The championship game at the 2014 Proviso West Holiday tournament featured the eventual state champions in Class 4A (Stevenson) and Class 3A (St. Joseph).
This year, the area’s top two teams finished second (Fenwick) and fourth (St. Joseph) at Proviso West, the Chicago area’s most competitive holiday tournament. Few should be surprised if either team reaches the Class 3A state semifinals in March.
Fenwick and St. Joseph have a Catholic League Red showdown at Jan. 28 in Oak Park, which could be a preview of the Westinghouse Sectional final.
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After a busy holiday tournament season, Pioneer Press looks at our area boys basketball teams with an eye on which teams are “Contenders,” “Competitive” or “Rebuilding.”
The Contenders
FENWICK
The Friars (11-1) are in a position to make it downstate in coach Rick Malnati’s second season with the team. They have enjoyed a long history at Proviso West and reached the final for the first time since losing the 1977 championship to St. Joseph. The Tribune’s top-ranked team, Morgan Park, handed Fenwick its first loss, 81-55, in front of big crowd in Hillside. All-tournament second-team selection Mike Ballard scored 17 points, with five 3-pointers, in the final, while Jamal Nixon added 13 points. Senior guard Mike Smith was named all-tournament first team after averaging 15.5 ppg and 3.5 apg.
The season will be a success if:: “We continue to improve,” Malnati said.
ST. JOSEPH
At 12.3 rebounds per game, 6-foot-11 senior Nick Rakocevic led all players at Proviso West. After also averaging 18.5 ppg, he was an easy all-tournament first-team pick. The emergence of supporting players Marquise Walker and Jason Towers during the tournament should help the Chargers (11-2), which lost their first two games of the season, to Morgan Park in the semis and to Bogan in the third-place game. St. Joseph is scheduled to play Morgan Park (10-1) again Jan. 23 in the Chicago Hoops Showdown at Hinsdale Central.
The season will be a success if: Rakocevic continues developing in the Chargers’ inside-outside attack with his younger teammates.
YORK
Before the tournament season, the Dukes (10-3) would have been considered “competitive” after losing to undefeated Glenbard West Dec. 11 to drop to 5-3. But since then, York has won five in a row and pulled off the biggest surprise of the holidays by racing to first place at its own 32-team Jack Tosh Holiday Classic behind tournament most valuable player Ryan Camp. The biggest boost was getting 6-5 Patrick Grabowski back after missing four weeks with a sprained left ankle. Grabowski scored 17 points against Glenbard East in his return and had a team-high 12 points in the 45-40 championship win over Naperville North. The Dukes (1-1 West Suburban Silver) have their rematch with the Hilltoppers on Feb. 5.
The season will be a success if: The Dukes continue their blue-collar, tight-knit mentality that carried them to the Tosh championship.
HINSDALE SOUTH
The outstanding player of the Tosh Classic was Hinsdale South’s Barret Benson. The 6-10 Northwestern recruit led the Tosh Classic in scoring (22.2 ppg), rebounding (11.8), free throws attempted and field goals. He scored a season-high 32 points in the Hornets’ win over Metea Valley. Hinsdale South (10-3, 2-1) controls its own fate in the West Suburban Gold, with two conference games remaining against Proviso East (5-5) and a rematch at home against Downers Grove South (9-5) on Feb. 5. Hinsdale South lost to the Mustangs in WSC Gold action and beat them in the Tosh third-place game, 71-54.
The season will be a success if: “Our offensive efficiency improves,” Hinsdale South coach Brett Moore said. “If we take care of the basketball, we would be very good. When we don’t, we would look like the best team in the tournament or we could look like we belong in the last-place game.”
IC CATHOLIC
The trio of seniors Troy Burrows and Will Lyles and junior Austin Reed carried the Knights (9-4) to the title at the IC/Westmont Invitational after winning at Coal City over Thanksgiving. All three scored in double figures in a win against Montini, while Lyles had his tournament high of 22 points in a 58-46 championship game win over St. Edward. The Knights (1-2 Metro Suburban West) will be looking to carry that consistency over to conference play, with undefeated Glenbard South (3-0) set to offer the first test of 2016 on Tuesday, Jan. 5. IC hopes to turn the tables on Riverside-Brookfield (11-2, 4-0) in Elmhurst on Feb. 5.
The season will be a success if: “We can be mentally tough and put team above self,” IC coach T.J. Tyrrell said. “If everyone can buy in to their roles it can be a special season.”
The Competitive
OAK PARK-RIVER FOREST
The preseason favorites in the West Suburban Silver went 1-2 at Pontiac with an overtime win against Niles West and losses to eventual runner-up Manual, 62-54, and fourth-seeded Benet, 65-53. Junior forward Cameron Gross was a breakout performer for the Huskies (5-6, 1-1) with a career-high 32 points in the tournament opener. He then had 15 points against Benet, which placed fifth. The Huskies should find out quickly if they learned anything over the holidays when they endure a three-game death march against Proviso West on Tuesday, Jan. 5, WSC Silver leader Glenbard West (12-0, 1-0) on Friday, Jan. 8, and surprising York on Jan. 12.
The season will be a success if: “We continue to improve each day we step in the gym and the classroom,” OPRF coach Matt Maloney said.
HINSDALE CENTRAL
The Red Devils (8-5, 3-0 West Suburban Silver) placed fifth in the first year of their own holiday tournament with help from Peter Blust’s 27 points and Bradley Huth’s game-winning basket in the finale against Rockford Auburn. Blust was named all-tournament second team with 17.8 ppg and 9.5 rpg, while Drew Shepherd ranked second in the tournament with 12 3-pointers. The Red Devils jumped out to a strong start in the WSC Silver, but still need to play Glenbard West and York twice.
The season will be a success if: The seniors continue to maintain the composure they displayed by winning four in a row after enduring a three-game losing streak before the holidays.
The Rebuilding
LYONS
Connor Niego, a 6-8 junior, was named all-tournament after averaging 17 ppg at the Jack Tosh Classic. His junior cousin, Noah Niego, broke through with a 14-point game against St. Patrick and freshman guard Tyrese Shines scored double figures in two games for Lyons (4-8, 1-2, West Suburban Silver). The Lions boast a lot of talent, but their young players are still learning to grow comfortable in coach Tom Sloan’s system. In the top-heavy WSC Silver, Lyons will have a hard time challenging Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central and York, which all have strong senior leadership.
The season will be a success if: The Lions’ younger players listen and learn.
TIMOTHY CHRISTIAN
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Junior Joey Davison averaged 18 ppg while the Trojans (6-7) went 1-3 — beating Lane, 41-37, in its finale — against much bigger teams at York’s Tosh Classic. In the Trojans’ holiday highlight, Davidson scored 25 points against Waubonsie Valley in the second round. The two south suburban teams — Chicago Christian (12, 2, 4-0) and Illiana Christian (12-3, 2-1) — look like they’ll battle it out in the Metro Suburban East, allowing Timothy to use the conference season to prepare for the 2A Clifton Central Sectional.
The season will be a success if: The Trojans use the experience of playing bigger schools when they begin the Class 2A tournament.
NAZARETH
With three sophomore starters, the Roadrunners (2-9) lost six consecutive games to end December and are considered a year or two away. Each of the sophomores, Josh Oglesby, Christian Payne and Kaleb Thornton, led Nazareth at least once in scoring at the Tosh Classic. The East Suburban Catholic is loaded once again, with Marist, Marian Catholic, Notre Dame, Benet and Marian Central already at double-digit victory totals, so the Roadrunners will be learning against the best.
The season will be a success if: “Our young players need to continue to work on their attention to detail to help us win the close ones we have dropped up until this point,” Nazareth coach John Bonk said. “We are improved from this point last season, but need to continue to focus on the little things.”
LEYDEN
Senior guard Adrian Guerrero scored more than 20 points in a pair of games at Glenbard West, but the Eagles (4-8) finished 1-3. Leyden’s only victory came against Wheaton Academy, 56-47, on Dec. 23. Roy Vizcarra scored 18 points with five 3-pointers against Willowbrook.
The season will be a success if: “We can tighten up execution at both ends of the floor enough that we win the close games we dropped the first half of season,” Leyden coach Bill Heisler said. “We must learn every possession matters.”
ELMWOOD PARK
The Tigers (4-7) snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Westmont, 56-37, on Dec. 29. Those two teams meet again Jan. 12. Senior guard Anthony Perodin scored 17 points in a loss to St. Edward in the Tigers’ opener at the IC/Westmont Invitational.
The season will be a success if: “‘We can continue to compete every night and take the next program step of winning close games,” Elmwood Park coach Anthony Sylvester said.
GUERIN
The Gators (2-10) lost to the host team, 65-51, in the third-place game at the Luther North Tournament. The Crusaders return to action at Ridgewood at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8.
The season will be a success if: The Crusaders can use their home court to advantage during their regional of the 2A DePaul Prep Sectional.
Rich Martin also contributed.
Twitter: @geomwilcox