Illinois has a strong tradition of producing top high school athletes across a variety of sports.
Many of the state's best have gone on to professional careers or shined on the Olympic stage.
MaxPreps is looking back at the best Illinois has produced this century, beginning with the graduating class of 2001. Selections were based primarily off high school resumes.
1. Candace Parker, Naperville Central (Naperville) 2004
Sports: Basketball
Resume: Won a pair of state championships with the Redhawks before starring at the University of Tennessee. The 16-year WNBA veteran averaged 22.9 points and 13.2 rebounds per game over her high school career. Parker is believed to be the first high schooler to ever dunk in a game when she slammed it down as a sophomore.
2. Jabari Parker, Simeon (Chicago)
Class: 2013
Sports: Basketball
Resume: Led Simeon to four straight state championships. As a freshman he averaged 19.3 points per game as the offers began rolling in. By the end of his high school career, the 2013 MaxPreps National Player of the Year scored 2,622 career points and earned a spot on the Sports Illustrated cover. Parker went to Duke before playing in eight NBA seasons.
3. Derrick Rose, Simeon
Class: 2007
Sport: Basketball
Resume: As a junior the future NBA MVP recorded a steal and score in the final moments of overtime in the state championship game. During his senior year Rose averaged 25.2 points, 9.1 assists, 8.8 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game while Simeon defended its state championship. Rose immediately continued his winning ways in college by leading Memphis to the national championship game as a freshman on a team with zero fellow first-round picks. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft averaged 17.4 points per game over a 15-year NBA career.
4. Lukas Verzbicas, Sandburg (Orland Park)
Class: 2011
Sports: Cross country, track and field
Resume: Won the 2009 and 2010 Footlocker Nationals Cross Country Championships before heading to Oregon for college. In track Verzbicas set multiple national records and became the fifth high schooler to ever run a mile in less than four minutes.
5. Ogonna Nnamani, Normal University (Normal)
Class: 2001
Sport: Volleyball, basketball
Resume: Won back-to-back state championships to end her high school career before going to win two national titles at Stanford. During her junior year in high school she recorded 426 kills while missing time to play for the national team. As a senior she hammered 345 kills as the Pioneers went 41-1. The two-time volleyball Olympian also broke her school's blocked shots record on the basketball court.
6. Jake Odorizzi, Highland
Class: 2008
Sports: Baseball, football
Resume: Two-sport star was a phenom on the diamond and the football field. In baseball, the future first round pick of the 2008 MLB Draft hit 15 home runs with a .409 batting average during his senior year. On the mound he was arguably more dominant, recording a 14-0 record with a 0.08 earned run average and 146 strikeouts. On the gridiron he had 103 career receptions for 1,759 yards and 19 touchdowns. Odorizzi also played defense each year and had four interceptions as a junior.
7. Dylan Jacobs, Sandburg
Class: 2018
Sports: Cross country, track and field
Resume: Won the 2017 Footlocker Nationals Cross Country Championship as a senior after finishing 11th as a junior. Won a cross country state crown as a sophomore and followed it up as a multi-time state champion in track.
8. Laquon Treadwell, Crete-Monee (Crete)
Class: 2013
Sports: Football, basketball
Resume: The Class of 2013 five-star prospect was a demon on both sides of the football and won a state championship as a senior. He had 45 career receiving touchdowns and more than 3,600 yards. On defense he had eight sacks as a junior and six interceptions as a senior before heading to Ole Miss. Treadwell was a first round pick in 2016 and has 111 career receptions in the NFL.
9. Jalen Brunson, Stevenson (Lincolnshire)
Class: 2015
Sport: Basketball
Resume: In a state with Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander, Brunson led the Patriots to three straight trips to the state semifinals, including a championship as a senior where he scored 30 points. He continued to win in college with a pair of national championships at Villanova before becoming a two-time NBA All-Star as a second round pick.
10. Sage Mardjetko, Lemont
Class: 2023
Sport: Softball
Resume: Threw 32 no-hitters in her career including one in the 2022 state championship game. She won the state title again the next season as a senior while compiling a 0.00 ERA. Allowed 11 earned runs in 408.2 innings in her career with 927 strikeouts.
