Men's Basketball Recruiting Profiles: Loyola

Talented foursome of freshmen and a JUCO could make immediate impact for coach Whitesell.

The quickest way to forget about the past is to look to the future. There are five new Ramblers who don't have anything to do with last season and could be talented enough to make some noise in the league.

Shaun Adams has the size and skills to play immediately for coach Whitesell. Athletic and 6'6", Adams needs to put on some weight to last through the rugged conference schedule. He's a solid all-around player with good passing skills and good amateur rebounding numbers. Whitesell went to Missouri to get Adams so it's "Show Me" time for the kid from the Show Me State. (Sorry I had to do it)

Did the 2009 Gatorade Player of the Year in Wisconsin go to Milwaukee or Green Bay? Try Loyola. Ben Averkamp is a 6'8" 235-pound coach's dream. He listens, prepares well, and retains almost everything he's taught. He's not going to wow you with his athletic ability but he's an excellent passer and knows where he has to be on the floor at all times. He'll be hard to keep off the floor for coach Whitesell and should be a solid four-year player for the Ramblers. I spoke with Ben's high school coach, Steve Showalter, and here is the full interview.



Coming in from the junior college ranks is guard, Terrance Hill. Another player from Missouri, Hill may be asked to be a first-year leader because of his junior status. Hill is a good shooter, 43% from three, and at 6-4 should be able to get his shot off pretty easily. He's versatile and tough and could get minutes early for the Ramblers.

Another new guard for the Ramblers is Gabe Kindred. A freshman from Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, Kindred played point guard for an excellent prep school. Worcester Academy is the alma mater of NBA player Jarrett Jack and legend Donnie Nelson. Kindred is a leader and has good court presence. He leads by example with a good work ethic and a competitive fire that should go over well at LU.

2,000 point scorers are extremely rare in amateur basketball so to see Charles Winborne scored over 3,000 points before stepping foot on a college campus is unbelievable. Winborne is a combo guard with good athleticism and obvious ability to put the ball in the basket. He has great quickness and attacks defenders whenever he's on the floor. So how did such an excellent amateur land at Loyola? Well, Winborne isn't big at 6'1" and is only 165 lbs and he doesn't have the prettiest outside shot. He'll have a chip on his shoulder which is good for coach Whitesell's 2009-10 squad.

The Rambler coaching staff targeted two prep school stars and a JUCO player to fill out this class. Whitesell has accumulated kids that played against tough competition and recruited a good group of passers. Hill, Kindred, and Winborne are a good mix of guards and all three have excellent quickness. Loyola should be fun to watch and could have some big scoring games from this class this season.

This is recruiting profile 4 of 10 that will be released over the next two weeks. Tomorrow: UIC