Hoopraker

January 6, Evanston, Ill. - The Big Ten season is a week old and already there is confirmation of some verities in college basketball, particularly the Big Ten. In a Big Ten Conference race playing on the road is a major hazard. Few teams have the maturity and experience to win consistently on the road. (more…)

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November 30, 2006 couldn’t have been an easy day for Jim Molinari. The man who recruited him to the Gopher sideline two years ago as a key assistant was invited to use the nearest exit out of Minneapolis. Both men were already reeling from the hangover of a dismal performance at the Old Spice Classic where the Gophers lost three straight to Marist, S. Illinois, and Montana, and then a 22 point drubbing by Clemson at Williams. Molinari’s reward? He gets his friend and colleague’s job with the hunchbacked tag of interim. (more…)

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Tom Izzo is a tough love coach. His best teams have been warrior tribes whose grit, discipline, will, and relish of intangible dirty work is a direct extension of their head coach. His practices are reportedly unmerciless sessions that turn teammates into two hour combatants, where rebounding drills have been conducted in football pads, where blood, contusions and the occasional broken bone are de rigeur. Izzo demands a lot from his ballplayers. He demands even more from his upperclassmen. And if you’re an upperclass guard and co-captain? (more…)

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The Northwestern Wildcats played probably their finest game this season against Northwestern St., a NCAA participant in ‘06 having upset Steve Alford’s good Iowa team in the first round. The current Demon team does not have any of the starters from that team and it was clear early in the game against the Wildcats that this team has no NCAA invitation in its immediate future. (more…)

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December 28, Hillside, Ill.

Thornton Fractional North (Calumet City) 55 Von Steuben 50
T.F. coach Tim Bankston (Simeon, Bradley) has the basketball CV (IHSA state title 1984) and imposing grizzly bear frame that are well suited to getting high school kids to listen. During his timeouts there is not a stray eye in the huddle. And judging from the way his team competes he’s a coach with something to say. The best judge of his methods is that when there is a loose ball or rebound at large his players pursue it like it matters. This kind of commitment will win the Meteors some games this year. Dirty work and defense got them by an equally well coached, determined Von Steuben team.

The best players on the floor today were a pair of juniors: T.F.’s 6′6″ Marcus Deloney and Von Steuben’s 5′11″ point Mike DiNunno. Deloney is a dream made in Bankstonland. A strong, tough kid who muscles in baskets over multiple defenders and crashes the board hard. His frontcourt mate, 6′7″ senior Demond Watt, is getting more recruiting hype (Illinois, Northwestern are reportedly taking good looks), but it would be a mistake to forget his unsung teammates. Though a pixie, DiNunno is a ballplayer. He is a lightning fast dribble penetrator whose clever, zippy passes always find a teammate in the right place to score. Add to that a rangy, soft, quick release jumper and you’ve got a D1 ballplayer. DiNunno’s size may scare off some recruiters but it will be their loss. The kid is a winner.

Proviso East (Maywood) 68 Evanston 59
The high quality of the preceding game quickly eroded with the tip of this one. This game had the unmistakable hallmarks of bad coaching: no discernible offensive structure, poor shot selection, lack of team play, intermittent defense. Poor coaching is always disturbing to the fan who cares about how the game is played, and doubly so when it squanders top flight talent. The talent pools of these two high schools are unfailingly regenerative. Sadly, neither school has made good hiring decisions. The last serviceable coach in Evanston was Paul Pryma who left in 2004. The last state title in Evanston was 1968’s Jack Burmaster led team that went 32-1. The brain drought in Maywood has been even longer. One has to go back to the final season of Bill Hitt in 1993 to locate a coach. The men on the sidelines today, David Chatman at East and Bobby Locke, Jr. on the Evanston side, are producing decent win totals in spite of themselves.

Of course there was plenty of talent on the floor. Though not the most hyped, East’s standout is 6′3″ senior guard/forward Nathan Fuqua. Fuqua gets a lot accomplished on both ends with his superb athleticism, hard work and knack for the ball. A mid-major coach would be wise to snap him up. The Bob Huggins recruit, senior Jacob Pullen, a 6′1″ guard, showed occasional flashes, but had an inconsistent, shaky shooting night. Down low there is more senior talent with 6′3″ Jamal Jones and 6′7″ Tydus Townsend. Because of the absence of good high school tutelage, all of these players will need a lot of skill development in order to become factors in college. Other than Fuqua who seems to have bottomless hunger, one wonders if the others will be able to develop a work ethic that matches their potential. Evanston, too, displayed plenty of raw, unpolished talent. Both teams are typical of the kind of ridiculous depth of talent in Chicagoland.

St. Joseph’s (Westchester) 74 Proviso West (Hillside) 66
One look at a map and you’d know why this game was played with the intensity of a street fight. Westchester and Hillside are border towns. Many of the kids on these squads have been battling since their Nerf hoop days. Add a capacity crowd that included many alumni from both schools and the stage is set.

Once again, rumors abound that this will be Gene Pingatore’s last season coaching the Chargers. He’s been at the wheel of this program since 1969, and after his state title in 1999, has nothing left to prove. At this point, he’s hanging around out of pure love for the game. Judging by his bounce on the sidelines he may well be here another decade.

The most public portrait of Pingatore was his unflattering depiction in 1994’s Hoop Dreams. The lawsuit he and St. Joseph’s brought against its filmmakers suggests the portrayal stung. Of course, there are two sides to every story, and looking at the legion of former players who filled the bleachers around us, it’s clear the man and his program inspire loyalty. And from the perspective of the fan who values good fundamental basketball, he has a flawless track record. His teams never fail to evidence intelligence, patience, and team principles.

The current St. Joe’s team is led by three seniors heading off to D1 basketball futures. 6′7″ Evan Turner is yet another example of Thad Matta’s salesmanship to the nation’s elite players. Turner’s game was always fueled by talent, but he’s also benefited from good teaching and a yeoman work ethic. His game has made striking leaps each year. As of today, he does everything well–nice shooter, groovy around the basket, great off the dribble, keen passer, formidable defender. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tacked two or three more inches onto his thin frame. Matta got another good one, but given Turner’s style of play, I have to think he’d do better in a place like Champaign. Though not yet as tall, Turner reminds me of Weber’s versatile frontcourters in the James Augustine, Brian Randle, Warren Carter mold. It will be a crime if Matta fails to make the most of him.

Illinois bound teammate Demetri McCamey has a Big Ten ready, 6′3″ frame, deceptive quickness and the strength to finish around the rim. He is a point guard who can score or pass with equal potency. He will be a fine player for Weber, Deron Williams good.

6′4″ Garrett Leffelman is the third notable senior. He has the best looking jumpshot I’ve seen in years. Pure textbook form and it goes in a lot. Craig Robinson signed him for Brown. Maybe Robinson, Carmody’s lead recruiter while at Northwestern, got Leffelman to follow him out of personal loyalty. But, still, Leffelman would look great in a Wildcat outfit. He’s a straight A student and has the body and game for the Big Ten. Another example of a player tailor made for Northwestern who got away.

Proviso West got a virtuoso game from a senior of their own, guard Justin Hightower. Without it, this game isn’t competitive. Until he ran out of gas in the final stanza he was an dervish on both sides of the ball. St. Joe’s team game ultimately was too much for him to overcome.

Whitney Young 55 Hillcrest (Country Club Hills) 43
These are two programs with deservedly elite profiles. Whitney Young is one of the city’s academic powerhouses, a magnet school that draws big brains. The basketball team has also achieved at a high level. Quentin Richardson’s (DePaul, Knicks) alma mater is currently loaded and boding well for the next couple seasons, has some great underclassmen. Coach Tyrone Slaughter has his kids committing to an equitable offensive approach and hustling, help defense. It was a pleasure to watch Slaughter prowl the sidelines. He never failed to capitalize on teaching moments both during game play and in timeouts. Keep your eyes peeled on 5′9″ junior guard A.J. Rompza, 6′4″ junior forward Franklin Thompson, and 6′7″ sophomore forward Stanford Brown.

Hillcrest has been a tough out since Tom Cappel became head coach in 1984. The Hawk team I saw over Thanksgiving, however, is struggling to find a rhythm on the offensive end. Give credit to the Whitney Young defense, but the Hawk guard play is also a significant issue. 6′7″ post forward Kellen Thornton is a nice weapon, but isn’t seeing enough of the ball. Cappel will likely right the ship and have his team peaking come playoff time.

Postscript

Semifinals
Proviso East 70 T.F. North 67 OT
St. Joseph’s 69 Whitney Young 62

Championship
St. Joseph’s 59 Proviso East 58

Buzzer beater by Garrett Leffelman (from Evan Turner) to win.

St. Joe’s becomes the first team to win three straight PW tournaments.

ALL TOURNAMENT
First Team:
Evan Turner, St. Joseph’s
Demetri McCamey, St. Joseph’s
Sam Maniscalco, St. Patrick’s
Demond Watt, T.F. North
Jacob Pullen, Proviso East

Second Team:
Mike DiNunno, Von Steuben
Justin Hightower, Proviso West
Tydus Townsend, Proviso East
Lawrence Redmond, T.F. North
Dwight McCombs, Whitney Young

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