Eighth-grade stars ready for big time

There never was any intention to turn eighth-grade basketballplayers into celebrities. Rashard Griffith was singled out becausehe was unique, a 13-year-old who stood 6-10, as tall as WiltChamberlain and Lew Alcindor at the same age.

But there was an overwhelming demand to select the top eighthgraders of 1990. Two months ago, coaches began calling and writingto make nominations. Other callers, perhaps spurred by nationalpublicity on eighth-grade recruiting, wondered who this year's primeprospects are.

A survey of city and suburban coaches reveals the top fiveninth-grade prospects are 5-10 guard Quinton Jones of Carver MiddleSchool, 6-4 point guard Antoine Walker of Visitation Catholic, 5-10guard Mario Pittman of Charles Hughes, 6-2 1/2 forward Adam Shafer ofDowners Grove (O'Neal) and 6-0 guard Sven Sherrod of Morgan Park

A canvass of the top 20 young prospects indicates the rich willget richer; most say they plan to attend some of the Chicago area'swinningest programs.

For example, Sherrod will enroll at St. Joseph in Westchester.King, the newly crowned Class AA champion, will get 6-2 guardSuperstar Edwards and 5-10 guard Lamont Cooper of Farrin and 6-5forward Dorian Hendon of Libby. Whitney Young will get 6-footforward Germaine Williams of Howell, 5-7 guard Jabu Brown of Beasleyand 5-10 guard Mike McKay of John Hay Academy.

Walker, who will attend Simeon, St. Rita or Mount Carmel,arguably is the No. 1 prospect. He averaged 35 points a game lastseason for a 31-5 team that won the St. Sabina tournament. He is the nephew of former majorleaguer Chico Walker.

"What you are looking at is a Jamie Brandon clone," saidVisitation coach William Beverly, comparing Walker to the King starwho was Illinois' Player of the Year in 1990. "If he mantains alevel head and follows instructions, he has the potential to be oneof the best players who ever came out of the city."

Shafer is described as the best suburban prospect since formerEast Leyden star Glen Grunwald was a 6-5 eighth grader in FranklinPark. Shafer will attend Downers Grove South, which also producedIvy League Player of the Year Kit Mueller of Princeton.

"(Downers South's) Dick Flaiz is one lucky coach," said St.Joseph coach Gene Pingatore after observing the 6-2 Shafer at hiscamp and at last week's Centurion Classic. "He has all the skills.He can only get better."

Neither Walker nor Shafer figures to be the No. 1 freshman inChicago next season. That distinction likely will go to 5-10 pointguard Babatunji "Tunji" Thurmon, who also will enroll at King.He'll move to the city in June.

Thurmon currently attends Tolleston Middle School in Gary, Ind.,but he didn't play eighth-grade basketball last season. He was toogood. He played with the eighth graders while in fifth and sixthgrade and made Indiana's AAU eighth-grade all-star team. Withnothing else to prove, last season he played once a week againstformer collegians in the Margate Park men's league.

"Thurmon is the most advanced skilled point guard at his agethat I've ever seen - and that includes Isiah Thomas," said a Big Tencoach.

At last summer's University of Illinois camp, Thurmon outplayedClass A Player of the Year and Illini-bound Rennie Clemons of Springfield Calvary.

Some of the leading prospects have good bloodlines. KenyonCatchings, who will attend Deerfield, is the son of former NBAall-star Harvey Catchings. Pittman, who will enroll at Marshall, isthe young brother of all-stater Kenya Pittman of Marshall's Class AAgirls championship team.

Some coaches say it is good to recognize deserving youngplayers, to give them incentive and show them education is attainablethrough athletics, but others say it is too early to start taggingthem as "can't miss" stars, that they can't handle it emotionally.

"I think it is ridiculous to single out eighth graders,"Marshall coach Luther Bedford said. "A kid will come to high schoolwith his head so big that he can't even get in the door. Then theyare often in for a rude awakening because the level of competition isso much different than in grammar school. Very often they look forexcuses because they can't handle the pressure."

Shafer, 14, learned a lesson at last week's Centurion Classic.In his first game against highly regarded Proviso East, he ran intoan elbow from Proviso star Donnie Boyce.

"At first, I didn't know what to expect," Shafer said. "But Ifound out they are bigger, quicker and stronger . . . and nobodylikes to get embarrassed. There's no comparison between what you doin grammar school and going to high school, like the colleges and theNBA."