High School Confidential

Illinois High School Basketball Hall of Fame announces HOF class

2013-04-22T16:07:11Z

2013 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

PRE-1960s HALL OF FAME CLASS

Perry Barclift, Quincy
Jesse Clements, Champaign
Nate "Sweetwater" Clifton, Du Sable
Dick Foley, Paris
Phil Judson, Hebron
Walter Kirk, Mt. Vernon
Billy Ridley, Taylorville
Hiles Stout, Peoria Central
Don Sunderlage, Elgin
Whitey Verstraete, Moline

POST-1960s HALL OF FAME CLASS

Doug Collins, Benton
Mike Duff, Eldorado
Ronnie Fields, Farragut
Kiwane Garris, Westinghouse
Rashard Griffith, King
Hersey Hawkins, Westinghouse
Sam Puckett, Hales Franciscan
Bogie Redmon, Collinsville
Deon Thomas, Simeon
Dwyane Wade, Richards

WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME CLASS

Jackie Joyner Kersee, East St. Louis Lincoln
Nancy Kennelly Olson, Maine West
Carla McGhee, Peoria Manual
Tangela Smith, Chicago Washington
Michele Savage, Immaculate Heart of Mary

Morgan Park's Kyle Davis is eligible

2012-11-29T04:01:48Z

According to Morgan Park coach Nick Irvin, guard Kyle Davis is eligible to play in the Mustang's first game tomorrow against Southland Prep.

Davis transferred from Hyde Park to Morgan Park at the end of last season.

Irvin expects word soon on the eligibility of guard Markee Williams. He said he expects to be at full strength for Morgan Park's game against Notre Dame on Sunday.

Williams played his first two seasons at Morgan Park. He transferred to Crane last year and sat out the season. He returned to Morgan Park last spring.

McGinnis Jump Ball Showcase lineup announced

2012-11-20T18:18:42Z

Tilden coach Cyrus McGinnis has announced the lineup for his shootout Dec. 2 at Notre Dame:

Morgan Park vs. Notre Dame, 7 pm
Curie vs. Benet, 5 pm
Bogan vs. TF North, 3 pm
Julian vs. New Trier, 1 pm

Should be four good games, with four ranked teams (Morgan Park, Notre Dame, Curie, Bogan) and three teams that were nearly ranked (TF North, New Trier, Benet).

The Team Rose Classic schedule is also out, all games are at the Kroc Center, 1250 W. 119th St. in Chicago.

Dec. 8
Von Steuben vs. Riverside-Brookfield, 1 pm
Morton vs. Leo, 2:30 pm
Crane vs. Notre Dame, 4 pm
Farragut vs. Chatham-Glenwood, 5:30 pm

Dec. 9
DuSable vs. Westinghouse, noon
St. Rita vs. Hyde Park, 1:30 pm
Providence St. Mel vs. North Chicago, 3 pm
TF North vs. Marshall, 4:30 pm
H-F vs. Curie, 6 pm

Jabari Parker isn't worried about being No. 2

2012-11-13T02:08:24Z

Since Andrew Wiggins reclassified as a 2013 recruit, most of the national recruiting sites have dropped Simeon senior Jabari Parker from the top spot in the class.

Monday at Simeon Media Day, Parker left very little doubt about just how much that bothered him.

"It's unimportant to me," Parker said. "I know what I need to do to get better and that's what is most important to me. I know my dad got a little upset. At the end of the day I'm going to be in college and they aren't really going to be ranking people. They are just going to focus on who wins the national championship and being an NBA prospect."

Parker has an MRI scheduled for Nov. 19. He thinks he will be ready for Simeon's season opener on Dec. 1 and so does Simeon coach Robert Smith.

"I think Jabari will be ready to go right away, his basketball ability and IQ is so high," Smith said. "The biggest thing will be getting him in shape. We will look at it and see where he is at physically. He's not in good shape, as you can see. But we will see what we can do. I told him if he is just out there for his presence, it is huge for us."

Smith thinks Kendrick Nunn is ready to step up and lead the Wolverines if Parker needs longer to get back.

"Kendrick is definitely ready to step up," Smith said. "He will take the 12 shots that Jabari would have been taken, I can guarantee you that. I think the guys are already prepared to play without him. They have been in open gym and now the first week of practice. I really think he'll be ready for the first game."

Short and sweet: The Twitter previews

2012-11-07T16:51:03Z

I'm tweeting short previews for every team that sends back their preseason questionnaire. We're at 35 right now. Follow @michaelsobrien to get the updates as they go out. Coaches, send roster, schedule and any other info to mobrien@suntimes.com

ADDISON TRAIL: Program growing. JR James Pupillo is back from injury (13.1 ppg as soph). Should go 10-12 deep. Watch for soph Taylor White.

BARRINGTON: Young and inexperienced, other than stalwart guard Brad Zaumseil, who has an offer from UC-Davis.

BENET: 6-9 Sean O'Mara and 6-5 Pat McInerney are elite talents. The guards will be the question marks. Lots of good teams in the ESCC.

BLOOM: Johnny Griffin, Dejahown Freeman, Jataryan Dejareaux and 8 more back from 4th place state finisher. 6-4 JR Jared Johnson can score.

BOGAN: Loaded,much taller this year. Juwan Henry is solid, super soph LuWane Pipkins exciting. 6-6 Mysirell Green,6-7 Dontrell Whitaker bigs

]]> BOLINGBROOK: One of the best in south burbs. Loaded: 6-8 SMU recruit Ben Moore, super soph Prentiss Nixon,Kendall Guyton, 6-6 Kenny Williams

BRADLEY: Led by 6-5 jr. Colin Holderman and 5-9 jr. Bennet Schimmelpfenning (yep, that's the proper spelling). Need some interior help.

CHRISTIAN LIBERTY: Should compete in NEAC. Small, but return three senior guards (David Colbert, Jack Salsgiver, Marcus Sylva).

CURIE: Cliff Alexander is a load, must assert himself this season. Guards Joseph and Josh Stamps can score, SR Marcellis Davis is the leader

EVERGREEN PARK: Should improve on 12-19 record. Four returning starters led by Morgan Murphy. Just need to find some solid post play.

FOREMAN: Better than people think, with 6-7 forward Carl White and JR point Marcus Gatlin. 6-7 Javnni Harell is a JR to keep an eye on.

GLENBARD EAST: Possible Super 25. Return 10 seniors. Beat St. Joes and Waubonsie this summer, lost to Proviso East by 2. Deep, big and quick

GRAYSLAKE NORTH: 2 leading scorers (AJ Fish, Danny Mateling) back from 19-9 team. Watch soph G Dom DiProva

HARLAN: Underrated 6-6 SR Torian Pearson is best player, 6-6 Aquanis Connor and 6-1 Andre Hogan can play. Breakout time for JR Nate Bracy?

HOFFMAN ESTATES: Connor Schwarz, Takuro Azumaya and 6-5 Joe Biko lead the way in Luke Yanule's second year at coach. MSL West will be better

HYDE PARK: Moshawn Thomas is big, athletic and tough. Guards Philip Lee and Marcus Smith are talented. Watch 6-4 transfer Charles Godspower

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: Coming off best year in school history. Talented junior class (Clark Brinkman, Anthony Taylor) will be the backbone.

JACOBS: Should be competitive in Fox Valley. 6-4 SR Lake Oso, 6-3 SR Will Schwerdtmann lead, look for promising soph PG Chris Orange.

JOLIET CENTRAL: 3rd year program finally has some depth. JR's Jonah Coble and Jarvis Northington lead. 6-5 JR Jayle McGee should contribute.

LIBERTYVILLE: 6-5 Jack Deichl is the only starter back. Should get better as Matt Varner, Jack Lipp and 6-7 soph Joe Borcia get some time

L-W WEST: Young team. Just 2 seniors. 6-4 JR Hayden Witt is top player. Look for promising frosh 6-6 Jon Marotta.

LITTLE VILLAGE: Brian Crowder is the new coach. He's got a player--Edqurvis Hall, 6-1 transfer from Atlanta that's getting interest from DI's

LOYOLA: Everyone back, should be pretty good. Just go watch Jack Morrissey shoot at some point this season, it's super fun. Trust me.

LUTHER NORTH: Very young, starting 2 sophs and 1 freshman. Soph Chris Jenkins was all-conf last season.6-4 frosh Alan Obazee is the only big

MAINE SOUTH: Won 68 games the past 3 yrs Will play at Proviso West. Led by 6-4 SR John Solari, keep an eye on 6-6 soph George Sargeant

MARSHALL: Excited to see frosh PG Tyreese Wilford. Cris Craig,Derrick Miles,Citron Miller (very underrated) all return. Will be good.

METEA VALLEY: Inexperienced,1 returning starter. Sean Davis, Hayden Barnard top players. Pair of promising sophs: Bryson Oliver, Nick Dodson

MORGAN PARK: As much talent as Simeon? Kyle Davis and Markee Williams likely cleared. Add Billy Garrett Jr=the state's best backcourt.

MOOSEHEART: Super interesting. Transfers are eligible: 7-0 Akim Nyahg, 6-7 Manny Deng, 6-10 Makur Puou. Crazy size for a 1A team.

MUNDELEIN: Led by 6-7 G Sean O'Brien (SIU). Size and experience return, but Robert Knar injury is a killer. 55 wins over the past 2 seasons.

NAPERVILLE NORTH: Derek Westman, Anthony Rehayem return for DVC champs. Lack of depth and size will be a challenge. PG Bryan LoLordo healthy

NAZARETH: Interesting team, with 7-foot soph Tyler Jackson and experienced, talented Sr. PG John Bonk. Watch for 6-5 soph George Kiernan

NEW TRIER: Rock solid, underrated three-year starter Reid Berman is back, with Princeton recruit Steven Cook and talented JR Jordan Thomas.

NOTRE DAME: Air Force commit Matt Mooney has plenty of help with Daunte Stephenson, Justin Halloran and Eddie Serrano. ESCC is up for grabs.

OAK FOREST: Young, with 2 SO, 1 JR starting. SR Tom Zale is the leader. Tom Shute can shoot. Developing 6-7 soph Kyle Flanagan will be key.

OAK LAWN: Lost scorers, but have exp. w/Shawn Cannon,Sean Altenburg,Bob Kametas. Big things expected from Thornton transfer DeQwon McGowan.

OAK PARK: Big year ahead. Erick Locke transferred in. 3 starters back, led by Jakari Cammon. Bigs: 6-8 SR Thomas Ross, 6-9 SR Virgil Allen

OSWEGO EAST: 3year starter CJ Vaughn (14 ppg) returns with 6-2 Kendall Dorsey. Solid team, could contend in conf.Watch soph Houston McCullum

PEOTONE: Solid defense, will struggle to score. 3 year starter Gino Fanello leads the way. Keep an eye on 6-3 junior F Josh Vincent.

PLAINFIELD EAST: Could be a letdown after last year's magical 27-2 season. 6-2 soph Aaron Jordan is starting to get plenty of DI looks.

PLAINFIELD SOUTH: Decent exp. back with SR's Alonzo Garrett, James Hill, Daylon Edwards. JR center Miles Snowden is worth a look.

PROVIDENCE: SR Kevin Kozan is very solid. Heard a lot of good things about 6-5 soph Miles Boykin, has DI looks. Lots of size on team.

RICH CENTRAL: 3 starters back: 6-4 Jamal Murray, Munang Ekoi, 6-4 Jaylon Miller, all are qualifiers. 6-8 JR C Quam Solebo should contribute.

RICHARDS: Everyone is high on soph PG Dedrick Shannon and 6-6 JR Josh Meier can play. Injuries and grades have left some team ? marks.

RIVERSIDE-BROOKFIELD: Very solid team with PG Damonta Henry and C Miki Ljuboja.Eric Loury is a lockdown defender. JR Will Kincannon can play

ROLLING MEADOWS: 3 starters injured from football or something else. Expected to struggle just one year after MSL East title.

ROMEOVILLE: Young team with plenty of comp. for playing time. SRs Jimmy Moon and Jaylon Richardson return. High hopes for JR James Boyd

ST CHARLES EAST: Possible Super 25 team, led by Purdue recruit Kendall Stephens and JR PG Dom Adduci. 6-8 Dave Mason 6-5 Ben Skoog the bigs

ST. IGNATIUS: Rebuilding year behind freshman Kaylan Lee and sophs Riley Doody and Brandon Snower.

SANDWICH: New coach Ben Bates has SR laden group including Jake Rowen, Correy Tollefson, Dakota Padilla and Davis Brown. Not much size tho

SCHURZ: 5-8 JR PG Deren Weathers (16 pts, 6 assists, 4 steals) makes them go. One of Chicago's good unknown guards.

SETON: Loaded. Mark Weems, Kamal Shasi, transfer Alex Foster. Deep. Will play 13. Heard good things about soph PG JeJuan Payton.

TAFT: 6-5 JR John Joyce has brought the program back to life. 6-3 SR Josh Doss will help, with 6-4 soph Salah Rahioul. Red North contenders

TF SOUTH: High hopes. Plenty of experience back with Kenny Doss and David Stinson. Also a talented JR class expected to emerge.

VOCATIONAL: Returns 3 starters--Michael Taylor, Malcolm Martin, 6-7 Michael Rollins. Watch jr. G Dionte Ingram, avg. 21 ppg on soph level.

WAUKEGAN: CSL South champs return 4 starters (Jordan Johnson, Devonte Taylor, Quintin Davis, Jerome Davis). Watch 6-4 soph Jachai Taylor

WEST AURORA: 4 starters back from 25-6 team--Chandler Thomas, Spencer Thomas, Josh McAuley, Jontrell Walker. Watch soph Roland Griffin.

WESTMONT: Good size for the Interstate Eight with 6-5 Jean Pietrzak, 6-4 Greg Pietrzak and 6-5 Adam Berg. PG Kris Pierce runs the show

WOODSTOCK: Jordan Turner, a 6-3 SR G,can play. Turner, Andy Buhrow and Damian Stoneking will try to improve on last year's 0-12 conf. record

YORK: Colorado State commit David Cohn is a player worth traveling to see. He will likely finish as school's all-time scoring leader.

YORKVILLE: Senior laden, but inexperienced. SR's Taylor Carter, Josh Gengler, Brett Assell Cody Knudsen and JR Dakota Gette likely to start.

Transfers Kyle Davis, Markee Williams expected to play for Morgan Park

2012-11-06T18:24:34Z

Morgan Park coach Nick Irvin expects his two high-profile transfers to be cleared to play.

Kyle Davis, a Dayton recruit, transferred from Hyde Park at the end of last basketball season. Williams, who played at Morgan Park as a freshman and sophomore, sat out last season at Crane.

Irvin said that Hyde Park and Crane signed off on the transfers. DePaul commit Billy Garrett Jr. will team with Davis and Williams in what could be the state's top backcourt.

Irvin is very high on two of his freshman, guard Charlie Moore and 6-7 Alonzo Chatman--both will play on the varsity.

Josh Cunningham, a 6-7 forward that showed flashes of brilliance last season, has taken a few steps forward according to Irvin.

"He's the third best junior in the state I think," Irvin said. "Right behind [Jahlil] Okafor and Cliff [Alexander].

Morgan Park is tentatively scheduled to open the season Dec. 2 against New Trier in a shootout at Notre Dame.

Week 5 Chicago Consensus Basketball Rankings

2011-12-20T16:45:48Z

Here are the consensus rankings entering Week 5. Rankings used: Sun-Times, Tribune, ESPN Chicago. Young suffered the biggest drop, falling out of the rankings after spending the last couple weeks at No. 2. No significant jumps this week, as most of the ranked teams did not lose.

1. Simeon (75) 1
2. Proviso East (72) 3
3. Curie (69) 4
4. Seton (66) 5
5. Warren (58) 7
6. Bloom (56) 6
6. Andrew (56) 8
8. Plainfield East (51) 10
9. De La Salle (49) 11
10. Bogan (48) 12
11. Hyde Park (47) 9
12. Crane (43) 13
13. New Trier (39) 14
14. Downers South (38) 15
15. Homewood-Flossmoor (32) 16
16. Harlan (27) 17
17. Stevenson (23) 18
18. St. Rita (22) 19
19. Metea Valley (17) 20
20. Morgan Park (15) 20
21. North Chicago (13) 22
22. Farragut (12) 23
23. North Lawndale (11) NR
24. Marshall (8) 24
25. Notre Dame (7) 24
Others receiving points: Orr (2), Young (1), St. Viator (1)

Tipped Off: Michael O'Brien's hoops notebook

2011-12-14T04:59:54Z

The next brother
Nobody is paying any attention to TEAM Englewood. I haven't seen them and don't know how good they are, but they are 7-2 and have a point guard with a serious basketball pedigree--Johnny Roland, the younger brother of Luther and Crandall Head.

Roland has been putting up impressive numbers all season. Tuesday night in a 62-49 win over Dyett he scored 24 points and dished out 10 assists.

Curie beats Hyde Park
Well, Curie certainly did prove me wrong Tuesday night. The Condors displayed a lot more patience in their win over Hyde Park than they did in the previous two games I'd watched them play. It was a huge win, possibly enough for the conference title. They also provided some nice proof that people are reading this blog, refusing to talk with me after the game because of yesterday's notebook in which I wrote that they were "a bit overrated right now."

Wednesday's games
It's a really good slate of games for a Wednesday. If I can get out of the office in time I'm going to head over to see Vocational at Bogan. Both teams have some top-notch guards.
Young at Orr is another great bet. There are only a few chances to see Young play this year, unless you want to buy a plane ticket.
Bolingbrook at Neuqua Valley should be the best bet in the suburbs.

Pekin/Collinsville/Bloomington pairings

2011-12-13T20:44:34Z

Three more tournaments have pairings released, still waiting on Carbondale and Centralia.

Pekin Tournament, Dec. 27-29
Limestone vs. Richwoods, 9 am
Plainfield East vs. Thornridge, 10:30 am
King vs. Boylan, 12:45
Morton vs. Hersey, 2:15
Normal West vs. Freeport, 3:45
Pekin vs. Lake Zurich, 6:30
Lanphier vs. LaSalle-Peru, 8
Washington, IL vs. Mount Carmel, 9:30

Collinsville Tournament, Dec. 28-30
East St. Louis vs. Oakville, MO, 9 am
Plainfield South vs. Springfield Southeast, 10:30 am
Belleville East vs. Lincoln, 1
McCluer North vs. Dunlap, 2:30
Quincy vs. Decatur MacArthur, 4
Chatham Glenwood vs. Granite City, 6:30
Collinsville vs. Decatur Eisenhower, 8
Belleville Althoff vs. Urbana, 9:30

Bloomington Tournament, Dec. 27-30
North Chicago vs. Culver, IN, 9
Normal vs. Thornwood, 7:30
Normal U-High vs. Oswego, 6
Mesa, AZ vs. Champaign Centennial, 4:30
North Lawndale vs. Springfield, 2:30
Grayslake Central vs. Rock Island, 1
Rockton Hononegah vs. Peoria Notre Dame, 11:30 am
Glenbard East vs. Mahomet Seymour, 10 am

Week 4 Chicago Consensus Basketball Rankings

2011-12-13T17:45:01Z

Here are the consensus rankings entering Week 3. Rankings used: Sun-Times, Tribune, ESPN Chicago.
With points and last week's ranking. Seton made the biggest jump after knocking off Crane. St. Rita took the biggest spill, despite having the best in-state win (over De La Salle) and losing to out of state powers. Stevenson and Bogan both entered the poll.

1. Simeon (75) 1
2. Young (72) 3
3. Proviso East (69) 4
4. Curie (66) 5
5. Seton (62) 14
6. Bloom (56) 7
7. Warren (53) 2
8. Andrew (50) 8
9. Hyde Park (49) 16
10. Plainfield East (48) 9
11. De La Salle (47) 10
12. Bogan (45) NR
13. Crane (38) 10
14. New Trier (37) 13
15. Downers South (35) 14
16. Homewood-Flossmoor (29) 12
17. Harlan (23) 18
18. Stevenson (22) NR
19. St. Rita (14) 6
20. Morgan Park (14) 17
20. Metea Valley (14) 19
22. North Chicago (13) 19
23. Farragut (11) 23
24. Marshall (6) NR
24. Notre Dame (6) NR
Other receiving points: Marist (4), West Aurora (2)

Tipped Off: Michael O'Brien's hoops notebook

2011-12-13T04:32:25Z

Let the speculation begin...
The big news of the day was Proviso West's announcement that next year's holiday tournament would feature 32 teams. That's simultaneous action on two courts (the second would be in the fieldhouse). So far I've heard some mixed reaction to the super huge holiday tournament idea. I haven't made up my mind yet, gonna think about it for awhile.

The press release also mentioned that a lot of the teams had already committed. I haven't heard any names yet, but will certainly start asking around.

Injury news
Matt Harness broke the news today of Andrew McAuliffe's injury. That's a rough blow for a Glenbrook North team that was surpassing expectations early in the season. Here's the story on that.

The new kid
There's a new holiday tournament in town, Hinsdale South. Pairings were released today. Metea Valley, Brother Rice, Schaumburg and Minooka were the top four seed.

Nazareth vs. Brother Rice, 8:30 a.m.
Lake Forest vs. Highland Park, 10 a.m.
Wheaton North vs. Stagg, 11:45 a.m.
Glenbrook South vs. Schaumburg, 1:15
Downers North vs. Minooka, 3
Sandburg vs. Providence, 4:30
Eisenhower vs. Metea Valley, 6:15
Rolling Meadows vs. Hinsdale South, 7:45

We are working on all the holiday tournament brackets now and will have them up and ready to go on the site as soon as possible.

Tuesday's best games
I'll be seeing Curie at Hyde Park. I was very impressed by Hyde Park last week, and to be honest I think Curie is a bit overrated right now. They have talent, but I just don't believe in them as top-flight team right now. They can prove me wrong tonight.

Burlington Central at Elgin would also be a good bet. I'll be checking Elgin out on Friday.

Proviso West Tournament expanding to 32 teams in 2012

2011-12-13T00:10:34Z

Here is the press release:

PROVISO WEST HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT TO EXPAND IN 2012

The Proviso West Holiday Tournament has announced plans to expand its Christmas Classic from 16 to 32 teams starting next year.

"I got tired of saying 'no' to new teams that wanted to play here" said Holiday Tournament Executive Director Joe Spagnolo.

The new format will allow for games to be played on six days instead of the traditional four, and will allow for simultaneous games being played on three days of the tournament. The tournament expanded from eight to 16 teams, after the first year of the event in 1961.

A state-of-the-art facility including portable flooring and baskets will be brought in to the adjacent fieldhouse to provide a two games under one roof setting for a single admission price. Single sessions will remain at their current pricing, but on days where there are games in both facilities that ticket will allow admission to all games on both courts in that session.

"If you're quick on your feet, you'll be able to see the end of all 61 games" quipped Spagnolo.

Most of the 32-teams have already been secured and those teams and the dates for next year will be announced later this month.

Pontiac Holiday Tournament pairings

2011-12-12T03:14:10Z

Pairings were released today, I'll update with times tomorrow:

West Aurora vs. Danville
Curie vs. Niles West
Joliet vs. Waukegan
Warren vs. Plainfield North
United Twp vs. Lockport
Simeon vs. Bloomington
Manual vs. Pontiac
Oak Park vs. St. Charles North

Tipped Off: Michael O'Brien's hoops notebook

2011-12-11T15:55:13Z

Growing pains
St. Charles North, which was ranked in the preseason Super 25, is 2-6 after losing to Elgin last night. They have now lost to Plainfield East, Downers South, St. Charles East, Crane and Larkin, all good teams. I saw one of the wins (vs. TF North, which is young but talented and going through some growing pains of their own) and still think the North Stars are a good team. Perhaps they can prove it at Pontiac. The combination of Cully Payne and Kyle Nelson has a lot of potential and the supporting cast can shoot.

Freshman to watch
Zion-Benton beat Lake Forest 47-45 on Saturday and highly-regarded sophomore Milik Yarbrough led the way with 24 points. But Lake Forest was led by 6-7 freshman Evan Boudreau, who stared and had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Sounds like a young player to watch. The Scouts play Warren on Friday.

Wheeling gets interesting
Here are the pairings for the Wheeling Hardwood Classic, taking place Dec. 27-30.

Lake Park vs. Deerfield, 9 a.m.
Notre Dame vs. Vernon HIlls, 10:30 a.m.
Loyola vs. Prospect, 12:15
Stevenson vs. Streamwood, 2
Naperville Central vs. Carmel, 3:45
St. Viator vs. Maine West, 5:30
Libertyville vs. Wheeling, 7:15
Fremd vs Niles North, 8:45

Notre Dame's win over Marist and Stevenson's win over Warren has definitely made this tournament more intriguing. Loyola also is gathering steam after knocking off Evanston on Saturday night.

Sunday games
I'll be at the shootout at Collins today to check out the final 4 games. I'll be tweeting if there is power available...

Tipped Off: Michael O'Brien's hoops notebook

2011-12-10T16:35:19Z

Joliet Central's Eddie McElrath holds the ball in front of Lincoln-Way Central's Colton Johnson. | Larry Kane~For Sun-Times Media

We are the Steelmen and the Steelmen are great
Kudos to Joliet Central, a team that basically cobbled itself together last season out of the ashes of the combined Joliet Township program (most of the players went to Joliet West). The Steelmen are 5-2 after beating Lincoln-Way Central last night. Joliet Central coach Jeff Corcoran has his young team ready to win every night.

What's happening at Warren?
The Blue Devils were expected to be one of the few reliable, stable, high-level teams this season. They lost to a young Stevenson team on Tuesday. Then on Friday, they beat Mundelein, but played without Darius Paul and Roman Schultz, who were apparently suspended for disciplinary reasons. Not good. Will be interesting to see what seed they get in the Pontiac Tournament. Seeds come out on Sunday.

Two more unbeatens fall
The ranks of the undefeated are getting slimmer daily. Glenbrook North was upset by Deerfield last night and Marist was beat by another team with a few young stars, Notre Dame.

Orris returns
Might be time to get Crete-Monee back into the Super 25. Illinois-bound guard Michael Orris is back after missing the beginning of the season with an ankle injury. He scored 26 points and had five steals in his second game of the season last night, a win over Rich East.

Sectional assignments released
The IHSA released the sectional assignments last night, and boy are coaches in the city unhappy about it. The TBA Sectional, which features most of the Chicago teams, is loaded. Young, Simeon, Curie, De La Salle, Vocational, Bogan, Hyde Park, Marist and St. Rita are all in it.