 He was named "Chicago Sun Times" Player of the Year as a senior in 2000, ahead of other area standouts such as Dwyane Wade of Richards High School and Eddy Curry of Thornwood High School.Banks led Westinghouse to the 2000 state championship game, where he scored 22 points, but his team lost to West Aurora High School.After graduating high school, Banks went on to play for the University of Illinois at Chicago.