Bulls roster features seven players who played high school ball in Illinois

The Bulls may be lacking bona fide NBA All-Stars, but they are chock-full of former Illinois high school stars.

While there will be cuts and roster moves made between now and the season opener on Oct. 23, the Bulls’ training-camp roster has an unprecedented local presence.

The team features seven players who played high school ball in Illinois, including six former All-Staters, a two-time Mr. Basketball winner and a pair of Sun-Times Player of the Year winners.

Here is a list of those seven:

Matas Buzelis

High school: Hinsdale Central

No, he didn’t spend much time with the Red Devils, but the No. 11 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft did play his freshman year there before heading off to prep school.

Buzelis went on to be a McDonald’s All-American, then played a year in the NBA
G League and is now considered a cornerstone of the Bulls’ franchise.

Jevon Carter

High school: Proviso East

Carter was part of some great Pirates teams, including the state runner-up in 2012 and the third-place team in 2013.

As a senior at West Virginia, Carter emerged as an All-American and became the first major-conference player to reach 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 300 steals in a career.

As he begins his second season with the Bulls, Carter has been a valuable role player for the last six seasons.

Ayo Dosunmu

High school: Morgan Park

Dosunmu was part of some serious winning, capturing two state championships with the Mustangs in 2017 and 2018. As a junior at Illinois, he led Illinois to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament while becoming a first-team All-American.

Now in his fourth season with the Bulls, Dosunmu has emerged as a key rotational player following a breakout season.

Javon Freeman-Liberty

High school: Young

As a senior, Freeman-Liberty was the catalyst for a Dolphins team that reached the Class 4A state-championship game. He led the way with 19.6 points a game while earning All-State honors.

Playing two seasons each at Valparaiso and DePaul, Freeman-Liberty scored over 1,700 points in college.

Last season, he played in 22 games with the Raptors, averaging 18 minutes and seven points.

Talen Horton-Tucker

High school: Simeon

The former Sun-Times Player of the Year was an unexpected one-and-done in college after averaging 11.8 points at Iowa State as a freshman.

After being a second-round pick of the Lakers in the 2019 draft, Horton-Tucker has emerged as a double-figure scorer over the course of his five seasons with the Lakers and Jazz.

EJ Liddell

High school: Belleville West

He led the Maroons to back-to-back state titles and is one of only two players in state history to be named Mr. Basketball twice.

Liddell scored nearly 1,300 points in just three years at Ohio State, including a junior season where he averaged 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks and was named an All-American.

Liddell tore his ACL in 2022 and played just eight games with the Pelicans.

DJ Steward

High school: Young

The top-ranked player in the state in the Class of 2020 was named a McDonald’s All-American as a senior. He then spent just one year at Duke.

Steward has yet to play in a NBA game after playing in the NBA G League for multiple seasons.