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SIU lands verbal commitment from Mundelein big man

A former great point guard offered Mundelein big man Scottie Ebube a basketball scholarship.

A current great point guard understands why.

"He has the potential, in my opinion, to be one of the best big men in the country," said Conor Enright, the 2020 captain of the Daily Herald Lake County All-Area boys basketball team and Ebube's high school teammate and classmate.

"College facilities and coaches could definitely help him reach that."

Ebube announced on Twitter last week that he has verbally committed to Southern Illinois University and head coach Bryan Mullins, whose Salukis went 16-16, including 10-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference, in his first season last winter. Mullins holds SIU's records for assists and steals and was the point guard for the Salukis' NCAA Tournament teams in 2006 and 2007. Southern Illinois advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2007, winning a school-record 29 games.

Ebube knows about winning too.

With Enright operating the point and fellow junior Ebube dominating in the paint, Mundelein won 30 games and advanced to the Class 4A Prospect sectional final before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the season. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound Ebube averaged 14.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in a repeat all-area campaign. Both he and Enright have been on varsity since their freshman year.

"Scottie's strengths are definitely his ability to use his body to maneuver around defenders in the post and in the paint, and take contact every time he shoots," Enright said. "I think he's also a very underrated defender with his ability to time block shots, and his help-side defense is a strong suit as well."

Ebube also had offers from Northern Illinois, Toledo, Cleveland State and Miami of Ohio. As a sophomore, he was named MVP of the Carbondale Holiday Tournament. SIU is located in Carbondale.

He can sign his letter of intent in November.

When Ebube announced his decision on Twitter, he thanked his parents as well as his coaches from Mundelein, Kessel Heat and the Illinois Wolves for "pushing me and bringing the best out of me on and off the court."

Ebube's brother, Chino, graduated from Mundelein in 2013 and was a teammate of Sean O'Brien, who played at SIU.

Scottie Ebube
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