Oswego East’s Jehvion Starwood (22) drives toward the basket as the Wolves play West Aurora.
Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times
Team to beat: Warren
Who would have thought this when the season began? Warren as the favorite at Proviso West? Over Kenwood, the preseason No. 1, and perennial power Young?
While the Blue Devils maybe aren’t an overwhelming favorite, they’ve earned the nod with the start they’ve put together, which has included wins over New Trier, Bolingbrook and Joliet West. The lone loss this season came to highly-ranked Mount Carmel.
Imagine the hype if freshman sensation Jaxson Davis and this emerging Warren team took down both Public League giants and headed into January with a 15-1 record?
Top contenders: Young, Kenwood and Lincoln Park
There will be no surprise if one of the heavyweight programs, Young or Kenwood, walk out of Proviso West with four wins. But which one of these inconsistent teams can put together four straight?
There is no denying the talent and potential of Kenwood. That senior trio of Chris Riddle, Calvin Robins and 6-10 Jaden Smith is legit. But the Broncos have not had any stretch this season where it looked the part of the preseason No. 1 team.
Kenwood must find a way to get 6-10 junior Aleks Alston going. It’s at Proviso West last year where Alston had his brightest moment.
Coach Mike Irvin hopes to have point guard Devin Cleveland back for the holidays. That would be a boon for a team in desperate need of a true, decision-making ballhandler.
With the youth and schedule Young played in the first month of the season, there were bound to be some growing pains. As a result, this is the best five-loss team in the state. Athletic junior Antonio Munoz is beginning to blossom into the star he has been projected to be. This is another growing up experience for a Dolphins team featuring several talented sophomores and a freshman in their rotation.
Lincoln Park has been one of the pleasant surprises of the season. With a win over Young and a one-point loss to Kenwood, the Lions roll into Proviso believing. First-year coach Josh Anderson is receiving rave reviews, and the combination of 6-4 junior Chayse Turner and sophomore guard Ahmad Lee have opened eyes.
Sleeper: Rockford Guilford
Don’t sleep on what appears to be the best team in Rockford right now. They are on top of the NIC-10 behind senior guard Malachi Johnson. But the Vikings do have losses to two DuPage Valley Conference teams, Naperville North and Neuqua Valley, at Thanksgiving.
Teams to beat: Brother Rice and DePaul Prep
Take your pick. The two have been perfect thus far and are unbeaten heading into the holidays. They are scheduled to meet Jan. 19 in what could decide the Chicago Catholic League, but they’re expected to collide Dec. 27 for the title at Hinsdale Central.
Cale Cosme sets the pace for Brother Rice at point guard. He unselfishly simplifies things for others. Zavier Fitch has taken a big step forward as a senior. Marcos Gonzales has emerged as one of the better guards in the junior class, while athletic guard Tyler Wooten provides a dimension to this team no one else can.
This list of wins has been impressive, beating five teams that have been ranked this season: Joliet West, Riverside-Brookfield, Loyola, Bloom and De La Salle.
DePaul has the ability to completely shut you down with its defense. Both big man Jaylan McElroy and guard Rob Walls set the tone defensively, while the Rams play unselfishly and are balanced offensively. PJ Chambers and Makai Kvamme lead the Rams in what is an extremely balanced team.
Top contenders: Niles North
This team of juniors gained experience last year while also enjoying some winning. Now the Vikings come into the holidays as a battle-tested group that has impressed. And they can score, fueled by the offensive punch the backcourt of Reid Olson and Yaris Irby provide.
Sleepers: Oswego East, Lane Tech and Marian Catholic
This is not the Oswego East of the past couple of years that won a combined 62 games and finished second at Hinsdale Central, but it’s still a quality team. The Wolves feature Wyoming recruit Jehvion Starwood and remain dangerous.
Lane, making its first appearance at Hinsdale Central, has been solid and has the experienced personnel in Shaheed Solebo, Parker Williams, Jackson Labkon and 6-8 Dalton Scantlebury to make a run to the semifinals. But it would then meet DePaul, a team it already lost to in November.
Marian Catholic has been a pesky team. The Spartans have one big, impressive win, upsetting Marist, while losing to some real quality teams in Homewood-Flossmoor, St. Patrick, Evanston and Neuqua Valley.
Hinsdale Central stocking stuffers and other thoughts
• It’s too bad the top two teams at Hinsdale Central –– by far and away the top two teams –– play in the same conference. That does take away a bit of the pre-tournament excitement. We will see if the expected Brother Rice-DePaul Prep showdown materializes.
• With all the success DePaul Prep has enjoyed over the years, a Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic title has eluded the Rams. They’ve regularly reached the semifinals but are looking for their first tournament championship.
• Rockford Auburn is uncharacteristically hovering around the .500 mark. But it’s consistently a dangerous team under veteran and respected coach Bryan Ott. They remain a threat with senior Rakim Chaney and sophomores Amir Danforth and Champ Parker. Auburn lost to Young in overtime back in November.
Plus, the presence of the Knights at Hinsdale Central continues to be a plus. Auburn helps mix up the field as a team from outside the Chicago area.
• This tournament is an opportunity for some of the better uncommitted senior prospects to enhance their résumés, including DePaul’s 6-7 Jaylan McElroy, Lane’s 6-5 Shaheed Solebo, Marian Catholic’s 6-7 James Bullock and the Brother Rice combo of Fitch and Wooten.
Team to beat: Thornton
No team has won more Big Dipper championships than Thornton, which won its 10th title in 2019. So all eyes will be on the No. 1 team with the top senior in the state.
Matching up against 6-8 Morez Johnson is a nightmare. The Illinois-bound big man is a physical specimen who demands constant attention in the post, on the glass and when attacking Thornton’s defense. Senior guard Chase Abraham has really emerged as an offensive threat.
Top contender: Homewood-Flossmoor
Aside from a blowout loss to national power Gonzaga out of DC, the Vikings have been humming along nicely with just that one loss on the season. Coach Jamere Dismukes continues to mix and match as he has the capability to with so many parts. His team is still settling in as the newcomers play together more and more.
When the VIkings are out in transition with the likes of juniors Jayden Tyler and Bryce Heard and seniors Gianni Cobb and Carson Brownfield, the Vikings look the part.
Sleepers: Hyde Park, Rich and Westinghouse
Can any of the three sleepers prevent Thornton and HF from reaching the final? It’s a tall task. But all three hope they get a shot at one of this season’s two elites.
Hyde Park’s Jurrell Baldwin is a highly productive 6-5 wing and one of the best unsigned seniors in the state. Westinghouse’s Damion Bolden is a flat-out scorer. Rich is on its home floor, has the senior tandem of 6-7 Victory Brown and guard Samar Bures and boasts young talent in Jamson Coulter. The ranked Raptors have only one loss — a 68-62 overtime loss to No. 1 Thornton.
Big Dipper stocking stuffers and thoughts
• The anticipation and expectation is for Thornton and H-F to meet in what would be a south suburban showdown with a whole lot of heat. The two do meet in January, but the feel and hype of the top two teams in the south suburbs — and two of the very best in the state — squaring off at the Dipper provides some old school fun.
Team to beat: Normal
The Ironmen, who just suffered their first loss of the season to top-ranked Thornton, have unmatched size at the high school level. That starts with Wright State recruit, 6-10 senior Jaheem Webber. But athletic 6-3 Braylon Roman is a star talent in the backcourt and makes this team go at point guard as one of the best uncommitted seniors in the state.
Top contenders: Romeoville, Rock Island and Joliet Central
Rock Island, the No. 2 seed, is a fixture at the State Farm Classic and one of the most recognizable basketball programs in Illinois. Coach Marc Polite has won 20-plus games and back-to-back regional titles in his first two years as coach.
This year Polite, whose team has two losses by a combined five points, has a potent scorer in 6-3 senior KJ Lamonte, who is averaging 21 points a game. Larry Olivier and Dez Jackson are two more double-figure scorers who pump in 14 points apiece.
A team that has received very little love in the area thus far has been Joliet Central, yet the Steelmen were able to secure the No. 3 seed. There is just a ton of senior experience and moxie from the guard trio of Zion Kostyra, Jay’Lin Murphy and JaMarcho Holman and hard-working 6-3 Isaiah Molette to make this team competitive without the big names.
Romeoville has as much talent as anyone outside of Normal. But it has youth and newcomers to the program that continue to make it a work in progress. However, the firepower the Spartans possess should be enough to give them a shot at top-seeded Normal –– if it can get by the team no one ever wants to play: Wheaton-Warrenville South.
Sleepers: Wheaton-Warrenville South, Bradley-Bourbonnais and Metea Valley
Maybe this isn’t quite the Wheaton-Warrenville South team of the past few years. But it’s still Wheaton-Warrenville South and it will still bring its ball press defense, toughness and togetherness to the Bloomington-Normal. Luca Carbonaro is a junior guard to watch.
Bradley-Bourbonnais has played the entire season without the reigning Southwest Suburban Red Conference player of the year, 6-4 senior Anthony Kemp. He’s expected to return from injury. Kemp and 6-10 junior Nick Allen form a 1-2 combo that makes this team scary as a lower-seeded team.
Metea Valley has hit a bump in the road and limps into the State Farm Classic. However, it’s a team with some weapons in 6-5 Will Ashford, 6-8 Jake Nosek and guard James Parker.
State Farms stocking stuffers and thoughts
• There are some exciting and high-profile juniors to keep tabs on in this tournament field, including Division I prospects EJ Mosley of Romeoville, Nick Allen of Bradley-Bourbonnais, Peoria guard LeShawn Stowers and 6-8 Jake Nosek of Metea Valley. All four are among the top prospects in the state in the Class of 2025 with Mosley and Allen both ranked in the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top 10 prospects.
• The 16-team small-school tournament which runs simultaneously with the big schools, includes Aurora Christian. Led by 6-3 Cam Morel and junior guard Marshawn Cocroft, the Eagles have emerged as one of the top teams in Class 1A and are the State Farm Classic’s top-seeded small school.
With a healthy Josh Fridman at point guard, there is no doubt the team to beat is Glenbrook North. He is an absolute catalyst who elevates a team. The Spartans have a favorable path at Wheeling and have last year as motivation. GBN ran off to a 14-0 start a year ago before being upset by Libertyville in the Hardwood Classic final.
Keep an eye on a red-hot Neuqua Valley team in the opposite bracket of GBN. Led by high-scoring shooting guard Luke Kinkade (25 ppg), the Wildcats have rattled off eight straight wins since starting the season 2-2.
In the same bracket with Neuqua Valley is Prospect, which already owns a win over favored Glenbrook North, and Wauconda with 6-4 scoring guard and Mercer recruit Braeden Carlson (24.7 ppg).
Waubonsie Valley is unbeaten, climbing the rankings and the top seed at Jacobs. The Warriors, who won this tournament in 2019, are thriving with their ball press defense. But it all starts with the combination of Tre Blissett, a jack-of-all-trades 6-5 senior, and junior point guard Tyreek Coleman.
Big man Anton Strelnikov has turned into a legit difference-maker inside for Lake Zurich. The 6-8 junior is averaging 17 points and seven rebounds a game for the No. 2 seed.
How good is Crystal Lake South? The Gators have one loss on the season but avenged that one in a convincing way, beating Huntley 49-25 in the rematch. AJ Demirov is a smooth operating junior guard.
Hoffman Estates, Grayslake Central, Barrington and Jacobs all look to surprise.
A couple of ranked locals are among the top four seeds at Pekin, including No. 1 seed Mount Carmel. Coach Phil Segroves’ Caravan haven’t lost to an in-state team yet, losing only to a pair of Missouri teams –– Vashon and to Webster Groves in overtime.
There is a recent familiarity with deep, successful runs in this tournament. Remember, a year ago the Caravan beat eventual Class 4A champ Moline in the Pekin title game and have won this tournament two years in a row. Can Mount Carmel and Angelo Ciaravino, the 6-5 star headed to Northwestern, make it three in a row?
Lake Park was awarded the third seed and has one of the tournament’s best weapons in guard Cam Cerese. The Lancers haven’t tasted defeat since a season-opening upset loss to Oak Park.
But both Mount Carmel and Lake Park will have to contend with an unheralded Morton team. The Potters gathered up a whole lot of momentum early this season with a 51-44 win over defending Class 3A champ Metamora. Morton heads to Pontiac with a sparkling 12-1 record.
Moline with junior Braden Freeman and Trey Taylor are the fourth seed, while East St. Louis is always a threat. Mount Carmel will likely get one of the two in the semifinals.
Locally, Marist heads 250 miles south to play in the 80th annual Centralia Holiday Tournament, one of the iconic holiday tournaments in the state.
The Redhawks are in position to win their first Centralia title since 2016. It’s still a young team, highlighted by sophomores Stephen Brown and Adonis Vassilakis, but one that’s received a huge shot in the arm from 6-6 senior Darshan Thomas.
Look out for Centralia. The host hasn’t won a tournament championship since claiming back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014. But the Orphans are feeling good after jumping out to a 11-0 start to the season.
Evanston has been a title game fixture at Centralia in recent years. The Wildkits won it in 2019 and finished second each of the past two seasons. Even in a season where coach Mike Ellis had to replace all five starters, it’s impossible to sneak up on anyone in Centralia with Evanston’s recent success there. Reaching the title game will be an uphill battle, but playing Centralia in the semifinals is attainable.
Chatham-Glenwood and Mt. Vernon both hope to make some noise in top bracket where Marist is the team to beat.
