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McCall Commits


HenryB

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Great news! Nate had reported the other day that McCall was visiting SLU this weekend, along with SLU commitment and fellow Chicago native Dwayne Evans. In an article about his commitment to SLU, Evans was quoted as saying that he was going to try to get McCall to come to SLU as well. With that in mind, I was hoping that the result of the visit would be that McCall would commit.

I had read either here or at Nate's site that McCall was the coaching staff's #1 target for this recruiting class, so if he's #1 in their eyes, I'm very excited about this commitment!

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Rivals on McCall

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/re...ke-McCall-68826

ESPN on McCall

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/...26season%3d2010

Evaluation

December, 2008: McCall is a scoring wing that is quick off the dribble. He handles the ball well and likes to use the crossover, between the legs and inside out dribble move. He ha s a nice mid range game and has the ability to make a scoring play at the end of the clock. He is a streaky three point shooter but can get to the rim mostly going to his right. McCall also like to attack the lane jump stop and power finish through traffic. He is wiry strong and has good court vision as he weaves through traffic. He is also very good at the catch and go move and usually beats the defenders to the basket.

November, 2007: Mike McCall is a rapidly emerging point guard prospect from Chicago. He has just recently burst onto the scene. He is an excellent shooter and has great rotation on his shot. He can really shoot off the dribble and is very good at coming off ball screens and making plays. He is a natural point guard and knows how to make those around him better. McCall is a little small and needs to develop his strength and his body. He splits time at the point at his high school, so he needs to continue to work on his leadership and his overall presence as a point guard. He keeps getting better and he is a name to keep your eye on this season.

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McCall is a combo guard who could step in for Mitchell after Kwamain graduates. This is a very good get for the billikens as he is rated the number 6 player in Illinois by Chicagohoops.com and #5 by the Sun-Times.
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So, we have one scholarship to give assuming Ellis is a no-show. We need a 6'8" to 6'9" big power forward. We need a space-eater, a kid who is not only tall but 240 to 260 pounds. Are there any prospects like this on the radar?

First off that sounds great about this guy. I mean we have descent potential at just about every position so far. We need another 4 or 5 though for sure. But I have more of a question for updates or peoples opinions. Is Ellis for sure a no-show? Either way we should be recruiting another big dude but Ellis would help so much and would make it less of an absolute necessity if we don't land a solid big man.
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From ESPNChicago.com

Foreman guard McCall picks St. Louis

By Scott Powers

ESPNChicago.com

Foreman High School coach Terry Head was bothered that more schools, especially the local ones, didn't take a harder look at his 6-foot-2 senior combo guard Mike McCall.

"I'm not going to lie ... I don't understand why DePaul wasn't in our gym," Head said. "I don't know why Northwestern wasn't in our gym. I think a lot of the high-major schools, especially in our area, made a mistake."

To McCall, it didn't make a difference, though. He never looked at who wasn't recruiting him, but who was. That's why he committed to Saint Louis on Saturday. The Billikens had been after him as long as anybody.

"I just wanted a school that fit me, where I could perform and where I could be exposed," McCall said. "They recruited me since I was a freshman. They've been to every one of my AAU games, and they were on me the hardest. They offered me playing time right away. Their style of play fits me. They run. That's my type of game, getting up and down the court."

McCall's game is also a mix of scoring and passing. Over the past three years on varsity, he's established himself as one of the state's premier combo guards.

"He can play the 1, he can play the 2," Head said. "He's lightning fast. He can pass the ball. He can shoot it. He's a big-time player."

McCall gives Foreman its third Class of 2010 Division I commitment. Tommy Woolridge (Eastern Illinois) and Eddie Denard (UIC) also recently announced their college decisions. Foreman senior Lavonte Dority, another one of the state's top guards, is also expected to commit soon to a Division I program.

"It's a testament to what we're doing at Foreman High School," Head said. "It's just a big thing. It feels good. It feels real good. Supposedly, Foreman is a bad school. Supposedly, Terry Head isn't a good coach. We think we're proving everyone wrong. You can qualify and go to the next level at Foreman High School."

Illinois State, Indiana State Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, Texas A&M, Washington State and Wichita State were also recruiting McCall.

McCall gives Saint Louis its second Chicago-area commitment in the past few weeks. Neuqua Valley forward Dwayne Evans also recently committed to the Billikens.

Scott Powers covers high school and college sports for ESPNChicago.com and can be reached at [email protected].

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Also 'They're style of play fits me. They run"

We are not exactly UAB out there...

You could definitely see a more uptempo team with Kwamain and McCall on the floor together.

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RM has said that he is going with 4 guards this year as much as he can. Perhaps this is what the kid is referencing.

Majerus said we are going to a 4 guard offense? Meaning he wants to limit the amount of time Reed, Conklin Ellis, etc. see the court?

I must have missed that one.

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Majerus said we are going to a 4 guard offense? Meaning he wants to limit the amount of time Reed, Conklin Ellis, etc. see the court?

I must have missed that one.

Is Ellis going to be here ?

Even if he is sound like Majerus wants to play a up tempo game and run the oppositions big men`s legs off , for SLU to take on teams in the paint with the young players that they have will struggle and get bashed , but to run the ball hard and run lanes hard means the opposition will have to chase hard most big men will struggle after the first 2 to 3 sprints .

Makes good sense to me if this is true.

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Is Ellis going to be here ?

Even if he is sound like Majerus wants to play a up tempo game and run the oppositions big men`s legs off , for SLU to take on teams in the paint with the young players that they have will struggle and get bashed , but to run the ball hard and run lanes hard means the opposition will have to chase hard most big men will struggle after the first 2 to 3 sprints .

Makes good sense to me if this is true.

Obviously nobody knows if Ellis is going to be here for sure but those in know seem to believe its still going to happen so I'm taking the positive view.

As to a 4 guard offense...I highly doubt it, especially if we do have Ellis. Quite frankly, 3 of our top 4 players will be big men so the idea that only one of them will be on the court at a time...again I highly doubt it.

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I read where coach RM said that he wants to run a three guard offense. We will probably see a more uptempo game with KM and JJ this season. It seems coach RM told McCall the same thing he told JJ about playing alongside KM and sometimes playing the point.

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At Utah, RM would often run a 2 guard offense preferring to have 3 big but mobile/outside shooting guys. I had thought we were going in that direction; however, due to personnel and team strengths, it was reported that we'd run a 3 guard offense again this year. 4 guards - Spoonball - is abit unusual. For a head coach who is used to three (3) bigs, it is even more unusual. I doubt RM will put only 1 big out there.

I know it begs the questions -- what is the definition of a big, what is the difference between a wing/third guard and a small forward, etc. I doubt, other than for an occasional moment or two, that we will be playing 4 guards.

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Another great get for RM. In fact, he appears to be the type of player I had hoped RM would get to come in, as a freshman, and back-up KM, as a Junior. Last year's recruit of Justin Jordan still seem abit odd. Don't get me wrong, by all accounts, JJ appears to have real skills to add to the team, and can/will do so, THIS YEAR, instead of next year, but we should then have 3 PGs next year -- and also for the year after. Maybe it's b/c I'm not a confident 17 year old basketball player, but I don't see all of the available "playing time right away" in a running style of play.

Guess this is just normal for RM. Two (2) more great recruits in the Fall, and both being non-locals. As for next year's recruiting class, assuming CE gets cleared and arrives to at least play after 1st semester is over, I still expect RM to add at least one (1) more (another big) and maybe two (2) depending upon how the guys the play this year.

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Another great get for RM. In fact, he appears to be the type of player I had hoped RM would get to come in, as a freshman, and back-up KM, as a Junior. Last year's recruit of Justin Jordan still seem abit odd. Don't get me wrong, by all accounts, JJ appears to have real skills to add to the team, and can/will do so, THIS YEAR, instead of next year, but we should then have 3 PGs next year -- and also for the year after. Maybe it's b/c I'm not a confident 17 year old basketball player, but I don't see all of the available "playing time right away" in a running style of play.

Guess this is just normal for RM. Two (2) more great recruits in the Fall, and both being non-locals. As for next year's recruiting class, assuming CE gets cleared and arrives to at least play after 1st semester is over, I still expect RM to add at least one (1) more (another big) and maybe two (2) depending upon how the guys the play this year.

By getting both JJ and McCall could he be ensuring that at least one point guard stays for 4 years and doesn't transfer?
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This sounds like a good signing. I'm somewhat surprised by the reaction though. Usually it seems like when we lose a kid like this to a Valley school, the party line is "I think our recruiting is at a higher level than Valley schools." When we win a recruiting battle with Valley schools the prospect is suddenly all world.

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This sounds like a good signing. I'm somewhat surprised by the reaction though. Usually it seems like when we lose a kid like this to a Valley school, the party line is "I think our recruiting is at a higher level than Valley schools." When we win a recruiting battle with Valley schools the prospect is suddenly all world.

If you look at the list of offers, he had much more interest than just the valley. In any event, he is described by many as a player who could play major college ball so we should be pleased to get such a talented player.

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