Just North of Wrigley Field

posted by James - 11:48 PM

I was at a nationally broadcast, mens basketball high-school all-star game over the weekend at DePaul’s Ray Meyer Center. It was New York area players vs. Chicago area players.

New York won on a three-pointer with five seconds left by Keith Benjamin, who impressed the heck out of me.

Also impressive was 6-9 center Shaun Pruitt from West Aurora (already committed to the University of Illinois), 6-0 guard Stefhon Hannah from Hyde Park and 6-8 center Ollie Bailey from Farragut (committed to Rutgers).

Bailey and Pruitt dominated inside against the New York youngsters, and Pruitt played well above his competition. He played sparingly, because playing more would have been unfair in an exhibition game. He was that good. I’m going to enjoy watching him play for the Illini.

After the game, Bailey couldn’t find a trainer to remove the tape from his ankles, so I had to step in with my trusty Gerber multi-tool. (Thanks to my Dad, for pretty much the best birthday present ever.)

This is the kind of event you wouldn’t find in Seattle, and made me appreciate the upgrade in sports town I moved into.