Off The Inbound

Recruiting Roundup: Recapping the Early Signing Period

November 11, 2020 Nick Schultz Bradley, Chicagoland Schools, DePaul, Illinois, Illinois Schools, Loyola, News, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, SIU-Edwardsville, Southern Illinois 0

The Off The Inbound Recruiting Roundup is a regular recap of recruiting news from Illinois’ Division I men’s basketball programs.

The 2021 recruiting picture is starting to come into focus as the Early Signing Period began today — and Illinois schools were busy making commitments official.

Here’s how they fared and what could lie ahead on the recruiting trail: (Note: This post will be updated as more information comes in)

Bradley

Signee: Connor Hickman — Bloomington, Indiana 

Bio: Hickman, a 6-foot-3 guard, played an integral role in Bloomington South High School’s 26-0 season in 2019, averaging 15 points per game to help lead the Panthers to a No. 1 ranking in the state of Indiana.

Coach Brian Wardle’s Thoughts (via bradleybraves.com): “Connor has championship DNA and talent that will be a very good fit within our university and program. He is an all-around guard that has tremendous feel for the game and can make a lot of winning plays.”

DePaul

Signees: Ahamad Bynum — Chicago, Illinois (via Scott Burgess); Brett Hardt Jr. — Scottsdale, Arizona (via Lawrence Kreymer); Keon Edwards — Phoenix, Arizona

Bio: Bynum and Edwards are listed as four-star recruits on 247sports. Hardt Jr., who grew from 5-foot-4 to 6-foot-4 since he started high school, is listed as a two-star recruit. Stats will be added after a press release is sent out.

Coach Dave Leitao’s Thoughts: N/A (will be updated once press release is sent out)

Illinois

Signee: Luke Goode — Fort Wayne, Indiana

Bio: A four-star recruit, Goode averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a junior. He was also named to the Class 6A All-State Junior Team Offense as a quarterback, meaning his all-around athleticism will fit in nicely with Brad Underwood’s system.

Coach Brad Underwood’s Thoughts (via fightingillini.com): “Luke is the ideal fit for our needs in this class as a wing with size who can really shoot it. He has [an] extremely high basketball IQ and is a versatile player who can also handle it and pass. He is an outstanding student and will excel here in the Gies School of Business. Luke not only fills a need on our team, he also fits our culture. He is always in the gym and the weight room, and has a bright future because of his work ethic.”

Loyola

Signees: Ben Schwieger — Aurora, Illinois; Ty Johnson — Chicago, Illinois

Bios: A former volleyball player, Schwieger went from averaging 3.2 points per game as a sophomore to 16.4 points per game as a junior at Waubonsie Valley High School. Johnson, a DePaul Prep graduate, was a second team all-city and honorable mention all-state nominee as he averaged 22 points per game as a junior. Both players were named to the Chicago Sun-Times All-Area Team this summer.

Coach Porter Moser on Ben Schwieger (via loyolaramblers.com): “Ben is incredibly versatile and has a coveted combination of length, skill and athleticism. His improvement has skyrocketed and he possesses a tremendous upside. Like Ty, Ben is a high-character and competitive individual who loved our culture at Loyola and wanted to stay home and represent Chicago.”

Moser on Ty Johnson: “Ty is a dynamic guard who can score at all three levels. He is an ultra-competitive athlete and he’s got great length and ability to change speeds, which makes him hard to guard. I love what Ty is about as a person and that he wanted to represent his city. We have had a ton of success with Chicago guys who have wanted to stay home and Ty is another in that long line of players.”

Northwestern

Signees: Brooks Barnhizer — Indianapolis, Indiana; Julian Roper — Detroit, Michigan; Casey Simmons — Milton, Massachusetts

Bios: The No. 5-ranked player in Indiana, Barnhizer — a 6-foot-7 forward — is the 27th-ranked forward in the nation by 247sports.com and averaged 20.7 points per game as a junior. Roper, a 6-foot-4 guard, is the No. 32 shooting guard in the nation, per 247sports, and averaged 18.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as a junior last year. A 6-foot-6 combo guard, Simmons is rated No. 1 in the state of Massachusetts and a four-star recruit by 247sports. He averaged 22 points per game as a junior.

Coach Chris Collins on Brooks Barnhizer (via nusports.com): “He is a basketball junkie. He’s the son of a coach and has been around the game his whole life. He brings great size to the guard position at six-foot six. He is  strong and very versatile. Can pass, can handle the ball and can score. He’s a winning basketball player. He makes winning plays and has a great basketball IQ. He’s going to fit in perfectly with the way we play here at Northwestern.”

Collins on Julian Roper: “He’s a guy we are very excited about bringing into our Northwestern basketball family. He’s as competitive of a kid as I’ve seen in his class. He’s the definition of a two-way player: really takes a lot of pride on both ends of the floor. He’s a lockdown defender, a guy who can get to the rim, an aggressive scorer and a strong, powerful athlete as a wing player. I’m very much looking forward to coaching him and seeing what dimension he can add to our program.”

Collins on Casey Simmons: “Casey Simmons is a very talented player. He is a super athletic, versatile, long, aggressive wing player. He can slash, he can play above the rim and he’s a terrific defender. He’s a guy who’s gotten better every year in high school. His upside is off the charts and we can’t wait to get him into our program. I think he has a chance to have an outstanding future here at Northwestern.”

SIU-Edwardsville

Signee: Zane Butler — Paragould, Arkansas

Bio: A 5-foot-11 guard, Butler brings a strong scoring ability to Edwardsville. A two-time 5A All-State selection, he led Green County Tech High School with 20 points per game as a junior and senior. He was also voted to the Jonesboro Sun “Best Under the Sun.”

Coach Brian Barone on Zane Butler: “With the addition of Zane to our team we have continued to build on the toughness and ‘Find A Way’ mentality our program is about. Zane is a player who will bring dynamic outside shooting along with the ability to score off the dribble.”

Southern Illinois

Signees: Troy D’Amico — Chicago, Illinois; Scottie Ebube — Mundelein, Illinois; Foster Wonders — Iron Mountain, Michigan

Bios: D’Amico, Southern Illinois’ highest-rated in-state signee since Kevin Dillard in 2008, was rated No. 6 by the City/Suburban Hoops report this year and averaged 15.6 points per game as a junior at Niles Notre Dame. Ebube, another top-10 player in Illinois, was an all-state selection after averaging a double-double as a junior. A sharpshooting guard, Wonders averaged 27.4 points per game as a junior and is rated as a three-star recruit by 247sports.

Coach Bryan Mullins on Troy D’Amico: “I can’t wait to start coaching Troy. He has that chip on his shoulder, and he plays with that every single time he’s on the court. When you look at Troy, you see productivity. He has an impact in so many different areas of the game. Every single year, he has continued to get better. He wanted to be a Saluki. He’s extremely excited to get down here, and he’s going to have an unbelievable career.”

Mullins on Scottie Ebube: “Scottie is an outstanding person. He comes from a great family, and his best basketball is in front of him. He comes from a great high school program with a great high school coach. He has toughness and physicality. He never makes excuses on the court, and he wants to win. He has won every single year in high school and his AAU program. I think he has a chance to be a really good player in this league. He’s one of those post guys who knows how to score. He’s very productive. He can make and maintain contact. He can duck in. As he continues to develop his body, the sky is the limit for him.”

Mullins on Foster Wonders: “Foster and I really connected. He lives all the way up in Iron Mountain, Michigan. For him and his mom to come all the way here for an unofficial visit, driving 10 hours, that showed the level of interest they had in our program. Over the last year and a half, getting to know their family, I’m extremely excited to welcome them to the program. Foster is someone I want representing this program on and off the court every single day. His work ethic and maturity, for a high school kid, are exceptional, and his best basketball is ahead of him. He continues to put the work in every single day. He will make a big impact as soon as he steps on campus.”

This post will be updated as more players sign NLIs.