Glenbrook North absorbed a stunning loss Monday even as four top college basketball programs emerged as finalists for a prize recruit.
“I’ve narrowed my choices to Illinois, Duke, Wisconsin and Arizona,” said Glenbrook North’s 6-foot-6-inch guard Jon Scheyer, who had 41 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in the No. 5 Spartans’ 58-53 loss to Evanston at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament in Hillside.
“I’ve always liked Illinois’ program, and it’s close to home. Duke has a great tradition, and Wisconsin, I like the players they’re bringing in. Plus, my dad [Jim Scheyer] works in Madison.”
Rated among the top juniors in the nation by recruiting analysts, Scheyer came out smoking in the first quarter. He buried four three-pointers and scored 15 points in eight minutes, but that may have lulled Glenbrook North (8-2) into a false sense of security.
“I got hot, but then everybody–including myself–started standing around,” said Scheyer. “We got comfortable taking outside shots and didn’t penetrate against their zone defense.”
Evanston (5-3), which faces No. 8 Julian (7-1) in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, trailed for the first three quarters. But Rudy Meo’s three-pointer at the outset of the fourth quarter gave the Wildkits a lead they never relinquished.
“We just wanted to hang tight,” said Aaron Hamilton, who led Evanston with 26 points despite not starting after arriving late for warmups. “We thought if we stayed close, we could pull it out.”
Scheyer put on a late blitz, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter. With his team trailing 56-53 and only three seconds left, Scheyer appeared to bury a three-pointer. The shot went halfway down before jumping back out.
“I swear, I thought that was in,” he said. “I told myself I was going to knock that shot down. It hurts, but I’m not going to put my head down.”
