Straight To The Hoop

Leeberg to Southern Indiana

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:58:43 -0600

Montini guard Cootie Leeberg has committed to Southern Indiana. Leeberg was a senior for the Broncos this past season.

Kelsey Smith to Michigan State

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:14:14 -0600

St. Charles North's Kelsey Smith, a 6-4 center who is regarded as one of the best prospects in Illinois and the nation, has committed to Michigan State. Smith averaged a double-double last season and made the Sun-Times all-area team.

Candace is in the house

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:42:24 -0600

The Sky game hasn't started yet, but I had the chance to talk to Candace Parker before she went on the floor for warmups.
Here's what she had to say:
On her popularity and that of the WNBA: "That's what I hoped for. I think there's an excitement now. We've raised the bar and we need to continue to do that."
On her best selling jersey at the NBA store in New York: "I've heard some of it, and I get happy and excited."
On being home in Chicago: "On our first day here (Sunday) we didn't have practice, so I went home to Naperville. There's a lot to do in a couple days. But there are specific people that I see."

Candace Trivia

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:37:02 -0600

Everyone knows what a great basketball player Candace Parker is, but did you also know she's engaged to Atlanta Hawk and former Duke player Shelden Williams? Parker told me in a phone conversation the other day that her and Williams' schedules are so busy right now that they're thinking of a wedding date in late 2009. She mentioned September '09 as a possibility.

Parker returns

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:15:24 -0600

When Candace Parker was a junior at Naperville Central, I took over the girls basketball beat. That season provided quite an introduction for me to the girls game and how it was changing. Parker was one such player who acted as a catalyst for that change, packing gyms wherever Naperville Central played and winning the first of two state titles. Her coach Andy Nussbaum always said that she would be one of the best players ever, and he was right.
On the eve of Parker’s return to Chicago as a professional, I was able to talk to WNBA president Donna Orender about the league’s plans for expansion and how Parker is sparking change in the WNBA.
Orender said she thinks Parker is so popular because she is a 6-4 player who can easily play all the positions on the floor, and she has a charisma that attracts fans.
Orender also mentioned that the league is perpetually looking to expand. She said in the next five years the WNBA could add two more teams. The league already added the Atlanta Dream this season.
Hotbeds for women’s professional basketball according to Orender? The Southeast, Southwest, West and Midwest.
Back to Parker: Sky representatives say ticket sales are very brisk for Tuesday night’s game with the L.A. Sparks at the UIC Pavilion. If you want to see Parker in her only game in Chicago, get your tickets ASAP.

Turner's offers

Mon, 19 May 2008 16:06:44 -0600

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's Meelun speeds Downstate again

Wed, 14 May 2008 21:30:34 -0600

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.

Bowling for Branka

Wed, 14 May 2008 16:09:08 -0600

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.

DePaul nets a local

Mon, 12 May 2008 10:58:17 -0600

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.

Graduation first

Tue, 06 May 2008 13:11:34 -0600

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.

Blast from the past

Thu, 01 May 2008 11:36:38 -0600

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.

A new man in Buffalo Grove

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:36:29 -0600

Tom Dineen gave me a call Friday and announced his replacement at Buffalo Grove. It is his longtime assistant Pat Dudle, who has been on staff for the past eight years under Dineen and is also the girls soccer coach at BG.
"It is a good choice," Dineen said. "We were grooming him for this and we knew this day was coming."
Dineen announced last year that the 2007-08 season would be his last. The Bison finished third in the Class 4A state tournament.
But Dineen, who was also BG's boys golf coach, said if the right job comes up in the future he would consider coaching again.
"The school made it clear that I'm done," Dineen said. "Some people have called me, but I'll probably sit out next year. I don't want to coach just for the sake of coaching. It has to be the right situation."

Whitesell leaves

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:28:48 -0600

Hinsdale South coach Brenda Whitesell announced her retirement Friday after coaching at the Darien school for 27 years. Whitesell has spent 31 years total as a coach.
Whitesell played her college ball at Indiana State and played in two WNIT's.
She coached the Hornets to 15 20-win seasons and ends her career with a 544-301 record.
In a statement, Whitesell said she will retire from teaching in 2010 and will probably assist Hinsdale South's new coach or help out in another athletic program at the school.

Kiara Conner college choice

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:31:22 -0600

Kiara Conner of Class 4A state champion Whitney Young has given an oral comittment to play basketball at Binghamton University.

Mulchrone to DePaul

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:01:00 -0600

DePaul coach Doug Bruno picked up another local product when Marist senior forward Maureen Mulchrone gave Bruno a verbal committment Tuesday night.
Mulchrone, a 6-0 all-state selection, came back from a torn ACL in December and led the RedHawks to the Hillcrest tournament title in December and then the Class 4A Final Four earlier this month. Marist finished fourth in the state tournament.