Bulldog drawing attention

By Jay Schwab - jschwab@kcchronicle.com

This summer is a whopper for David Bryant on two fronts.

If he is able to continue his strong play from the spring AAU basketball season, his growing list of college suitors will continue to expand.

Bryant also must prepare himself to become the centerpiece of the Batavia boys basketball program after a lengthy apprenticeship behind the graduated Nick Fruendt.

So far, Bryant appears to be succeeding on both fronts.

Mike Mullins, Bryant's coach with the highly regarded Illinois Wolves AAU program, commended Bryant's spring performance. Bryant was "pretty unconscious" shooting in several games, but better yet, his ball-handling, rebounding and overall floor game are on the upswing.

"He's really worked hard to be a basketball player and not just a shooter from the suburbs," Mike Mullins said.

College programs have taken notice. Bryant has a longstanding Division I offer on the table from William & Mary, and some higher-profile programs – including Davidson and Saint Louis – also are tracking Bryant more closely, along with Evansville, Vermont, Albany, Lehigh, Lafayette and Eastern Kentucky.

Bryant actually has benefited from playing second banana to Fruendt, said Mullins, noting that he has learned to flourish without the ball constantly in his hands – an attribute college coaches appreciate.

June offers a break from the AAU schedule, allowing players to work out with their high school squads. Bryant and Ricky Clopton are the two returning starters from the Western Sun Conference Bulldogs team that finished 21-6 last season.

Bryant and the Wolves will return to action in July for several high-profile showcases, including events in Minneapolis, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Adams update: Mark Adams, the Chronicle's reigning Boys Basketball Player of the Year, still is shopping for a college.

His father, also named Mark, said North Central is a strong possibility, and a decision is likely to come in the week ahead.

Adams' recruitment has stretched into June, partially because the Aurora Central Catholic standout was hopeful of attracting some late D-I interest after an excellent senior season. Those options appear to be exhaused, though.

Aurora University also remains in the market for Adams' services.

More awards on deck: Look for the Chronicle's Softball and Baseball All-Area teams in the coming week.

The softball honors will be in Wednesday's paper, with baseball to follow on Thursday.