Facebook App
These were some of my thoughts while watching the Class 3A and 4A finals and wondering why I picked Georgetown to win the NCAA championship:
Old-timers like me might argue that the most exciting and dramatic game in the history of the boys state basketball tournament was Centralia/Carver in 1963 (Anthony Smedley's steal and shot) or West Aurora/Morgan Park in 1976 (Laird Smith's shot) or the Peoria Central/East St. Louis Lincoln triple overtime thriller in 1989 (Vincent Jackson's shot).
But last Friday's Waukegan/Whitney Young semifinal (Ahmad Starks' shot) belongs in that conversation. It lived up to the hype, which such ballyhooed games rarely do. It was the stuff of legends, pitting a host of talented and athletic Division I players in a rematch of last year's state finalists.
It would be easy, therefore, to argue that Whitney Young left its game on the floor on Friday, that the Dolphins were physically and emotionally drained. But that would diminish the extraordinary effort that Simeon made in overwhelming Whitney Young 51-36 on Saturday to win its third state title in five years.
Bob Hambric built the program. And Robert Smith, Hambric's handpicked successor, has taken it to another level.
For 30 years, ever sine I began covering Simeon basketball in Hambric's first season, the Wolverines have demonstrated an ability to carry themselves differently than other teams. It isn't a swagger or cockiness--Hambric wouldn't permit that behavior--rather it is a self-assurance that they are better prepared and better conditioned to meet any challenge. They check their egos at the gym door. Simeon basketball is all about pride, tradition, defense, relentless pressure, hustle, unselfishness and teamwork.
Smith doesn't play favorites, only kids who want to play. He cited 5-9 junior point guard Tywon Pickney as as unsung hero. Pickney was suspended for one game early in the year for disciplinary reasons, then was slowed by a sprained ankle. "But he stepped up to be our vocal leader on and off the court. Previously, leadership had been a problem on our team," Smith said.
Waukegan's Jereme Richmond bowed out as one of the top 50 players in state history. He will be a difference-maker at Illinois--not as a freshman--but more importantly he will be a pied piper who will attract other great players to boost the talent level of a program that desperately needs leadership and toughness.
In looking for heroes, perhaps the media and fans are too quick to anoint young players. Simeon freshman Jabari Parker demonstrated he is everything we have projected. But Whitney Young freshman Tommy Hamilton lacks his father's offensive skills while showing he isn't ready for prime time because he isn't equipped to compete in a fast-paced game.
With Chicago schools dominating 3A and 4A, and seats going begging in Peoria, perhaps it is time for the Illinois High School Association to seriously consider moving the state finals for the two largest classes to the United Center in Chicago.
It isn't noted in the IHSA record book and it wasn't mentioned in the media coverage but when Champaign Centennial's Rayvonte Rice missed a free throw in the consolation game, he missed an opportunity to register a national record. It was only the fourth free throw he missed this season. He is the most accurate free throw shooter in state history.
Rice converted 163 of 167 free throws this season, a .976 percentage. Can you recall anyone better with a minimum of 100 attempts? The national record is .977 (167 of 171) set by Seth Colclasure of Decatur, Ind., in 2000-01. Brad Niemann of Glenbrook South ranks eighth on the all-time list with a .946 (123 of 130) percentage in 1986-87. Niemann's feat included a state-record 76 in a row. Hoffman Estates' Kevin Tiongson made 68 of his first 70 attempts and 93 of 100 earlier this season.
O'Fallon's Roosevelt Jones was one of the most impressive players in Peoria. He ranks among the top players in the class of 2011 with Morgan Park's Wayne Blackshear, Whitney Young's Sam Thompson and Mount Carmel's Tracy Abrams.
Who will be ranked as the preseason No. 1 team in the Chicago area for 2010-11? Simeon, Morgan Park, Whitney Young, De La Salle or Orr? Downstate, O'Fallon could return to the Final Four.
Hillcrest coach Don Houston inherited a program from his mentor, Tom Cappel, who won 259 games in his last 10 seasons, and took it to another level in only his third campaign. Houston retained Cappel's defensive philosophy and re-tooled the offense. His Hawks were too quick, too disruptive and too athletic for Champaign Centennial and Peoria Richwoods, the state's two top-rated teams in 3A.
Cell Phone Alerts
Don't forget Manley's Tim Anderson heroic long distance bomb that kept the State Title hopes alive.
Curtis K. Jackson Sr.
Benet will have a great team next year. Sobolewski and the 6'10 center will be the best team in the western burbs by a wide margin.
Taylor, seats are begging in Peoria not because of the location of the venue. They're begging because the four-class system is an absolute bust. Playing at the United Center will make things look even more empty.
Nice article. Was coach Hambric the first coach to recriut other school players when he got Nick Anderson to tranfer from Prosser?
NICK ANDERSON LEFT PROSSER TO PLAY WITH BEN WILSON, THAT WAS HIS DECISION!
TIM ANDERSON ALIAS THE ICEMAN!
GREAT PERSON, ONCE COACHED AT CRANE TECH!
THAT IS A NEW TIM ANDERSON, A FORMER STUDENT, THAT COACHES THERE NOW!
THAT SURE IS A NICE FACILITY AT ILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY IN BLOOMINGTON, WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY FROM ST.LOUIS WON THE NCAA DIVISION 3 CHAMPIONSHIP ON ESPN OVER HOPE COLLEGE FROM MICHIGAN, JACK SIKMA HELP BUILD THAT FACILITY FOR HIS ALMA MATER!
I KNOW IT IS TOO SMALL FOR THE STATE TOURNEY!
ROBERT SMITH SHOULD GET AN INTERVIEW FOR THE DEPAUL JOB!
TAYLOR CAN YOU HELP WITH THIS SITUATION?
Taylor,
I went to the state playoffs this weekend and really enjoyed the games. Here are some observations:
- Peoria is an excellent host city. They do what they can to make it easy to get around and parking was plentiful. Every business I went into made you feel welcome.
- Crowds seemed a bit small at times, but it really depended on the game being played. The third-fourth place games were smallest crowd, with the championship games filling in fairly well. Waukegan brought a ton of people to their games.
- Lot's of folks around me picking Waukegan. However in watching the game you realize that Whitney Young (WY) is really an all-star team. Waukegan is a nice team of high school players surrounding a super star in Richmond. WY has 10 players, maybe more, who are D-1 recruits. Waukegan has one. Waukegan was hurt because of that lack of depth. WY would just bring in another 6'8 guy to fill in for Hamilton or Thompson.
- Waukegan and Whitney Young game was excellent. Richmond played well. His foul on the dunk emphasized that the IHSA should go with the NBA circle under the basket. You should not be allowed to stand under the basket and expect a charging ball on a dunk.
- The record and coverage will show Starks won the game for Whitney Young on his last shot. However he really put WY in a position to win the game earlier when WY set picks for him at half court. Yes, half court. He blew by the pick and his man had NO chance of catching him and Starks scored three times that way.
- Starks has better control of his dribble than any point guard I saw all weekend. He looks like the ball is on a string back to his hand.
- In both Waukegan games I was trying to watch Richmond to see how he played and reacted. First thing you notice is that play him at center a lot. So he isn't playing his natural 2 or 3 position. He went hard, he was encouraging to his team mates, he calmed team mates down who were getting feisty late in the game. When he was on the bench he continued to encourage and coach his team.
My take is that once he arrives on the U of I campus and starts playing pick-up games and gets to know his team mates his game will blossom. He will have team mates that are on a similar talent level to his. He won't have to consistently be "the man".
- I love good teams. On Saturday I got to see two, Hillcrest and Simeon. Hillcrest played a terrific game. Most people sitting around me were giving the game to Richwoods. I didn't see it that way (and I root for the Chicago area teams, smile) and Hillcrest played solid, tough team basketball to win that game. Congrat's to Hillcrest.
- I had hoped that Simeon would win. I just like the way they just play sound, fundamental team basketball. They don't get too high or too low (same with Hillcrest). They put on a passing exhibition against WY to get off to that 13-0 lead in the championship game. Simeon fiercely rebounded the basketball all game long. WY never looked like they were in the game. Spearmon was a monster all game long. Congrat's to Simeon and Coach Smith.
- The IHSA needs to tighten up their management of the games and schedule. You can't let the first game of the night start 20-30 minutes late. The 3-4 game should be started at 6 PM instead of 6:45 when you are going to have all the awards, 3-point and dunk stuff going on. The championship game was supposed to start at 8:15 and didn't start until 8:55.
Hat's off to Don Houston at Hillcrest, but I don't know if he brought the program to another level. I think that title would have been Hillcrest's second or third if Illinois had the 4 class system when Cappel was there. Congratulations to the Hawks!
Hats off to Simeon. Great program and won an unexpected title. Robert Smith is a great coach. WY-Waukegan game was a great one in the second half. First half was terrible since the refs and IHSA decided to take Jereme Richmond out of the game. A great last game ending to a great career for Richmond. He will be an All-American at Illinois and have an NBA Career. Oh and of course the downstate media will probably rob Richmond of Mr Basketball. Wouldn't be a surprise. Hillcrest winning 3A was surprising also. I saw them play the Supersectional at UIC and they didn't look like a championship team. Congrats to the Hawks, And the 4 Class system is a joke. Need to go back to the 2 Class system. For once I agree with Taylor bring the large class State Tourney to the United Center. Lastly GO KENTUCKY DOMINATING ON THE WAY TO THE NATIONAL TITLE!!!!!!! That would be title Number 8 in the storied history of the greatest college basketball program of all time.
Rayvonte Rice is a wonderful player, but I suspect his free throw numbers published in the IHSA program were a typo. A brief check of online box scores indicates, among other things, that he was 27-37 from the line at the Lincoln Thanksgiving Tournament and 15-25 during the State Farm Classic.
I HOPE KENTUCKY MAKES IT, BUT THIS COULD BE THE YEAR OF THE DOG, SO IF YOUR BOYS GET CLIPPED DON'T BE TO UPSET, I KNOW THE NCAA DOESN'T WANT ANYMORE MID-MAJORS TO VICTIMIZE ANYMORE CHALK HORSES!
HAVING THE TOURNEY IN CHICAGO WAS ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT BY THE GREAT COACH, DOROTHY GATERS, SHE SPOKE OF THIS SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST!
I DON'T THINK IT IS A GOOD IDEA, DOWNSTATE IS DOWNSTATE, AND AS WE ALL KNOW, CHICAGO ISN'T DOWNSTATE!
THE TIME STUFF SCOTTC SPOKE OF HAS BEEN GOING ON FOREVER, THAT IS JUST THE WAY IT IS, THE EARLY START MAY NOT HELP, BUT THE WORKERS WILL BE OVERWORKED IF IT IS MOVED UP!
THE IHSA NEEDS TO TALK ABOUT A TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS, WHERE 1A PLAYS 2A AND 3A PLAYS 4A, FOR A GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP, WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?
It seems to me- since its the fans, players and coaches that make state basketball what it really is- let's give them what they want. We are ready to have a "all for one" state championship tournament format.
Do it like the NCAA tourney, with eight sites hosting the first 2 round week: Qunicy, Rock Island, Peoria, East St. Louis, Rockford, Carbondale, Waukegan, and Springfield.
Have the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games in Champaign or Bloomington and have the Final 4, Third Place and Championship games in Chicago at All State Arena.
Then, you'll have a true "State Champion". If you think you saw some upsets in this past week of NCAA games, wait if you could get a load this. Also, questions like: Leonard better than Cross? Could be given a chance to answered on the courts, instead of our debates.
Unlikely, but a thought...
Curtis K. Jackson Sr.
Phil
caps lock dude. seriously. totally baffling why you have to scream in every post here and equally baffling why Taylor Bell continues to post your yelling.
enough.
caps lock.
left side of the keyboard. between shift and tab. turn it off.
Curtis, I like that idea. Another venue would be the Sears Center for the Championship, 3-4 games. I have to believe the crowds would be larger.
I think NJ does the Champions of Champions game. The tournament class winners (In IL. Class 1,2,3,4) winners play a final tournament.
Taylor,
It should be understood that the IHSA is not in the athletic event business. Yes they put on all these championship games and meets year after year without a glitch but they are not event people. It is staffed by educators that look at these games and meets as learning experiences. They are not going to loss there jobs if the arenas don't sell out. So don't expect any changes soon if ever. March Madness as we knew it is gone. It will never be what it was. You want to sell out these arenas? You want to get the buzz back? Then go back to the two class system period. The current edition unfortunately has very little to offer. Just check out all the empty seats. No one really seems to notice....What do you expect when some old English teacher is running the show.
Such a shame
HEY SEAN TELL US SOMETHING, YOU ARE OLD NEWS, GIVE US SOME INFORMATION, JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING WE DON'T KNOW!
PEORIA WAS SELECTED BECAUSE IT HAS THE HALL NEXT DOOR TO THE CIVIC CENTER, FOR INTERACTIVE EVENTS, AND LET'S FACE IT PEORIA IS A GOOD SPOT FOR EVERY TEAM TO COME TO IN THE ENTIRE STATE, WE ARE IN A RECESSION, SO AS YOU CAN SEE WITH PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT HAVING A 4 DAY SCHOOL WEEK, THE TOURNAMENT WASN'T A PRIORITY!
IT TAKES MONEY TO SPEND MONEY, AND AS FAR AS THE CITY TEAMS, IF YOU HAVE NO CHAPERONES, AND BUS SERVICE THEY WEREN'T COMING TO THE TOURNEY, THE CPS HAD 3 TEAMS, AND HILLCREST WAS THERE, THEY DID HAVE ALOT OF FANS AT THE TOURNEY!
WHITNEY YOUNG HAS 3,000 STUDENTS, AND MAYBE 200 FANS WERE AT THE TOURNAMENT!
JUST AN OFF YEAR FOR NUMBERS AT THE TOURNAMENT!
I like Curtis Jackson's idea of the "one for all" tourney, man... could you imagine what it would be like if some small school from downstate were to come to Chicago and beat a team like Simeon... wow, can you say "Hoosiers"
Sean
Taylor, seats are begging in Peoria not because of the location of the venue. They're begging because the four-class system is an absolute bust. Playing at the United Center will make things look even more empty.
I agree with that 100%. The four class system has ruined the state tournament.
caps lock dude. seriously. totally baffling why you have to scream in every post here and equally baffling why Taylor Bell continues to post your yelling.
Ditto.
We are ready to have a "all for one" state championship tournament format.
We already had that when there was a two class system with 8 supersectionals. The four class system ruined all that.
Richmond took himself out of the first half of the semifinal game with 3 stupid fouls. He sure did not look like a big-game player.
None of the players on that court would have belonged on the same court with the Peoria Manual-Thornton teams.
YOU CALL IT SCREAMING, I CALL IT BLOGGING, IT AMAZES ME THAT SOME OF YOU ONCE A MONTH BLOGGERS KEEP TRYING TO TELL ME MY BUSINESS, WHEN YOU DON'T SAY HARDLY ANYTHING WHEN YOU BLOG! KEEP TRYING MAYBE ONE OF THESE DAYS YOU WILL SAY SOMETHING THAT WE HAVEN'T SAID!
NO TEAM DOWNSTATE THAT IS 1A OR 2A IS GOING TO DEFEAT A 4A SCHOOL IN CHICAGO, T-TOWN OR CENTRALIA, HECK, SIMEON WASN'T SUPPOSE TO DEFEAT WHITNEY YOUNG, THAT WAS YOUR HOOSIERS RIGHT THERE!
ONE DIVISION ONE SIGNED ATHLETE ON 3 SIGNED DIVISION ONE ATHLETES AND SIMEON WON, THAT WAS A RUDY MOMENT!
THAT'S WHY I WANT ROBERT SMITH TO GET AN INTERVIEW FOR THE DEPAUL JOB! COME ON TAYLOR GET THE MAN AN INTERVIEW?
Richard Jereme's fouls were not "stupid" fouls. 2 of the fouls should have never been called 1) The bogus charging call. Are you serious? Those downstate referees have no idea about above the rim play. 2) Richmond's phantom third foul was showed on TV and Richmond never touched Starks. AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So blame the dumb referees for taking Richmond out of the game. AS for him walking out with .5 seconds on the clock was not a good thing to do. But as I have been saying the kid is not perfect. He who hath not sin cast the first stone.
The bogus charging call.
I watched it over and over again. It was a spectacularly athletic play but the guy was set for a couple seconds. Obviously a foul. It never crossed Richmond's mind to avoid running the defender over.
The third one didn't look like a foul but when you already have two you don't play stupid.
I'm not calling the kid a sinner. I don't think anybody did. I am calling him, at least in this particular game, a stupid player.
YOU CALL IT SCREAMING, I CALL IT BLOGGING
You can blog in lower-case, and without yelling.
NO TEAM DOWNSTATE THAT IS 1A OR 2A IS GOING TO DEFEAT A 4A SCHOOL IN CHICAGO,
Peoria Manual won 4 AA titles in a row. I'm pretty sure they could handle a 4A school in Chicago.
ONE DIVISION ONE SIGNED ATHLETE ON 3 SIGNED DIVISION ONE ATHLETES AND SIMEON WON, THAT WAS A RUDY MOMENT!
I don't even know what that sentence means.
YOU SHOULD WATCH THE MOVIE ABOUT RUDY, THE YOUNGSTER FROM JOLIET CATHOLIC THAT ATTENDED NOTRE DAME, HIS NEPHEW PLAYS BASEBALL FOR ARIZONA STATE!
ABOUT PEORIA MANUEL, MOST OF THOSE GUYS WENT ON TO PLAY AT ILLINOIS, SERGIO, FRANK, AND THE BIG FELLA, THAT PLAYED AT A JUCO BEFORE ENTERING ILLINI LAND!
CURRENTLY NO 1A OR 2A SCHOOL CAN DEFEAT A 4A SCHOOL, NOW HALES DID DEFEAT 4A SCHOOLS, BUT THEY DIDN'T WIN THE 2A CHAMPIONSHIP, CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR!
BRANDON SPEARMAN IS GOING TO DAYTON, AHMAD STARKS IS GOING TO OREGON STATE, ANTHONY JOHNSON IS GOING TO PURDUE, AND THE OTHER YOUNG MAN FROM WHITNEY YOUNG IS GOING TO RICE, THAT IS WHAT I MEANT ABOUT ONE DIVISION PLAYER AGAINST 3 DIVISION ONE PLAYERS, THAT IS WHY ROBERT SMITH PULLED THE RABBIT OUT OF THE HAT, AND JABARI PARKER WAS INJURED IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE GAME!
THAT WAS A RUDY MOMENT, GO AND WATCH THE MOVIE!
Phil Smith Jr., seriously, your grammar is way too bad for you to be as much of a smart-ass as you try to be!! Let's try and be adults on this site and find a way to deal with our different opinions respectfully. We can disagree on these topics without trying to make offensive statements to one another.
But if you find it necessary to be smart with others because they don't share your view, please try and do so using correct grammar. Seriously
NEXT TIME DARNELL, WHY DON'T YOU TELL US SOMETHING WE DON'T KNOW, STOP DEFENDING SOMEONE WHO WENT AFTER ME, NO ONE EVER WON A FIGHT, TAKING A PUNCH, AND IF YOU NOTICE I AM ON HERE EVERYDAY, SO ENJOY THE GAMES TONIGHT, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A HEARTBREAK FOR KENTUCKY TO LOSE LAST NIGHT, THEY HAVE THE BEST TEAM IN THE TOURNAMENT, DON'T YOU AGREE?
YES THAT IS A CHICAGO YOUNGSTER ON KENTUCKY, ON TIME WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER, WHO LEFT AND ATTENDED PREP SCHOOL HIS SENIOR SEASON, HIS LAST NAME IS LIGGINS!
P.S. IT ISN'T ABOUT AGREEING WITH OTHERS, IT IS ABOUT ONCE A MONTH BLOGGERS TRYING TO STEP ON THE TOES OF A VETERAN BLOGGER, TELL US SOMETING WE DON'T KNOW, YOUR ARMS ARE TO SHORT TO BLOG WITH ME!
Waukegan time..
Sorry folks Ive been on vacation in Vegas,sorry for the late response here..
1. JEreme RIchmonds charge should have never been a charge. Im not sure if that ref was a down state ref but you cant call that. Sam Thompson wasnt even really in "position". He more or less stood there and wavered with his hands in the air and then Jereme dunked on him..No call either charging or block. Let the kids play
2. Jereme had one bad foul call out of the first 3. The last of the half before he went to the bench with 6:20 left. Other than that all the calls he should have avoided. But thats the position you are in when you are the best player on the court. You will be monitored closely.
3. Waukegan took themselves out the game early..Coach Ashlaw I will be real intent on seeing what you are going to do next year without an All American in the fold. With Akeem Springs and AAron Johnson returning we should be poised for a return to at least the sectional final. It will be time for Coach Ashlaw to actually "coach" and not rely on his 5 best players talent and skill
4. Hats off to Simeon. I like the way the program is ran and the way the players play. A true testament to how a highschool "program" should be ran. Which leads me back to 3.. There were words heard exchanged between Waukegan and WY. I see Waukegan and WY has both 2 loose programs. WY basically a glorified AAU squad and Waukegan with a coach that talks about building a program but runs the show as if its a factory line with not real tactial method while WY is ran like a fortune 500 company. WY was upset Waukegan didnt respect them. Well get over it. We dont have to respect you in the heat of battle. Thats basically giving you the mental advantage.
5. I think the 4 class format should be scrapped. Marty Hickman said if there is a need to get rid of it he would. Well theres a need. As people are saying the state finals as turned in to more of a teaching experience. The reason the change was initially made is to give more schools a shot at a trophie. Go back to the 2 class system..play all super sectionals at major venues NOT Highschools and let the Public League find its own motivation to get support down there.
THe reason Waukegan had a ton of people down there is because our community supports our kids. Plain and simple. We are a proud town Waukegan that doesnt mind traveling 3 hours if we win or loose. I live in Chicago now and grew up in Waukegan. I can tell you the Chicago mentality is different. Suburban people feel like alumni's well after highschool is done. Besides WY I dont think there is a sense of community with CPS schools
RESPECT MY OPINION!