One under the radar player in Illinois lighting it up this season is Lavell McIntosh of Kankakee High School. The unsigned senior is currently averaging a near double-double with 16 points and 9 rebounds per game. With his big senior season, Kankakee has been able to obtain a lofty 22-4 record currently as they quickly approach the state playoffs.
McIntosh is an athletic and wide frame 6’4” forward that has become one of the more productive seniors in all of Illinois. The forward is at his best taking the ball to the basket and is a strong finisher around the basket. He can be very tough to stop on the interior and knows how to finish it well in the paint. He also has to ability to score from the mid-range knocking down jumpers. While there is a lot to like about his game, there is one big thing he is working on, “thing I need to improve is my ball handling, it’s getter better but it can be better.”
In addition to all the wins on the season, there are a few other things McIntosh is looking to accomplish for him and Kankakee. “My goals for this season is to become a better player, teammate, just better myself and be a great role model for the underclassmen,” the senior stated.
With all of his abilities, McIntosh has drawn interest from a wide range of schools including those from all levels of the NCAA as well from several junior colleges. Some of the schools showing the most interest in him include Kankakee Community College, Monmouth College, South Mountain Community College, Tuskegee University, and University of Wyoming. He has already visited Kankakee Community College and plans on taking more visits once his season is over.
While he has no timeline on a commitment, McIntosh said that he would like to pick his future college soon. It will be interesting to track McIntosh and Kankakee High School in in the coming weeks in the state tournament as well as the college that is able to land the talented forward.