By Jonathan Lidskin
While Brackets, Bubbles and Bid Stealers might be a college basketball-focused podcast, one thing many people don’t know about me is I grew up around Chicagoland High School basketball because of my dad. I have been going to high school games since I was in elementary school and now I have gone from watching my dad coach to watching my brothers play in the area to simply just following the sport in the area. While the Chicagoland Area and even Chicago itself is not what it used to be in terms of talent (thanks prep schools), the area still boasts tons of Division l players, especially at the mid-major level.
So without further ado, here are some players I think people should know from the Chicagoland Area in the 2024 class.
Jack Stanton - Princeton (Downers Grove North)
Princeton is having one heck of a run right now. The Tigers scored two NCAA Tournament victories in 2023 and followed that up with a regular season title in the Ivy League. It doesn’t seem like that success will come to a halt anytime soon as Mitch Henderson and his staff brought in a great 2024 class with Stanton being a feature of that.
Stanton brings a lot of things to Princeton that really embody the culture that the Tigers have. He’s a tough guard who isn’t afraid of the moment and won a ton of games in high school. In his junior season, Stanton scored 19 points in a huge upset victory for Downers Grove North over Kenwood to win a Super-Sectional Championship. This past season, he scored 23 points to get DGN its’ second consecutive Sectional Championship in a win over a talented Bolingbrook squad.
While Princeton brings back likely preseason Ivy League Player of the Year Xaivian Lee, I believe there’s still a path to meaningful minutes for Stanton off the bench. The 6’2 guard has the ability to knock down shots from deep and handle the ball so we definitely could see him get some run at the point when Lee needs a quick breather. Regardless, Stanton is a perfect fit in Mitch Henderson’s system and there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be a great player in that league someday.
Carlos Harris - UIC (Curie)
As a Missouri Valley Conference advocate, I absolutely love that UIC even with the coaching change was able to keep Carlos Harris home in Chicago. Similar to Stanton, Harris has built a pedigree as a leader on a team that had a ton of success. Harris led Curie to a Chicago Public League Championship and a Sectional Championship this past season.
While Curie might not have come into last season ranked the highest of the city teams, it was Harris who showed how important it is to have a veteran point guard. In the city title game against Kenwood, Harris scored 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in a 65-59 victory. Then just a couple of weeks later, it was Harris who scored 25 points to pace Curie past another city foe in Simeon to capture a Sectional title.
As a freshman, Harris will bring a skillset to UIC that not many freshman guards have. Harris does so many things that coaches love to have in a point guard. He’s a two-way player who can leave his mark on the game even if the offense isn’t there on a given night. Harris has a college-ready body that should prove to be effective on the defensive end right away. As a Chicago HS basketball savant, UIC pairing Harris with another Chicago point guard in Ahmad Henderson will be super enjoyable to watch.
Gianni Cobb - Columbia (Homewood-Flossmoor)
So as we get to our third player here, you can start to see two trends: I am a big fan of guards and I am a big fan of guys that win a lot. Gianni Cobb is no exception to those rules as Cobb was an integral part of the 4A State Champions in Homewood-Flossmoor.
Playing on a guard-oriented team this past season really showcased Cobb’s skill. He was able to play at a fast pace while having plenty of opportunities to show that he could take his man 1-on-1. Cobb’s speed combined with his elite ball handling makes him a killer in transition. With Homewood-Flossmoor having multiple other talented guards that Cobb was able to play off of, the decision to transfer to HF for his senior season was perfect.
Cobb also had a handful of signature individual moments throughout the season. He hit multiple last-second shots in games against Thornton, had a huge three-point play late in HF’s state semifinal game and scored 22 to help knock off Carlos Harris’ Curie team in the Super Sectionals.
Columbia, who hasn’t had much success in the Ivy League and finished 6th in the league in offensive rating last season, will definitely be able to use Cobb’s offensive prowess. The Lions return a lot of production, but I expect Cobb to work his way into the rotation.