Oak Park basketball star Iman Shumpert handled the biggest decision of his young life in a very mature way.
“All the factors were split between the schools (North Carolina, Marquette, Georgia Tech), but then I asked myself: ‘If I blew out my knee and ended my career, which school would be the most comfortable for me?'” Shumpert said.
And with that, the 6-foot-4-inch guard and No. 1 prospect in the state announced for Georgia Tech on Thursday..
“The other factors — playing right away and my relationship with the coaches — were pretty even among the schools,” Shumpert said. “But that injury factor is what made me choose Georgia Tech.”
Choosing to stray so far from home was made a little easier by the attitude of his parents, Otis and L’Tanya Shumpert.
“We told him this was his decision and not to be influenced by anyone else,” L’Tanya Shumpert said. “A lot of his friends were telling him to pick Marquette so they could watch him play. We told him wherever he went, we would find a way to get there.”
Shumpert smiled when asked about his parental support.
“My dad has watched every game I’ve played since I was 7,” Shumpert said. “I don’t know if he can continue that now, but I’m sure he’ll make as many games as he can.”
Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt was in Oak Park earlier this week to watch Shumpert in an open-gym session.
“He really seemed quite confident,” Shumpert said. “He told me he wanted to show his face one more time.”
Hewitt made arrangements for a television to be brought into the Yellow Jackets’ practice Thursday so he could watch the announcement of Shumpert’s decision on “Chicago Tribune Live” on Comcast SportsNet.
Shumpert said he arrived at his decision Tuesday night while discussing pros and cons with his father.
“It was [Oak Park coach] Al Allen who made me think about the injury factor and would I be happy at the school I picked,” he said. “There have been some Oak Park players who played in college, got hurt, then left school and came back home. They didn’t know what to do.”
Shumpert was a virtual unknown last season but seized the attention of college recruiters with eye-opening performances in spring and summer tournaments. His breakthrough came last spring at the LeBron James showcase event in Ohio, when college coaches on hand rated him among the best guards in the country. Rivals.com rates him the No. 26 player in the country.
“That made it easier for me not to get a big head,” Shumpert said. “I wasn’t one of those guys who has been in the spotlight a long time. I kind of caught people by surprise.”
*Josh Crittle, a 6-8 center from Hales, gave an oral commitment to Oregon.
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*Read Bob Sakamoto’s blog, “The Inside Scoop,” at chicagosports.com/sakamoto
