While the phrase "pure point guard" is often overused in basketball scouting circles, it cannot be emphasized enough when it comes to describing Van Vleet. What separates Van Vleet from the rest of the pack is that he is ultra-competitive, knows how to win and has a basketball I.Q. that cannot be matched amongst other point guards in Illinois. Van Vleet simply lulls defenses to sleep, consistently gets to the basket, never forces the action and as a result virtually never turns the ball over. While the one gray area is the consistency of his perimeter shooting, it has gotten better and Van Vleet can keep defenses honest from beyond the arc when left unattended.
We believe that Van Vleet has shown that he is clearly the best point guard in the state from the 2012 class. With Van Vleet's outstanding play not only at the Northern Illinois University Team Camp but also throughout the entire spring, he has now firmly entrenched himself in the #2 spot in our rankings of the top prospects in Illinois from 2012.
As far as Van Vleet's recruitment goes, reliable sources tell us that Van Vleet is now down to three schools--Northern Illinois, Wichita State and Kent State. He is looking to get the process over with soon--possibly by the beginning of the July evaluation period.