If there was any doubt Jamil Wilson is one of the hottest basketball recruits in the Midwest, or even the nation, they should be dispelled by the following:

Wilson, a 6-foot-7 junior wing player from Horlick High School, has whittled his list of potential colleges and they include some of the most storied basketball programs in the country.

Among Wilson's "Elite Eight" are perennial basketball powers North Carolina, Duke and Kentucky. He also is considering Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin and Marquette.

While several top-notch prep recruits already have made verbal commitments - 6-7 wing man Eric Williams of Cypress Springs, Texas, recently said he would attend Marquette - Wilson has yet to make an official visit to any school.

There's a legitimate reason for that. Wilson is busy playing volleyball for the Rebels and hasn't been able to squeeze in a trip. Wilson is expected to start making official visits during or after the upcoming basketball season.

"This kid is as good as any kid in the country," said Tom Diener, Milwaukee Vincent's highly-regarded basketball coach. "He's good, really good. The sky is the limit for him."

James Wilson

could play, too

James Wilson, Jamil's father, had some game as well.

After playing at Horlick High School, James attended

UW-Whitewater and played four seasons from 1981-85. Wilson, a 6-8 power forward, was on a Warhawks team that advanced to the Final Four in his sophomore season and then played an integral role in the Warhawks winning the NCAA Division III national title in 1984.

Wilson averaged 9.8 rebounds a game during the Warhawks' postseason title run, including 19 in a triple overtime victory over St. Norbert.

Wilson also was a force as a shot rejector.

"If we had kept records for blocked shots at the time - it wasn't an NCAA or WSUC stat then - he would hold the all-time school record," said Tom Fick, Whitewater's well-respected sports information director. "James was an amazing player and he was a very nice guy, about as down to earth as they come."

Cunningham

looking good

Craig Cunningham could only watch last season as his

UW-Parkside basketball teammates finished 19-13, the most wins by a Parkside team since the 1986-87 season when they went 22-8 under then coach Rees Johnson.

But Cunningham, the former Case High School standout who was red-shirted last season, won't be a bystander this season.

Rangers coach Luke Reigel has been impressed by Cunningham's progress and looks for good things from him.

"He's come a long way," Reigel said of the 6-7 power forward. "You can see him getting better almost daily. You couldn't compare him to a year ago, the way he approaches his academics and the things he's doing off the floor and what he's obviously doing on the floor."

While the Rangers have a veteran-laden squad, Reigel believes Cunningham can be an asset this season.

"He's going to have to continue to improve, but we see him as having a chance to contribute and make an impact off the bench," Reigel said.

The Rangers, picked to finish first in the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division by the conference coaches, open their season with an exhibition game against UW-Milwaukee Nov. 1 at the U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee. Their first regular-season game is Nov. 16 against Michigan Tech at Parkside.

Park's Baker serves up

When Park High boys' volleyball coach Pete Leslie fills out his ballot for the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association all-state team, he'll have a familiar name on it: Panthers senior John Baker.

"When I do my rankings, I'll vote him No. 1 because of everything he does," Leslie said. "He's not just a big kid who just plays in the front row. He's very versatile."

As of last week, the 6-5 Baker led the state's top-ranked team in kills with 306, digs with 276 and aces with 72. He also has the Panthers' best hitting percentage at .417.

Asked if he agreed with Leslie's assessment of Baker being the best player in the state, Case coach Kerry Timler said, "He is the best. He's a money player. You go to him in crunch time because you know he'll come through. He's done that all season."

It's almost a cinch Baker will take his volleyball game to the next level. He recently made a visit to Lewis University and has a standing invitation to visit California-Northridge.

Tough pill to swallow

It seems every time we have a cold or headache, we reach for the medicine bottle to alleviate the problem.

That isn't the case with Ramon Sessions, a rookie point guard for the Milwaukee Bucks.

"I've never swallowed a pill in my life, and that's the truth," Sessions said. "No aspirin. No Tylenol. Nothing."

Sessions said when he was a child he choked on a piece of candy and that frightening experience has remained with him.

"I've tried everything, too," Sessions said. "I've tried ice cream. I tried apple sauce. It just won't go down."

Gery Woelfel is a sports reporter for The Journal Times. Gery can be reached by calling (262) 634-3322, Ext. 322. Gery's "Woelfel World of Sports" blogs can be read at www.journaltimes.com