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Naperville Central guard Drew Crawford was named to Chicagohoops.com's Top Illinois Class of 2009 Basketball Prospects list on Thursday.

Crawford, who was The Sun's MVP this past season as a junior, is No. 29 on the 30-player list. He is the only player from the DuPage Valley Conference that was included in the rankings dominated by players from Chicago schools.

Warren Township guard Brandon Paul is No. 1 on the list.

Previously Crawford was named as one of "Six players who could break out this spring and summer" by Illinois Prep Bullseye and was ranked No. 20 on the City/Suburban Hoops Report's list of Top 50 College Prospects.

The National Federation of State High School Associations announced this week that instant replay will not be an option for high school basketball in state tournament games.

After much discussion, the committee voted against the use of instant replay to review specific situations during state tournaments. Three proposals were considered by the committee this year after three states had last-second shots in championship games.

"The committee discussed the issue extensively, but there was very little support for implementing video review at the high school level," Struckhoff said. "Some felt the use of video to review officials' decisions is against the philosophy of high school sports. Others said that video review doesn't always provide a conclusive decision, and the equipment would not be consistently available in facilities throughout the country. The committee also felt it would be difficult for officials to officiate without replay throughout the season and then be expected to use it at a state championship."

The NFHS did make two significant rule changes: the rebounding spots closest to the hoop will now be empty to reduce fouling per a pilot program in Georgia; the head coach, not the player, will now be given a technical foul for a player with an illegal uniform.

Rules changes for wrestling and swimming were also announced.

I've seen a lot of high school wrestling in my time, but I've never seen a backflip. Now I never will thanks to the killjoy association NFHS.

Three local guards have made Division III college basketball decisions. Naperville North's Jake Hasse and Austin Weiss will head to Wisconsin to play for Carthage College and Beloit College, respectively. Waubonsie Valley's Kevin VandenBerg has chosen Aurora University.

Neuqua Valley senior Dan Pawelski will play his college basketball at Loras College, Chicagohoops.com reported on Tuesday.

Head coach Greg Gorton and Loras College have scored a major recruiting coup, and have landed 6-8 Neuqua Valley star Dan Pawelski. Pawelski is coming off of a huge senior season which saw him tabbed as a 4th team All-State selection.

Loras College is a Catholic liberal arts school in Dubuque, Iowa. As a NCAA Division III program, it does not provide athletic scholarships.

The Chicago Tribune cited on Friday an April 18 report on Chicagohoops.com that said Neuqua Valley forward Dwayne Evans now has a scholarship offer from Northern Illinois.

Evans, a 6-5 forward, is a long, athletic and highly mobile player on the basketball court. He is an outstanding rebounder and defender who is equally comfortable offensively both inside, and on the perimeter.

Evans is a prospect who is poised to see his recruiting stock soar this spring and summer on the heels of a strong sophomore season at Neuqua Valley High School.

Neuqua Valley's Dwayne Evans and Naperville Central's Drew Crawford played in the Read Deal on the Hill basketball tournament in Fayetteville, Ark., over the weekend for their club team Illinois Warriors.

Normally on the U16 team, Evans along with Young's Anthony Johnson was brought up to the U17 team for the championship game of the tournament after Hononegah's David Brown was injured.

Illinois Prep Bullseye wrote on Sunday that Naperville Central guard Drew Crawford is one of six players who could break out this spring and summer. Roy and Harv weren't overly effusive with the praise, but did say that Crawford's club team Illinois Warriors would provide a schedule that will "fully maximize all of his strengths."

While others are much higher on Crawford than we are at this point, that does not mean that we think that Crawford isn't capable of being a terrific college player. He is long and athletic, plays with a high degree of energy, is an outstanding mid-range scorer and while he is streaky from beyond the arc, he undoubtedly has range.

The other players on the list were Seneca's Seth Evans, Lake Zurich's Connor Mooney, North Lawndale's John Taylor, Mundelein sophomore Ben Brust and D.J. Cooper of Chicago Hales Franciscan.

City/Suburban Hoops report named Crawford and Waubonsie Valley's Jelani Johnson to its Top 50 College Prospects list on April 5.

Naperville Central star Drew Crawford and Waubonsie Valley forward Jelani Johnson were named to the City/Suburban Hoops Report's Top 50 College Prospects list going into the summer.

Crawford, who was The Sun's player of the year as a junior, was ranked No. 20 on the list.

As versatile as they get; makes those around him better.

Johnson was All-City as a junior, and is one of the players The Heat Index thought might next year make the same leap Crawford made from standout to superstar.

The 6-foot-4 forward is No. 38 on the list. The City/Suburban Hoops Report seems to share our opinion of Johnson.

under-the-radar talent just scratching the surface.

So you know, Gurnee Warren guard Brandon Paul is No. 1 on the list. Also, City/Suburban Hoops Report called Downers South guard Malcolm Herron (No. 16), "the most overlooked player right now in Illinois."

After 19 years, Marty Gaughan has resigned from his position as Benet boys basketball coach, the school announced Tuesday, though he will remain in Lisle as assistant athletic director.

The job began to consume too much of his time, Gaughan said over the phone on Tuesday, and he will now be free to watch his son Brian, a graduating Benet senior, play Division III basketball next season at Loras College (Iowa).

Gaughan, 46, will be part of the search committee to find his replacement. He said he expects the school to name the new coach by early May. Look in Wednesday's print edition for more information.

By Patrick Mooney and Brad Engel

Drew Crawford made the leap this season for Naperville Central, from a sophomore finding his way into a junior carrying his team. Crawford increased his productivity across the board. Look at these splits between 2006-07 and 2007-08:

Naperville Central and Wheaton North were linked throughout the winter, and after sharing the DuPage Valley Conference title, it only makes sense that its leaders would split the postseason awards.

Central junior guard Drew Crawford and Wheaton North senior forward John Bagge were named the DVC's co-players of the year. Central's Pete Kramer and Wheaton North's Jim Nazos were recognized as co-coaches of the year.

Full list after the jump...