A Reflective Moment of Truth The Index

A Reflective Moment of TruthThe Index

As the season comes to a close, this is how we view things

Top Seniors in Our State

1.       Charlie Moore        5-11        PG Morgan Park – He’s been prolific all year, the Memphis recruit likely will be named player of the year.  Lil Charlie has some unfinished business in the 3A State Tournament,

2.       Zac Norvell    6-4    G/F          Simeon – The Gonzaga recruit helped propel his Wolverine team to a city title.  The southpaw has state tourney aspirations on his mind.

3.       Mike Smith    5-9    PG           Fenwick – An unsigned senior, 4 year varsity letterman, proven winner, he can quarterback a team and win; knows how to activate his play on a big stage; Patriot and other ivy league programs heavily interested.  3A challenge awaits in an already banner year.

4.       Nick Robinson        6-5          WF Chicago Kenwood – Illustrated during his teams quest for a city title that his game has taken leaps & bounds; he’s unsigned and poised for high-major offer.  Now allows the game to come to him instead of always in attack mode.

5.       Micah Bradford      6-1          PG Bradley-Bourbonnais – Valpo landed a terrific recruit, this dazzling talent dropped 36 on Thornton a few weeks ago without hoisting-up twenty shots.

6.       Devon Gage   6-2    G             Chicago Curie – DePaul recruit has a ton of talent, he’s starting to process climate & understanding when he needs to activate his play while sharing with his talented mates.  He may need a year of seasoning before being thrown in the fire of the Big East Conference.

7.       James Jones   6-3    WG          Chicago Bogan – University Buffalo landed a steal, he’s been in a volatile climate the last 5 months or so, but to his credit, he’s managed to carve out a nice season for him & his team.  Jones, an explosive open-court player with the capabilities of being a reliable outside threat.

8.       Barret Benson         6-10        C    Hinsdale South – Gaudy numbers in scoring & rebounding has the Northwestern recruit closing in on some school records.  Some critics aren’t impressed with his abilities. 

9.       Tarkus Ferguson     6-4          G    Belleville Althoff – Wiry – Tark has mad game and he’s going to have the platform in a few weeks to display it – the UIC recruit-possess-flair & swag.  In college his all-around talents will flourish as he gains strength & knowledge.

10.   Justin Pierce  6-6    F              Glenbard West – Has gained high marks through his stand-out play while leading his team-mates through a memorable season; William & Mary College pulled off a heist in landing this gem.  He’s a nice talent.

Just missing the top 10 cut:  Isaiah Roby 6-8, F, Dixon – Brendon Gooch 6-6, G/F, Althoff – Zion Morgan 6-1, G, Kenwood – Nick Rakocevic 6-9, F, St. Joes

Public League Semi-Finals

Public League Semi-Finals

Simeon 74 – Morgan Park 72

(Fri, Feb. 19^th at the Quest Center)

A capacity crowd took in the rubber finale of these two public league Titans who happen to hail from the Red-South conference, you knew from the onset there would be some drama & suspense awaiting to unfold.  6-7 senior forward Ben Coupet got things started for Simeon immediately, nailing 4 treys finishing with 16 points in the opening period which had Simeon out-front 20-15.  The play was just about flawless as both teams competed fiercely, in talking points “to play in this type of game you’d have to be packaged with self-belief, mental toughness and a strong handle with the ball in your hands in any corridor of the floor”.  Morgan Park’s junior sharp-shooter Cam Irving took the Mustangs into intermission ahead 37-34.  Memphis recruit Charlie Moore a cold-blooded assassin got into a groove offensively, he wrapped-up the night with 26.  “I’ll tell you the kid can be breath-taking at times with his offensive arsenal”, Simeon counters with the slick junior south-paw Evan Gilyard a dazzling showman in his own right, he nor his mates could stop Moore for most of the second half.  The third period ended with Simeon ahead 56-53; Western Michigan recruit Jarron Randle opened the 4^th with a three-pointer after a flurry of made shots and lead changes at the 3:49 mark in the 4^th, Charlie Moore’s 3 pointer tied it at 68-68, Gonzaga recruit Zach Norvell responded with a huge three-pointer with 1:30 remaining to put Simeon up 73-70, then Moore’s pair of free-throws got them within one 73-72 with 1:24 remaining.  But then a bizarre occurrence illustrated just how stressful waning seconds or a minute left in a game could determine an outcome.  Gilyard was all poised to seal the game, muffed an open-lay-up and senior swing-guard Josh Thomas followed-up the miss with his own point-blank misfire.   Now Morgan Park’s Moore had an opportunity to win or tie the game, he raced down with five seconds left and missed a contested shot in the paint to end a wild finish.  This was the best game I saw all year thus far, it was compelling to what we foresee Chicago high-school hoops looking like most nights.  Simeon, the public league’s flagship program will take-on Kenwood in the city final where it-will pit one-time Simeon assistant coach Marlo Finner against his pal Rob Smith and the Simeon contingent.  This should be a cozy family affair, both programs will compete for the sophomore championship as well on Sunday (Feb 21^st) at Chicago State University. 

Kenwood 52 – Curie 51

(Fri, Feb. 19^th at Quest Center)

Unsigned senior Nick Robinson guided Kenwood to its first city final in recent memory.  Recording 12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists as his Bronco’s slipped past Curie.  This opening semi-final contest was all about adrenalin and saw the Broncos jump out on Curie 13-4 in a up & down pace that bordered on levels of sloppy play, given the fact that the two red-central foes split their previous two rumbles.  Curie often plagued by slow starts was a replica of its self in this high-dramatic affair.  Junior guard Elijah Joiner is one of the quintet of possible division one players listed on Curie’s talented-laden roster.  Joiner was in attack-mode offensively from the start, he’s plagued by the tendencies of trying to do too much; he’s got a million moves, but lacks understanding of climate and when to activate his array of maneuvers.  Meanwhile, DePaul recruit Devin Gage was held in check with 2 points in the first half in which Kenwood lead 20-18.  Lincoln Park transfer Miles Curry’s five point spree in the third gave Kenwood a 27-23 advantage, but the Condors had an answer of its on when sophomore guard Allonte Pickens spear-headed a surge to put the Condors up 36-35 by the end of three.  Things see-sawed back and forth the final period.  Sophomore stand-out Landers Nolley converted a pair of foul shots to tie it 51-51 with 31 seconds remaining.  Kenwood’s Robinson split a pair of foul shots to make-it a 52-51 with seven seconds, then the suspense occurred when Gage going for the win with 5.2 seconds left lost the ball trying to split three defenders at mid-court.  He would finish with 15, Joiner managed 13, promising sophomore forward Treavon Martin had 8.  The Broncos received a huge performance from Curry 13 and junior postman Manny Patterson accounted for 12 points, he reminds us long-time observers of Phillip High alum Robert Byrd who went to win a national championship at Marquette.