By Joe Henricksen

A week after a busy Dr. Martin Luther King weekend of high school hoops, a plethora of big games and shootouts will take place over the next five days. Here is a rundown of what shapes up to be a heck of a week of high school hoops in the Chicago area.

Wednesday, Jan. 18
• Marshall at Whitney Young
With a win, red-hot Marshall will remain unbeaten in league play and can take control of the Red-West.

Thursday, Jan. 19
• Proviso East at Downers Grove South
Huge clash in the West Suburban Gold with all kinds of perimeter talent on display.

Friday, Jan. 20
• Andrew at Thornwood
Both teams are 5-0 in the Southwest Suburban Red.
• Crete-Monee at Rich South
These two are tied with Bloom atop the Southland Conference.
• St. Ignatius at De La Salle
Iggy beat the Meteors at York but this one has league implications.

Whitney Young Shootout, Jan. 21-22
Whitney Young High School will host a two-day shootout Jan. 21-22 that will offer up plenty of individual talent and interesting matchups. The highlight of the two-day, 10-game, 20-team event is the finale -- Whitney Young vs. Curie -- on Sunday night.

The Young-Curie showdown will feature two teams ranked in the Hoops Report's top 10, along with an individual matchup that will excite fans and surely bring high-major college programs through the door as the top two prospects in the Class of 2014, Whitney Young's 6-10 Jahlil Okafor and Curie's 6-8 Cliff Alexander go at it.

Hillcrest (13-3) and Bogan (16-1), a pair of ranked teams, will tangle on Sunday, along with a battle between two junior big men, Orr's Marquise Pryor and Leo's Russell Woods in an earlier game.

Saturday, Jan. 21
• Corliss vs. Providence St. Mel @ 2:30 p.m.
Corliss steps out of the rugged wars of the Red-South to take on Tevin King and St. Mel.
• Hales Franciscan vs. Mundelein @ 4:00 p.m.
Senior Eddie Alcantera leads Hales against high-scoring junior guard Robert Knar of Mundelein.
• Crane vs. T.F. North @ 5:30 p.m.
Willie Conner continues his eye-opening senior year as Crane tries to hold off upset-minded T.F. North.
• Morgan Park vs. Theo Bowman @ 7:00 p.m.
Tough slate of games has gotten the best of a young Morgan Park team, with losses to New Trier, Rockford Auburn and SImeon.

Sunday, Jan. 22
• Von Steuben vs. Rich Central @ 11:30 a.m.
A couple of teams in need of a midseason win and boost of confidence.
• Brooks vs. St. Ignatius @ 1:00 p.m.
Is it time to quit calling St. Ignatius a surprise? Sophomore Erick Locke and Brooks hope to pull off an upset.
• Morton vs. Niles Notre Dame @ 2:30 p.m.
Should be a good one as a young but talented Notre Dame faces always tough Morton, which has been playing without injured Rocco Belcaster.
• Farragut vs. Hillcrest @ 4:00 p.m.
Coach Don Houston's Hillcrest Hawks are quietly 13-3; while Farragut, led by Rashaun Stimage, is better than its overall record.
• Leo vs. Orr @ 5:30 p.m.
An improving Leo team is healthy and has won five of its last six, while Orr brings the talented trio of Tyquane Greer, Marquise Pryor and Jamal McDowell.
• Curie vs. Whitney Young @ 7:00 p.m.
The highlight of the weekend with two of the top teams in the city and state squaring off.

Glenbard East Shootout, Saturday, Jan. 21
• Schaumburg vs. York @ 4:30 p.m.
Talented junior guard David Cohn leads coach Tom Kleinschmidt's team against an underrated Schaumburg, which has won seven of its last eight.
• Oswego vs. St. Charles East @ 6:00 p.m.
Kendall Stephens, a 6-4 junior guard committed to Purdue, looks to get untracked for St. Charles East, while Oswego would love to get on a little run.
• Glenbard East vs. Crete-Monee @ 7:30 p.m.
Illinois recruit Michael Orris leads the Warriors against a Glenbard East team in need of a win in a very challenging weekend (at West Aurora on Friday)

High School Hoops Showdown at Sears Centre, Saturday, Jan. 21
• Huntley vs. Elgin @ 4:30 p.m.
These two teams come in with a combined record of 29-2 between them in what could be a preview of a sectional matchup in March.
• Batavia vs. Geneva @ 6:30 p.m.
A terrific rivalry between two neighboring towns on a big stage.
• Downers Grove South vs. Warren @ 8:30 p.m.
A battle of two highly-ranked teams with plenty of individual talent on display. DGS, which plays Proviso East on Thursday, looking for a marquee win.

Follow Joe Henricksen and the Hoops Report on Twitter @joehoopsreport