Watch out for Warren.
The future of its basketball program bodes well thanks to an undefeated freshman team. Leading the way inside is 6-foot-7-inch Nathan Boothe, whose older sister, Sarah–a 6-6 freshman at Stanford–was last year’s Ms. Basketball.
Other standouts include 6-5 Darius Paul, the younger brother of Illinois signee Brandon Paul, John Geske, Mitchell Munda and Roman Schultz. Freshman Jameris Smith is the starting point guard on the sophomore team. He is the cousin of former Warren standout Ceola Clark.
“I’ve coached most of these kids when they were younger,” said Lynda Paul, Brandon’s mother and a noted summer league coach. “Some of them, like Darius and Nathan, are still growing. They weren’t really challenged on the freshman level this year.”
Blue Devil varsity coach Chuck Ramsey is among the most respected basketball tacticians in the state and is looking forward to the next three years.
Stepping down
Barrington boys basketball coach Marty Dello is resigning after the season to help care for his wife, who is battling cancer. Dello headed the Broncos for the last six years and has been a coach for 28 years overall, including 10 years at the collegiate level. He will remain at Barrington as a drivers’ education teacher.
Staying close
Sandburg junior softball ace Brittany Gardner, a second-team All-State selection last spring, has made an oral commitment to Loyola. Gardner and her teammates embark on a five-game road trip to Huntington Beach, Calif., on March 25.
Hall of Fame
Thornton’s Bill Mosel and the legendary Bob Shannon of East St. Louis are among the 18 former and current coaches being inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame on April 4 in Champaign. Other local inductees include Tim Dougherty of Lincoln-Way Central, Glenn Johnson of Dunbar, Rich Roberts of Barrington, Mike Kunkle of Warren and Ron Guagenti of Marian Catholic.