Men's Basketball Signs Five to Letters of Intent
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
November 12, 1998
EVANSTON, Ill. - Head coach Kevin O'Neill announced today the signing of the following five high school seniors to National Letters of Intent to play basketball at Northwestern beginning in the fall of 1999:
Were real excited about this class, said ONeill. We feel its a good follow-up to our current freshman class. With time, they will end up improving into good players once they get some experience.
This class also has been well received by several of the nations top recruiting analysts.
This is one of the best classes I can ever recall at Northwestern, said Bob Gibbons of the All-Star Scouting Service. Kevin ONeill has done an excellent job and continues to show why hes one of the best recruiters around the country. It just goes to show that hard work pays off.
Obviously, this is a good recruiting class for Kevin, said national scout Steve Wacaser. Ben Johnson is a top-100 player and the kids from Iowa are a good group. Certainly the bar has been raised at Northwestern. This is a quality group of kids who are signing.
Winston Blake (forward, 6-5, 180, Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) -- Honorable mention All-American by Blue Ribbon Ranked No. 95 in the country by Bob Gibbons Averaged 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game as a junior Named district newcomer of the year and first-team all-district last season Ranked the eighth-best prospect in the state by one scouting service Led Plano Senior High to a 24-10 mark as a junior, including a district championship and the second round of the playoffs Attended the adidas camp last summer Honor roll student who is enrolled in advanced placement (AP) courses in biology and English Serves as a counselor for summer youth basketball camps in Plano High school coach is Stan Hicks Born Winston Robert Blake, Jr. on 9/11/80 Son of Winston and Karen Blake Chose Northwestern over Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Penn State and Oklahoma State.
Kevin O'Neill on Winston Blake: Winston gives us a legitimate athlete on the perimeter. He has great size and can score both inside and outside. He also comes from a great high school program.
Brody Deren (forward, 6-7, 223, Harlan, Iowa/Harlan Community) -- Three-sport letterwinner (basketball, football, baseball) Ranked among the top 150 players in the country by Bob Gibbons First-team all-state honoree as a junior by the Iowa Newspaper Association and the Des Moines Register Named Southwest Iowa Player of the Year last season by the Constable Press Named to last seasons Omaha World Herald All-Western Iowa team Averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks per game as a junior Led Harlan Community to a 22-3 mark and a state runner-up finish last season Football team captain as a senior, playing quarterback and tight end Named honorable mention all-state in baseball last year by the Iowa Newspaper Association Played pitcher and first base Attended the Nike camp last summer Honor roll student every quarter in high school Three-year member of the student council High school coach is Mitch Osborn Born James Brody Deren on 4/15/81 Son of Patrick and Linda Deren Chose Northwestern over Iowa, Marquette and Colorado State.
Kevin O'Neill on Brody Deren: Now that Brody can concentrate on one sport instead of three, he should be a guy who improves tremendously. He has the ability to score on the inside and can also step out and shoot the ball.
Aaron Jennings (center, 6-11, 200, Atkins, Iowa/Benton Community) -- Honorable mention All-American by Blue Ribbon Ranked among the top 150 players in the country by Bob Gibbons Second-team all-state performer last season Named MVP of the Wamac conference as a junior Led Benton Community to a 15-7 record last year and a Round-of-16 appearance in the state tournament Averaged 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks as a junior Participated in the Nike camp last summer Member of the schools show choir as a freshman and sophomore High school coach is Steve Allman Born Aaron Michael Jennings on 12/24/80 Son of Mike and Pam Jennings Chose Northwestern over Iowa State, Indiana State and Creighton.
Kevin O'Neill on Aaron Jennings: With Esch (Evan Eschmeyer) leaving, hes obviously someone were counting on as a freshman. He runs well, has great hands and can be a real good player down the line. 1998 Northwestern Mens Basketball Signees page 3
Ben Johnson (guard, 6-3, 180, Minneapolis, Minn./De La Salle) -- High honorable mention All-American this year by Street and Smith Ranked No. 60 in the country by Bob Gibbons Listed among the top 100 players in the nation by Blue Ribbon Minnesota Player of the Year as a junior First-team all-state honoree as a junior by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, St. Paul Pioneer Press and Minnesota Basketball Magazine Three-time team captain Averaged 23 points, five rebounds and three assists as a junior Participated in the Nike camp last summer Earned a tryout for last summers U.S. Junior World Championship team Led De La Salle to the class AA state championship last season, scoring 35 points in the championship game De La Salle was state runner-up during his sophomore season Honor roll student Plays percussion in the school band High school coach is Dave Thorson Born Benjamin Lewis Johnson on 12/23/80 Son of Hal and Katie Johnson Chose Northwestern over Michigan State, Arizona, Seton Hall and Xavier.
Kevin O'Neill on Ben Johnson: He is a flat-out scorer. Ben gives us great athleticism on the perimeter and should make an immediate impact on the offensive end.
Adam Robinson (forward, 6-10, 210, Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls) -- High honorable mention All-American this year by Street and Smith Honorable mention All-American by Blue Ribbon Ranked among the top 150 players in the country by Bob Gibbons First-team all-metro honoree last season by the Waterloo Courier Averaged 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks as a junior Had 25 points and 12 rebounds in last years season opener Helped Cedar Falls improve from 6-14 as a sophomore to 20-4 and a Round-of-16 appearance in the state tournament as a junior AAU team finished second at last summers national tournament Attended the Nike camp last summer Honor roll student who maintains a 3.8 grade point average High school coach is Jerry Slykhuis Born Adam Howard Robinson on 7/21/80 Son of Art and Elaine Robinson Chose Northwestern over Iowa and Wisconsin.
Kevin O'Neill on Adam Robinson: Adam is a very flexible player who can score a lot of different ways. He has a great up-side and should improve quickly.
