Last weekend’s foot of snow is all melted away. A portion of my family will gather here in Huntley tonight for the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. After the meal, the guests will depart and my Dad and I will watch Bears/Packers on the tube.
What have I done all week? Pretty much nothing but going to high school basketball games with my Dad. Most all of the schools in this region have vibrant programs and they all launch their seasons on Thanksgiving week at multi-game tournaments. As you know, I love going to high school hoops games and there’s no better place I know of to do that than right here in Northern Illinois. The gyms are great – the level of play is very high – it’s cheap to get in – and you don’t have to travel far to find a good matchup.
From warmups – to starting lineup introductions – all the way through the game – I love watching how these events unfold. There are no TV timeouts. Each game only lasts about 90 minutes at most. It’s such a beautiful thing to witness. Especially here where fans turn out to watch and support young athletes who play the sport in a fashion that’s more appealing visually than both the college and pro levels.
Over three days, I attended eight games at three different sites. What follows are brief summaries of each contest:
-Marian Central vs. Cary-Grove at Woodstock North – 11-23-15
This was the first game on the docket of what’s called “Hoops for Healing,” a three night, six-team tournament hosted by both Woodstock and Woodstock North high schools. Three triple-headers on the three consecutive nights preceding Thanksgiving leave each team two games shy of playing all of the tournament participants. A tie-breaker formula rewards margin of victory (after head-to-head) which could produce a less than satisfying path in determining a tourney champ but the goal of these early games for most coaches is to work out kinks in advance of the conference schedule. Marian Central beat Cary-Grove 63-50 despite a much smaller school enrollment (689 vs. 1828). Central’s senior floor general Adam Pischke was unstoppable on drives to the hoop, scoring 31 (25 in the second half). Not afraid to sustain punishment while airborne, Pischke is rough and tumble and was easily shedding defenders. Down low, Marian deploys a true big man which is always a plum at this level. Junior Sam Ohlrich is listed at 6-8 and has a fluid put-back move on the offensive glass. Ohlrich didn’t show much of an outside shot but he’s a force down low on both ends. He went 16 and 12 with four swats and still has a year to play. The nice thing is that it appears he has a coach who is committed to instruction and positive reinforcement. Marian head coach Curtis Price was teaching throughout the contest, barking instructions and encouragement, especially when his squad was on defense. Price played at DePaul under Coach Joey Meyer some 25 years ago and clearly has the attention of his players.
-Woodstock vs. Antioch at Woodstock North – 11-23-15
Much more physical than the previous contest, the three-man officiating crew for this one called it tight, making for a lot of trips to the line. Neither side had much height, but both teams played crisp considering it was an opening night matchup and despite the interruptions by over-eager whistles. There was great ball movement, hard defense and high intensity. Woodstock wore Antioch down in the second half. Woodstock’s strongly-built forward Zachary Cullum was fun to watch. Hunched over a bit, Cullum is the quarterback of the football team. He’s deceptively swift despite carrying a lot of muscle. He appears to be the team’s most vocal and demonstrative leader. Cullum drained some big threes when the game was tight and was constantly displaying enthusiasm and emotion. Senior Vannis Smith is another big guy for Woodstock. He has a nice outside shot.
-Jacobs vs. Rolling Meadows at Palatine – 11-24-15
My Dad and I chose this tourney in Palatine primarily because it’s geographically convenient for the meet-up with my brother Tim and nephew Sam. They didn’t arrive in time for this matchup, the first of three on the night. Jacobs got 27 from their big man Cameron Krutwig who’s listed at 6-9. Meadows couldn’t handle his power move to the goal but gave it some fight. 62-53 Jacobs was your final.
-Deerfield vs. York at Palatine – 11-24-15
Tim and Sam made it for the tip of this game which is part of Palatine’s “Ed Molitor Thanksgiving Classic,” a seven-team, five day tourney. Molitor coached at Palatine for 32 years. He retired in 1998 after logging more than 500 wins at the school. On Tuesday night, at the tournament bearing his name, we noticed him seated alone in the last row opposite the player benches. He wore a Palatine sweatshirt and munched on popcorn. Sam asked me on arrival who I was rooting for. Deerfield or York? I told him that at games like this where I’m unfamiliar with the schools, I wait for play to unfold before deciding who to cheer for. I told him I usually back the underdog. Sam rooted for Deerfield. During a stretch when the game was competitive, Sam stomped his feet once on the floor every time Deerfield scored a hoop. Deerfield won 66-55. The other conversation of note at about this time of the night was when my Dad and I agreed that the lack of a shot clock in high school hoops is something we both very much enjoy. We didn’t stick around to see the host Palatine play the night’s final game. We left and went to dinner at Kosta’s, a nearby hot dog joint.
-Prairie Ridge vs. Huntley at Crystal Lake Central – 11-25-15
Day two of Central’s Thanksgiving Tourney tipped at 10 AM with these two conference rivals. Huntley got blown out in its season opener two nights earlier but looked OK to me. The Prairie Ridge parents seated near us were serious whiners. They hissed and howled at borderline calls. I’m glad I’m not one of their regular boosters because I don’t think I could hang with them. The school bell at Central went off repeatedly in the gym, signaling the expiration of class periods even though school was not in session. Eventually, that technological glitch was figured out and the sounds of bouncing basketballs, whistles, sneaker screeches on hardwood and fan expression were all we were left with. Ridge guard Brian Dorn scored on a drive to the basket with time expiring and the game tied. 53-51 Ridge was your final. Huntley is the high school nearest where my folks live and the one I’ve naturally rooted for over the 15 some years I’ve been coming to visit them. Not once during my occasional but somewhat regular interaction with Huntley’s athletic programs have I felt anything other than good about the way their coaches, players and fans conduct themselves which I believe is saying something.
-Belvidere North vs. Geneva at Crystal Lake Central – 11-25-15
If I had to measure which of the sixteen teams I watched during this Turkey week hoops binge in terms of future success this season, I’d say with confidence that Geneva is the best of this bunch. They’re well balanced and fundamentally strong. Senior Bennett Fuzak is listed at 6-7 and plays sharp both inside and out. A web item indicates he’s committed to play at Grace College which competes at the NAIA level. Fuzak can hit the three but also commits strongly to the boards and on defense. Geneva won this game by 30 but did it in a way that wasn’t in any way disrespectful to their opponent. Good luck to these guys as they go along. Total digression but it seems like it has become a fad for the rebel high school hoopster to wear his waistband inside-out.
-Hononegah vs. Barrington at Crystal Lake Central – 11-25-15
This was a fun one because of the contrasts and competitiveness. Barrington is a big school in a fairly well-to-do Chicago burb and Hononegah is in a more rural part of the state in Rockton near the Wisconsin border. Nip and tuck all the way, the game came down to one possession. Hononegah’s freshman guard Caleb Donaldson took the ball up the court with ten seconds to go and his team down two, but lost the handle on it as he made a move to the basket. The buzzer went off and Barrington got the win, 47-45.
-McHenry vs. Crystal Lake Central at Crystal Lake Central – 11-25-15
With my head turning into a basketball at this point, game four on the day featured the best fan section of my week in northern Illinois gyms. The McHenry students came with some numbers and sat opposite their bench. They sang and danced to popular piped-in music during breaks in the action and were positive in the way they expressed support for their school. I wasn’t able to confirm this but it appeared two of the three refs on the crew that worked this game were a father-son combo. McHenry won by fifteen and their point guard Giovanni Calabrese is very polished for a sophomore. Expect Gio to be a factor in the Fox Valley Conference going forward. I also enjoyed watching McHenry’s Deshawn Wilson who was constantly leaping into deflections and steals on defense.
Thursday is Thanksgiving so no more games. I go back to New York on Friday. Enjoy the holiday.