Chi Hoops Express Archives - Illinois High School Basketball

Illinois Girls Navigate Unconventional Recruiting Cycle During Pandemic

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Kaleb Carter Leave a comment

*Left: Glenbard East’s Lauren Huber in a game against East Aurora [Photo: Michael Stranski].* *Center: Emma Rush of Vienna* [provided photo]. *Right: Trinity’s Savanna Childress races to the bucket [Photo: Debra Prochaska].*

Glenbard East senior Huber has made college visits. She’s gone on trips to D-III schools. She’s spoken with college coaches at the Division I level. But like many players dealing with the impact of a season of frozen eligibility at the college level, Huber is still navigating the recruitment process.

“It is very important to me to find a place where I can thrive on the court in various roles,” Huber said. “Being a part of a team with competitive and talented athletes that I can contribute to and be proud of is one of the key things I am looking for in a university.”

A three-sport athlete at Glenbard East — she was on the state second-place 4×800 relay team for the Rams’ track and field team in 2018 — Huber came to realize that basketball was her passion when she started as a sophomore.

Girls

Former Maine West Standout Van Fleet Walking Her Own Path

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Kaleb Carter

*Provided photo of the family of Dylan Van Fleet, father Jeff, mother Lisa and brother Max.*

Dylan Van Fleet delayed her D-I basketball career to hike the Appalachian Trail and raise money for cancer research.

Dylan Van Fleet will always set her own course, even as others follow in her footsteps. The Morton College (Cicero) freshman is quiet in nature, doing much of her talking through her actions.

Some of that nature is by design, the rest by consequence of her lived experiences.

Van Fleet’s Chi Hoops Express AAU coach Jerald Davis, who she affectionately refers to as “JD,” describes her as quiet toward adults, but said she has always gotten along well with teammates — dating all the way back to when he first saw her play with the program around fifth grade and continuing as he began coaching her directly in eighth grade.

“Dylan was quiet in the sense of, she was more non-verbal, but she was very, very physical, very aggressive, very tough-minded and highly competitive,” Davis said. “To be honest with you, I think that [her actions] was how she spoke.”