Matt Vogrich named Illinois High School Player of the Year
Michigan 2009 basketball recruit, Matt Vogrich was named Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year as the top high school basketball player in the state. Previous winners include Derrick Rose and Jon Scheyer.
http://www.umhoops.com/2009/03/24/matt-vogrich-named-gatorade-player-of…
http://basketball.dailyherald.com/story/?id=281261
This is right over in the Mgo.licio.us sidebar. Why is it so hard to take time to read items on this site?
Ya GCS i'm with you on this one, I wasted 5 seconds of life clicking on a subject I wasn't forced to click, just to criticize and tell the poster that the subject has already been posted in the not as interesting mgo.licio.us sidebar.
Damn you redwings8831. You owe me 5 seconds of life.
maybe he wanted to actually, you know, discuss the topic. just because something is in the sidebar doesn't mean it cant be discussed on the board.
and, if you're worried about your time being wasted, maybe you should abstain from the "omg u r 2 dum 2 work a mssgbaord" type responses?
as for the topic, good for Vogrich. he obviously wont be a d. rose type talent, but hopefully he can hit open shots, spread the floor, and play good white person (below the rim) defense.
i fully expect Vogrich to be better than Derrick Rose and also stay 4 years. And then go to law school and eventually become AD.
D Rose was simply the first player chosen in the draft.
Perhaps I should ask the question...in what way do you expect Vogrich to be better?
I think you need to turn your sarcasm detector up.
That is what I love about this blog...you never know!
I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt As I stated...you never know!
If it is any consolation...your quite witty...really!
Rose didn't have much of a jumpshot. This is probably due to him not needing it because he can get to the rim at will, but still, Vogrich will be a better shooter. Probably won't have the freak athleticism that allows him to completely take over a game and will his team to victory, but in a game of around the world, my money's on Vogrich.
articles about Illini-bound Brandon Paul,stating how skillful he plays the game. If our boy beat him out...Coach B has got himself a BALLER!
Brian wishes Vogrich's 3pt % was above 32, I wish that the daily herald had picked a better picture.
I think Vogrich's low 3 point % is like D-Wade's 30% rate, in that it is more of a reflection of being the best player on your team, and thus jacking up some shots you wouldn't otherwise take. In college he's not going to have to carry the team.
Just because Vogrich was voted Illinois's Mr. Basketball over some OMG shirtless baller headed to the Illini, doesn't mean he's the better overall prospect. I remember a few years ago some scrub from Western Michigan named David Kool was voted Michigan's Mr. Basketball over much better prospects(at least to the services) from Flint/Metro Detroit. It was widely speculated that basketball coaches in western Michigan conspired (for lack of a better term) to vote him number one in order to draw attention to their side of the state.
Lake Forest is part of the well to do North Shore suburbs. I'm sure the same sort of shit is going on in Illinois.
David Kool was offered by Michigan State (and I believe Michigan as well) before he got injured and both schools backed down. He was pretty legit. Plus he averages 18 points a game as a junior for WMU, so although they are in the MAC, he's one of the best players in the conference.
According to Rivals - he was offered by neither.
I wasn't knocking Kool's ability or the fact that he goes to a MAC school (okay, maybe I was by describing him as a scrub), but I think that year prep media types like Eric Pate (who I know has some kind of personal relationship with Peedie) thought he was undeserving over DeShawn Sims.
UPDATE - I'm posting the above despite the fact that I just read on Spartantailgate that Pate cryed foul when Drew Neitzel was voted Mr. Basketball over Malik Harriston and Joe Crawford. Guess Pate has a huge bias against white guys from the west side.
when he said they offered him and then he got injured, and then they backed down. That means the offers were rescinded, therefore it didn't show up on rivals or scout.
Als, of note I think he was being contacted by Duke and other big out of state schools, so he was rightfully deserving of that award.
when he said they offered him and then he got injured, and then they backed down. That means the offers were rescinded, therefore it didn't show up on rivals or scout.
Als, of note I think he was being contacted by Duke and other big out of state schools, so he was rightfully deserving of that award.
about your first point, i don't know what rivals policy is about offers when a school "backs down". does that mean the offer is pulled, or simply that the player knows the standing offer is no longer there. there's a difference.
and man, seriously, just because he was "contacted" by duke doesn't mean he was "rightfully deserving" of the award. sims was actually offered by a bevy of d1 schools. so by your logic, he was more deserving of the award.
It's more of a reflection that Lake Forest is usually not very good at basketball, and this year they found themselves ranked in the top 10-15 in the state, and were carried there almost single-handedly by Vogrich. But yeah, I agree, he's probably not quite as good of a prospect, although he more than held his own when they were matched head to head.
I was google-stalking Vogrich and found this thread, and had to reply to the ignorance here. Below is a list of the winners of this award:
Matt Vogrich 2008-09 Boys Basketball SG Lake Forest IL
Michael Dunigan 2007-08 Boys Basketball C Chicago IL
Derrick Rose 2006-07 Boys Basketball G Chicago IL
Jon Scheyer 2005-06 Boys Basketball Guard Northbrook IL
Jonathan Scheyer 2004-05 Boys Basketball Guard Northbrook IL
Shaun Livingston 2003-04 Boys Basketball Guard Peoria IL
Shannon Brown 2002-03 Boys Basketball Guard Maywood IL
Dee Brown 2001-02 Boys Basketball Guard Maywood IL
Eddy Curry 2000-01 Boys Basketball C South Holland IL
Andre Brown 1999-00 Boys Basketball F Chicago IL
Brian Cook 1998-99 Boys Basketball F Lincoln IL
Corey Maggette 1997-98 Boys Basketball F Oak Park IL
Sergio McClain 1996-97 Boys Basketball G/F Peoria IL
Mike Robinson 1995-96 Boys Basketball F/G Peoria IL
Kevin Garnett 1994-95 Boys Basketball C Chicago IL
Antoine Walker 1993-94 Boys Basketball F Chicago IL
Rashard Griffith 1992-93 Boys Basketball C Chicago IL
Ryan Hoover 1991-92 Boys Basketball PG Rockton IL
Juwan Howard 1990-91 Boys Basketball F/C Chicago IL
Jamie Brandon 1989-90 Boys Basketball G Chicago IL
Deon Thomas 1988-89 Boys Basketball C/F Chicago IL
Laphonso Ellis 1987-88 Boys Basketball C East St. Louis IL
Marcus Liberty 1986-87 Boys Basketball F Chicago IL
Nelison Anderson 1985-86 Boys Basketball G Chicago IL
First - 11 of the 22 people on this list that have had an opportunity to have an NBA career (I'm leaving Scheyer, Vogrich and Dunigan off) have had one. This implies that the shenanigans you imply (regional voting giving the award to people who don't deserve it) are false.
Further, let's look at where the kids are from. 13 of the 23 players are from Chicago proper. Two more are from Maywood, and another are from Oak Park - both Southwestern suburbs within spitting distance of Chicago, and both somewhat rough. Another is from E. St. Louis, in the far southwest part of the state, and another extremely rough area. 3 are from Peoria, a somewhat depressed town, also southwest.
This "ritzy northern chicago suburb" conspiracy has turned out 2 winners - Jon Scheyer and Matt Vogrich. Scheyer is the 2nd all time scorer in Illinois basketball history and the only player ever to finish in the top 5 in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. His case is pretty ircn-clad.
Vogrich won the award because he carried a traditionally horrendous basketball school to a league championship, and put up monster numbers. This doesn't make him the best prospect in the state, but the award, by all accounts, is based on merit, not conspiratorial white coaches.