BEARS ADD ILLINOIS SMALL SCHOOL GUARD

by **BEARZ77** » March 26th, 2016, 6:57 am

Appears to be a probable preferred walkon, but Ross Owens a 6'5 pg from Oaklawn HS in Illinois, a 1-A school playing at the same level as the previously discussed Matt Chastain [ see his thread] has tweeted he verballed to MSU for the coming season. Also a prolific wide receiver in football with some offers in that sport, Owens is a first team All -State performer, 3 year starter and stat sheet stuffer. As a senior averaged 16 ppg, 7 rbs, 6 assists, 52% fg, 44% 3pt, 82% ft and ranks third in his class academically. Looks to be a good insurance policy for the uncertain status of Austin Ruder and a nice compliment along with frosh pg 6'5 Greg "Boogie" Williams to our smaller set of guards in Miller and newly added juco Ronnie Rouseasu. Also add to retruning sophs to be 6'2 Dixon and 6'4 Kreklow. With Ruder or not, backcourt seems pretty set; Bears might still add a frontcourt player, though to do so someone else would have to be leaving.

Roster is looking solid, but will have to see what Lusk does with it.

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by **Wufan** » March 26th, 2016, 8:49 am

BEARZ77 wrote:Appears to be a probable preferred walkon, but Ross Owens a 6'5 pg from Oaklawn HS in Illinois, a 1-A school playing at the same level as the previously discussed Matt Chastain [ see his thread] has tweeted he verballed to MSU for the coming season. Also a prolific wide receiver in football with some offers in that sport, Owens is a first team All -State performer, 3 year starter and stat sheet stuffer. As a senior averaged 16 ppg, 7 rbs, 6 assists, 52% fg, 44% 3pt, 82% ft and ranks third in his class academically. Looks to be a good insurance policy for the uncertain status of Austin Ruder and a nice compliment along with frosh pg 6'5 Greg "Boogie" Williams to our smaller set of guards in Miller and newly added juco Ronnie Rouseasu. Also add to retruning sophs to be 6'2 Dixon and 6'4 Kreklow. With Ruder or not, backcourt seems pretty set; Bears might still add a frontcourt player, though to do so someone else would have to be leaving.

Roster is looking solid, but will have to see what Lusk does with it.

Other than perhaps talent, why do you think he's a preferred walk-on? Out of state tuition is expensive and if you're on the basketball team then you aren't working.

That aside, congrats on the new get! The overall recruiting seems to be headed in the right direction in Springfield.

by **BEARZ77** » March 26th, 2016, 12:13 pm

Right now we have no open scholys, although as mentioned Ruder's status is unclear after late season surgery. We are assuming Roundtree is leaving which is the scholy available for Rouseau. We are rumored to still be looking at a couple juco frontcourt recruits, which would also mean the need for someone else leaving, so although the University can't comment on any of these recent commits and has not clarified the status of current players like Roundtree ,Ruder or perhaps someone else, the only way Owens would seem to fit would be as a pwo, but time will tell.

by **tribecalledquest** » March 28th, 2016, 12:44 pm

BEARZ77 wrote:Appears to be a probable preferred walkon, but Ross Owens a 6'5 pg from Oaklawn HS in Illinois, a 1-A school playing at the same level as the previously discussed Matt Chastain [ see his thread] has tweeted he verballed to MSU for the coming season. Also a prolific wide receiver in football with some offers in that sport, Owens is a first team All -State performer, 3 year starter and stat sheet stuffer. As a senior averaged 16 ppg, 7 rbs, 6 assists, 52% fg, 44% 3pt, 82% ft and ranks third in his class academically. Looks to be a good insurance policy for the uncertain status of Austin Ruder and a nice compliment along with frosh pg 6'5 Greg "Boogie" Williams to our smaller set of guards in Miller and newly added juco Ronnie Rouseasu. Also add to retruning sophs to be 6'2 Dixon and 6'4 Kreklow. With Ruder or not, backcourt seems pretty set; Bears might still add a frontcourt player, though to do so someone else would have to be leaving.

Roster is looking solid, but will have to see what Lusk does with it.

To be clear--Ross Owens is from Woodlawn High School. Oak Lawn is a suburb of Chicago--Woodlawn is down south--north of Carbondale. Woodlawn made the IHSA State Tournament is 1A and lost both games to finish 4th. Chastain and LeRoy won it.

ISU added a good preferred walk on with Isaac Gassman from Ottawa HS in Illinois. He is a 6-4 SG who had quite a few good D2 offers.