Pray and Play's Perry Ellis (left) tries to get around Dreamvision's Winston Shepard in the Jayhawk Invitational Tournament Friday, April 29, 2011 at Haskell University.

Perry Ellis stood in a corner of Haskell’s Coffin Complex, signing autographs and conducting interviews after scoring 19 points in Wichita Pray and Play Players’ 69-56 loss to Dream Vision in Friday night’s marquee pool-play game of the 2011 Jayhawk Invitational.

“I’ve gotten used to it over the years. I was nervous about it my freshman year, but now, I mean, I know it’s going to happen, so I just deal with it,” the 6-foot-8, 220-pound Wichita Heights junior forward said of all the attention.

Ellis — he hit seven of 12 shots and four of six free throws while grabbing five rebounds — definitely felt the love of a crowd of about 200 fans. Those local fans, of course, hope Rivals.com’s No. 19-rated player in the Class of 2012 chooses KU over Kansas State, Kentucky, Memphis, Oklahoma and Wichita State.

“It’s always a good environment coming here, to have all the fans watching you and cheering you on. It’s pretty fun,” said Ellis, who said he plans to make five official visits this fall before choosing a college.

“It’s exciting,” he added of recruiting heating up as his senior year of high school nears.

Ellis — he has led Heights to three straight state titles and a Class 6A-record 44 consecutive victories — said the only negative Friday was the fact his team lost to a star-studded Dream Vision squad.

Shabazz Muhammad, a 6-5 junior combo guard from Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman High who is ranked No. 3 in the Class of 2012, scored 17 points off 6-of-15 shooting and grabbed five boards. No. 36-rated Winston Shepard, a 6-8 forward from Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nev., had 18 points off 7-of-10 shooting with six rebounds. Up and coming No. 111-rated Robert Upshaw, a bruising 6-11 center from Edison High in Fresno, Calif., chipped in 13 points off 6-of-11 shooting with 10 rebounds.

“It was a great game. There were a lot of good players in this game,” said Muhammad. “Perry Ellis is a good player. We went against him last year.

“We have a good team this year. Nobody hogs the ball. Everybody is involved. Last year I was averaging about 30 (ppg). This year I don’t have to carry that much of a load. I can get my teammates involved and pass and get rebounds.”

Muhammad — he weighs a solid 215 after playing in the Invitational at 180 last year — said recruiting “is pretty heavy right now. I’ve been talking to a lot of coaches: Kansas, Duke, North Carolina, Arizona, UCLA, some other schools. It’s pretty hectic going through the process. I’m blessed to have an opportunity to do it.”

Asked about KU’s chances, Muhammad said: “They are really realistic. This is my second year coming down here. It’s really fun. I’ve talked to a lot of players — Elijah (Johnson), Tyshawn (Taylor), the (Morris) twins. Bill Self is a great coach. I could see myself being here.”

Of Lawrence, he noted: “I like it. It’s really green. I didn’t know it was that green. I like being out here.”

Quick look at Ellis, Muhammad

It’s easy to see why the two players are ranked in the top 20 in the Class of 2012.

Ellis swished the only three he tried. He also was effective on the inside, hitting several floaters in the lane over a defense that included the 6-11 Upshaw, who, by the way, said KU was on his still-growing list of schools.

Ellis, who some say resembles former Duke player Shane Battier, also had a pair of inside slams off feeds, one from Free State’s Evan Manning.

Muhammad, a left-handed shooter, showed a nice touch on a 12-foot jumper and standstill three. He also drove the baseline for a conventional three-point play. Admittedly his shot was off, yet he still managed his 17 points.

Dream Vision will play pool play games at 10:20 a.m. today at the Lawrence High main gym and 1:50 p.m. today at the LHS auxiliary gym. Pray and Play Players will play at 9:10 a.m. today at Lawrence High’s main gym and 3 p.m. at Central Junior High. The 17-and-under finals are 2:15 p.m. Sunday at Haskell.