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Whether you were sitting in Carver Arena in Peoria or in front of your television set in your living room, you'd have to agree that the Class 3A and 4A tournaments were exciting and thrilling to watch, everything the Illinois High School Association hoped they would be when it adopted the four-class playoff.
Here are some observations from an old-timer who has observed the state tournament since Hebron and the Judson twins beat Quincy in the first televised event in 1952:
* Wouldn't you like to take the floor with a starting lineup that includes Jereme Richmond, James Kinney, Marcus Jordan, Colin Nickerson and Rayvonte Rice? They were the five most productive players last weekend.
* Dick Campbell, Tim Lavin's old high school coach at York and a former assistant at Illinois, must have been proud as the Champaign Centennial coach guided his team to the Class 3A championship.
* Win or lose, Oswego was the best story of the tournament. Imagine if every school that qualifies for the state finals receives the same measure of community support. The IHSA would have to move the state tournament to the United Center.
* Doesn't it drive you nuts when your favorite team has a lead in the fourth quarter and drives down the floor and throws the ball away? I'm sorry, but great teams play under control. North Lawndale didn't and isn't.
* You can be quick and athletic but if you don't exhibit poise under pressure and play under control, it usually doesn't come together. Name the greatest teams in state history and tell me if they ever lost their cool in the last five minutes.
* Given a choice, I'd take DJ Cooper of Class 2A champion Seton Academy or Leo's James Pointer. The Catholic League coaches did, too.
* The television crews did an outstanding job, especially Lee Hall, Bill Hitt and Mark Lindo, did an outstanding job. But I'd still like to see TV profile each school...location, history, great players, notable alumni, human interest story, famous teacher, main street. Do you know anything about Woodlawn or Lewistown or Annawan?
* Did you notice in the state tournament program that, according to Leo's statistics, the team averaged 111.7 points per game, even though the Lions never scored more than 80 during the season?
* I may be wrong but Waukegan's 37-14 first half performance against Dundee-Crown in the Class 4A semifinals was the most impressive effort I've seen since Thornridge's 57-26 first half against Quincy in the 1972 state championship game.
* Waukegan's Jereme Richmond is immature and isn't physically imposing--he needs to put on 25 pounds of muscle--but he is as smooth as butterscotch pudding and as cool as a James Bond movie. If he improves between his junior and senior years as much as he did between his sophomore and junior years, he could rank among the state's all-time greats with Isiah Thomas, Cazzie Russell, Quinn Buckner and Derrick Rose.
* Unlike most schools today, what is so impressive about Thornton's program is, since the days of Lou Boudreau in the 1930s, the basketball team has featured many multi-sport athletes.
* Coach Tyrone Slaughter of Class 4A champion Whitney Young was miffed when none of his players were named to the Chicago Sun-Times All-Area team. Clearly, Marcus Jordan built a case for MVP of the state finals and Chris Colvin was outstanding, too. But they were up-and-down during the season (Colvin averaged fewer than 10 points per game) so it is difficult to judge that they deserved a spot among the top 20 players in the city and suburbs.
* Chicagoans didn't know anything about Champaign Centennial's James Kinney until he showed up in Peoria and stole the Class 3A trophy. He clearly was the best player in the 3A tournament. It will be interesting to see how he develops at Ohio University and how many Big 10 schools will regret that they didn't recruit him.
* Have you ever seen a rebounder who is as relentless as North Lawndale's Jonathan Mills? Well, maybe Bill Russell.
* The fellow you saw walking out of Carver Arena with a big smile on his face was Marty Hickman, the IHSA's executive director who masterminded the four-class format and has been roundly criticized for dumping the two-class system after 35 years. Folks in Oswego, Woodlawn, Dundee-Crown, Lewistown, Annawan and Macon aren't complaining.
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Still hate four classes with a passion, Taylor. The number of non-competitive games over the 32 in the boys and girls state finals far outweighs the competitive ones. The attendance for both weekends might be the lowest in the state tournament's Peoria history. And please don't tell me the 3A schools wouldn't have been able to compete with the 4A ones.
As far as I'm concerned, what we've got is not nearly as good as what we had. And if making people happy is the main criterion of success, then four classes isn't nearly enough.
The argument concerning class basketball isn't restricted to Illinois. A possible scenario:
1. Play all four classes in the same time frame.
2. Friday the four classes would play for their class championship.
3. Have a lottery sometime Friday to decide which champions play each other on Saturday.
4. Saturday morning two games.
5. Saturday evening all class championship game. You could even have an all class consolation game.
You can probably shoot holes into this idea but what the heck!
Mr. Bell, great article as always. I do however have a question non-state tournament related. Why isnt former Julian Standout Sean Dockery ever mentioned when it comes to great players in Illinois history? I havent seen or heard a word about him on the preps scene since he went to Duke. He was just as good as any point guard Chicago has produced over the last decade. Any thoughts?
Why doesn't this state try to do like my home stat Kentucky does? Have one state champ and that's it. Kentucky does a Sweet Sixteen format Wednesday-Saturday. Covington Holmes won their first State Title. No speculation they know they are the best in Kentcuky no argument. Also Jereme Richmond is not immature. He's a high school kid Taylor. As usual bashing the kid again.
PLAY THE SUPER-SECTIONAL ON THURSDAY IN PEORIA!
PLAY THE THIRD PLACE GAMES IN THE EARLIER SESSION ON
SATURDAY!
PLAY BOTH CHAMPIONSHIPS AT THE EVENING SESSION ON SATURDAY
P.S. IF IT GETS TO CROWDED, CLEAR OUT THE PLACE AND MAKE
EVERYONE PAY AGAIN, THEY DO THIS IN NEBRASKA AND IT IS
VERY SUCCESSFUL!
THE ELITE 8 IS BACK IF YOU FOLLOW THIS FORMAT!
FINAL THOUGHT IS TO HAVE A KING OF THE HILL GAME ON
SUNDAY BETWEEN THE 3A WINNER AND THE 4A WINNER!
YEA I KNOW SUNDAY IS AN IFFY ISSUE!
FINALLY HOW ABOUT MICHAEL JORDAN CONTRIBUTING SHOES TO
ALL THE TEAMS IN THE TOURNAMENT! I KNOW I'M REACHING ON
THIS ONE!
Taylor Bellon... U stand to be corrected, North Lawndale is not only a Great Team, They are Supreme!!! You are intitled to your opinion as well as I am, But the truth to this matter is my statment is a fact.....and if u dnt have anything nice to say don't say anything at all.... Phoniex Forever
I went to Peoria to see the games on Saturday and I agree that the third place games would fit nicely into the afternoon spot. Give me the two championship games at night.
At dinner before the 4A championship game we were talking about who would win. I wanted Waukegan, but thought WY had too much depth and that proved to be the case. WY had a good plan to keep Richmond from going off and they had two players foul out executing that plan. But it did keep Richmond from going off. Richmond's play in the first half was far less than stellar. He was taking a beating, but he also walked up the court and looked disinterested when they were down in the first half. Hard to know what was going through his mind. I think it just part of his maturation process. The young men, Connor and Nickerson, from Waukegan played hard all game. Nickerson going to Fairfield is the steal of the year. He played the best defense I saw all day long.
Marcus Jordan is interesting. He played great this weekend. No doubt about that. Did seem odd that when the game ended, not too many of his teammates ran to him, but maybe that is seeing something not there.
But where will he play in college and what position will he play? He is very athletic, quick, etc. but his shot is flat, little to no arc....how will he get that shot off in college against equally athletic, but taller players? I see him at a place like Butler or Davidson, a solid upper mid major, in a league where his skills can be put to good use.
Waukegan looked like a solid working class team in the "t-shirt" warm-ups compared to WY's corporate "Air Jordan" look. All WY needed were briefcases!
I'm sorry, Lee Hall may be a personal friend, but he does an absolutely awful job on these broadcasts in both basketball and football. I love watching the state finals in both sports and it just becomes too painful to listen to the gentlemen they have broadcasting these games. Get some professionals please!!!!!