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2 months ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Michael O’Brien |Michael O'Brien
On Wednesday, Joliet native Jeremiah Fears announced he was entering the NBA Draft. The Oklahoma freshman revealed the news on ESPN’s Paul Finebaum Show, a sign of just how big the 18-year-old has become in college basketball. It’s been a remarkable year for Fears, who skipped his senior year of high school and reclassified to attend Oklahoma and play this season. Fears began high school at Joliet West.
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2 months ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Michael O’Brien |Michael O'Brien
Michael O’Brien and Joe Henricksen’s weekly breakdown of Illinois high school basketball. In this episode Joe and Mike take a look back at the weekend in Champaign, discussing the games, the format, the crowds and the future of the event. The podcast is on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please subscribe.
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2 months ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Michael O’Brien |Michael O'Brien
It’s always special when the final game of the season comes down the last play. Benet beat Warren Saturday night in a fun, memorable Class 4A state title game. The crowds in Champaign this weekend were not spectacular. None of the schools brought an overwhelming amount of fans, but there were a significant amount of fans for all the championship bracket games. The Class 4A title game didn’t start until after 9 p.m. and that’s what most fans have reached out to complain about.
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2 months ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Michael O’Brien |Michael O'Brien
CHAMPAIGN—Colin Stack, a seven-foot junior related to Jim Stack and Frank Kaminsky, drained a three-pointer in the first quarter of Benet’s 55-54 win in the Class 4A state championship game against Warren. Six-nine senior Daniel Pauliukonis, a 6-9 SIU recruit, followed suit at the end of the quarter. Mobile size that can shoot. And that’s just one of the factors that helped the Redwings break the streak and finally win a state title after three tries.
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2 months ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Michael O’Brien |Michael O'Brien
CHAMPAIGN—DePaul Prep opened the season with massive expectations. The Rams won the Class 3A state title in 2024 and the 2A title in 2023. This year’s team was supposed to be even better. That’s a unique situation for any high school basketball team to handle. But DePaul Prep delivered on all those expectations throughout the season.
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2 months ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Michael O’Brien |Michael O'Brien
CHAMPAIGN—Dyett’s journey from Public League afterthought to state champion in less than a decade is remarkable. “We started out in 2016 with just freshmen,” Eagles coach Jamaal Gill said on Tuesday. “We just made up our own schedule, weren’t given the opportunity to to be in a conference by CPS. Then we won the blue 2 years in a row [and kept moving up].”Dyett was saved from closure in 2015 by a parental hunger strike.
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2 months ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Michael O’Brien |Michael O'Brien
CHAMPAIGN—Hope Academy, a small private school on the West Side, opened in 2005 and started winning regional basketball championships with regularity in 2010. Antwon Johnson, the school’s second basketball coach, raised the bar with a third place finish at state in 2017. Hope’s coaches and students made an impact that weekend in Peoria, impressing observers with their attitude and sportsmanship as much as their play.
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2 months ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Michael O’Brien |Michael O'Brien
CHAMPAIGN—There are two distinct levels of high school basketball stardom in Illinois. The first is the local star. It might be in Chicago, Lake County, Joliet or Aurora. It’s the guy that everyone in the area knows is a special talent. The one kid with a chance to make it big. The second and highest is the rarely achieved state superstar. That level can only be reached at the state finals. Some of the best players in recent Illinois history never managed state stardom.
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2 months ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Michael O’Brien |Michael O'Brien
CHAMPAIGN—Coaches love defense. Benet and Evanston are well-coached teams and have the defensive stuff figured out. Halfway through the third quarter of Friday’s Class 4A semifinal at State Farm Center, the teams had combined for just 44 points. Someone had to find offense. Benet senior Blake Fagbemi answered the call. The All-Area guard sparked the Redwings just as Evanston pulled within two points with 3:28 left in the third.
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2 months ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Michael O’Brien |Michael O'Brien
CHAMPAIGN—DePaul Prep will play for its third consecutive state championship on Saturday. The Rams knocked off Glenwood 39-25 in the Class 3A semifinals on Thursday at State Farm Center. DePaul Prep led 12-8 at halftime. “That’s the way we wanted to play,” Glenwood coach Todd Blakeman said. “I was happy with where we were.”The teams combined to shoot 8 for 39 in the first half. The shooting improved in the second half, at least when a team was trying to score.
