The 2007 Full Package Fall Exposure League brought to you by IllinoisHSbasketball.com is now over, and a champion has been crowned. The past eight weeks have been eventful to say the least, as we have seen game winning shots, crowd pleasing dunks, and numerous young stars begin to show the world what they’ve got to offer on the court. Six teams came into week 8 with title hopes, but only one was able to survive…
Quarterfinals:
Lakers 72 vs. Magic 62
This game was headlined by two of the league’s premier forwards going head to head in the loser-goes-home quarterfinal. 6-5 Carl Richard (Richards) of the Lakers, an Indiana State commit, and 6-5 Derryan Hunt (Evanston) of the Magic have been two of the most dominant players in the league from week 1, and both players were in the top four candidates for MVP voting. The score did not reflect how close this game was, as both teams went point for point until the very end. The game started off with Richard dominating in every facet. Hunt was making great moves to the basket, but had a lot of trouble finishing around the hoop. However senior G Marcus Acree (Oak Park River Forest) and junior G Terrance Towns (Bremen) were there to pick up the slack for hunt, as they both shot the ball well in the first half. Acree finished with 20 points, and Towns added 14. Hunt picked up the pace in the second half, as he began maximizing on his lay-up opportunities and using his athleticism to his advantage, dunking on anyone in his path. Hunt and junior F Alan Young (Oak Park River Forest) really picked up their defense on Richard, and kept him from scoring as much as in the first half. Young finished with 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. A duo of senior guards from Mt. Carmel, Jim Hayes and Alan Clark began shooting the ball very well for the Lakers, and helped them hold on to their small lead. Hayes finished with 13 points, and Clark chipped in with 12. In the end, Richard was just a little too much for the Magic to handle as the Lakers won 72-62 behind Carl’s 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Derryan Hunt led the Magic with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Ke’Jaun Little had 7 steals for the Magic.
Bulls 60 vs. Rockets 48
This game was thoroughly dominated by the Bulls and their star big man Jawan Neslon (Bloom). The 6-8 Texas A&M Corpus Christi commit was having his way with the Rockets defenders in the post, and gave the Bulls a big lead early. 6-9 Dayton Commit Luke Fabrizius (Hersey) was the only Rockets player that was able to get into a rhythm offensively, as he scored 16 points. 5-9 senior G Deshawn Dockery (Hillcrest) was very impressive for the Bulls; running the point, penetrating and dishing, and scoring the rock. Dockery finished with a double-double of 11 points and 10 assists. Freshman G Rashad Wahab (Lincoln Park) is starting to shape up to be a very nice young prospect. Wahab is expected to be among the top 7 players on Lincoln Park’s varsity team, and could potentially earn a starting spot in the absence of the injured Cory Proctor. Wahab finished the game with 11 points for the bulls, and Nelson added 18 points and 16 rebounds.
Semi-Finals
Timberwolves 86 vs. Bulls 63
This semi-final game saw a shift of power, as the Bulls went from blowing out the Rockets to being dominated by the Timberwolves. The game was practically over in the first 8 minutes, as the Wolves jumped to an early 25-7 lead thanks to the hot hand of junior G John Taylor (North Lawndale). The Bulls began climbing back into the game slowly but surely, behind the strong outside shooting of 6-8 8 Texas A&M Corpus Christi commit Jawan Nelson (Bloom). Nelson finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds. The game was fairly close going into half time, but it quickly got out of hand thanks to Taylor’s outside shooting touch. The Wolves won by 23 points, 86-63. Taylor was the games leading scorer with 31 points. PG Deric Branch (Morgan Park) posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 assists for the Timberwolves. 6-5 junior F Mike Stanton (Lyons) scored 12 for the Timberwolves, and sophomore G Ryan Frazier-Chambers added 13 for the Bulls.
Celtics 72 vs. Lakers 62
The other Semi-final game brought us significantly better competition then the Bulls-Wolves game, as this one wasn’t decided until the final minutes of regulation. The score of the Lakers vs. Magic quarterfinal game was 72-62, and the Lakers-Celtics game was decided by the same score, except this side the Lakers were on the wrong end as they fell to the #1 seeded Celtics. 6-5 Indiana State commit Carl Richard (Richards) was stellar as always for the Lakers, scoring 21 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and blocking 4 shots, but he was not the only Laker to shine in the Semi’s. Mt. Carmel senior G Alan Clark was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points. Clark is one of the top D3 prospects in the state. The game was close until the end, as the Lakers just didn’t have enough gas left in their tank to overcome the Celtics balanced attack. 6-3 junior SG Matt Vogrich (Lake Forest) and 6-3 junior SF Dahni Wilson (Maine East) were stellar as always scoring the ball and doing whatever was needed of them for the Celtics, and 6-1 junior PG Kevin Berardini did a fantastic job running the point. These three are some of the most underrated players in the state, and they deserve all the credit in the world for taking their Celtics to the championship game. Vogrich is already a highly regarded division one prospect and holds an offer from St. Louis University: he scored 20 in this game. Wilson is seeing his stock rise faster then any prospect in his class, and could see a top 40 ranking and some division 1 offers in his immediate future: he added 19 for the Celtics. Kevin is a hard nosed, defensive minded point guard that would be very well suited for the Ivy League.
Championship Game
Timberwolves 68 vs. Celtics 61
The league could not have come to a more fitting end, as the #1 seed in the West beat out the #1 seed in the East in a defensive struggle. Whereas many exposure leagues are focused around individual accolades and offense filled games, this league has been structured around team play and winning from week one. Both teams played a very hard game until the very end, but in the end there could only be one champion.
Paul Bunch is not your average sophomore. While other 15 and 16 year olds are out at the movies or hanging out with their friends, Bunch is working on his game. Ever since he sprouted to 6 feet 10 inches last year, the athletic big man from North Lawndale has been working hard to follow in the footsteps of great Chicago big men like Kevin Garnett and so many more. His body fits the bill, but there is much speculation as to whether or not his game does too. I think he made it clear this Sunday that he is well on his way, if he isn’t already almost there. Bunch showed off a wide array of post moves, and a newfound aggressiveness on the court that made him look like he is ready to be a star. Bunch was scoring on put backs, spin moves, and hook shots in the post, and was even stepping out and hitting 12 footers. Bunch is also an excellent free-throw shooter. Bunch finished the title game with 12 points and 15 rebounds, as well as 4 blocks.
Senior Deric Branch of Morgan Park High School is rarely mentioned when people talk about the top players in the state. If you check on most message boards, you would be hard pressed to find many people talking about this super-quick playmaker. Deric, however, doesn’t care much about all the hype, or lack thereof, which is clear by his play. The 5-6 point guard is fearless whenever he is on the court, and he brings his game and leaves it all out on the floor every time he steps out there. All of Deric’s hard work paid off; as he scored a game high 25 points and dished out a game high 10 assists for the Timberwolves in the championship win.
Most of you have not heard the name John Taylor too many times. As a matter of fact, the junior guard from Gary, Indiana is almost an unknown in the city of Chicago as of know. Expect that all to change, and to change rapidly at that as soon as the season kicks off, as this 6-0 sharp-shooter has moved to the city and will be suiting up for North Lawndale and attempting to lead them to a Class 2A state title. The state title is certainly in reach with Taylor on the team, as he is one of the top 10 players in the class of 09 and he is only getting better with all the work he puts in. Taylor was the league scoring champion, playoff MVP, and runner up for league MVP. Taylor scored in the high 20’s or above almost every week, and more impressively: he did so without taking many bad shots or hogging the ball. Taylor is very unselfish and scores his points in the flow of the game, and he is also a great defender. A scoring title, playoff MVP, and league title this year… I can’t wait to see what he’s got in store for us when he’s a senior.
The Celtics put forth a valiant effort on Sunday, and let everyone in the crowd know that they deserved to make it to the finals. 6-3 junior SF Dahni Wilson (Maine East) and 6-3 junior SG Matt Vogrich (Lake Forest) were great again, as they each scored 18 points. Look for them to team up again next year for Full Package 17u on the AAU circuit. 6-0 junior SG Shariq Kahn (Maine East) chipped in 13 in the losing effort.
This Fall was a lot of fun: thanks to everyone involved in making this such a great league.
~Daniel Poneman- Editor Illinois HS Basketball