Eastern basketball recruit Shaun Pratl, a standout in two sports at Richards High School in Oak Lawn, has been named the Chicago Sun-Times’ 2009 Male Athlete of the Year.

Pratl played football and basketball at Richards. The wide receiver finished his football career with 10 touchdowns and 52 receptions for 1,026 yards with the Bulldogs.

On the court, the 6-foot-8 center finished with 1,016 career points with Richards, which places him third all-time in scoring for the school. He was a member of the 2008 team that won an IHSA state championship.

He averaged 14.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in his three years of varsity basketball, helping Richards to an 82-10 record during that time.

For the 2009 season, Pratl averaged 20 points and 9.5 rebounds a game for the Bulldogs, and finished the season with 10 double-doubles. He helped Richards to a 23-6 record, before the team eventually lost to Crete-Monee in the class 3A regional finals. Pratl scored 16 points and secured 15 rebounds in the loss, which was his last high school game.

Pratl received scholarship offers from Illinois State and Indiana State to play football, however, he eventually decided to pursue a collegiate career in basketball. He accepted a scholarship offer from the Panthers despite offers to play basketball from St. Louis and Boston, citing the Panther’s youth as a key factor.

Pratl was the sole recruit to sign with the Panthers during the early signing period in November. He will join a Panther team that went 12-18 in 2008-2009. With the Panthers losing only one starter from last season, forward Billy Parish, Pratl will join a core group of young talent in 2010.

Jeff Jurinek can be reached at 581-7943 or at densportsdesk@gmail.com.