247 Sports, and committed to North Carolina last month. The center scored 13 points in St. Rita’s win over Homewood-Flossmoor in the regional finals.

    Cameron Christie — Rolling Meadows

    Christie, a senior guard, dropped 20 points in Rolling Meadows’ win over Loyola Academy in the regional finals. The Minnesota signee became the school’s second all-time leading scorer in the process.

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