Whitney Young High School‘s boys basketball team is powering up, even more than last year when the Dolphins won the Class 4A state title with the son (Marcus Jordan) of Chicago‘s most famous hoops player.
Indeed, the Dolphins lost 2009 graduate Marcus Jordan, the star of the 4A title game, to the University of Central Florida. Chris Colvin, another starter on that team, is playing at Iowa State.
But already this year, with a combination of seasoned veterans and a highly anticipated freshman, Young has won its first nine games and already accomplished some things that last year’s team couldn’t, including winning the highly competitive Proviso West holiday tournament.
Sam Thompson, a junior forward, scored 26 points and Purdue recruit Anthony Johnson added 20 in the Dolphins’ 79-64 victory over Foreman in the championship game of the Proviso West tourney on Wednesday. It was the second time in less than two weeks that the Dolphins prevailed in a No. 1-versus-No. 2 matchup. Earlier in December, Young handed former No. 2 Simeon its first loss of the season.
"One-versus-two is what everyone wants to play in. You have no choice but to elevate your game," Thompson told the Chicago Tribune.
Anthony Johnson, Whitney Young
File photo by Greg Behrens
Thompson also had 11 rebounds.
As with last year’s team, Young’s starting lineup is a collection of Division I recruits. Johnson is headed for Purdue. Guard Ahmad Starks has signed with Oregon State. Thompson has an offer to join Starks at Oregon State, as well as offers from Illinois and Indiana. One of the new faces is 6-foot-8 freshman Tommy Hamilton, who hit a couple of big shots in the Foreman game and all 10 of his points in the final half of a 39-33 win over previously unbeaten Glenbrook North in the Proviso West semifinals. In a 66-49 win over Hinsdale Central, Hamilton scored a career-high 18 points and had 14 rebounds.
"By the time Tommy’s career is done here, it’s going to be phenomenal," Young head coach Tyrone Slaughter told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Holiday tournament highlights:
* Illinois recruit Jereme Richmond had a double-double (23 points, 12 rebounds) in Waukegan‘s 59-51 win over Chicago power Simeon in the title game of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. Simeon (10-3) was the tournament‘s top seed.
* Tournament MVP Patrick Miller scored 27 points, leading Hales to a 69-64 win over Crete-Monee for the Big Dipper championship at Rich South. Hales is 12-1. "This put us in the elite programs in the state," Hales coach Gary London told the Chicago Sun-Times.
* Glenbard East‘s Zach Miller scored a game-high 26 points, leading Glenbard East (11-1) to an 81-63 win over previously unbeaten Neuqua Valley in the title game of the Elgin Holiday Tournament. The Wildcats had won 11 straight.
* Stevenson won the Suburban Holiday Showcase girls championship with a 44-35 win over Niles West. McKinley Imus scored 14 points for Stevenson (12-4).
* New Trier held Fenwick scoreless for more than seven minutes of the fourth quarter, and went on for a 50-45 win in the championship game of the Dundee-Crown Christmas Tournament. Amy Hart of New Trier scored a game-high 17 points.
* T.F. South won its 10th consecutive game, winning the Marilyn Anderson Holiday Tournament at Bloom Trail with a 48-31 victory over Bradley. Ashley Stevenson scored 14 points for the Rebels (11-2).
* Taylor Johnson scored 15 points and Kelly McGovern added 13, leading Lincoln-Way East (12-2) to a 46-44 win over rival Lincoln-Way North in the title game of the Lincoln-Way Medieval Classic girls tournament.
* Senior guard Janelle Cannon scored 23 points, leading Wheeling (13-2) to a dominating 53-26 win over Warren in the title game of the Warren Blue Devils Tournament.
Around Chicagoland: Dragicevich scoring big
* Notre Dame recruit Alex Dragicevich is on a scoring tear for Glenbrook North (11-2), which was unbeaten until two losses in the Proviso West Tournament. He scored a tournament-record 37 points in a consolation-game, 70-65 loss to Von Steuben. In four games, he scored 118 points, topping 30 points three times, and was named tournament MVP. In a 55-48 win over Thornton Fractional North, he scored his team’s first 13 points and wound up with 31. "I’m much more confident and relaxed this year. At this time last year, I was nervous and worried about my college choices. Now that’s out of the way … and I can just go out and play." Dragicevich told the Chicago Sun-Times.
* Due to snow blowing through an air vent, snow fell onto the court during the championship game of the appropriately named St. Viator Snowflake Tournament. No problem. The game was moved to the school’s smaller field house, and tournament MVP Taylor Skala scored 12 points and had five steals for St. Viator in its 42-39 title-game win over Highland Park. "People were right on the floor and it was hopping. It was electric," St. Viator coach Paul Bjerkness told the Chicago Tribune.
* Perhaps they weren‘t just quite awake yet. An early-morning game (8:45 a.m.) on the first day of the Proviso West Holiday Tournament last Saturday led to the Hillcrest boys basketball team losing its first game. Von Steuben grabbed an early 10-point lead and never trailed after that, defeating Hillcrest, 49-43. The Hilltoppers had won their first 11 games.
* Also falling from the ranks of the unbeaten was the Cary-Grove girls basketball squad, which had won 15 straight until being knocked off by Libertyville, 51-45, in the championship game of the Mundelein Holiday Classic. Cary-Grove’s Claire Jakubicek still scored a game-high 17 points.
Notable performers
* Wisconsin recruit Duje Dukan of Deerfield scored 28 points in a 61-44 win over Prospect in the championship game of the Wheeling Hardwood Classic. He was named tournament MVP.
* Macari Brooks scored 22 points and had 7 rebounds in Rich South‘s 73-63 win over Thornton in the third-place game of the Big Dipper Tournament hosted by Rich South.
* Megan Podkowa of Trinity scored 30 points, but Trinity (11-4) lost in two overtimes to Stevenson, 59-54.
Recruiting: Blackshear to Louisville
When Louisville plays Kentucky in their annual in-state showdown Saturday, Chicago Morgan Park High School’s Wayne Blackshear will have more than a passing interest this time around. And that’s because Blackshear, one of Illinois’ top juniors, verbally committed to Louisville coach Rick Pitino on Christmas.
This time two years from now, Blackshear will likely be playing in that game against Kentucky and coach John Calipari, which will make things interesting since Kentucky was one of the many schools that lost out on Blackshear. Other schools passed over by Blackshear included Illinois, DePaul, North Carolina, Michigan State, Indiana and USC.
"Coach Pitino’s reputation and Louisville’s style of play is what really did it for me. I took two visits there and really felt comfortable," Blackshear told the Chicago Tribune. Blackshear has scored more than 40 points at least twice in Morgan Park’s strong 10-1 start.
* Glenbrook North’s Austin Weber, a nephew of Illinois head coach Bruce Weber, may be starting to gain some attention from college recruiters. Weber scored 24 points in a 77-62 win over Homewood-Flossmoor in the Proviso West Tournament and has played well in nearly all of the Spartans’ games. He is a big fan of Illinois, but has not been offered a scholarship by his uncle Bruce.
Paul Bowker, a sports journalist for 25 years who has worked at newspapers nationwide, covers the Chicago area for MaxPreps. He may be reached at bowkerpaul1@aol.com.
