The Players Of The Future.

Marshall All-Stater Ryan Hare had a good weekend in Carbondale, and Sunday night he made an oral commitment to Southern Illinois. This time, Hare believes he made the right decision. “It was a great visit and I feel good about the coaches here,'’ said Hare, who made an oral commitment to Oregon State last summer but changed his mind after a visit to the Pac-10 school last fall. “I’m going to work real hard to get SIU back to the NCAA tournament.'’ Earlier in the week, his older brother Morris Hare had an unsettling phone conversation with an SIU assistant coach. “I came away feeling like Ryan wasn’t a top priority for SIU,'’ said Morris Hare, who accompanied his younger brother to Carbondale. Hawaii and Texas A&M Corpus Christi had joined the Salukis in making offers to the 6-foot-4-inch All-Stater who led the Commandos to the Class 3A title. In addition, Baylor and Drake had made a late rush. San Francisco and Wyoming had also recruited Hare. “But after I spoke with SIU head coach Chris Lowery, everything was cool again,'’ Morris Hare said. “Still, I didn’t want Ryan announcing his college choice until he visited Carbondale.'’ SIU’s recruiting class also includes Homewood-Flossmoor point guard Kevin Dillard—winner of the Mr. Basketball of Illinois competition. It is believed to be the first time SIU has landed two Tribune first-team All-Staters in the same year. “I want to play with a guy like him,'’ Hare said of his future backcourt partner. “I know he’s a great player, and we’ll both be ready for the challenge.'’ Hare averaged 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and took the ACT exam for a second time Saturday, hoping to improve his test score to qualify for a Division I scholarship In another recruiting development, Englewood’s 6-5 DeMarkus Isom-Jones said he could commit to Illinois-Chicago this week. The late-signing period for national letters-of-intent opens on Wednesday. “I really like UIC head coach Jimmy Collins and assistant coach Tracy Dildy,'’ said Isom-Jones, who averaged 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals for the 2A sectional finalist. “UIC is my best option right now, and it’s like a home away from home.'’ Isom-Jones also re-took the ACT exam on Saturday, needing a two-point bump from his previous score of 15 to qualify for a scholarship. His grade-point average is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Along with UIC, Isom-Jones has offers from Massachusetts and Eastern Illinois while George Washington continues to recruit him.