Chicago Sun-Times: All posts by Joe Henricksen

Analyzing the IHSA Class 4A boys high school basketball sectional assignments

2023-12-14T11:26:09.03-06:00

Downers Grove North’s coach Jim Thomas talks to his players during a timeout against Curie.

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

The Illinois High School Association released its basketball sectional assignments Wednesday afternoon. The assignments change significantly every two years. This is a year of change.

Here’s a look at all the area sectionals in Class 4A with the team to beat — as of mid-December — and if there were any winners and losers based on the IHSA’s movement of teams.

Elgin Sectional

Thoughts: This looks like a Mid-Suburban League Conference Tournament, along with a small sprinkling of the North Suburban Conference.

Team to beat: Rolling Meadows

Coach Kevin Katovich’s Mustangs are 7-1 and have a ton of familiarity with a heavy dose of Mid-Suburban League teams. This is where Rolling Meadows should have been playing the past two years (see below).

Biggest winner: Rolling Meadows

Yes, Rolling Meadows wins because it finally is sent where it belongs, both geographically and with the teams that make the most sense. Instead, the IHSA had them traveling and playing the North Shore powers (New Trier, Evanston, Glenbrook South, Loyola).

The bitterness is knowing it sure would have been nice to be in this sectional with last year’s loaded team, led by Cameron Christie.

Rockford Guilford Sectional

Thoughts: This sectional is always quirky, particularly with the two sub-sectionals (Why do we continue to do this in Class 4A?). Once again there won’t be a whole lot of familiarity among many of the teams, and today’s “team to beat” will have to travel 62 miles for its sectional games.

Team to beat: Warren

The Blue Devils have been one of the big, bright stories of the young season, and it’s a story that could extend well into March in a sectional where the host school, Guilford, and DeKalb could pose the biggest threats.

Biggest winner: Warren

It’s a new look for Warren with its sectional assignment, and it’s an opportunity to take advantage of it, especially in a sub-sectional that is certainly less than stellar. At this point it would be stunning if Warren didn’t win its first regional title since 2012.

East Aurora Sectional

Thoughts: The makeup of this sectional is how it looked for years — several years back — both with the teams in it and the host site. It does feel right. This one has the potential to be a dandy but also a seeding nightmare.

Team to beat: Downers Grove North

With just one loss on the season — a tight loss to No. 2 ranked Curie last weekend — DGN and star guard Jack Stanton look to be the favorite over the likes of Benet, Bolingbrook, Waubonsie Valley, West Aurora, Oswego East, Naperville North and others.

Biggest winner: Downers Grove North

A year ago the Trojans worked some magic in winning a brutally tough sectional where Young, Curie, Hinsdale Central and Lyons stood in their way. That sectional was a minefield.

While this East Aurora Sectional is far from being a walk in the park — it’s actually extremely deep — the heavy hitters are missing at the top. That’s good news for a team like DGN where it’s sectional title or bust after the year it had a year ago.

Biggest losers: Benet, Naperville North and Yorkville

If all things remained the same as a year ago, Benet would be a heavy sectional favorite with Lake Park lurking. Now? A rugged game as early as the regional final awaits in this deep field.

Naperville North could look at this sectional assignment and politely ask, “Can we please head back to the Addison Trail Sectional?”

Yorkville came into the season with huge expectations, but they have been flattened in the first three weeks of the season by missing personnel. There is plenty of time to get back in sync. But when it does there will be a whole different postseason look than it had a year ago.

Yorkville was one of three area schools shipped far west to the Moline Sectional last season. This year that sectional seems way more palatable in trying to win its first regional title in 19 years than where it’s headed in 2024.

Rich Sectional

Thoughts: There was a shakeup in this sectional assignment as a couple of past sectionals merged this year, bringing the likes of Joliet West, Romeoville and Lincoln-Way East together with Homewood-Flossmoor, Bloom and Marist.

But, oooooh, this could be fun. A bunch of south suburban teams flexing their March muscle at Rich? There will be no shortage of sleepers in this field.

Team to beat: Homewood-Flossmoor

Yes, a lot will have to come together for the Vikings to uphold this “team to beat” label. But right now, on paper — and with its win over Bloom — HF is that team.

Biggest winner: South suburban fans

This sectional will get the fans in this tradition-rich basketball area pumped for the postseason.

Biggest losers: Romeoville and Joliet West

Just in comparison to a year ago, the sectional path became a whole lot tougher for both the Spartans and Tigers.

Riverside-Brookfield Sectional

Thoughts: Downers Grove North, Hinsdale Central and Lyons did it last year, but will anyone be able to take down the public league powers in this sectional this year?

Team to beat: Curie

The Condors have been impressive and are currently ranked No. 2 in the Super 25.

Biggest winner: The anti-Public League fans.

Virtually all the city powers in Class 4A, including Curie, Young, Kenwood and Simeon — and they even threw Lincoln Park in there for good measure — have been lumped together. Only one can get out of here.

Biggest loser: St. Ignatius

It was inevitable, really. Once St. Ignatius made the move to Class 4A, it likely would be sent to the near-west suburban sectional, one that is always loaded and top-heavy.

But let’s compare last year’s road to Champaign to what it potentially could look like this March for Ignatius.

A year ago the Wolfpack took care of Perspectives-MSA, Westinghouse, Fenwick and Grayslake Central to reach the Class 3A state semifinals. This year? Curie, Young, Kenwood, Riverside-Brookfield, Simeon and Oak Lawn are among the teams standing in their way.

Addison Trail Sectional

Thoughts: This is a very winnable Class 4A sectional. Right now there is only one team ranked in the Super 25.

Team to beat: Lake Park

This is the only team currently ranked, sneaking in at No. 23. But it’s a team that also tasted sectional basketball last year and has a bonafide star in Cam Cerese.

Biggest winner: Lake Park

First, the IHSA shipped perennial power Benet out of this sectional, the very team that ended Lake Park’s season a year ago in the sectional semifinals.

This isn’t the strongest Wheaton-Warrenville South team, always a nuisance in this sectional.

Proviso East is down. The two St. Charles schools were brought in and both are just so-so.

You get the point. This sectional assignment release is a win for the Lancers. But they will have to hold off their DuKane Conference brethren (Batavia and Glenbard North) and a sneaky good York team to advance deep into the state tournament.

Biggest loser: There are no losers in one of the softest 4A sectionals in the state.

Maine South Sectional

Thoughts: As always, there will be some tough sledding for the teams on the north shore as the top eight jockey for position over the next two months. The list of contenders here is lengthy.

Team to beat: Glenbrook North

Even with an upset loss to Prospect on Tuesday, the first of the season for Glenbrook North, this Josh Fridman-led team is a very slight favorite right now over New Trier and Loyola.

Biggest winner: Glenbrook South

Of all the top contenders in this sectional, and there really are quite a few in this sectional, Glenbrook South is the only one that was awarded a regional. The Titans will be able to play that title game in the comfort of their unique home gym.

Biggest loser: Oak Park

This is one of the more bizarre moves the IHSA made with their new sectional assignments. Just take a look at the teams in the Riverside-Brookfield Sectional. Then take a glance at the teams in this Maine South Sectional. And then wonder how this makes sense? The Huskies do get to host a regional.

Rating Waubonsie Valley, Palatine’s Connor May commits and Danny Grieves’ last run

2023-12-12T11:35:07.559-06:00

Bolingbrook’s DJ Strong (2) gets fouled by Waubonsie Valley’s Tyreek Coleman (12) as he grabs a rebound last season.

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

Maybe the least talked about ranked, unbeaten team in the area is Waubonsie Valley. That will change as the Warriors surely add wins to their red-hot 8-0 start.

In a tough and balanced DuPage Valley Conference, it’s Waubonsie Valley that has quickly solidified itself as the favorite. That was evident following its convincing win over Metea Valley last Friday.

It’s Waubonsie Valley that has emerged as the team to beat in the upcoming Hinkle Holiday Classic at Jacobs later this month.

There is talent in place, some returning and others emerging.

Senior Tre Blissett is an athletic 6-5 Swiss Army knife who leads the team with 13.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals a game. Junior point guard Tyreek Coleman (10 ppg, 3.5 apg) makes them go, and Moses Wilson (7.3 ppg) is another super intriguing player quickly making a name for himself. The 6-4 junior was an all-tournament selection at the Batavia Thanksgiving Tournament and shined in the win over Metea with 17 points.

But Waubonsie offers a neutralizer beyond its personnel. Coach Andrew Schweitzer’s team blends its quickness and length to form what is quickly becoming a frustrating-to-play-against ball press defense. From getting the ball up the floor to rotating the ball in the half-court to contesting shots, everything is difficult in playing against it.

Schweitzer implemented the ball press the moment he arrived as head coach in 2021. He spent seven years as part of coach Mike Healy’s Wheaton South program, which has thrived in using the ball press. Schweitzer’s plan was to bring over what he knew from coaching with Healy.

“There are rules, rotations and certain things when installing the ball press,” Schweitzer said. “But when the kids figure it out and get a feel for it, that’s when it can take another step.”

Now in his third season in charge of the Waubonsie program, there is a comfort level for the Warriors in the ball press. Every player on the roster has been playing in it for three years. Schweitzer still believes there is plenty of room to grow, but it’s clear the effectiveness it has had this season. There isn’t an opponent that has scored more than 45 points yet this season against the Warriors.

Making it even more frustrating to play against, the defense can be disguised. There are trips down the floor where it can look like a 2-3 zone or even a man-to-man defense, and there are times when Schweitzer will get out of it; the length and athleticism of this group allow him to become more versatile. But it remains the bread and butter.

“It can take on a life of its own when players get a real feel for it,” Schweitzer said of the defense.

Connor May picks Washington University

Small college commitments at the Division II and Division III levels can often go unnoticed. But Palatine’s Connor May committing to Washington University in St. Louis is one that resonates.

May committed over the weekend to the Division III school and figures to be one of the highest ranked prospects headed to that level when it’s all said and done. The nationally-ranked basketball team and the elite academics were enough for May, who received scholarship offers over the past year, to pull the trigger.

After helping lead the Pirates to a Mid-Suburban League championship a year ago while averaging 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds a game, May is playing at an all-state caliber level once again. The 6-7 forward is leading Palatine, averaging 17.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks a game.

May just recently surpassed 1,000 career points and is among the top five scorers in Palatine basketball history.

While May is a recruiting gem for Wash U coach Pat Juckem, it’s a roster littered with former Chicago area stars, including Barrington’s Will Grudzinski, Payton’s Jabari Chiphe, Glenbrook North’s Ryan Cohen and Niles North’s Yogi Oliff.

Danny Grieves sets a date

Metamora has become a household name in Illinois high school basketball the past few years, thanks in large part to coach Danny Grieves.

Under Grieves, the Redbirds have put together consecutive 30-win seasons, finishing second in the state in 2022 and winning a Class 3A state title last season.

This is a central Illinois school where football has ruled for decades. And where basketball enjoyed very little success before Grieves arrived in 2011. Metamora had never won a sectional championship and just six regional titles in the previous 60 years.

But one of the more underrated coaches in the state is calling it a career. After originally planning to retire after the 2024-25 season, Grieves recently announced this will be his last season.

Grieves will bring his final Metamora team to the Chicago area later this month. The Redbirds, who are once again a serious threat in Class 3A, will play at the Jack Tosh Holiday Tournament at York.

The duo of guard Tyler Mason and junior Matthew Zobrist are back from last year’s state title team, and they’ve added Cooper Koch. The 6-8 Koch transferred in this year and has signed with Iowa.

Previewing and predicting this weekend’s top boys high school basketball games

2023-12-08T09:46:01.454-06:00

Curie’s Mason Minor (30) shoots against Phillips’ Amari Edwards (1).

Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

While the Team Rose Shootout Saturday and Sunday at Mount Carmel will bring together several matchups featuring ranked teams, the weekend itself is loaded with big, key, early-season conference showdowns throughout the area.

Maybe it’s the type of season we are set to embark on, but the games of impact this weekend truly seem to be flip-of-the-coin matchups.

This Weekend Forecast provides previews and picks of the biggest games.

Friday

Mount Carmel at De La Salle

Every game is going to matter in the rough-and-tumble Chicago Catholic League Blue and no team wants to dig an early hole. That’s why this is an important one on the South Side.

De La Salle is the unbeaten upstart; Mount Carmel is the highly-ranked team with the star and the hoopla. This one should be a dogfight.

The combination of veterans and rising talent to form a well-balanced team is what excites you about De La Salle. The Meteors can take care of business in different ways with their size, length and balance. There are four players in double figures: Tavariyuan Williams (13.3 ppg), Richard Lindsey (12.5 ppg), Charles Barnes (11.3 ppg) and Bryant Hedrick (10.1 ppg).

But the Caravan, who did lose to St. Louis power Vashon last weekend, feature the best player in the league: Northwestern recruit Angelo Ciaravino –– and quality pieces to go with him, including 6-5 Tre Marks.

Hoops Report pick: Mount Carmel 52, De La Salle 50

Evergreen Park at Oak Lawn

A spotlight is shined on an early-season battle in the South Suburban Red. With one of the league favorites, Eisenhower, back in the picture with the return injuried AJ Abrams, last year’s conference player of the year, this is a league race to watch. And it starts right here in this pivotal matchup.

Oak Lawn, led by unheralded point guard Corey Lee and breakout junior Donte Montgomery, gained a confidence-building win last week over Hillcrest. Lee is a stat-sheet stuffer, averaging 15.2 points, 5.7 assists and 3.2 steals a game, while Montgomery leads the team with 18.3 points a game. Sophomore shooter Jack Dempsey chips in 10.2 points a game.

Evergreen Park can score. But coach Jim Sexton has played the first two weeks of the season short-handed. But everyone, including leading scorer Nolan Sexton, is back for the clash with Oak Lawn.

Sexton, who scored 23 points in the season opener, missed the next four games with an ankle injury. But the experienced senior guard is now healthy. Also back is 6-3 Tre Dowdell, who has been sidelined since averaging 22 points a game in three Thanksgiving Tournament wins. Keshaun Vaval (17.5 ppg) and Ulises Cardenas (10 ppg) are two more double-digit scorers.

Hoops Report pick: Oak Lawn 66, Evergreen Park 62

Metea Valley at Waubonsie Valley

This is a key conference game in the DuPage Valley, but it’s also the first time these two district rivals meet in a game that truly matters.

Waubonsie Valley is off to an impressive start, which includes a convincing win over a solid Batavia team. The defense the Warriors throw at you with their ball press is something opponents have struggled navigating. Waubonsie hasn’t allowed a team to score more than 45 points in any of its first six games.

While Waubonsie has quickness, depth and balance, 6-5 Treshawn Blissett and junior guard Tyreek Coleman are the headliners.

The trio of 6-6 Will Ashford, point guard James Parker and 6-8 junior Jake Nosek is a terrific starting point for Metea. Plus, the early-season schedule for the Mustangs, with losses to Downers Grove North and St. Patrick, along with a win over DeKalb, has prepared them for this one.

Hoops Report pick: Metea Valley 56, Waubonsie Valley 54

St. Ignatius vs. Loyola at Loyola University

The Jesuit Cup is one of the better rivalries in high school sports. But this rivalry has been a lopsided one over the past decade. Despite the high-level success of St. Ignatius the past two seasons, Loyola remains a thorn in its side. Loyola has won nine of the last 10 basketball showdowns between the two.

Loyola is once again holding opponents in the 30s and 40s with its stingy defense while relying on the offensive production of Miles Boland and Andrew Hollerich who are both averaging 14 points a game. Week by week the Ramblers should find more solid footing as the football players and transfer Nick Patton continue to acclimate themselves with one another.

St. Ignatius can lean on star junior guard Phoenix Gill. But it needs the players who are stepping into new, bigger roles this season to play with consistency.

Hoops Report pick: Loyola 47, St. Ignatius 43

Rich at Thornton

We will find out a lot about where unbeaten Rich stands in the hierarchy of the south suburbs as it heads to Harvey to face top-ranked Thornton and star Morez Johnson.

The backcourt of senior Samar Bures and sophomore star Jamson Coulter lead Rich. But it will need a big effort from 6-6 Victor Brown.

You get the feeling you have a better shot at Thornton now than you will later in the season as the new assembled parts –– the Wildcats start four impactful transfers –– continue to come together.

Hoops Report pick: Thornton 66, Rich 55

Saturday

Bloom vs. Brother Rice at Mount Carmel

The best Saturday game at this year’s Team Rose Classic boasts a pair of teams ranked among the top 10 in this week’s Super 25.

The terrific Brother Rice start to the season has been fueled by its backcourt play. Coach Conte Stamas has the quintessential, make-your-team better point guard Cale Cosme paired up with up-and-coming sophomore Marcos Gonzales.

Bloom, which owns a win over No. 1 Thornton, counters with outstanding length and athleticism across the board in 6-4 point guard Elijah Lovemore, one of the better juniors in the area, 6-3 Payton Edwards, 6-6 Jaden Clark and 6-5 Santana Flowers.

But the wonder and excitement surrounding 6-7 Elijah Allen is what might raise the ceiling for this Bloom team going forward. Allen, while still raw and figuring it out since moving here from Nicaragua, has shown both promise and production thus far and could prove to be a difference-maker. He’s added eight points, nine rebounds and one block a game.

Hoops Report pick: Bloom 63, Brother Rice 60

Sunday

Homewood-Flossmoor vs. St. Ignatius at Mount Carmel

What a tough weekend for St. Ignatius, facing rival Loyola on Friday and then tackling highly-ranked Homewood-Flossmoor 48 hours later.

While there has been plenty of H-F hype early in the season, along with a high ranking, the lopsided loss to ultra-talented Gonzaga at last weekend’s Chicago Elite Classic was humbling. Still, this is an extremely talented team with all of its goals still clearly ahead of it.

With Bryce Heard, Jayden Tyler, Gianni Cobb and a host of others, there might be too much firepower for Ignatius in this one.

Hoops Report pick: Homewood-Flossmoor 62, St. Ignatius 54

Curie vs. Downers Grove North

The premier game at the Team Rose Classic brings together the Super 25’s No. 5 and No. 6 ranked teams and two battle-tested senior guards.

Curie impressed in its only defeat, losing to Sidwell Friends, a nationally-ranked team out of DC, in the closing seconds, 56-54. Downers North, meanwhile, has survived the first couple of weeks without returning point guard Owen Thulin, who was part of the state runner-up football team, at his true basketball-self.

Jack Stanton is an offensive force for DGN. The Princeton recruit is a sniper on the perimeter, plays with confidence and is big-game ready. But this is not quite the DGN of a year ago — at least not yet.

Curie’s Carlos Harris, who is headed to UIC, has a way about him as a two-way player who plays with a toughness and physicality. Both Christian Brockett and transfer Will Gonzalez are off to solid starts for the Condors.

Hoops Report pick: Curie 59, Downers Grove North 56

Chicago area high school basketball coaching changes

2023-12-05T10:49:53.552-06:00

Marian Catholic Rick Romeli talks to his players during as timeout as the Spartans play Homewood-Flossmoor.

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

There was heavy traffic this past spring and summer in the high school basketball coaching turnover lane across the area.

Here is a closer look at a few of the specific jobs that were filled and what’s ahead for those programs with a new coach in charge.

Biggest shoes to fill: Simeon

These shoes could be some of the biggest ever to fill.

Robert Smith turned Simeon from one of the state’s best, most recognized programs when he took over for Bob Hambric to one with a national name and reputation in his 19 years as head coach.

The likes of Derrick Rose, Jabari Parker and other high-profile players helped in elevating Simeon to national status, but the fact of the matter is Smith stepped down following last season as the most accomplished and successful coach in state history. Smith won six state championships and over 500 games.

Now Simeon turns the program over to Tim Flowers.

Flowers, a former star at Simeon who teamed up with Rose to help the Wolverines to a pair of state championships, was on Smith’s staff the past couple of years. So there is a familiarity with Simeon basketball. He knows what it’s about and how this highly-successful operation has run.

Nonetheless, it’s an overwhelming position to be in for a first-year head coach. The good news is the cupboard isn’t entirely bare, though it’s not stockpiled like it’s been over the past two decades.

Other huge shoes to fill: Marian Catholic and Stevenson

The Simeon job and all that goes into replacing Smith as coach is at another level. But there are two other jobs that clearly stand out when it comes to massive coaching shoes to fill.

Stevenson’s Pat Ambrose and Marian Catholic’s Mike Taylor were fixtures in building their respective programs, won big and, more importantly, understood all the parameters surrounding their basketball jobs.

Taylor built the foundation and established a winning culture at a program that, many forget, had done absolutely nothing in basketball before his arrival.

Check this out: Marian Catholic basketball had one regional title and a single 20-win season in the 42 years prior to Taylor being hired in 2003.

With all of the south suburban basketball options, it’s not as if Marian Catholic was a destination place for young basketball players. But Taylor made it one, and it resulted in Taylor putting together nine 20-win seasons, averaging 18 wins a year, and capturing nine regional titles and the only three sectional championships in school history.

The 20-year run also included a Class 3A third-place state trophy in 2018.

Superstar Tyler Ulis came and put Marian Catholic basketball on the map. But Taylor kept churning out wins, instilling discipline and filling rosters with talent well after Ulis headed to Kentucky.

While the highlight of Stevenson basketball came during the Jalen Brunson years, under Ambrose the program has been arguably one of the most consistent ones over the past 20 years –– the Patriots averaged 21 wins over two decades. There has been a high standard set when it comes to Stevenson basketball, due to the preparation, teaching and coaching pedigree of Ambrose. That is going to be awfully difficult to replace.

Rick Romeli and Will Benson get the opportunity to fill the shoes at Marian Catholic and Stevenson, respectively.

Marian Catholic did go with someone very familiar with the Chicago Heights school in hiring Romeli, a 2001 graduate who played under former coach Bryan Tucker. He was the East Suburban Catholic Conference Player of the Year as a senior.

Romeli will have his chance to put his stamp on an established program after spending years as a college assistant coach at St. Xavier and Governors State. He’s been the associate head coach at Governor’s State since 2014.

Benson replaces a coach in Ambrose who won four state trophies, including a state championship in 2015, and finished his career with over 500 wins.

In 13 seasons as a head coach, including stints at Harvard, Marengo and Huntley, Benson has compiled a 182-200 overall record. But he’s 104-43 with two regional titles over his last five years at Huntley, including a school record 27 wins in both 2019-20 and 2021-22.

Best chance to win immediately: West Aurora

Of all the new coaching hires throughout the area, Mike Fowler will have the best chance of winning at a high clip in his first season .

There is some talent to work with for Fowler, a key player on West Aurora’s 2000 state championship team. He takes over his alma mater after spending five seasons as the head coach at Plainfield East, guiding the Bengals program from 2017-2022.

Fowler has a cornerstone to build around in 6-4 junior Terrence Smith. The athletic wing is among the top 25 prospects in the Class of 2025. Plus, senior guards CJ Savage and Jordan Brooks return. That should be enough to push close to 20 wins and contend for a regional championship.

Biggest rebuild: St. Rita

This may be rubbing salt on the wound after a mass player exodus from the program, the likes of which has never been seen before in the history of Illinois high school basketball.

St. Rita literally went from being the likely preseason No. 1 team in the state to trying to scratch and claw its way out of last place in the Chicago Catholic League.

There are a lot of good things being said about St. Rita’s new head coach, Ross Burt, but the rebuild he’s facing is massive. Burt has some small college coaching experience and spent the past three seasons at Payton, a selective enrollment school in the Chicago Public League.

Biggest name hire: Ronnie Fields

An all-time great in Illinois high school basketball, Ronnie Fields was hired as the next Hope Academy head coach this past June.

While this is Fields’ first head coaching job, he’s been training and mentoring players for years in the city and suburbs.

The name recognition among the parents of today’s players will resonate. Fields was an electric and must-see talent in the mid-1990s at Farragut, scoring more than 2,600 points in his career. Fields had a long professional career in the CBA and overseas.

The fit could be ideal. Hope is already a highly-successful small school basketball program and now adds a coach with high upside to continue its recent success.

The Eagles have won 10 regional championships since 2010. Coach Antwon Johnson, who stepped down following last season, guided the program to sectional titles in 2017 and 2018, highlighted by a third-place finish in Class 1A in 2017.

Most circuitous hire: Huntley

Newly hired Huntley coach Collin Kalamatas certainly has familiarity with Huntley and the basketball program. Kalamatas, who has taught at the school for 14 years and has been the Huntley golf coach for the past seven years, graduated from the school in 2005. He also coached under former coach Will Benson for two seasons.

But that short stint under Benson came before he embarked on a girls basketball coaching career –– first at Woodstock for a season and then the past four years at Burlington Central. He led the girls program there to three straight regional championships.

Huntley is a program that has won a whole lot of games over the past four years, including a pair of 27-win seasons and two regional championships. Kalamatas will build his first team around three returning starters.

Other coaching changes of note

Payton

Previous coach: Ross Burt

New coach: Reggie Bates

The former Young assistant coach has strong AAU ties with Meanstreets. Now Bates gets his first crack as a head coach at a program that has regularly been mentioned as one with potential.

But the magnet high school in the Old Town neighborhood, while having a quality player here and there over the years, has yet to establish itself in Public League basketball.

Hersey

Previous coach: Austin Scott

New coach: David Hess

A star player for the Huskies in the late 1990s, Hess takes over the program on an interim basis for the 2023-24 season.

Hess has been a longtime assistant coach at Hersey, Lane Tech and Stevenson, where he spent a good chunk of time working under highly-successful coach Pat Ambrose from 2009-2018.

He also brings head coaching experience with a stint at Tuscola, where he went 41-46 in three seasons while winning a regional championship, and one season at Elgin for one season. In four seasons as a head coach he’s compiled a 47-69 record.

He spent last season as a varsity assistant coach under Austin Scott and has a returning point guard (Jared Ryg) and big man (6-7 junior Jackson Hupp).

Lockport

Previous coach: Brett Hespell

New coach: Dave Wilson

Lockport has a proud basketball history. But the program hasn’t won a regional championship in 12 years.

Andrew had little to no basketball history. Wilson won a regional championship, put together 18, 19 and 20-win seasons and is one of only two coaches in school history to put together five winning seasons.

Andrew

Previous coach: Dave Wilson

New coach: Justin Stirn

This has been a tricky basketball job for … well, forever. But Stirn has watched his former boss, Wilson, adapt and see how to maximize talent in the program. Stim has been a part of the Andrew staff for a dozen years and part of two conference championship and two regional title teams.

Fenwick

Previous coach: Tony Young

New coach: David Fergerson

It’s been a little tumultuous for Fenwick basketball.

A promising young team that won 21 games and a regional title last year was set to take the next step. But the progress appears to have been thwarted with the departure of its coach and several key players.

A former collegiate player at Saint Louis in the late 1990s, Fergerson takes the reins of the boys basketball program after spending time assisting Fenwick’s girls program, headed up by his wife, Lenae. Fergerson has also spent time as an assistant coach at Willowbrook.

Huntley

Previous coach: Will Benson

New coach: Collin Kalamatas

This is a program that has won a whole lot of games over the past four years, including a pair of 27-win seasons and two regional championships. That success catapulted former coach Will Benson to replace Pat Ambrose at Stevenson. Now it’s Kalamatas who will try to keep it rolling in a job that is considered one of the best, if not the best, basketball job in the Fox Valley Conference as the school and community continue to grow.

Glenbard South

Previous coach: Wade Hardtke

New coach: Jason Mead

Mead stepped down as head coach at Waubonsie Valley following the 2020-21 season. In his four years there he put together a pair of 27-win seasons. He also led Dixon to a 25-win season in his three years there.

After a two-year layoff, Mead has returned to coaching, taking over for Hardtke, who won three regional titles and the program’s second sectional championship in 2019.

McHenry

Previous coach: Chris Madson

New coach: Raymond “Corky” Card

After six seasons leading the McHenry basketball program, Madson has taken over as athletic director at the school. He left a program with a solid up-and-coming young group of players.

Card has plenty of familiarity with the Fox Valley Conference as he coached for 16 seasons at Prairie Ridge, winning six conference championships, five regional titles and a sectional championship. Card, who will welcome the majority of last year’s team back this season, has been at Dunlap since leaving Prairie Ridge in 2017.

St. Charles East

Previous coach: Pat Woods

New coach: Rob Klemm

After 12 seasons as the head coach at St. Charles East, which included a regional championship last March and a run that ended in the sectional championship, Woods departed to take the Bolingbrook athletic director’s job this past summer.

Now Klemm, who has been a part of the program for the past 18 years as an assistant, takes over. Klemm is a 2000 St. Charles grad and as a sophomore played for coach Ron Johnson during the legendary coach’s final season.

Minooka

Previous coach: Kevin Cain

New coach: Brett Hespell

Hespell landed the Minooka job after spending the past eight seasons heading up the Lockport program, where he finished with a record of 105-111. Hespell takes over a program that has one regional championship in the past 45 years.

City/Suburban Hoops Report: Warren’s revival, Lindblom’s rise, national struggles

2023-12-05T10:41:47.629-06:00

Warren players react after winning the game against Bolingbrook at the Chicago Elite Classic.

Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

This isn’t a declaration that Warren basketball is back to Chuck Ramsey-coached levels. However, with the start the Blue Devils are off to, coupled with the fact a star freshman is leading a relatively young roster, it’s a team that’s definitely going to be talked about often over the next few months –– and maybe years?

Highly-successful yearly runs under Ramsey were the norm. Ramsey’s Warren teams won 20-plus games 11 times, along with 14 regional championships and seven sectional titles from 1994-2012. Both the 1999 and 2011 teams finished second in the state.

Remarkably, Warren hasn’t won 20 games or a regional championship since Ramsey retired following the sectional championship season of 2011-12.

Now heralded freshman point guard Jaxson Davis is leading a revival. He shined this past weekend in fueling the Blue Devils to a win over ranked Bolingbrook in the Chicago Elite Classic. Davis scored 17 points and handed out nine assists in the 77-64 win. But his impact was felt beyond the point total.

For just a freshman, Davis has a calming presence for a team that looks to him to control tempo, run the offense and handle pressure with poise beyond his age and experience.

Warren, which has climbed to No. 14 in the most recent Super 25 rankings, is now on the radar with wins over New Trier and Bolingbrook. With Davis (17.4 ppg), the 6-5 Alex Daniels (11.7 ppg) and junior Javerion Banks (12.6 ppg), coach Zack Ryan’s team has established itself as the frontrunner in what was expected to be a wide open North Suburban Conference.

Lindblom’s rise

Keep an eye on Lindblom and Je’Shawn Stevenson.

As a big-bodied guard who can shoot, Stevenson is a go-to offensive force capable of scoring in so many different ways. The Cleveland State recruit poured in 26 points in a Chicago Elite Classic win over Joliet West. His running mate in the backcourt, senior Quentin McCoy, added 23 points.

Even while winning 18 games a year ago, the Eagles were thumped by the Chicago Public League’s elite last season. But Stevenson and McCoy were two of six seniors returning, so the expectations within the program were raised heading into this season. A win over a ranked team this past weekend, however, provided coach Narvel Newson some much-needed validation before key Red-South/Central games begin this month.

Lindblom will continue to try and build confidence and momentum in preparation for the Class 3A playoffs in three months. In each of the past two seasons the Eagles have lost tight, down-to-the-wire regional championship games, falling 49-48 to St. Laurence last year and a 47-44 loss to Nazareth two years ago.

There is a lot of basketball to be played, but it’s a team with a legitimate star that can certainly claim the program’s first regional championship since 2011.

National struggles

It was an extremely rough day Saturday for Illinois teams in the 12th annual Chicago Elite Classic. The five out-of-state programs left Chicago winning all five matchups, beating Hyde Park, Curie, Homewood-Flossmoor, Young and Mount Carmel.

But Illinois has had its share of problems playing nationally-recognized programs in this event over the years.

In the last five Chicago Elite Classics that have been played, Illinois teams are just 6-16.

Previewing the Chicago Elite Classic

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Kenwood’s Calvin Robins (0) grabs a rebound and puts up a shot against Lincoln Park.

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

The annual Chicago Elite Classic is set for its 12th year. With that type of run, the event now has a bonafide history and a tradition of being the first marquee high school basketball attraction on the calendar.

Over the course of two days and 13 games played this Friday and Saturday at Credit Union 1 Arena at UIC, the event will showcase eight of the top 10 teams currently ranked in the Super 25.

The big one: No. 1 Kenwood vs. No. 2 Thornton. This is one of those must-see games of the year.

And the Chicago Elite Classic didn’t hold back in landing top-flight, out-of-state programs. Gonzaga out of Washington, DC. is a nationally-recognized program, while Pace (Ga.), Cardinal Ritter (Mo.) and Vashon (Mo.) are all defending state champions. Sidwell Friends, another DC power, is ranked among the top 10 teams in the country.

Here is a look at each of the event’s 13 games scheduled for this weekend.

Friday, Dec. 1

No. 19 Simeon vs. Hillcrest, 4:30 p.m.

A different look for these two teams in 2023-24, but it’s still two of the the premier basketball programs in the state with a long, successful history.

Oak Park vs. Fenwick, 6 p.m.

This rivalry heats up with anticipation following strong, surprising starts from both teams over Thanksgiving week.

St. Laurence vs. No. 8 Marist, 7:30 p.m.

Marist’s 6-8 Stephen Brown is an emerging sophomore star while 6-6 newcomer Darshan Thomas has provided an early-season boost. St. Laurence counters with the 1-2 punch of junior guard Zerrick Johnson and Denver recruit Josh Pickett.

Lane vs. No. 10 DePaul Prep, 9 p.m.

With defending Class 2A champs and Catholic League power DePaul Prep on the docket, it’s a massive opportunity for a Lane program that has arguably its best team in decades.

Saturday, Dec. 2

Lindblom vs. No. 20 Joliet West, 9 a.m.

Get there early for a battle featuring two future Division I guards: Lindblom’s Je’Shawn Stevenson (Cleveland State) and Joliet West’s Justus McNair (Valpo).

No. 14 Bolingbrook vs. No. 24 Warren, 10:30 a.m.

The much-talked-about freshmen, Bolingbrook’s Davion Thompson and Warren’s Jaxson Davis, receive all the buzz. But Bolingbrook’s JT Pettigrew, a 6-7 junior, was MVP of last weekend’s Decatur Turkey Tournament.

Riverside-Brookfield vs. No. 17 St. Ignatius, noon

A fun one featuring some great bloodlines as star attractions — St. Ignatius’ Phoenix Gill, the son of Kendall Gill, and R-B sophomore Cameron Mercer (15.5 ppg), the son of Ron Mercer. How will Ignatius handle Stefan Cicic, a 6-11, 240-pound big man and one of the top uncommitted prospects in the state?

Hyde Park vs. Pace (Ga.), 1:30 p.m.

Jurrell Baldwin and Hyde Park will have their hands full. Pace coach Sharman White, who won his 500th career game last week, has led the program to five state championships since 2016. The defending state champs are loaded again with 6-2 point guard KJ Greene, a Central Florida recruit, and junior guard Eric Chatfield. LJ Moore is a 6-7 senior committed to the University of Chicago.

No. 7 Curie vs. Sidwell Friends (Washington, DC), 3 p.m.

With four starters returning from a 29-win team, including Georgetown commit Caleb Williams, Sidwell Friends should be even better than a year ago. This year’s team is considered to be among the top 10 in the country.

No. 4 Homewood-Flossmoor vs. Gonzaga (Washington, DC), 4:30 p.m.

How will the Vikings, led by juniors Bryce Heard and Jayden Tyler, handle the big stage and a national power? Gonzaga is loaded with junior talent, including three top 100 players in the Class of 2025: 6-9 Christian Gurdak, who boasts several high-major offers, and guards Derek Dixon and Nykolas Lewis.

No. 6 Young vs. Cardinal Ritter (Mo.), 6 p.m.

All Cardinal Ritter has done is win three of the last four state championships — 10 overall in program history — and returns virtually everyone from last season’s Missouri 5A title team. The headliners are point guard Clayton Jackson and 6-5 Nashawn Davis.

A youthful but talented Young team, led by junior Antonio Munoz, sophomore Marquis Clark and emerging freshman Howard Williams, will have a big early-season measuring stick opportunity.

No. 1 Kenwood vs. No. 2 Thornton, 7:30 p.m.

It’s always a treat when you get No. 1 vs. No. 2 –– no matter what part of the season it comes together. This one has the potential to be pretty special with the star talent both teams can trot on the floor.

Coach Mike Irvin’s Kenwood team is stacked with talent, starting with the senior trio of 6-5 Chris Riddle (DePaul), 6-11 Jaden Smith (Arizona State) and 6-5 Calvin Robins. But the talent continues with Aleks Austin, a 6-9 junior with high-major offers.

Kenwood’s first big test of the season, however, is a doozy, getting the No. 2 ranked team and top player in the state in just its third game.

When it comes to Thornton, which passed a big test over the weekend with a 67-65 win over Peoria Richwoods, everything revolves around 6-9 Morez Johnson. The Illinois commit is the state’s top player. The perimeter attack of three key newcomers via transfer — Meyoh Swansey, Chase Abraham and Isaiah Green, who transferred to Thornton from Kenwood — are primed and ready to provide plenty of support.

No. 5 Mount Carmel vs. Vashon (Mo.), 9 p.m.

The Caravan, led by Northwestern recruit Angelo Ciaravino, face perennial Missouri power Vashon, which has won three straight Class 4A state championships. Vashon’s Nicholas Randall is a talented 6-7 junior with offers from Illinois, Kansas State, Missouri and Louisville.

City/Suburban Hoops Report Three-Pointer: The freshmen stars, Rolling Meadows and Catholic League hype

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Warren’t Jaxson Davis shoots against Larkin at the Riverside-Brookfield Summer Shootout.

Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

This is a freshman class in the state that’s been talked about a whole lot before even playing a game. If the first week of the season was any indication, the early hype was well deserved.

The impact was to be expected from an exciting and talented group, including Warren’s Jaxson Davis, Bolingbrook’s Davion Thompson, Young’s Howard Williams and Kenwood’s Devin Cleveland.

But how soon? That was answered quickly and emphatically: immediately.

Davis helped lead Warren to a 3-1 start by not only scoring but filling the stat sheet. The 6-0 point guard put up 18.3 points, 5.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 steals in the Blue Devils’ first four games.

Bolingbrook came home from Decatur with a tournament title, thanks in part to the all-tournament performance of Thompson. The Raiders swept all three games as the 6-2 guard averaged 14.5 points a game.

Williams was spectacular for Young in the opening week of the season. The 6-5 wing’s production was eye-opening. He averaged 15.6 points, 3.6 assists and 2.3 blocks in three games.

Meanwhile, Cleveland played in Kenwood’s lone varsity game last week — a blowout win over Hansberry — but led the Broncos to a junior varsity title over the weekend. Kenwood won the Turkey Challenge Hoopfest at Quest as Cleveland led the younger Broncos to five wins and dazzled with 23 points a game. Cleveland will make his impact soon enough at the varsity level.

All four of these fantastic freshmen will be on display at this weekend’s Chicago Elite Classic at UIC, where Warren and Davis will square off with Bolingbrook and Thompson Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

Turning the page in Rolling Meadows

In a tournament that included perennial winners Evanston, Wheaton South and Fremd, along with a sneaky, veteran Fenton team fresh off winning a school record 24 games last season, it was Rolling Meadows that rolled through the field with a 4-0 record.

Life after the Christie brothers — Max Christie is with the Lakers and Cameron is averaging 10 points a game at Minnesota — will be a work in progress. But coach Kevin Katovich’s young, inexperienced Mustangs passed their first test with flying colors.

There is a veteran junior in Ian Miletic to lean on. He’s been a key role player the past two seasons, and the multi-faceted 6-7 wing is ready to take a big step forward. In the four wins last week, Miletic averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds a game.

Rolling Meadows, which hasn’t lost a Mid-Suburban League East game since 2020, is riding a winning streak of 30 straight league games. Now this junior-dominated team, which also includes returner Jack Duffer (11 ppg), looks to have another two-year window where it can contend.

The Mustangs will be battling favored Prospect for a MSL East title this year.

Catholic League living up to the hype

The much-talked about Catholic League Blue certainly did its part in fanning the flames of being the best basketball conference in the state.

DePaul, De La Salle, Mount Carmel and Brother Rice all went 4-0 in winning their respective Thanksgiving tournaments. Loyola and St. Ignatius went 3-1, losing only to ranked teams, and surprising Fenwick beat West Aurora at the buzzer to win the Hoops for Healing Tournament at Oswego.

There will be weekly battles in this league no other conference can match throughout the winter. The first significant one will be Friday night when Loyola travels to Brother Rice.

Chicago’s 30 best high school basketball games this season

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Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jayden Tyler (0) drives toward the basket as Marian Catholic’s Zack Sharkey (22) defends.

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

With the Thanksgiving tournaments in the books, head into the high school basketball regular season. And there is no shortage of high-profile games featuring ranked teams each and every week.

There are traditional rivalries, conference showdowns and highly anticipated matchups featuring star talent.

Here are 30 must-see regular-season games this season to put on the calendar.

December

Bolingbrook vs. Warren, Dec. 1

Bolingbrook has been a constant in the Super 25 in recent years. Warren is trying to return there. But there is no getting around the fact this one is highlighted by two precocious freshmen who shined in the opening week: Bolingbrook’s Davion Thompson and Warren’s Jaxson Davis.

Thornton vs. Kenwood, Dec. 1

This has the potential to be in the Game of the Year conversation as Kenwood and Thornton are No. 1 and No. 2 ranked team teams in the Super 25.

Batavia at Lake Park, Dec. 1

The two favorites in the DuKane Conference meet in an early season showdown. High-scoring guard Camden Cerese and DuKane favorite Lake Park will try and hold off upstart Batavia and junior Jax Abalos.

Yorkville at Oswego East, Dec. 8

Quite a streak will be on the line. Oswego East, led by Wyoming recruit Jehvion Starwood, hasn’t lost a conference game since the 2020-2021 season. Ranked Yorkville comes to town with Jason Jakstys, a skilled 6-10 senior headed to Illinois.

St. Ignatius at Loyola, Dec. 8

A key Catholic League game is also one of the best rivalries around. Loyola, however, has dominated the Jesuit Cup, winning nine of the last 10 games between the two rivals.

Curie vs. Downers Grove North, Dec. 10
at Team Rose Shootout

A pair of top 10 teams, featuring Division I guards Jack Stanton of DGN and Carlos Harris of Curie, collide in what should be the best game at the Team Rose Shootout at Mount Carmel.

Curie at Simeon, Dec. 14

Simeon’s first big Public League test — post-Robert Smith. Curie coach Mike Oliver has been through dozens of these over the years, while Simeon first-year coach Tim Flowers has only experienced it as a player.

Loyola at DePaul Prep, Dec. 15

Those who love defense, this is your game as two of the best defensive-minded teams square off in an early, pivotal game in the loaded Chicago Catholic League.

Benet at Naperville North, Dec. 23

A neighborhood holiday bash as Benet travels three miles to face star guard Luke Williams and the Huskies.

January

New Trier at Glenbrook North, Jan. 5

The recent history between these two is dramatic. After splitting the two regular-season games last year, New Trier stunned GBN at the buzzer in the sectional championship. Winning the always strong Central Suburban League South is a grind. This will go a long way in determining who is in the early driver’s seat.

Kenwood at Curie, Jan. 11

Could this be this season’s Game of the Year in the Public League?

Homewood-Flossmoor vs. DePaul Prep, Jan. 6
at Steve Pappas Shootout

The final game of a terrific four-game lineup at DePaul Prep brings together a pair of top 10 teams and plenty of individual talent, including DePaul’s unsigned senior, Jaylan McElroy, and HF junior Bryce Heard.

Kenwood vs. Normal, Jan. 6
at Highland Shootout

A pair of teams with visions of playing the final weekend in Champaign will meet in the southern part of the state. There won’t be a game all season featuring more size than this one. Kenwood’s 6-11 Jaden Smith, 6-5 Chris Riddle and 6-5 Calvin Robins tangle with Normal’s 6-9 Jaheem Weber, 6-8 Noah Cleveland, 6-5 Niko Newsome and 6-9 Kobe Walker.

Metamora vs. Thornton, Jan. 6
at Highland Shootout

This is one of those unique games you wish were played more often as the defending Class 3A state champs from central Illinois face Thornton. Keep an eye on future Big Ten players Morez Johnson and Cooper Koch, who have signed with Illinois and Iowa, respectively.

Marist at Brother Rice, Jan. 16

A rivalry at its best featuring two schools two miles apart. Last year Brother Rice won 49-48. The year before it was a Brother Rice win in double overtime. Both jumped out to 4-0 starts and won Thanksgiving tournaments this season. The picture has been painted. This one will be fun.

Niles North at Niles West, Jan. 19

This rivalry heats up this season as both are together in the Central Suburban League North. Plus, last year’s regional game between the two was a barnburner as Niles North stayed alive and advanced with a 62-61 win. While Niles North remains the clear favorite in the CSL North, this is Niles West’s best team in years.

Rich at Kankakee, Jan. 19

The Southland Conference will provide a whole lot of buzzworthy games over the next three months, including this one featuring two of the best sophomores in the state: Rich’s Jamson Coulter and Kankakee’s Lincoln Williams

Downers Grove North vs. Homewood-Flossmoor, Jan. 20
at When Sides Collide

Jack Stanton, one of the state’s top guards and shooters, leads a Downers North team in what is a big midseason test for two teams ranked among the top five in the preseason.

Kenwood vs. Mount Carmel, Jan. 20
at When Sides Collide

A pair of powers just two miles apart on the South Side square off in a Catholic League vs. Public League battle, a game that includes four of the top 10 prospects in the senior class.

Benet vs. Thornton, Jan. 20
at When Sides Collide

Yes, two very talented teams. But it’s also a showcase for the top-ranked senior prospect, Thornton’s Morez Johnson, and the No. 1 prospect in the sophomore class, Benet’s Gabe Sularski.

Thornton at Bloom, Jan. 23

A circle-the-date matchup for fans in the south suburbs with Southland Conference supremacy on the line. Bloom took care of Thornton twice last season.

Young at Lane, Jan. 24

This will be a dicey road trip for perennial power Young. This will be an important one in deciding the Public League’s Red-West/North and sectional seeds.

New Trier at Glenbrook South, Jan. 26

The Trevians will be favored to repeat in the Central Suburban League South. But a trip to the Titan Dome in late January will be a big test and have big league implications.

Bloom vs. Loyola, Jan. 27
at War on the Shore

A really fun south suburbs vs. north suburbs showdown with different styles and a track record of winning programs. Enjoy the backcourt matchup of Loyola senior Miles Boland and Bloom junior Elijah Lovemore.

February

Romeoville at Joliet West, Feb. 2

The two favorites in the Southwest Prairie East feature some star talent. Joliet West’s Justus McNair, a Valpo recruit, and Romeoville’s dynamic guard EJ Mosley, one of the top juniors in the state, are the headliners.

Benet at Marist, Feb. 2

The second of two huge games between the two East Suburban Catholic Conference favorites. Plus, the top two sophomore prospects in the state — Benet’s Gabe Sularski and Marist’s Stephen Brown — square off.

York at Lake Park, Feb. 3

York’s AJ Levine and Lake Park’s Camden Cerese are two of the best unsung, high-scoring guards in the state. Sectional seeds will be at stake as well as both are likely vying for top four seeds in the same sectional.

Warren at Lake Forest, Feb. 6

Pick any number of games in the North Suburban Conference this year and you’ll find a battle and one that will factor into who wins the league. But there’s a feeling these two teams, boosted by some younger talent, will be hitting on all cylinders by the time this late-season clash arrives.

Bolingbrook at Homewood-Flossmoor, Feb. 13

A final conference showdown between these two as Bolingbrook is moving on to the Southwest Prairie next year. How fun would it be if first-place was on the line in this regular-season finale?

DePaul Prep at Benet, Feb. 16

There is a chance this one features the champions from the Chicago Catholic League and the East Suburban Catholic Conference meeting just before the state tournament tips.

10 fearless forecasts for the high school basketball season

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Lane’s Dalton Scantlebury (35) shoots over Downers Grove North’s Jacob Bozeman (5) last season.

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

Here are 10 fearless forecasts for the 2023-24 high school basketball season.

De La Salle will win its first sectional title in over 40 years.

There have been a lot of very good De La Salle teams since coach Jerry Tokars last led the Meteors to a sectional championship in 1983.

Seventeen different De La Salle teams have captured regional championships since 1983. But there hasn’t been a single one of those 17 teams to claim a sectional title and play in a super-sectional.

Current coach Gary DeCesare has led the Meteors to back-to-back regional titles, and last year’s team was a No. 1 seed. But Fenwick upset De La Salle in the sectional semifinals.

But that long streak of sectional losses ends this March. There is endless size and length, senior leaders and a host of impressive young players to help get DeCesare’s Meteors over the hump. Plus, the team that has won this sectional each of the past two seasons — St. Ignatius — has moved up to Class 4A this season.

The most impactful transfer in the state not named Morez Johnson will be Lathan Sommerville.

There were three top-five senior prospects in the state, all headed to the Big Ten next year, who have moved schools for their final year of high school: Morez Johnson to Thornton, Lathan Sommerville to Peoria Richwoods and Cooper Koch to Metamora.

Bryce Heard, arguably the top junior prospect, moved back from a prep school and has helped boost Homewood-Flossmoor toward the top of the rankings.

And there were plenty of other top players who moved to new schools, so there is going to be no shortage of high-impact transfers across the state.

Yes, Johnson’s impact as the state’s top-ranked prospect on a team that struggled a year ago is going to be the biggest. But Sommerville’s move back to Peoria will also be gigantic.

Sommerville is a multi-faceted 6-10 big man who can beat you in several ways with his size around the basket and his skill away from it. The Rutgers recruit joins a team that won 25 games last season and returns its top scorer, guard Tavie Smith (18.2 ppg).

Richwoods reached a sectional championship game last season, losing to … Metamora.

Both will be back again with their future Big Ten players impacting the potential rematch.

Gabe Sularski will be the biggest breakout player in the sophomore class

This is almost cheating.

Considering the 6-6 Benet Academy sophomore has already broken out without playing a varsity game yet — Sularski has double-digit high-major offers in the offseason — this seems like a layup. But facts are facts.

Sularski has grown considerably since a year ago, even since his breakout performance this past June during the high school live periods. He’s grown physically and improved his efficiency with his perimeter jumper. He’s the best player on a team that will again be among the best in the Chicago area.

Thornton reclaims its throne in Southland

The Wildcats haven’t won a conference title since the 2019-2020 season. For most programs that’s not a big deal. But for proud, tradition-rich Thornton basketball, that’s quite a stretch.

Whether it was in the Southland Conference or in the old Southwest Suburban Red or SICA East, Thornton won 10 conference championships over 13 years from 2007-08 to 2019-20 but has been title-less in conference play the past three seasons.

Even though the two-time defending champ Bloom is highly ranked and stacked again — and both Kankakee and Rich Twp. are on the cusp of being top 25 teams — Thornton, star Morez Johnson and a revamped roster wins the Southland Conference.

York will have the biggest turnaround season of any team.

The Dukes didn’t even crack the top half of the loaded West Suburban Silver last year, finishing 3-9 overall. They nearly lost 20 games, finishing 13-18.

But coach Mike Dunn’s team showed enough competitiveness last year — and upside this past summer — to believe a complete turnaround is on the horizon.

Is York ready to challenge highly-ranked Downers Grove North for the top spot in the league? Well … Baby steps first. But the Dukes are the prime challenger.

AJ Levine, an unheralded scoring point guard, is finally starting to get the attention he deserves. He recently committed to Penn and has received plenty of preseason accolades. Plus, York has yet another highly undervalued player ready to shine: 6-6 senior wing Kyle Waltz. Watch for Waltz, who averaged just under 10 points a game last season, to burst on the scene this season.

York can certainly flirt with 20 wins and put themselves in position — if sectional assignments remain the same — for a top-four seed, along with Benet, Lake Park, Naperville North, Metea Valley, Batavia and Wheaton South.

Lane wins its first regional championship

Even with a Division I caliber player leading the way for a senior-dominated team that’s ranked in the preseason, a regional title is far from a gimme.

For starters, since the regional format began in Illinois high school basketball, Lane has never won one. That’s quite a mental hurdle to get over.

This was also a .500 team just one year ago and plays in an always-rugged sectional field where regional titles are still a grind to win. This is a sectional where if it remains the same as a year ago, it will include Downers Grove North, Young, Curie — and possibly St. Ignatius.

But that fifth spot appears to be wide open, and it’s the call here that the Shaheed Soledo-led Champions (yes, that is Lane’s nickname) find a way to claim their first-ever regional title.

Wauconda wins its first sectional championship

Whoa. Now there’s a big, bold forecast.

Back in 2019-20, Covid wiped out Wauconda’s first-ever sectional championship game appearance as the pandemic ended the season abruptly.

The 2021-22 season saw the Bulldogs win 25 games and a regional title before losing in the sectional semifinals.

Those were the only two sectional appearances in Wauconda history.

The combination of a go-to player in 6-4 guard Braeden Carlson, who averaged over 20 points a game last season, a senior-dominated team with great size and an always winnable Class 3A sectional, allows Wauconda to make some program history in March.

While Carlson, a Division I recruit headed to Mercer, is a four-year varsity performer and fresh off breaking the school’s single-season scoring record, coach Ty Weidner has a surplus of players with multiple years of varsity experience, including 6-5 Tyler Tylka, the team leader in rebounds, blocks and assists, and shooter Cayden Mudd.

There will be a set of teams in one Class 3A sectional quietly bummed out when the IHSA releases its sectional assignments in a few weeks.

Where does the IHSA send the defending Class 2A state champs, a team that is highly ranked, returns the bulk of its team, and is moving up to Class 3A this season?

DePaul Prep will be a wild card in the Class 3A field after rolling to a 2A state championship last year. Whatever sectional coach Tom Kleinschmidt’s team is added to will immediately alter the postseason hopes for a team or two come state tournament time.

Class 3A sectionals are not generally stacked with depth. DePaul could be a team that vaults to the top of a sectional and pushes everyone down a step on the seeding ladder.

But where will DePaul, located on the North Side of Chicago, be sent?

Schurz and Lake View, schools that are just two miles in different directions from DePaul, were both 3A schools last year. They were sent south — to the De La Salle Sectional. That’s where fellow Chicago Catholic League foes of DePaul, like Fenwick and De La Salle, played last year with St. Ignatius, which is now a Class 4A school. Using previous IHSA assignments as a guide, this makes sense.

However, St. Patrick is just four miles straight west of DePaul and was sent to the Grayslake Central Sectional last year, where it was matched up with suburban schools like Lake Forest, Niles Notre Dame and St. Viator. Could the IHSA send DePaul in that direction?

Or does the IHSA mix it all up in Class 3A?

Right now there are some odd geographical fits when it comes to Class 3A sectional hosts and the schools that are included. Remember, Simeon, Hyde Park, St. Laurence and Mount Carmel, all South Side schools in the city, played a sectional in Glen Ellyn at Glenbard South last March.

The Top 10 teams that won’t stay there: Simeon and St. Ignatius

Now here is some bulletin board material for the Wolverines and Wolfpack, ranked No. 9 and No. 10, respectively, in the Super 25 preseason rankings.

Cut this out. Pin it up in the locker room. And send the disrespect messages this way when the season concludes.

Both Simeon and St. Ignatius are very good, teams that should be ranked and talked about. But there is so much going against each of them in 2023-24, starting with the fact they are both moving up from Class 3A to Class 4A. Those regional and sectional championships at the end of the year are going to be a lot more difficult to come by.

Coach Matt Monroe has led St. Ignatius to heights the program has never seen before, finishing among the top four teams in Class 3A in each of the past two seasons. However, the obstacles in maintaining that level of success may prove to be too cumbersome.

For starters, the Chicago Catholic League is an absolute monster this season; the losses are inevitable with the schedule the Wolfpack will play within the league and in non-conference play. In addition, when state tournament time rolls around, the sectional St. Ignatius will likely be playing in will look a whole lot different than a year ago.

Last year at this time St. Ignatius was an overwhelming future pick to be playing in Champaign. And to its credit, Iggy lived up to it. But the Wolfpack played Elmwood Park, Perspectives/IIT Math & Science, Westinghouse, Fenwick and Grayslake Central on its road to Champaign.

Also, there is no denying the fact the loss of top-level talent over the past two years to graduation, including AJ Redd, Kolby Gilles, Richard Barron and Jackson Kotecki, is impossible to ignore and so difficult to replace.

Yes, junior guard Phoenix Gill has a chance to be special, a player capable of carrying this team. A healthy Reggie Ray is huge. But time will tell if the supporting cast can develop and emerge to the point where this team can stay in the top 10 when the season concludes.

Simeon, meanwhile, lost all five starters and six of its top seven players from last year’s state runner-up team. And it’s not as if Simeon’s younger classes were loaded. And, oh, they lost the most successful coach in state history who was running the ship for the past two decades.

Fortunately, coach Tim Flowers was able to secure a couple of very talented transfers in Dekwon Brown from Peoria and sophomore Andre Tyler from St. Rita.

The guess here is the IHSA will send St. Ignatius west, where a sectional would include Cure, Young and Downers Grove North, and Simeon will head south with Kenwood, Homewood-Flossmoor, Bloom, Marist and Brother Rice. That’s some tough sledding for both to maintain a top-10 ranking at the end of the season.

The 50th anniversary of the Big Dipper this December will mark the re-emergence of this once-great tournament.

The Big Dipper, the venerable holiday tournament in the south suburbs, was once a must-see event on the high school calendar. But in recent years the tournament has lost nearly all of its luster.

That will change in 2023.

The tournament has Thornton and Homewood-Flossmoor, teams ranked No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, in the preseason Super 25 rankings. The talent on those two rosters, headed by Illinois recruit Morez Johnson of Thornton, will attract and excite fans.

But the tournament also boasts perennial power Hillcrest, Hyde Park and Jurrell Baldwin, one of the top unsigned seniors in the state, intriguing teams in Westinghouse, Eisenhower, Thornwood and Evergreen Park, and the host school, Rich Twp. with exciting sophomore Jamson Coulter.

There is also an out-of-state team from across the border in Indiana, Bishop Noll in Hammond, which is led by former Illinois prep player Jaedin Reyna, who began his career at St. Rita. Reyna is now a senior and among the top players in the state of Indiana.

That mix of teams and talent elevates this tournament — virtually overnight — to one of the top five holiday tournaments in the state. That’s a far cry from where this tournament has been in recent years.

The south suburbs have been aching for a little return to glory for this tournament, and it’s going to get it this December.

Steadying forces: A look at 17 seniors ready to take a step up this season

2023-11-19T14:52:56.939-06:00

Metea Valley’s Will Ashford (22) shoots and hits a three against Conant.

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

Senior love. As this season tips off, it’s time to throw a whole bunch around.

Every year there are seniors who are simply ready to shine at a different level — a higher level.

This is the group that impressed as juniors with breakthrough seasons. They are productive, go-to players for their respective teams, but they’re not household names in the high school basketball world just yet.

But with additional experience and the added confidence of being a senior, they’re capable of putting a team on their shoulders when needed.

Here are 17 seniors ready to do just that.

AJ Levine, York

The West Suburban Silver was loaded a year ago. There were three teams that won 26-plus games and were ranked all year.

Individually, Hinsdale Central’s Ben Ooosterbaan (St. Thomas) and Lyons Township’s Nik Polonowski (Penn) were Division I recruits. Jack Stanton and Downers Grove North took the month of March by storm.

Meanwhile, York, while competitive but not yet ready to play with the big boys of the league, was led by a junior guard who was impactful but overlooked: AJ Levine.

The 6-0 combo guard is ready to lead the Dukes after putting up 17 points, 3.9 rebounds and three assists a game last season. He’s blessed with the combination of being a creator for others and a scorer with shooting range and efficiency.

Levine, who just picked up an offer from Penn, is an all-area caliber guard who will certainly receive more pub with the numbers he puts up and the improvement of York this season.

Camden Cerese, Lake Park

A prime example of the type of work Cerese puts in to improve his game is the monster jump he made from his sophomore to junior season. He improved his scoring by 16 points a game.

There is no player who produced more last year for a winning team with less fanfare than Cerese.

All Cerese did was average 21 points a game as a junior — up from his five points a game as a sophomore — while leading his team to 22 wins and a regional championship.

Now, a year older and better, the 6-1 guard is going to be an absolute load to handle for DuKane Conference foes and beyond. There are some serious headline moments ahead.

Cerese is a scrappy competitor who outworks opponents while finding a way to score. He plays with a unique style, from posting up as a guard to a pull-up, mid-range game that is pure old school.

Miles Boland, Loyola

After a highly-productive junior year, which included 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists, the 6-2 combo guard embarks on a senior season where he’s set to surpass 1,000 career points as a two-year captain.

Boland is a complete player who fills the stat sheet in the backcourt. From scoring ability to his vision to the intangibles he possesses, Boland checks off so many boxes for coach Tom Livatino. As a shooter, he connected on 53 three-pointers as a junior after knocking down 70 threes as a sophomore.

You’re not going to see any Loyola player regularly pump in 20-plus in games, but with Boland you’re going to get the key play, the right play, in the big and important moments. The steady numbers will be there, but so too will the little things that help you win.

Cale Cosme, Brother Rice

Ahmad Henderson was an all-state point guard for the Crusaders last year who is now shining as a freshman at Niagara. While Cosme played an important role last year for coach Conte Stamas’ 30-win team, the keys are officially turned over to Cosme this year.

He’s made a name for himself already — first due to his robust play at a diminutive size and then with a monumental postseason performance in a sectional final loss to Kenwood last March. The 5-8 Cosme was sensational while his highlights from his 27-point game, which included seven three-pointers, went viral on social media.

But now with way more responsibility and the ball in his hands, Cosme is set to become one of the top point guards in the Chicago area as a senior.

Cosme, who is headed to Division II Lewis University, is a blast to watch play because of how he plays. He’s smart, crafty and is the quintessential point guard who makes reads effortlessly and makes those around him better. And as proven with his outburst against Kenwood, there is scoring capability.

Josh Fridman, Glenbrook North

Simply put, Fridman is one of the elite point guards in the state.

Now if the 5-10 senior could just avoid the injury bug and stay healthy.

Fridman went down with a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum following his sophomore season and missed a large chunk of the offseason in 2022. Then he tore his ACL late last season, ending what was a dynamic junior year. He scored 15 points a game in helping a GBN team that won 28 games and earned a No. 2 sectional seed.

But Fridman is the player who is so much more than the numbers. He’s a spark plug lead guard who brings a pass-first mentality, yet he’s a more than capable scorer off the bounce and with his perimeter jumper.

DJ Bolden, Westinghouse

This 6-1 guard shows up, goes to work, gets to his spots and scores his points. Bolden is constantly pressuring opposing defenses, putting points on the board in bunches with his scoring and shot-making ability off the dribble.

Bolden averaged more than 20 points a game last season as a junior — in the Chicago Public League — while winning 19 games and a Class 3A regional title. But Bolden remains more of a mystery than other city stars.

He’s added weight and strength while still playing with that relentless, fun style.

And several more overlooked seniors ready for more fanfare …

Larenz Walters, Kankakee

What a junior campaign the 6-2 guard put together. He scored a single-game school record 43 points in one game en route to averaging 18.3 points a game. He also added over three rebounds and three assists a game.

What will Walters, who shoots a soft jumper with extended range, do for an encore?

The quarterback of the football team suffered a sprained knee three weeks ago but should be good to go when the season starts. He’s set to lead a Kankakee team that is on the fringes of being ranked.

Davee Flowers, Niles West

If Niles West climbs the ladder of the always tough Central Suburban League South, they’ll do it behind the play of Flowers. The 6-2 senior guard is one of the more adept scorers in the class.

Flowers averaged 13 points a game as a sophomore and dropped an exciting 15.2 points a game last season. He does it in a variety of ways — with his jumper, getting to the rim and in transition — but still plays in anonymity.

AJ Abrams, Eisenhower

A player with the credentials of Abrams deserves more attention. He was the South Suburban Red Player of the Year as a junior who put up a whopping 21 points and eight rebounds a game. A similar season will put the senior guard well past 1,500 career points. And an improved, veteran Eisenhower team will help in gaining some notoriety outside the south suburbs.

Will Ashford, Metea Valley

A big summer showed Ashford is set to expand his game and increase his solid numbers from a year ago when he put up 12 points and six rebounds a game.

The 6-6 athletic wing is as multifaceted as they come. He will post up and face up from the three-point line. He will rebound and lead the break. He will play above the rim with dunks and block shots.

Ashford is one of the best-kept secrets in the senior class.

Alejandro Diaz, Fenton

Fenton won the most games in school history last season, thanks in large part to the standout play of Diaz. The 6-2 guard did a little of everything at both ends of the floor for the Bison in helping them to 24 wins.

There were some real eye-opening numbers: 17.3 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals a game. But there were also the 15 charges taken and being an elite student in the classroom.

Deshawn Nolan, Oak Forest

The 5-11 Nolan plays with speed and athleticism. A playmaking guard who is in attack mode with the ball in his hands, Nolan will break down defenders and find his way to the basket, both in the halfcourt and in the open floor. Last season he averaged 13 points, three rebounds and three assists a game.

Corey Lee, Oak Lawn

A stellar junior year — the 6-0 point guard averaged 12.2 points and 4.2 assists a game — included some exclamation points, including 25 points against De La Salle and 26 against Riverside-Brookfield.

Lee’s strength gives him an advantage in isolation and in getting to the rim, but he’s also a very capable three-point threat.

Treshawn Blissett, Waubonsie Valley

While his junior year stats aren’t eye-popping, Blissett’s high ceiling and the overall spring and summer he put together are a springboard for a big senior year.

A jack-of-all-trades, the rangy 6-5 Blissett averaged 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists a game while being a constant threat on the defensive end with his length — he averaged 1.5 steals and one block a game.

Look for the scoring numbers to increase as he’s become a better all-around scorer.

Wandy Munoz, Wheaton Academy

A complete no-namer, the jet-quick Munoz is a scorer (13 ppg) and distributor (4 apg) who can disrupt defensively, breaking the single-season team steals record with 65 in just 19 games. The 5-10 point guard, who has competed with the Dominican Republic FIBA U18 team, missed the spring and summer with an injury but is set for a big senior season.

Anthony Kemp, Bradley-Bourbonnais

This is another conference player of the year as a junior who few have heard much about up to this point. The 6-6 Kemp blossomed as a junior, winning Southwest Suburban Red Player of the Year honors while helping his team to a league title.

Kemp averaged 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. He can look the part of slasher, finisher, shooter, runner in transition … you name it. Kemp provides a team tremendous flexibility.

Nolan Sexton, Evergreen Park

A three-year veteran in the backcourt, Sexton is fresh off a junior season in which he averaged 16 points, six rebounds and three assists a game. A terrific catch-and-shoot weapon, Sexton shoots it with tremendous range that extends to 25 feet.