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Super soph Chasson Randle is Rock solid
Originally Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2009, 6:37 pm
Last Updated: Feb. 18, 2009, 10:48 pm
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By Marc Nesseler, nesseler@qconline.com
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With seven Division I college basketball scholarship offers on his table – including five from the Big Ten – Chasson Randle, a sophomore standout for Rock Island, knows his future is in rock-solid hands. "My parents will help make that decision,"" said Randle, this week"s Metro Pacesetter for The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus. "I just want to go somewhere were I"m comfortable and have a chance to succeed, both on the basketball court and in the classroom."" Gwen and Willie Randle have raised quite an exceptional son, and not only because of his basketball talents – he"s averaging 15.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 53 percent from the field and 49 percent on 3-points. He is also ranked No. 1 academically in Rocky"s sophomore class and handles the media with the savvy of someone already playing D-I ball. "That credit goes to my dad,"" Chasson said of his media awareness. "He"s been preparing me for this. We"d see a lot of guys on television say stupid things and he"d say, `I don"t want you to be like that." So we"ve talked a lot about talking to the media."" He is modest to a fault. He is approachable and appreciative. It is easy to see why Division I schools have been clamoring around Rock Island High School since last summer. "We"ve had 14 D-I schools come to watch, from summer league to now,"" said RI coach Thom Sigel, who says this is the first time in his career that he"s had that kind of recruiting attention paid to a student before he starts his sophomore year. "They"ve come from Oregon State to Notre Dame. And Tennessee -- with one of my former players, Jason Shay, there -- wanted him to go down for a Tennessee-Alabama football game. "His family has been right there for him. Chasson has dealt with all of this attention as well as can be expected. And so has his teammates. They joke about the attention, but they enjoy it, too. They"re happy for him."" There have been perks that come with his level of skills. He has traveled from Las Vegas to North Carolina with his AAU basketball team. His smile widens when he talks of getting to meet J.R. Smith, a former Tar Heel great, or getting to watch an Olympics "Redeem Team"" exhibition game because the son of former Bulls player Bill Wennington was on his team. "It"s my parents, though, that keep me level-headed,"" Chasson noted. "They tell me all of the time that what I have is a gift. And they remind me that anything can happen, that it also can go away. They tell me that is it is really important to be thankful. I"m glad I have a family that keeps me up."" Chasson also is not naïve to think that he could jump to D-I right now. "I need to improve on everything … offense, defense, leadership, everything,"" he said. Coach Sigel agrees, but also notes that his athlete is very dedicated to reaching that goal. "He has natural ability, but he is very driven,"" Sigel said. "It helps that he"s humble about it. It could easily go to his head and turn off a lot of people."" His skills, his demeanor and his academics are turning on a lot of people. He has college scholarship offers from Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Purdue and Wisconsin in the Big Ten; Iowa State in the Big 12; and Bradley in the Missouri Valley. A year ago, Chasson was locked into hopes and dreams of playing for Bill Self at Kansas. A year later, that has all changed with the interest shown in him. "I still like Kansas,"" he said, "but now I see that there are a lot of really good schools. There are a lot of details, and that"s where my parents get involved."" And then, there is what lies after college. Does Randle harbor NBA hopes? "Of course, who wouldn"t?"" he said. "But you always have to have a Plan B and even a Plan C."" That is why Randle is getting nothing but A"s two years into his high-school education. A Buck or not, he hopes to make a lot of bucks as a doctor. A Spur or not, he has been spurred to be successful in life. A Pacer or not ... he's now a Pacesetter, and his pace is right on target to accomplish his dreams. Chasson Randle Favorite food: Mom"s lasagna Favorite TV show: ESPN"s Sports Center Favorite movie: 'He Got Game' Favorite reading: 'Lord of the Flies' Favorite music: Lil Wayne Role model: Dad Favorite school subject: Geometry Career aspiration: Doctor GPA: 4.0 on 4.0 scale, ranked No. 1 in class NBA player he'd most like to meet: Kobe Bryant Parents: Gwen and Willie Randle, Rock Island 
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