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Transfers Rodney, Willie Herenton a good fit with Stevenson basketball

Jalen Brunson just led the United States to a gold medal at the FIBA U-19 World Championship in Greece.

Connor Cashaw is preparing for life at Rice University.

Brunson and Cashaw were both three-year starters for the Stevenson boys basketball team. But with the duo moving on to the next stage of their hoops careers, the Patriots recently received some additions to their roster.

Former Young guards Rodney and Willie Herenton transferred to Stevenson at the end of June, joining junior forward Justin Smith to help with the loss of Brunson and Cashaw. Led by Brunson and Cashaw, the Patriots made three consecutive trips to the Class 4A state semifinals, ending with a state title in March.

One of the biggest concerns for the Patriots for the upcoming season was finding experienced guards. Enter Rodney and Willie Herenton.

Rodney Herenton is a 6-foot-2 senior guard, while Willie Herenton is a 6-1 junior guard.

Scott Burgess, a high school basketball scout and recruiting analyst for PrepHoopsIllinois.com, said the Herenton brothers can help shore up the Patriots’ open spots at guard.

“They are obviously big additions to Stevenson next year,” Burgess said. “I think Justin is pretty excited to have them as running mates and I think he will play well off them. They will help fill the two backcourt spots for Stevenson.

“Rodney is a guy who is a do-it-all player who is gritty and tough and does the little things well. He has a good mid-range game and is a very productive player. He might not have one thing where you can say he does great, but he does a lot of things well.”

Rodney Herenton, who has a scholarship offer from Dartmouth, is no stranger to Stevenson’s coaching staff. He played in all 34 games during Young’s run to the Class 4A state title in 2013-14. He scored two points and pulled down five rebounds in a starting role in Young’s 75-68 win over Stevenson in the 2014 Class 4A semifinal — a game in which Brunson scored 56 points.

Willie Herenton is a rising point guard prospect in the class of 2017. He has received some interest from Saint Louis and UIC.

“Willie is long and rangy and can shoot it some,” Burgess said. “I really like what he does on the defensive end with his length and his quickness and anticipation. Those are areas that he excels in. He played solid when I saw him this spring in AAU. He’s probably one of the top five point guards in Chicago in his class.”

Smith, a 6-7 small forward, is quickly establishing himself as one of the top juniors in the state. He had an impressive showing at the Nike Elite 100 Camp in St. Louis in June. Smith, who has offers from Illinois, Purdue, DePaul, Indiana, Rice and Wake Forest, averaged 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds and made 22 3-pointers in his sophomore season for the 30-3 Patriots.

Burgess said Smith is proving he will be a force in the post-Brunson era.

“Justin has to evolve into the go-to guy for Stevenson this year,” Burgess said. “I got to see him play for an extended period at the Nike 100 camp, where he went up against the best of the best. He showed a lot more aggressiveness. He ran within the offense and moved well without the ball and he plays above the rim consistently. He had quite a few impressive dunks. He shoots the ball well for his size and position and has a smooth clean shot. He knows that this year he will have to take the next step with Jalen and Connor out to be the leader of the team.

“I think there’s still a lot of room to grow, just for him to become more consistent on a game-by-game basis and show he can be that go-to type player. That will only come with time. I think the sky is the limit for him. He’s in that top tier of prospects for his class.”

Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.

Twitter: @bobnarang