Warren's Boothe player of year
In its third decade of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in partnership with RISE Magazine, has announced Sarah Boothe of Warren as its 2007-08 Gatorade Illinois girls basketball player of the year.
Boothe is the first player chosen for the honor from Warren.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Boothe as Illinois' best high school girls basketball player. Boothe is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced in March.
More Coverage Video Sarah looks back
The senior center led the Blue Devils to a 28-3 record and the Class 4A sectional tournament this season, averaging 20.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.1 blocks, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals to lift her squad to the state postseason round of 16.
The 6-foot-5 Boothe shot 54.2 percent from the field and 77.2 percent from the free throw line and finished her career with 2,038 points. In four years, Boothe led Warren to a 113-16 record and four regional titles.
Boothe has maintained a 3.49 GPA in the classroom. She volunteers in multiple community initiatives, mentoring younger students through the Special Education District of Lake County. A member of the Future Business Leaders of America, Boothe participates in collection drives for Lake County Food Pantries and made a service-mission trip to Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota.
"The best part of her game is that she's really hard to guard," said Lake Zurich coach Chris Bennett. "You can't guard her inside because she's too big. You can't play up on her outside because she can dribble by you and shoot the ball, and you can't let her shoot outside because she can knock down the shot."
Boothe has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Stanford this fall.
Boys basketball
There is no shortage of future stars on The Associated Press 2007-08 Class 3A and 4A boys basketball all-state teams.
Fifteen of the 22 players selected by a statewide panel of sports writers have signed letters of intent or made verbal commitments to Division I colleges. Five will be playing in this weekend's 3A state finals in Peoria.
With the Illinois High School Association's expansion to four classes, there was a first and second team in each class. There are six players on the 3A and 4A second teams as a result of ties in the voting compiled by Marty Maciaszek of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
All five of the 4A first-team members will be playing major college basketball. Kevin Dillard, a 5-foot-11 senior guard from Homewood-Flossmoor, averaged 25 points, 5 assists and 5 steals for the top-ranked team in the state's final regular-season poll and has signed with Southern Illinois.
Mike Dunigan, a 6-10 senior from Chicago Farragut, averaged 17 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocks and is headed to Oregon. Oak Park-River Forest 6-4 senior guard Iman Shumpert averaged 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals and is going to Georgia Tech.
Nick Fruendt, a 6-5 senior and four-year starter for Batavia who averaged 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, is staying closer to home at Northwestern. The only junior on the 4A first team, 6-3 guard Brandon Paul of Warren, averaged 20 points and 6.5 rebounds and committed to Illinois in the summer.
Four players on the 3A first team will be battling for a state title Friday and Saturday and Peoria. Lewis Jackson, a 5-8 senior guard from Decatur Eisenhower, was the only player in either class to be a unanimous selection with first-team votes on all 15 ballots.
The Purdue-bound Jackson averaged 20 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals for the top-ranked 3A team in the final AP regular-season poll. Eisenhower suffered its only loss 65-63 in a sectional final to Champaign Central, which is led by first-team all-state pick Verdell Jones III. The 6-5 senior point guard averages 20 points, 6.5 assists and 5 rebounds but has not made a college choice.
Matt Roth, a 6-3 guard from downstate Washington, is the most prolific career 3-point shooter in state history and averages 22 points a game. The Indiana-bound Roth led his team to the state finals for the first time since 1962.
After spending his first three years at Chicago Leo, 6-9 Stan Simpson hopes to lead Simeon to a third consecutive state title. The Illinois-bound Simpson averages 19 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.
Senior Ryan Hare hopes to lead Chicago Marshall to its first title since 1960 after third-place finishes the last two seasons. The 6-3 Hare, who backed out of a commitment to Oregon, averages 20 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals a game.
The Class 4A second team has three Division I recruits in Glen Ellyn Glenbard West's 6-8 John Shurna (22 ppg, 11 rpg, Northwestern), Glenview Glenbrook South's 6-9 junior Jack Cooley (21 ppg, 12 rpg, Notre Dame) and Chicago Whitney Young guard A.J. Rompza (18 ppg, 7 apg, Central Florida). Uncommitted seniors are Moline's 6-6 Isiah Nunn (25 ppg, 8 rpg), O'Fallon's 6-3 Kenny Leverette (16 ppg, 9 rpg) and Alton's 6-0 Ruben Cotto (22 ppg).
Buffalo Grove senior Brian DeSimone and Schaumburg junior Cully Payne earned honorable mentions in Class 4A.
The Class 3A second team has 6-2 junior Darius Smith of Chicago Marshall playing this weekend in Peoria. Smith averages 18 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and a whopping 8 steals a game.
Four 3A second-teamers are Division I recruits. Peoria Central 6-3 junior D.J. Richardson (17 ppg) and Sterling 6-5 junior Joseph Bertrand (14 ppg, 5 apg) have committed to Illinois. Decatur Eisenhower 6-8 senior Jeremy Robinson (17 ppg, 9 rpg) is headed to Illinois State and 6-7 Geneseo senior Tyler Storm (19.5 ppg, 9 rpg) has signed with Northern Illinois.
The other 3A second-team selection figures to have no shortage of college interest as 5-11 freshman guard Donivine Stewart of Bartonville Limestone averaged 25 points a game.