Prospect’s LaTulip to walk on at Illinois
Prospect senior Mike LaTulip wants to take his best shot at playing college basketball in one of the nation’s best conferences.
On Saturday, one of the state’s premier long-range shooters made a commitment to play at Illinois as a preferred walk-on. LaTulip made his decision during an unofficial visit to the Big Ten campus in Champaign.
“It’s always been my dream to play at a Big Ten school and I know I can,” said LaTulip, who played in an open gym Saturday at Illinois and then went to the football game against Western Michigan. “I’m a highly competitive kid and that’s the way I’m wired. That’s the way I’ve always been and I wanted to test myself at the highest level.”
The 5-foot-10 LaTulip is a two-time Daily Herald all-area player. He averaged 19.7 points, shot 87.6 percent from the free-throw line and hit 60 3-pointers last season as Prospect won its second Mid-Suburban League title in three years.
LaTulip had scholarship offers from Loyola and South Dakota State and interest from Boston College, St. Louis, St. Mary’s (Calif.) and Valparaiso. LaTulip said Illinois head coach Bruce Weber and assistant Jay Price got involved in recruiting about a month ago.
“Even though they didn’t have any scholarships left they still wanted me on the team,” said LaTulip, who plans to study communications and has a 4.7 grade-point average on a 5.0 scale and scored 29 on the ACT. “When I narrowed it down it was great academically and athletically it fits me.
“It’s close to home and people can come out and see me play. In that regard it’s a perfect fit.”
LaTulip said he could get a scholarship if one opens up but no promises were made.
“They told me, ‘if you earn it, you earn it,’” said LaTulip. “You never know what’s going to happen but I’m looking forward to going hard every day and trying to get better.
“I played against a lot of high-major guards and I was right there with them. It was a matter of the opportunity coming around and thankfully it did come around and U of I provided it.”
Crete-Monee guard Michael Orris, who played his first two years at Palatine, also committed to Illinois a couple of weeks ago. Orris was also on campus Saturday.
“We’re both really excited,” LaTulip said.
Schneider picks Western Illinois: Barrington 6-7 senior forward John Schneider has made a verbal commitment to play at Western Illinois for head coach Jim Molinari.
Schneider, who has been on the varsity since he was a freshman, averaged 10.7 points last season as he helped the Broncos reach the MSL title game for the first time since 1979.