One of the state's top point guards in the Class of 2014 most likely won't wind up at Illinois.

At least it doesn't look that way at this point in the recruitment of Marian Catholic High School junior Tyler Ulis.

Ulis, a 5-foot-9-inch guard for the Spartans, has not heard much lately from Illinois, according to his high school coach Mike Taylor.

"I think the timing of it is unfortunate," Taylor said. "He fits into what they're doing pretty darn well. As I've said before, he's gone up against really good players this year, and he's met those challenges and continues to meet them."

Illinois currently doesn't have any scholarships for the Class of 2014, with Champaign Centennial (Ill.) High School forward Michael Finke the only verbal commit on board so far.

Taylor said the main schools in play right now for Ulis are Colorado State, Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon State, Purdue and Tennessee.

"There's enough schools that are interested in him where it's like anything else," Taylor said. "More will come as it goes on. He's stayed focused. He doesn't let that bother him, and he's played about as consistent as a kid can play."

Ulis is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range and 88 percent from the foul line while averaging more than 20 points per game to go along with four or five assists per game and four or five rebounds per game, according to Taylor.

"He has come out more aggressive this year looking for his shot," Taylor said. "We did get a kid eligible at Christmas time, and his points per game went down about five, but his assists went up about four a game, which is what we kind of expected. He's doing about everything with a lot of pressure on him."

Marian Catholic is off to its best start in school history.

The Spartans are 14-1 going into tonight's game at New Lenox Providence Catholic (Ill.) High School, and won the prestigious McDipper Holiday Tournament on Dec. 29, with Ulis leading the way.

All this despite his size staying at 5-9, which has some people skeptical he can play in the Big Ten, but one that Taylor thinks is overused.

"The thing is he's 5-9, and up until last week, he was our leading rebounder," Taylor said with a slight chuckle. "In the McDipper championship, he has 29 points in a game that was back-and-forth, so his size really doesn't come into play."

Taylor said he anticipates Ulis making a college choice before his senior season begins, possibly in late July or early August after his AAU season ends.

"I don't think he'll want to dilly-dally with it too much in the fall," Taylor said. "I think he'll be at a bigger school. Iowa will take him tomorrow. You put the right people around him, I don't have any doubt that he's going to play at a high level. As a couple recruiters have tried to tell their head coaches, 'He's either going to play with us or against us.' I wouldn't want to play against him."