Few boys, many girls are Division 1 prospects
By Cliff Christl
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Sept 13, 1997
Unless the University of Wisconsin pulls a surprise and signs Robert Jackson and / or Jose Winston, the four NCAA Division I men's basketball programs in the state aren't likely to benefit much from the homegrown recruiting class of 1998.
Jackson, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound power forward from Milwaukee Washington, and Winston, a 5-11 point guard from Milwaukee Vincent, have granted UW coach Dick Bennett home visits as they pare their lists of schools.
"Robert is very impressed with the way Bennett has produced big men," said Marty McGlothan, who serves as the Amateur Athletic Union coach for Jackson and Winston. "Jose likes the way Bennett stresses defense and that it's a collective effort."
At the same time, McGlothan said other schools had been pursuing Jackson and Winston more actively.
"I'd say they have a 50% chance of getting one, maybe 40% of getting both," McGlothan said in reference to Wisconsin.
Among the state's other three Division I schools, Marquette is no longer in the running for Jackson, the one state player it actively pursued; UW-Milwaukee has only one scholarship available; and UW-Green Bay has shown interest in a number of players, but not to the point at which it is likely to extend many offers in the early signing period.
On the whole, it's a mediocre year for senior prospects within the state.
"The class has a bunch of solid players, but it doesn't have a lot of outstanding players," said Curtis Weathers, who runs an open gym each Sunday at UWM where players can showcase their skills.
The recruiting process started to intensify the past two weeks. High school seniors could start taking official campus visits on Sept. 1. College coaches could start conducting home visits last Sunday.
Weathers also started opening the gym at the Klotsche Center last Sunday. The workouts generally draw a number of college coaches and will be held again today and for the next three Sundays from 9 a.m. to noon.
The top senior girls in the state, as well as some selected juniors, will be able to showcase their skills for college coaches Sept. 28 at UW-Stout. The workout will be by invitation only.
The 1998 class of senior girls, unlike the boys, is loaded with players likely to sign with Division I schools. A number of others will sign with Division II schools.
"I think we'll have 30 to 40 kids who will have the opportunity to go early," said Keith Noll, head of the state's AAU girls basketball program, "and before it is all said and done, with the late signing period, we could have 45 to 60 kids go."
The early signing period for basketball runs from Nov. 12-19.
Both Jackson and Winston were ranked among the top 25 players in the country earlier in the summer by Bob Gibbons, who runs a national recruiting service based in North Carolina. Gibbons said their stock had slipped some, in part, because they still had to attain a specified score on a college entrance exam.
Gibbons said he had Jackson rated No. 51 and Winston No. 57 in his latest rankings.
"They sort of played their way down," Gibbons said. "Still, it's no slouch to be in the top 100 in the nation."
Both players also continue to be heavily recruited by upper level Division I programs.
Jackson has narrowed his list of schools to Clemson, Colorado, Mississippi State, Villanova, Virginia and Wisconsin, according to McGlothan. Jackson eliminated Marquette from his list, McGlothan said.
Winston has narrowed his list to Colorado, Georgia, Oklahoma, St. Louis and Wisconsin, according to Tom Diener, his high school coach.
It is believed that only one player in the state, shooting guard Drew Diener of Fond du Lac, has made an oral commitment to a Division I school. Diener committed to St. Louis.
Among some of the state's other top prospects, point guard Marius Boyd of Whitefish Bay has been heavily recruited by Central Florida and drawn some interest from UWGB; forward B.J. Brant of Portage has been courted by Richmond; point guard Marcus Johnson of Whitefish Bay Dominican has been pursued most aggressively by UWGB and Akron; forward Shane Ellis of Baraboo has drawn interest from UWGB and Drake, but also has been recruited by Division I football programs; and off-guard Shane Krause of Racine Horlick has a visit scheduled with Northeastern and also has been contacted by UWGB.
The most heavily recruited girl in the state is Zuzana Klimesova, a 6-2 center from Milwaukee Pius. A transfer student born in the Czech Republic, she is the daughter of two former Olympic basketball players.
"She had a phenomenal national tournament," Noll said in reference to the AAU tournament this summer. "She has great hands, great fundamentals."
Klimesova has close to 10 schools scheduled for home visits and also has received recent inquiries from some of the top programs in the country, including Old Dominion and Stanford, according to Joel Claassen, the coach at Pius. He also said Klimesova had taken an official visit to Vanderbilt.
Both Marquette and Wisconsin are recruiting Klimesova and are still on her list, according to Claassen.
Marquette also is pursuing guard Kelly Auger, Klimesova's teammate at Pius. Auger tore her right anterior cruciate ligament in July, but underwent a novel form of surgery in Little Rock, Ark., and should be ready for the start of the season, Claassen said.
Marquette already received a commitment from point guard Kristi Johnson of Holmen and had a home visit with forward Kristin Seffern of North Fond du Lac last week.
Along with Klimesova, Wisconsin also is recruiting Jerica Watson and Myesha Bledsoe of Milwaukee Washington.
Watson has narrowed her choices to Georgetown, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin, according to Pam Kruse, the coach at Washington. Bledsoe has narrowed her choices to Iowa, Kansas, Marquette, Maryland and Wisconsin.
Hudson and Oconomowoc are two other schools with two Division I prospects.
Guard Corrin Von Wald and forward Jenny Groom of Hudson both have home visits scheduled with UWGB within the next 10 days. Von Wald also has a home visit scheduled with UWM this week.
Oconomowoc gained a second Division I prospect when Katie Harper transferred there from Beaver Dam at the start of the school year. Aubrey Danen is Oconomowoc's returning Division I prospect.
Danen is being recruited mostly by mid-level Division I schools, while Harper is getting looks mostly from low level Division I schools.
The state also lost a prospect when guard Lacey Stone transferred from Whitefish Bay to Trinity High School in Garfield Heights, Ohio, for her senior season. John Stone, her father and a former Marquette player, also resigned as Whitefish Bay's girls basketball coach.
In addition to Johnson, at least one other state player, guard-
forward Trisha Ebel of Green Bay Southwest, has committed to a Division I school. Ebel committed last week to UWGB.
One of the most intriguing prospects is 6-4 center Sarah Jirovec of Stevens Point. Jirovec, a late bloomer, is starting to draw attention from programs as big as UW.
"She's the type of kid you'd probably want to redshirt for a year," said Noll, "but she's so strong; I'll tell you, she's stronger than Amy Wiersma was and every bit as quick."
Wiersma, Wisconsin's 6-5 center, was a national recruit three years ago.