Basketball's best: Vogrich earns state recognition

The No. 13 was lucky for Lake Forest High star Matt Vogrich, who did it all on the court for the Scouts this past season.
(News-Sun file)

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The list of honorees reads like a "Who's Who" list from the history of Illinois prep boys basketball.

Derrick Rose (2007) ... Jon Scheyer (2005 and 2006) ... Kevin Garnett (1995) ....

Good enough for you?

Well, the newest name on that list is one of our own -- Lake Forest High senior Matt Vogrich.

He was selected the 2009 Illinois Boys Basketball Player of the Year by the Gatorade Company, which has sponsored the award since 1986.

Matt is the first Lake County player to earn the Player of the Year Award, and, clearly, he is deserving of the honor.

The award recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, as well as high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the court.

A Player of the Year is named in each of the 50 states, and from that pool of talent, a National Player of the Year is chosen.

In case you're wondering why a superstar like Glenbrook North High's Jon Scheyer didn't win the national award, it's because in the two years he represented Illinois in the national competition, he was going up against a guy named LeBron. In school, he has a 4.79 grade-point average on a 5.0 scale. In addition to donating his time as a youth-basketball instructor, he has volunteered on behalf of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, Public Action to Deliver Shelter, and The ONE Campaign to fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease.

"The great thing about Matt is that he's an unbelievable teammate," said Steve Pratt of Full Package, which was Matt's AAU club team. "He gets it. He's the kind of kid you want to play with. As a player, he's a combo guard. He always steps up to the challenge. The more he's challenged, the better he plays.

"He can hit 10 3-pointers in a game, and he can take it right down the lane and dunk on your head."

Vogrich will play next year at the University of Michigan.

The winner of the national award will be named in the next week.