It was natural to believe defending Illinois 4A state champion Whitney Young of Chicago might be in re-tooling mode this season after losing players like Chris Colvin, now a freshman guard at Iowa State, Marcus Jordan (Central Florida) and Stanford Brown (Lamar).
But after a 21-point thrashing of Georgia AAA power Columbia at the Best of the Midwest Shootout over the weekend, the Dolphins look like a team that could actually be better than a year ago.
“I think you could make a tremendous argument that we could be better,” Whitney Young head coach Tyrone Slaughter said. “Maybe not from a maturity standpoint, but from a basketball skills and talent standpoint, yes.”
Sam Thompson (left) and Anthony Johnson board against Columbia.
Photo by Greg Behrens
The Dolphins, who made their Xcellent 25 debut at No. 24 this week, feature nine future Division I players on their roster, including signed seniors Anthony Johnson (Purdue), J.R. Reynolds (Rice) and Ahmad Starks (Oregon State).
Starks, a 5-9 point guard, led Young with 17 points in the blowout over Columbia.
“He is the straw that stirs our drink. He gets us going and gets us into what we want to do,” Slaughter said. “His basketball IQ is uncanny.”
Whitney Young, the alma mater of first lady Michelle Obama, is loaded with talented juniors, sophomores and freshmen. Six-foot-seven junior Sam Thompson is being pursued by Illinois, Ohio State and Oregon State. Fellow juniors Luke Hager (6-7, F) and Kwai Pearson (6-0, G) are also fielding Division I interest.
Jermaine Morgan, a 6-8 sophomore, and Thomas Hamilton, a 6-9 freshman, give Slaughter a towering duo down low for the next 2 ½ seasons.
Hamilton has generated significant buzz in Chicago and beyond even before stepping on the floor at Whitney Young. His father, also named Thomas Hamilton, stood 7-2 and 330 pounds during his playing days and was a member of Chicago King High’s celebrated 1993 state championship team.
“We are bringing him along slowly and that’s a luxury that we have. The guys playing before him are pretty good basketball players, so it is an opportunity to learn,” Slaughter said. “He recognizes that his teammates have some skill and experience.”
Jermaine Morgan
Photo by Greg Behrens
Whitney Young is no diploma mill for Division I-bound basketball stars, however. Far from it. The school is a college prep magnet with over 95 percent of the general student population admitted to four-year institutions.
“Our school graduates 100 percent of its students and has a 26.4 average on the ACT,” Slaughter said. “It is a highly-competitive environment and that’s the same approach we take (with scheduling). We want to play the best we can and compete.”
The Dolphins faced national powers like DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.), Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) and St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, N.J.) during the 2008-2009 season.
The schedule doesn’t quite have the same national flare this winter, but virtually every power program in the Chicago area will play the Dolphins, as well as St. Vincent-St. Mary of Ohio – LeBron James’ old school.
Among the biggest dates for Whitney Young is this Saturday against revered Chicago powerhouse Simeon. The Wolverines captured back-to-back state titles in 2006 and 2007 behind the play of Derrick Rose and have pieced together 29 straight winning seasons.
“It’s huge,” Slaughter said of the Simeon matchup. “It hasn’t been played in eight years for whatever reason. I’m not a person who is afraid to give credit where credit is due and Simeon has been a model for our program. They have done a great job for a long period of time. We want to be like them. This is a natural game. Every person in Chicago wants to see it and every kid wants to play in it. ‘Huge’ might not do it justice.”
Whitney Young will also take part in one of Chicago basketball’s great traditions after Christmas. The 16-team Proviso West Holiday Tournament has featured stars like Michael Finley, Kevin Garnett, Marcus Liberty, Juwan Howard, Corey Maggette, Glenn “Doc” Rivers, Isiah Thomas.
Thomas opens on a tear
Ohio State signee Deshaun Thomas of Bishop Luers (Fort Wayne, Ind.) is no stranger to putting up big numbers. The 6-7, 220-pound forward averaged 30.3 points and 15.1 rebounds per game as a junior in leading the Knights to a Class 2A state title.
Gary Bell, Kentridge
File photo by Bill Soderberg
Thomas has opened his senior campaign with a pair of attention-grabbing stat lines. Against Mishawaka Marian on Dec. 5, he posted 43 points and 20 boards in a 96-60 victory. A week later in a loss to Fort Wayne South Side, the future Buckeye followed with 39 and 18.
Despite playing in one of Indiana’s smaller classifications, Thomas will have several opportunities to show he can do it against the big boys, too. Bishop Luers faces nationally-ranked Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) on Dec. 22 and Northland (Columbus, Ohio) in January.
The latter matchup will pit Thomas against a pair of future teammates in fellow Ohio State signees Jared Sullinger and J.D. Weatherspoon.
Washington’s Bell drops a double nickel
Tuesday night’s biggest scoring performance came in a losing effort. But after dropping 55 points in a double overtime loss to Auburn-Riverside, Kentridge (Kent, Wash.) junior guard Gary Bell deserved better than a 93-82 setback.
Bell, a major target for a number of West Coast programs, is averaging 27.8 points per game for the 3-2 Chargers.
Holiday tournament time
Check back Thursday for MaxPreps.com’s preview of the major pre-Christmas holiday tournaments.
