Saturday Game Day Hoops Mania

“Saturday Game Day Hoops Mania”

Curie 59 – Farragut 55

(Saturday, February 13^th)

On a frigid afternoon in Chicago this city quarter-final ball-game at Curie High-School drew a full house who witnessed the host team escape in a nail biter.  Unfortunately, the slippery playing surface took away some of the game’s luster which should have been in the recorded as a high-level public league game with approximately 9 or 10 division one prospects on the floor.  “For us hoop junkies that’s like being at Maestro’s Steakhouse for a free entre of food and drinks.”  Back to the game – Farragut controlled the game from the start, unsigned senior guard Dulan Scott got things going immediately, scoring seven points in the opening quarter.  In fact the Admirals had the lead up to 12 before Curie’s pressure started to prevail.  Late in the second quarter, the Condors managed to go into the locker-room before half down 28-21.  Farragut came out in the second half playing tentative and uncertain of the Condor’s pressure spots.  Roller skate conditions might have contributed to some to the Admiral’s spree of miscues.  Junior point-guard Mike Johnson’s three point play put the Condors up 36-35 with 1:38 remaining in the third.  The Admirals split two foul shots to tie it, but then talented freshman guard Aaron Strong capped the scoring in the period to put Farragut up 38-36.  Johnson, a DePaul Prep transfer really stabilized Curie’s offense in the third/fourth quarter which enabled DePaul University recruit Devon Gage to string together 11 points in a crucial fourth quarter, his late game clutch performance sealed the outcome for Curie who will advance in the semi-finals next week against newly red central rival Kenwood.  Gage finished with 20, Alante Pickens drained several huge three’s in the 2^nd half, he tallied 17, junior stand-out Elijah Joiner managed 9 for the Condors.  Farragut got 19 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assist performance from Scott who has raised his profile immensely this season.  His game is starting to resemble one-time Farragut star Chris Singletary.  “Yes, Scott can play in the A10, Valley, Horizon leagues.  He’s a big-body punishing type guard.  Farragut will be viewed as a dark horse squad in 3A when the state format takes place in a few weeks.  6-8 post Tawon Keith, 6-4 JR Darnell Jones, 6-3 JR Kawanise Wilkins and freshman Aaron Strong who I consider one of the top 10-15 freshmen in the state, this outfit will pose some difficult challenges for upcoming opponents. 

St. Xavier 85 – Chicago Roosevelt 54

(Saturday, February 13^th)

After the Farragut-Curie barnburner, I scooted over to the beautiful downtown campus of Roosevelt University to watch a small college matinee.  “For me it’s important that I spread my wings this time of year to see this kind of environment, which helps me align myself with climate.”  The vast majority of high-school players lay in bed at night pondering dreams & hopes of landing in a division-one setting, unfortunately it’s not in the cards for everyone, some student-athletes are more suited for settings such as this level or Ivy league experience.  Andre Raiford, Sidney Mason, Mike Ballard, Mike Dade, Daniel Ogele, Donovan Ferguson, Ibraham Dosunmu, Miles Curry, Bennett Fuzak, Darius Branch, Christian Soderholm, Lou Griffith and Conner Fuller could enjoy an illustrious career playing collegiately in this environment.  This lop-sided outcome was merely a back-drop of what the ultimate goal should be (education & long-term financial security).

Wright State 61 – Valparaiso 59

(Saturday, February 13^th)

Senior guard Biggie Minnis tip-in with 1 second left won it for the visiting Raiders, who notched their second victory in Horizon League play against the division front runners.  This was a physically hard fought contest, great crowd, excellent climate watched Wright State come out in avenges which seemingly was expected after the Raiders ran into the cartel at Illinois-Chicago on Thursday night and got popped by a fast improving Flames squad.  Wright State obviously has Valpo’s number, they extended their lead in the first half to nine and went into intermission with a 33-24 cushion.  Valpo stormed back to open the second half, cutting the deficit to 37-33, behind the hot shooting of junior forward Alec Peters (Washington, IL).

This was a track to Northwest Indiana that was on my schedule for a while and my faithful companion “Slug” and I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to connect with the Drew’s and our Illinois Warrior alum’s Roger Powell (Joliet West) and Matt Lottich (New Trier) both assistants at Valpo and two guys we absolutely love.

Evansville 74 – Loyola-Chicago 73

(Sunday, February 14^th, 3:00 pm start)

B.J. Balentines’s driving lay-up with 14 seconds left was the game winner for the visiting Purple Aces.  This was a heck of a Missouri Valley Conference rumble on a snowy blustery day in Chicago, but a good crowd was on-hand to support the Rambler’s spirited performance.  In the waning seconds there was a flurry of action at the mid-court mark near Rambler’s end where the Purple Ace’s lost the ball while leading 74-73 with 6.3 seconds remaining Loyola had the last possession, but Marshall alum Milton Doyle’s fall-away jumper from the foul line area fell-off-the mark to end all of the suspense.  Evansville’s six foot ten center Egidijus Mockevicius was impressive, recording game highs with 24 points 16 rebounds and 7 blocks – several NBA teams were on-hand to witness his outing.  Balentine accounted for 16 and Jaylon Brown tallied 12.  Ramblers were down nineteen points at one stretch, stormed back to make it a respectable contest behind the play of Devon Turk (22), Earl Peterson (15), Montel James (8) and sophomore guard Ben Richardson a Kansas City area product did score but in his significant 23 minutes was pivotal as he spear-headed Loyola’s comeback attempt.

February 7th, 2016 Issue

February 7^th, 2016 Issue

Belleville Althoff dismantled the highly regarded Chicago Kenwood squad 80-64 at the Bank of O’Fallon Shoot-Out over the weekend.  The state’s No. 1 junior Jordan Goodwin scored 30 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.  Althoff held Kenwood to a frigid 37 percent shooting night.  Althoff and Morgan Park should collide sometime here in the next 4 weeks.  The two 3A heavyweights will have a bout that will create must see viewing.  We need that kind of big game atmosphere in a down year in our state.

Western Michigan recruit Brandon Johnson a 6-7 forward at T.F. South transferred several weeks ago to Theo Bowman High School in Indiana.  Reportedly he has suited-up several games.

Junior College Wrap-Up

Kishwaukee 74 – Truman 65

(Saturday, February 6^th)

This 1:00 pm tip was played in front of about 25-30 fans, predominately family members up on the North-Side of Chicago in the once “hip & chic” Uptown neighborhood, not so long ago a bustling happening place to be.  So my anticipation levels were enormously high.  As I entered the gymnasium for some odd reason, I was wired for some fresh lyrics and the latest fashion, never-the-less there wasn’t even a sound booming from the gym speakers with the latest hot tracks from Drake, Future or Fetty Wap.  “Talk about playing in obscurity!”  The host team, Truman entered the contest with a 1-24 mark, last in the region and only outfitted six players, but those 6 players played with passion leaving everything they had on the floor.  “Talk about seizing an opportunity.”  The Falcons 6-6 forward Kenneth King racked-up 25 rebounds to go along with 16 points, while guard Travion Trimble was the game’s high-scorer with 27 points, but they were the only two in double digit figures for the under-manned Falcon team.  It was apparent from the onset that the Kishwaukee Kougars would be the dominant team, storming out to a 49-34 cushion at intermission.  Things became a little different in the second half as Kish freely used their reserves as they should, that process should occur in most junior college venues.  As the Kougars unraveled, the short-handed Falcons cut the deficit to 55-48 margin with 9:03 remaining, the closest they would get would be 59-54 at the 5:00 mark.  Kishwaukee had four players finish in double figures Jovonte Peals (Michigan City) 12, Austin Patterson (Morris) 12, Bryson Butler (Lincoln Pk) 11, Malcolm Reed (Michigan City) 10.

Fenwick 55 – DePaul Prep 33

(Friday, February 5^th)

The area’s No. 3 team cruised to a convincing twenty-two point victory on the road in their final Catholic league play before they start the league’s conference play-offs.  The seasoned Fenwick squad won their 7^th consecutive game led by senior’s Mike Smith & Mike Ballard and junior tandem Jamal Nixon & Jacob Keller, they were just too much for the overachieving host team.  In fact 2^nd year coach Tom Kleinschmidt had his team in contention ¾’s of the game behind the spirited play of seniors Toni Sudimac and Craig Atkins.  DePaul prep was down three 29-26 just after half-time, then Fenwick went on an 18-5 spurt to quash any upset thoughts.  Kleinschmidt had his group prepared and ready for a battle.  He just doesn’t have enough ammunition yet, being one of the area’s good young coaches, he will have this program at the top in the Catholic league in the next few years as he establishes the kind of culture he conveys at the Northside School.  Freshman forward Perry Cowan will give the faithful’s something to grasp as the program builds for the future.

Bloom 67 – Richards 59

(Tues, February 2^nd))

A cold wintery rainy night didn’t stop about 300-350 fans from attending this south suburban non-conference match-up.  Bloom was clearly the superior with its size and athleticism, the Trojans were able to race out 22-10 in the opening half; at intermission they were ahead 34-19.  Bloom’s senior swingman Jamal Parks looks like he’s going to be a gem one day.  Parks likely will need a junior college, where the wiry 6-4 shooter with a sweet stroke will excel as a primary scoring threat on the perimeter or attacking the basket.  His ball-handling ability allows him to get his sweet spots effortlessly.  Bloom’s 6-3 junior Jalen Lee will be a player of interest as the season looms.  He finished with 18, while Parks netted 19.  Richard’s six foot five guard/forward Jaylan Catledge was impressive this night, the junior tallied 5 points in the first half, but then went for 27 in the closing half keeping his team within striking distance.  Catledge is a strong body athletic wing who will likely be two guard in college, punishes defenders attacking the rim (they literally bounce off of him).  He’s very adept at drawing fouls, the scary part is Catledge can step outside and make shots with some three point abilities.  In the right conference collegiately this kid could be a defensive stopper who can possibly defend three positions.  Next season he just might average 30+, especially as he continues to improve on his game.  Big East, ACC, Big 10, PAC 12, Conference USA may eventually come to the Oak-Lawn school to pay him a visit.

A Cast of Unheralded Juniors – 2017

A Cast of Unheralded Juniors – 2017

“We’ve created a list of guys who have moonlighted in the shadows of others most of the season, but likely when things shake-out they will be pursued and coveted by the likes of mid-majors.”

Mark Taylor   6-6 SF      MM       Chicago Francis Parker – The kid erases double digit shot attempts nightly.  He just finished a week where he recorded 26 points and 11 rebounds & 6 blocks versus North-Shore Country Day.  He went up against De LaSalle where he tallied 22 points, very good athlete, and his offensive game is rounding into form.  Ivy League and Patriot League starting to take notice.

Cameron Gross 6-4 G/F     MM       Oak-Park – Recently all-tournament at Rockton Hononegah MLK Classic, averages 18 points and 8 rebounds, shoots close to 60% from the field.  Team leader in all those categories, was all-tournament at Pontiac; “a punishing athletic scorer”.

Noah Perisich 6-0 PG      MM-LM+   Metamora – One of the true game setters we have regardless of class, sets the table for a 16-1 squad.  Noah is strong with the ball, makes good decisions. Deadly mid-range shooter, he has excellent quickness and he’s a stout defender.  A substantially good spring could land him a division one offer.  “A system type player!”

Marvin Bateman 6-5 WG      MM       Belleville Althoff – The Althoff squad has a date with Chicago Kenwood next weekend at the O’Fallon Shoot-Out.  Bateman is one of the state’s top marksmen.  “When the slender shooter releases an attempt you can almost say money.”  Every good team covets a specialist such as Bateman, sure he needs to get stronger and exhibit some ball handling ability, but he’s a pivotal component for the state’s No. 2 team in 3A.

Logan Windeier 6-9 F       MM       Manteno – “The big fella has some talent, just coming off from being shelved with hip injury most of the season.  Windeier will draw college coaches in droves come spring, he can score inside or outside.”  And yes, we will over-examine if he’s tough enough.  (Strangling, over-examining/over-the-top highly stressed college coaches.)  We love where his future could cart him.

Rashaad Johnson   5-11    G ?      Oak-Lawn – Vastly unknown outside the south suburban red division.  He’s a slick 3 year letterman, averages 16.2 per outing – cashes in at the charity stripe at 86% clip; second in the conference in three point shooting.  “This kid is a gamer, time will tell where he best fits in terms of level.

Jaylan Catledge   6-3     G/F      MM     Richards – Also suits-up in the South-Suburban Red League, can be a daunting talent some nights.  Went for 25 points & 13 rebounds versus Eisenhower a week ago.  We will view him Tuesday night against Bloom.

Tyler Chism   6-3 G       MM       Proviso East – Starting to mount himself into rhythm after a slow start.  He’s been socked by some poor foul shooting nights, but he can be an electric talent at times.  He’s terrific with the ball, capable of scoring in a variety of ways and we view him as a can’t miss mid-major recruit in 2017 class as long as his academics stay on par.

Brandon McCombs   6-7     F MM-LM+ Jacksonville – A gangly scorer, has surprising athleticism, battles on the block, faces-up from 12-15 ft. well.  We first saw him in September at the Illinois Spot-Lite Exposure Event where he was outstanding.  He went on to put together a dynamite season thus far; Brandon was named to the all-tournament team at Centralia.  Friday night he will be tested in a big game setting versus Springfield Southeast at home.

Terry Smith Jr.   6-5     SF       MM-LM+ Chicago Curie – Potential match-up nightmare, a powerful athlete, undersized baseliner.  Reminds me of some past brute strong interior guys we used to produce in the area.  Terry attacks the glass with authority, offensively he uses both hands at the window, more notably he tries to flush everything in reach.  Limited now on the perimeter; good student, guys like Smith used to land at UIC, Loyola, Bradley, Ill-State; now days he might be a target for Valpo & Northern Ill, Chicago State.

The 2016 class already labeled as one of Illinois weaker crops in recent years took a hit this season when two Central Illinois hardwood throbs were bounced from their respective teams.  6-5 swingman Jerry Myles out of East Moline was regarded by many of us as a top 5 prospect in the class, now slender six foot eight high-plains drifter between Champaign Central & Centennial programs A.J. Beckett was viewed as top 25-30 prospect.  “My late dear friend Wayne McClain once told me, with some work Beckett could one day be laboring as an NBA player!”  And Wayne knew talent!  Both of those guys have carved-out the journeyman tag, attending various high-schools and it’s been difficult for the two of them to stay on course academically.  Hopefully we will find them in the junior college ranks in the next year or two.  Interesting dynamics in the middle of our state, hustling & survival tactics happens in all pockets of our area.