Offer: ON–Erick Locke (2014)
According to VerbalCommits, the first known offer to this class is Erick Locke.
6’0, 180 lb PG from Oak Park-River Forest (transferred back after soph years at Brooks College Prep.)
AAU: Illinois Wolves (“one of the best programs in the Midwest for close to the last decade” featuring OSU commit Keita Bates-Diop), currently ranked #11 in the country by 5-Star basketball (his 17U squad, that is).
Last year with Oak Park, he helped take them to heights they hadn’t seen for a long time. In the sectional semifinal, scored 15 in a 43-39 nail-biter over York to get them to the final, Oak Park’s first in 20 years. 11 of those were in the decisive fourth quarter. He’s as confident as he is good, which is a potent mix:
“I know I was getting to the basket pretty well but the shots weren’t falling,” Locke said of the first half. “Shots fell down the stretch, and that’s exactly what I knew was going to happen.” …
Locke converted three layups early in the fourth for a 37-32 lead and was 5-for-7 from the line in the quarter.
Team lost to perennial power Proviso East 67-48 in the Schaumburg sectional final, where he had a game-high 21 to go with 5 boards and 6 steals. 16 of the 21 were in the 2nd half, so clearly, he’s a battler, although you’d rather see those stats in a close game, as above, than in a 19-point loss. They finished 20-10.
Jr year honors: All-conference; honorable mention All-State.
Last month [May 2012], Bobby Locke was fired from the head coaching position at Brooks, and the Chicago Tribune recently reported it was due to residency issues that involved his son. The Lockes apparently live in Oak Park, but listed the Chicago address of a relative so Erick could be eligible to attend Brooks, according to the Tribune report.
…so…how many people LIVE in Oak Park but fibricate stuff (yeah, I just made up a word admit it it works) to attend school in Chicago? Isn’t that supposed to be happening the other way around? And why isn’t there some kind of exception made so that kids can play for their dads? TAKE OUR SONS TO COURT WORK DAY!
His dad works at Evanston High School, where he is also the former basketball coach as well. While at Evanston, Coach Bobby Locke took them to the 4A final in 2008 (coming in 3rd overall) and in 2011, Erick’s freshman year, took Brooks to the 3A final (again coming in 3rd). He’s also a 4-time IBCA Coach of the Year award winner, by his own admission. Coaches’ sons = almost always a good thing.
OK, except for Todd Marinovich.
Freshman year stats (all I could find, and that’s just for 7 games; he played 2 with the JV and the rest of the season with the sophomores at OPRF): 24.3 ppg, 6.1 apg, 3.9 rpg, 3.4 spg
Offers
Per Brad Spencer, sports editor at OakPark.com:
Incoming junior transfer Erick Locke, a 6-foot guard who played at Brooks College Prep in Chicago under his father, Bobby, last season, already has several Division I offers on the table, including from Valparaiso, UIC, and Chicago State. Other schools that have shown interest in Locke are Santa Clara, Western Michigan, Northern Illinois and Wright State.
Add Tulsa and every other DI Chicago school to that interest list (DePaul, Loyola, etc. Bradley too.) It should be noted, with some trepidation, that his father, Coach Bobby, is a UIC basketball alum.
What he’s looking for in a college / team OK, we’re talking over a year and a half ago, which is FOR-EV-ER (you’re killin‘ me, Smalls) in HSBY (high school boy years), but in October 2011 he had this to say on the subject to Scott Burgess of ChicagoHoops:
“I don’t want to fall in love with going to the biggest school so I can just say I went to the biggest school. I want to go somewhere that I can play right away as a freshman and have a coaching staff that can trust me as well as pushing me everyday. I want them to get on me and not let me slack off. I’m looking for great facilities and a great atmosphere. I really want a school that I can play immediately and have a chance to make the tournament.”
Everything else: check. Facilities? nicht so gut. … Hey, maybe he meant “faculties“, in which case, BINGO!!! Elsewhere in same article says that “Valparaiso has been to our open gyms numerous times.” This was pre-offer, and at that time Chicago State was the only school to offer; he mentioned us second. Take it for what it’s worth…
Why a combo guard? Let’s let him tell you why (same article):
At [Brooks, under his father sophomore year] they are having Locke play at the point guard position rather than the off guard spot which he played this past AAU season. This is also helping him transition in to the role he will be playing during the high school season. “I have to get used to playing the point for Brooks. I haven’t had a lot of run at point before. People already know I can score. Now I have to show I can get other people on my team involved. I think that is what wins games when everyone is in rhythm.” College coaches and evaluators are trying to evaluate what position the sophomore will play at the next level. It doesn’t matter to him as long as his team gets the W! “I have been used to playing the two my whole life, but I have always had point guard instincts. I think that has helped me be an effective shooting guard. I got some of pressure off me by delivering the ball when people didn’t think I would which made it easier to score. It doesn’t really matter to me which I play between the one or the two. At my size a lot of college coaches are looking for me to play the one instead of the two. If a college coach doesn’t mind me playing the two I wouldn’t mind because it is what I am used to. I am definitely as comfortable playing the one as the two.”
Basically an ‘LVD Jr’: from the city (Sweet Home), to the build (STRONG LIKE BULL), to the confidence (extant), through the game (primarily driving to the hoop like it’s a bank about to close). A bit of an unconventional shot (ok a big bit), but, as they say, don’t knock it as long as it goes in. He is so strong that even though he’s not tall, he can take it to the rack, absorb contact, and still score.
Recent AAU highlights (even better!):
Look, the guy gets to the rack, ok? Gets. To. The Rack. In fact, he reminds me of Westley when he’s duelling Inigo Montoya: he can finish you off in all kinds of ways–left-handed, right-handed, while falling off a cliff, etc.. But I really enjoy the passes he makes (ca. 1:20 to the end). A very businesslike baller.
It will be interesting to see whether the (assumed) emergence of Keith Carter (and Lexus Williams?) deters him at all. Certainly there are a number of guards they are looking at; though he is the shortest, he is probably the strongest. Then again, speaking of LVD, perhaps he ends up as an offense-creator rather than initiator (note the ability to draw contact and finish in the video above), and so finally, like LVD, I bet he ends up a Vinnie Johnson-style 2 rather than a Chauncey Billups-style 1. No fibricating.
Scouting Report from recent AAU play (Jayhawk Invite, 4/26/2013, by the omnipresent Scott Burgess of Chicago Hoops):
Locke played one of the best games I have seen out of him on Friday. He was looking to set everybody up. The Oak Park River Forest star did a great job of drawing defenders and finding open shooters. He got the ball to his hot hand in Arogundade setting him up consistently. Locke pushed it in transition both dishing it and finishing around the hoop. He picked his spots to score and was effective getting to the basket. Locke had 10 points and 9 assists in the win.
Self-Scouting Report (again, before he had started his sophomore year at Brooks):
“The last couple years I have been labeled as a scorer inside and outside. I have been working on my shot effectively. My tight handles and getting to basket is the specialty in my game. That is where I am at my best. I don’t turn the ball over. I play tough defense and keep my man out of the lane. I score whenever I am needed too. I can knock down an open shot and if we need a bucket I can go get it.”…“The person next to me is not going to play as hard as me. In practice some people look good, but if he looked like an All-American in practice he will not look like anything when I play against him. I am not going to let anyone ranked out play me. I play best in the big games and I want the ball in my hands and making the plays. That is where I am making my name right now under the big lights.”
Twitter (“PointGodLocke“, which…um…okay). Trust me, you’d enjoy following his dad more.
Speaking of: two interesting tweets from Coach Locke relevant to our current situation:
1) on April 2, retweeting Scott Brooks of ESPN quoting new NW coach Chris Collins saying “Chicago is the best basketball city in the country. I argue that all the time. I want kids to stay home.”
2) on March 21, he retweeted the CBSSports Gary Parrish article: “Valpo has bright future with Drew — for as long as it can keep him” after retweeting earlier that day Coach Diebler’s tweet about ValpoGameDay! (…but he follows a lot of coaches, especially assistants, like UM’s LaVell Blanchard, UIC’s Al Biancalana, etc.)