Pioneer Press previews the area girls basketball teams in the Central Suburban South at the start of the 2016-17 season.
Evanston
Coach: Brittanny Johnson
2015-16 record: 23-6 (7-3 CSL South), lost to Trinity in a Class 4A sectional semifinal
Backcourt: Senior Allysah Boothe shifts from shooting guard to point guard, and Johnson believes Boothe is ready to assume the ballhandling and leadership duties the position requires. “Watching film of her from last season, she’s a totally different player. She’s more confident and more aggressive,” said Johnson, who is in her first season at the helm. Senior Brianna Miller will be expected to pick up her scoring, juniors TaMia Banks and Amaiya Johnson are fine defenders, and freshman Kayla Henning is a future star, according to Johnson.
Frontcourt: Seniors Leighah-Amori Wool and Krystal Forrester begin their fourth seasons on varsity. Both are versatile 6-footers who can run the floor. “Wool and Forrester and the entire senior class have it in their minds that they want to go downstate,” Johnson said. “It’s all they talk about and they are working hard to ensure they get down there.” Senior Leah Robinson, who is 6-0 and had a breakout season last winter, and 5-11 sophomore SyAnn Holmes also are expected to be major frontcourt contributors.
Did you know: Since stepping down as the Evanston girls basketball coach in 2011, Steve Wool has been a Wildkits boys basketball assistant coach and a girls basketball sophomore coach. But he rejected offers to become a girls varsity assistant because he and daughter Leighah-Amori Wool believed it best they keep their distance when it came to basketball. But for Leighah-Amori Wool’s senior season, the Wools will be together after Steve Wool agreed to become Johnson’s top aide.
Glenbrook South
Coach: Steve Weissenstein
2015-16 record: 25-6, lost to Trinity to a Class 4A sectional final
Backcourt: Senior point guard Carie Weinman leads a guard-heavy Titans team. Weinman, who is headed to Denver next year, is joined by returning backcourt mates junior Lizzy Shaw and senior Callie Pekosh. “She’s just a great player, great on offense, great on defense and I think she’s improved every year,” Weissenstein said of Weinman. “But I think her biggest improvement has been from her junior to senior year, so we’re expecting a lot of big things from her this year.”
Frontcourt: Junior Liz LaPierre and senior Gabby Amesquita will be the Titans’ primary post players. LaPierre, at 6-foot-1, provides height and a good rebounding presence on an undersized squad. “They’ll have a big job this year, since we are guard oriented,” Weinman said. “So using them to set screens and get other people open will be big and having them get down the court on the fast break, so guards can dish them the ball, is something we want to do.”
Did you know: The Titans have some redundancy on their roster. LaPierre, Shaw and senior Liz Kunnel have the same first and middle name — Elizabeth Grace. Glenbrook South also features a pair of twins in seniors Katie and Nina Tojo.
Maine South
Coach: Mark Smith
2015-16 record: 16-15 (5-5 Central Suburban South), lost to Trinity in Class 4A regional final
Backcourt: The Hawks graduated 11 seniors from last year’s team, the most in 20 years, according to Smith. The net result is that his team is young and much different than last year, though it’s still very talented, quick and athletic, Smith said. Junior guard Hayley Semple and sophomore guard Hannah Schilling are two regular starters from last season who return. Losing so many players to graduation means the Hawks have to replace the bulk of the scoring, Smith said, but they’ve gained other things, like outside shooting at several positions. Sophomore guard Nicole Scales might be one of the top 3-point shooters in the area, according to Smith. “I think we’re going to play a very different style than we have in the past,” Smith said.
Frontcourt: Senior co-captain and post Olivia Latreille is another returning player who regularly started last season. Latreille led the team in rebounds last season. “We think she’s going to have a breakout year, especially rebounding the basketball for us,” Smith said.
Did you know: A lot of names on the roster might look familiar. Senior guard Jamie Rieger is the sister of two former Maine South players and one of them, Angie, is now a Hawks assistant coach. Junior guard Kati Kons and junior post Fiona Spuria also have familiar last names. “People might look at our roster and see the same old same old, but these are sisters coming up through our programs,” Smith said.
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New Trier
Coach: Teri Rodgers
2015-16 record: 26-5, lost to Oak Park-River Forest in a Class 4A regional final
Backcourt: Junior twins Cate and Maggie Murdock headline the Trevians’ backcourt this season. The Murdocks are New Trier’s leading threats from the 3-point line, said assistant coach Eric Duffet, while senior Katherine Gjertsen, junior Gaby Malnati, sophomore Rebecca Goldman and junior Nicole Kaspi provide added depth and athleticism. “The backcourt is loaded,” Duffet said. “We have a lot of players who can handle the ball, who can make shots and can attack the rim off the dribble. So, like years past, it’s going to be the strength of our team.”
Frontcourt: New Trier will rely on three different options in the post: 5-foot-10 junior Jacqueline Vinson, 5-10 senior Kristie Kalis and 6-foot sophomore Taite Ryan. “They’re three very different players,” Duffet said. “They all possess different strengths, which is great, because we can kind of mix and match what we need in there based on what the other team is giving us and what opportunities we see.”
Did you know: New Trier returns just eight points per game from last year’s team, as seven of the team’s nine leading scorers were lost to graduation.
Niles North
Coach: Dan Paxson
2015-16 record: 17-11, lost to Oak Park-River Forest in Class 4A regional semifinal
Backcourt: Niles North will rely on a committee of guards to handle ballhandling duties, but junior Alyssa Aragon is the top returner. Aragon has been on varsity since her freshman year. “She’s got a ton of experience,” Paxson said. “She’s a really good on-ball defender.” Sophomore Lauren Dsouza and senior Gina Loy can also play point guard, Paxson said.
Frontcourt: Senior Christina Moutidis and junior Theresa Akinboboye are the tallest players on Niles North’s roster at 5-foot-11. Paxson, though, said that the team will primarily play small. “Collectively, we’re a pretty small team, but we’ve got some kids … that really go hard at the ball,” Paxson said. He said rebounding in practice has been physical and that Niles North will have to do that as a team to be successful.
Did you know: Senior guard Teresa Knudson’s primary sport is soccer. Paxson said that despite her limited experience, Knudson is a hard worker in practice and a leader. He said he expects a lot out of her this season.
Niles West
Coach: Tony Konsewicz
2015-16 record: 8-21 (2-8 Central Suburban South), lost to Glenbrook South in Class 4A regional semifinal
Backcourt: The Wolves plan to have a young starting five, with three sophomores and a freshman receiving regular playing time this season, according to Konsewicz. Sophomore Sam Galanopoulos will fill the point guard role vacated by the graduation of four-year varsity player Jalynn Estrada. “(Galanopoulos) would handle the point when Jalynn wasn’t in the game,” Konsewicz said. “She’s a skilled ballhandler and she can shoot from the outside. We’re looking at her to fill a void there.” Junior guard Tricia Pabst, who showed last season that she’s capable of getting on hot shooting streaks, also returns and Konsewicz said he hopes she becomes a more consistent scorer.
With such a young core of starters, Konsewicz said his team still has some things to learn. “I think the speed of the game is going to be the biggest adjustment,” he said. “We’ve been working with the girls to speed up their footwork and really step into their shots to speed it up.”
Did you know: Every year during Christmas, the team adopts a District 219 family in need and provides gifts and a dinner for the holiday. In the past, the team has worked with up to five families and Konsewicz said the girls look forward to it every season.
Lee Bosch, Brett Christie, Matthew Paras, Heather Rule and Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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