Last week’s state tennis tournament was the last for one of the Chicago area’s premier coaches.
Chuck Morrison, who coached Deerfield to two state championships, is retiring after 30 years. Morrison also coached for five years at defunct Niles East–where he helped guide the 1968 singles champ, Mark Bishop–and two years at Homewood-Flossmoor before taking over at Deerfield.
“It’s a good time to go out,” Morrison said. “I think 30 is a nice number to go out on.”
Morrison led Deerfield to state titles in 1984 and 1995, among his 14 top-10 finishes at state, but it was his son, Mike, who provided him with his career highlight. The younger Morrison became only the second player to win four singles titles when he ran the table from 1983 through 1986.
Mike Morrison remains the last player to win consecutive titles after Palatine’s Tom Hanus was thwarted in his repeat bid by Geneva’s Josh Braley in last week’s final.
“Mike’s [performance] was special, especially since it was my son,” Chuck Morrison said.
He is also proud of his program’s performance over the last 30 decades.
“Hinsdale Central and New Trier have such great feeder systems,” he noted. “At Deerfield, the main emphasis among the younger kids has always been football, then baseball and now soccer. I think what we’ve done has been pretty impressive over the years. It’s been a great experience.”
— Pat Rooney
Fame game: Marshall coach Dorothy Gaters will be among the 24 coaches and former players inducted into the two-year-old Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame June 10 in Knoxville. Gaters, who has led her teams to seven state titles and has an overall won-lost record of 687-73, is one of two Illinois inductees. The other is Lorene Ramsey, 30-year coach at Illinois Central Community College and winner of four NJCAA national titles.
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Speaking of honors: Providence lefty Carmen Pignatiello, who has helped pitch the Celtics into state-title contention, has been named Gatorade Illinois High School Baseball Player of the Year. The Mississippi State signee thus becomes eligible for the national player of the year award, won in past years by such major-leaguer stars as Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield–as well as current Cub Todd Van Poppel.
Grab your glove: The New York Mets will conduct a tryout camp June 14 at Lockport High School’s baseball field, with registration beginning at 9 a.m. Players younger than 18 must bring written permission from a parent or guardian to participate. Also, American Legion players will need a letter of permission from their coach or company commander. Bats, ball and helmets will be provided. Call 718-507-6387 for more information.
Gilded instructions: Tisha Venturini, midfielder on the U.S. women’s World Cup champion and Olympic gold-medal team, will sign autographs and present a skills demonstration from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Libertyville Township Soccer Complex, 17802 W. Winchester Rd. in Libertyville. Her appearance coincides with the Greater Libertyville Soccer Association Spring Jamboree for players through 9th grade.
Openings: De La Salle needs to fill three coaching vacancies: head soccer and assistant wrestling (two). Also, the school is looking for one more opponent for its varsity basketball schedule. Call Athletic Director Mike Skowronski at 312-842-7355 ext. 118 for more information. … Streamwood’s varsity boys basketball tournament, scheduled for July 7-9, still has openings in a field that already includes Young, Westinghouse, Homewood-Flossmoor, Proviso East, Zion-Benton, St. Charles, Rockford Boylan, Gordon Tech, Evanston and several other top teams. Contact coach Chuck Schroeder at 630-213-5500 ext. 8579 for details. … Chicago’s Olive-Harvey College needs 10 high school teams to fill the field for its fifth annual Girls Basketball Spring Classic later this month. Call Olive-Harvey coach Ron Padalino at 773-291-6187 for further information.
Summer camps, leagues: Ex-Bears kicker Mac Percival returns for his 24th summer as instructor at the Midwest Football Camps for placekickers, punters and centers ages 13-21 at four locations. The Illinois date and site is June 25-26 at Ottawa High School, and lodging is available. Call 515-225-0609 for further information. .. . The University of Notre Dame’s annual football camp, under the direction of coach Bob Davie and his staff, is set for June 14-20 at the South Bend campus. Session I, for boys entering Grades 7 through 12, is June 14-17. Session II, for those entering Grades 9 through 12, is June 17-20, and the kicking academy is June 16-18. The cost for this non-contact camp is $340 for boarders and $300 for non-boarders for either Session I or II and $300 for the kicking portion. Call 219-631-8788 for more details. … St. Laurence will have summer camps in baseball (July 17-21), basketball (June 19-23 and June 26-30), football (June 12-16), soccer (July 10-14 and, for incoming freshmen, June 26-July 21), tennis (June 26-30), volleyball (June 30-July 1) and wrestling (July 10-21). Call 708-458-6900 ext. 256 for further information. … Northwestern’s Kevin O’Neill plans another series of basketball camps for boys 6-18. Sessions are June 21-23, June 26-29 and July 30-Aug. 2. For details on costs and activities, call 847-491-7906. … Madonna High School’s basketball camp for girls in Grades 5 through 8 will run in one two-week session: June 19-23 and June 26-30. Cost is $50. Call Thomas Kalleses at 773-282-2552 or 847-965-6107 for more information.