He's got a name everyone can remember. And lately, everyone has remembered
it. Devan Bawinkle's season has come to an end, but not before making a few
splashes.
The 6-4 shooting guard from Winnebago, Ill. finished the season averaging 21
points and four assists a game including tournament play. For good measure, he
hit the boards with nearly nine rebounds a game as well.
Bawinkle finished the season on a high note for Winnebago as they made it all
the way to the Class A championship game in the state of Illinois, where
Bawinkle scored 21, 27 and 24 points in their three appearances prior to scoring
11 points in the finale.
The performances were overshadowed by a loss in the state championship game
to Chicago Leo, 65-57. Bawinkle was satisfied with the year as a whole.
"It ended up being a great year," he told Bucknuts on Thursday.
"I started playing well personally towards the end of the regular season,
and I think I did a lot better towards the end. We played some tough teams this
year, and we had a good season."
Bawinkle's season highs were 29 points and 40 points respectively in the
regular season and tournament play.
There's a simple explanation for why his scoring increased late in the year.
"Well, mostly it's because at crunch time, the team needed me to step up
and start scoring more often," Bawinkle noted. "We got into some close
games and when the tournament started, I really just needed to carry the team on
my back and make plays."
With Bawinkle's season at an end, he can now begin to focus on recruiting
where he has many of the top programs in the nation interested in his game.
He listed just some of the teams he's involved with.
"Right now it's Georgetown, Miami (Fla.), Michigan State, Wisconsin,
California, Stanford, N.C. State, Ohio State, and Notre Dame," Bawinkle
rattled off. "I have offers from Iowa, Marquette, Wisconsin, Georgetown,
DePaul, Northwestern, Northern Illinois, and Valpo."
Bawinkle is considering spring trips to both Georgetown and Miami among
others.
So far this season, Bawinkle visited DePaul, Northwestern, Iowa, Michigan
State, and Notre Dame, and hopes to visit several others. One team that remains
in touch with Bawinkle is Ohio State.
Where do the Buckeyes fit within his plans, and are they still actively
recruiting him?
"Yes, they are still involved a lot. They do keep in touch,"
Bawinkle confirmed. "They write a lot of letters to me, and talk to my
coach a lot. They said they would call as soon as they were allowed to."
Junior high school prospects are allowed to receive one phone call before the
end of their junior year according to NCAA regulations, which is what Ohio State
plans to do next month.
For now, keep the name in mind. It shouldn't be hard to remember.