Midwest high majors focused on four-star Eastern

Because of injury, 6-foot-5 four-star guard Nojel Eastern missed most of the spring and summer of 2015.

Now that the Evanston (Ill.) High product is back to 100 percent, he's looking to show he's worthy of his No. 55 overall ranking in the class of 2017.

Because of his size, strength and versatility, Eastern has attracted plenty of attention and his recruitment is taking on a bit of a Midwestern flair. Xavier, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue and Illinois along with Seton Hall have been the most active.

"My overall game - I think I've been playing pretty well and pretty consistent so far this spring. There's a lot of things I've got to work on during this off season. I missed the whole off-season last summer and that's a year of development.

"I've got to put in a lot of work from here on out but overall I think my play has been pretty stable."

"Some colleges say that I might strictly play at the one. Some say that I might play the one, two and the three. I have no problems with that because the more positions you play the more time you can be on the floor If you are a 5-2 point guard you are kind of stuck as a point guard, but multiple spots is perfect for me."

"Tom Izzo, that's one of the biggest college names out here. At our high school, we run the same exact offense as Michigan State. If I did choose to go there, I would have an advantage coming in knowing sets."

"At Ohio State they let their point guards create their offense. That's a big thing for me, I like to create for others."

"Coach (Luke) Murray and coach (Chris) Mack at Xavier, they've been keeping it consistent with me. It's a small school which you have to take into consideration academically but basketball they have been consistent and watching them play they give freedom to their guys."

Eastern is one of those guys that you can't really associate with a singular position. We see him as a guard that can play multiple roles and play with some physicality. He's working to improve his athleticism and quickness but reminds us quite a bit of former Ohio State guard Lenzelle Smith.

Eastern will be trying out for USA Basketball's 17U national team during the month of June. Depending on whether or not he makes the team, Eastern said that he could look to set up some June unofficial visits.

He doesn't yet claim any favorites and hopes to cut things down to a true final five schools by July but the Spartans, Buckeyes and Musketeers all appear to be in good shape.