IU, Mich. St, AZ, Wisc., Others Chase PF

Shaun Pruitt, a strong 6-8, 220 pound junior power forward from West Aurora H.S. in Aurora, Ill., is seriously considering six colleges this spring.

Pruitt scored 13 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots as his Illinois Wolves squad claimed a 67-52 victory over Carstar on Friday night at the Spiece Run N Slam Tournament.

After the game, he told RivalsHoops.com that he is interested in Xavier, Indiana, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Arizona and Marquette.

He said that most of the schools on his list have offered, except for Michigan State. Pruitt said that the Spartans only recently got involved in his recruiting process.

Pruitt has taken unofficial visits to Xavier, Indiana, Wisconsin and Marquette. His high school teammate, Dameon Mason, signed with Marquette in the fall.

RivalsHoops.com asked Pruitt to comment a bit about each school on his list. Here were his responses:

On Xavier: "I like Thad Matta a lot, and how they used David West. I had a nice unofficial visit there where I attended a practice. Everything is compact and right there for you."

On Indiana: "I like a coach who is up front like Mike Davis. I could see myself doing well in their system, similar to Jeff Newton."

On Michigan State: "I don't know a lot about them. I hear they have a great campus."

On Wisconsin: "Wisconsin is going to be good. Their program is on the rise with players like Devin Harris, Brian Butch and Olando Tucker."

On Arizona: "They told me that I am one of three post players that they are recruiting, and that they will take the first to commit. I like Arizona, I like them. Just the name. I don't know much about them but they get a lot of good players."

On Marquette: "I am always up there. Dameon Mason is going there next year, and I don't think that Tom Crean is leaving. He told me that he was never even contacted by Illinois."

As for Illinois, Pruitt didn't list them, and he's not sure where the Illini now fit on his list with the departure of Bill Self to Kansas.

"I want to see what happens with Bruce Weber," he said. "They could get back on my list, but I want to hear what he has to say, first."

Pruitt said he could take some official visits before the end of the spring. He mentioned Indiana, Wisconsin and Arizona as possible destinations, but added that nothing has been set up to date.

As a junior at Aurora West, Pruitt averaged 14.8 points, seven rebounds and three blocks per contest. He missed several games due to a broken ankle, and admitted that he is probably still only about 85 percent healthy this spring.

A well built and athletic lefty, Pruitt didn't appear to be going full tilt on Friday night in his team's victory against an inferior opponent. While he was able to finish plays on sheer size and strength, he lacked the explosiveness we remember seeing him play with last year in the 16 and under division at the Run N Slam.

Pruitt said he has a 2.6 GPA and has scored a 21 on the ACT. He has accepted an invited to the Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis this summer and will also attend the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas and the AAU Nationals in Florida with the Illinois Wolves.