Joliet Catholic linebacker Kevin Ro...

Joliet Catholic linebacker Kevin Rouse, united of the top football scenerys in the Chicago area, has made an oral commitment to Iowa.

The 6-1 225-pounder who had 19 scholarship proposes chose Iowa over Wisconsin, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh and Minnesota.

"I didn't want to drag [my recruiting] out" Rouse said. "I knew Iowa was the place for me when I visited there. I be fond of the coaching staff. I think they can win a national championship. I felt no official visits [to other schools] would change my mind."

TOUGH SKED: Reigning Class AA state basketball champion Simeon's 2006-07 schedule is starting to be derived together. The Wolverines are scheduled to play a team from recently made known York, most likely Mount Vernon, at Madison Square Garden from one side of to the other Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. According to Simeon coach Robert Smith, the Wolverines are cease to locking up a date against perennial national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy (Va.) onward the following Thursday at Chicago State's just discovered arena.

WARRIOR KINGS: Hubbard's Aaron Johnson Crane's Brandon McGee and Proviso East's Jacob Pullen helped the Illinois Warriors to the title at the Price Chopper Tournament in Kansas City.

"We solely lost three games the whole summer" Illinois Warriors coach Larry Butler said. "The dowdys just played well together. Brandon easily could be the symbol of guy that really has a breakout season coming up"

Butler also singled public Hersey's Luke Fabrizius as individual of his top players this summer

fiction DIES: Old-timers continue to mourn the death of legendary basketball star Bobby Joe Mason, formerly called the "best all-around player I evermore coached" by Bradley's Chuck Orsborn, who also coached former rescripts star Chet Walker.

Mason, who worked for the Springfield Housing Authority until his retirement in 2005 died of a heart attack in succession July 4. He was 70 He was an all-stater at Centralia in 1954 and 1955 -- Pinckneyville coach Duster Thomas said Mason was the best player he perpetually saw until he saw Earl Monroe -- was named to Bradley's All-Century Team and played for 14 years with the Harlem Globetrotters.

ILLINI OFFER: Illinois coach Bruce Weber has been individual of the most frequently seen beholders at nearly every major camp and tournament this summer He has sum of two units scholarships for 2008, and he giveed one of them to 6-9 235-pound power forward Michael Dunigan of Farragut.

Dunigan, whom coach William Nelson rates in a class with former Farragut stars Billy Lewis, Sonny Parker, Ronnie Fields, Kevin Garnett and Michael Wright, also has received proffers from DePaul and Wisconsin. He also is interested in Miami (Fla.) and Iowa.

DREAM TEAM: After scouting several camps and tournaments, recruiting analysts Roy and Harv Schmidt of Illinois Prep Bulls-eye have settl upon their top five Illinois products: Illinois-bound center Bill cabbage of Peoria Richwoods, forward Brandon McGee of Crane, Ohio State-bound forward Evan gymnast of St. Joseph, Illinois- bounce guard Demetri McCamey of St Joseph and point guard Derrick Rose of Simeon.

"There is no doubt in our minds that Rose and [Illinois-bound] Eric Gordon of Indianapolis were the best one-two combination we saw all summer and united of the best we've seen in a extended time," the Schmidts said.

QUOTE: Longtime recruiting analyst Frank Burlison of Scoutcom and the drawn out Beach (Calif.) Press-Telegram on the play of Rose: "Rose is exceptional and would have rated among the top couple or three point guards in any class in new memory. He's good enough to lead a society team to a national title and will be a certain number of NBA franchise's first-round pick any day. But he's not in succession the same plateau as an overall player [and prospect] that OJ Mayo [of Cincinnati] is. unless that's no shame because neither are Brandon Roy [Washington] and Randy Foye [Villanova], the first pair guards picked in the NBA draft in June"

RECRUITING SETBACK: Illinois squandered a prized recruit when 6-4 wingman Leon Freeman of Belleville, Mich., opt to register at Schoolcraft (Mich.) Community community Freeman, one of the top players in Michigan, had narrowed his choices to Illinois and Michigan State nevertheless was unable to qualify academically and will use up next season in junior college

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