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Ask the expert: Staff writer Paul Klee fields an Illinois basketball recruiting question
Q: Which one of the 2011 recruits on the Illinois campus Saturday has the most potential as a college prospect?
A: Tough question. From Chicago Mount Carmel's Tracy Abrams to Curie's Wayne Blackshear to Rock Island's Chasson Randle to St. Louis Chaminade's Brad Beal, it was a haul of a recruiting weekend for the Illini. I think it's Mike Shaw, the 6-foot-7 sophomore from Chicago De La Salle.
"I like it a lot at Illinois," Shaw said during a break in the outdoor practice at Memorial Stadium. "I have fun here. They make me feel welcome."
This will be a tough one for Illinois, but the Illini seem to have given themselves a fighting chance.
The relationship between Illinois and Shaw's AAU program, Mac Irvin Fire, has improved immeasurably over the past year, enough so that Mac Irvin and several coaches were on the Illinois campus Saturday. Shaw, who has a scholarship offer, is a close friend of UI recruit Crandall Head. UI recruit Jereme Richmond has plans to join Mac Irvin Fire, as well.
"They say things here and there," Shaw said of UI recruits working as recruiters. "But they know that I'm going to wait (to make a decision)."
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