May 2008 Archives

Marian Catholic's all-area guard Kaila Turner has a lot of schools after her, but she should narrow it down and make a decision in June, her father Danny said.
Danny Turner said Kaila has offers from several schools in the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and Missouri Valley. One of Turner's top choices is Notre Dame, but she's not going to commit to anyone until June.

Marshall senior Meelun McCray was on the Class 3A state championship girls basketball team in March. Now, two months later, McCray is hopping on a bus to go Downstate again, but this time it's for track. McCray qualified in the 200-meter dash last Friday at the Fenwick sectional.
This is the third trip to a state finals for McCray. She went to state with the chess team and the basketball team and now track. McCray also runs cross-country, so it's obvious she likes to keep herself busy and is a dedicated young woman.
Marshall coach Dorothy Gaters told me that McCray not only is ending her senior year with a state appearance in track, but she's also headed to Beijing for this summer's Olympics as a volunteer.

Bishop McNamara senior Brandi Branka, one of the stars of the Irish's girls basketball team this season, has made her college choice. She's going to sign with McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill. on Monday — for bowling and not basketball.
Branka has always been a strong bowler. But she also played volleyball and basketball this year plus was the school's Homecoming Queen. And she qualified for Friday's Class A state track meet in the 400- and 800-meter relays.

Hillcrest sophomore guard Uniquah Hampton gave a verbal commitment to DePaul over the weekend. Hampton averaged 15 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 4 steals for the Hawks last season. She also sank 39 three-pointers.

For those of you with tickets to the Sky-L.A. Sparks exhibition game Thursday at the Sears Centre, there’s going to be a bit of a letdown but for a good reason. Naperville native and Sparks rookie Candace Parker, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, isn’t coming. Instead, she’s staying in Knoxville, Tenn. where she will participate in graduation ceremonies on Friday at the University of Tennessee. Sky fans will have a chance to see Parker in her first pro game on June 3, when the Sparks come back to Chicago and play the Sky at the UIC Pavilion.

Leslie Schock played her high school basketball at Elgin, where she led the Maroons to a couple of supersectional appearances and a state final appearance in 1996 against Stevenson. In college, Schock played at Northwestern and was a four-year starter, playing in the NCAA tournament as a freshman.
Now, she brings her experience to the Palatine girls basketball team and hopes to teach the Pirates what she's learned in her career.
Schock replaced Ron Theberge on Wednesday after coaching the JV and freshman teams since her arrival at Palatine in 2003. Schock was also a girls lacrosse coach at Palatine for two years and she teaches history.