On Saturday afternoon, I ventured over to Belleville, Ill. to watch a little junior college basketball at Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC).
I got a chance to watch one of my best friends, Ronnie Dean (pictured, left), who is the head coach at Highland Junior College in Freeport, Ill. They defeated Illinois Central College 81-75 in a very entertaining game.
In all of his coaching stops, Ronnie has always considered the St. Louis area to be fertile recruiting ground. His current Highland team is no different as five players from the area got a chance to come home and play two games in front of their family and friends.
The most productive of the lot so far as been 6'7" freshman Connell Crossland, a rapidly improving forward from Hazelwood Central. Through Highland's first five games, Crossland is averaging 11.6 points, 7.8 rebounds while shooting 55 percent from the field.
Crossland is a long and lanky hybrid forward who can play inside in the post or step outside to shoot the jumper. He is also adept at swooping in for offensive rebounds. He has a lot of talent and he is only beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.
Abel Tillman, a 6'7" sophomore leaper from McCluer South-Berkeley is averaging 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 blocks while shooting 67 percent from the field. Tillman has a nice touch on short jumpers and he loves to block shots. He has offers from Division I schools such as Fresno State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Oral Roberts and Tennessee Tech.
Also up front from St. Louis is rugged 6'8" freshman Richard Anderson from Beaumont. Anderson averages six points and four rebounds while providing plenty of physical play in the low post.
The biggest player on Highland's team is 6'11" sophomore Terrance Williams from Edwardsville.
A transfer from SIU-Edwardsville, Williams is a shot-blocking presence in the middle. He has already signed at IUPU-Fort Wayne.
The fifth member of the Highland's St. Louis crew is freshman guard Jerryl Partlow from McCluer High. He backs up both guard positions. Known for his outside shooting in high school, Partlow has displayed some sharp defensive skills early in the season.
The Cougars are currently 3-2 on the season. In 2009, they advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournament, where they finished in seventh place with a 31-6 record under former coach Pete Norman (pictured, right). Norman stepped down before the season to concentrate on his duties as the school's athletic director.
It was nice to see several young men from St. Louis come home and perform well in front of their families.
Photo courtesy of Freeport Journal Standard.
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