Rayvonte Rice (Champaign Centennial) and Karl Madison (Springfield Lanphier) both are kids who had plenty of options as to where they could've chosen to play their college ball. Rayvonte is one of the top ten players in Illinois, and is having arguably the best senior season of any player in the state, including McDonald's All-American Jereme Richmond, who Rayvonte outplayed when his Centennial Chargers defeated Jereme's Waukegan Bulldogs to claim the title of top ranked team. A 6'4" wing player with a big body and big time hops, "Trey" doesn't have many flaws to his game on offense or defense, and has been proving all season long that he deserves some consideration for a national ranking. Karl Madison is a point guard's point guard, and the 41st in the nation, according to ESPN.com. A lighting quick floor general with a tight handle and a basketball IQ that's through the roof, Karl can dominate a game by driving and dishing to set up his teammates just as easily as he can take over in the blink of an eye with his deadly three point stroke. Just like his buddy Trey in Champaign, Karl often gets left out of the conversation for the state's best players due to his distance from the Windy City, but when one sits down to watch him play it's almost comical to think that people forget to bring him up when discussing the state's elite back court players. Both of these kids had a lot of college options, there's no doubt about that, and they would've had many more suitors had they waited to commit until after their senior season; so, you may ask, why did they commit to Drake? A mid major school in Iowa that's going through a rebuilding process with a new coaching staff? For real guys? Easy...where you see a question mark, they see an opportunity. Some kids like following others, but kids like Trey and Karl like blazing their own trail. Where you a mid major school that's rebuilding, they see a program with great fans, in a great conference, with a passionate and energetic coach- a program that just needs a couple of players to believe- a team with potential to do extraordinary things with the addition of a few perfect pieces. Where you see fear, they see excitement; where you see a risk, they are so confident in their skills that that same risk looks to them like a sure thing. Drake fans: You better buckle your seat belts, because for the next four year's you'll be in for the ride of your life. Congratulations... For more info email DanielPoneman@gmail.com.
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