Basketball
— Benet Academy won`t be back in the Proviso West tournament next year. ”I took a look at what we have coming up the next couple of years, and I don`t know if we would be competitive enough for the tournament,” said Benet coach Bill Geist. The Redwings will probably move into the York tourney.
— Levertis Robinson, who led King to the Class AA state title last season and is now at Cincinnati, watched the Jaguars defeat Downers Grove South 70-54 in the quarterfinals at Proviso West. A consensus of coaches agrees King might not be as physically impressive as it was last year but may still be a cut above the rest of the state. ”If they`re down a little, almost everyone else is also down just a little from last year,” said Proviso West coach Lowell Lucas.
— When Clifford Scales of St. Joseph hurt his knee in a collision with Benet`s Dan Snyder while going in for a layup at Proviso West, Chargers` coach Gene Pingatore was concerned about what he thought was an intentional foul. He later amended his opinion. ”I don`t think it was deliberate,” he said. ”But maybe he (Snyder) should have gone around Scales instead.” Pingatore was just as concerned about his team`s two losses in the tournament, the first time in 13 years the Chargers have lost their first two games in the meet.
— Collins coach Don Russell thinks it is important for the good Public League teams to travel out of the city. ”You want the kids to see all kinds of officiating and crowds,” he said. ”That only has to help them in the long run.” Russell thinks teams that play only in the city hurt themselves by not encountering Downstate or suburban officiating, which, he says, might not be as biased as it is different. ”These officials might not be used to the up-tempo game,” Russell said. Collins` only defeat this year going into a Monday semifinal at Proviso West against King was a 62-61 loss at Galesburg. ”I have no comment about the officiating in that game, but we learned a lot,” Russell said.
— Public League teams have fared well in any number of meets around the state. King is the defending champion at Proviso West and the top seed in the tournament. Robeson is in the semifinals at Elgin, and Saturday, a couple of non-perennial powerhouses, Tilden and Taft, won tournament titles at Wheeling and Luther North.
— Evanston coach Mike Hart may not use any of his nine suspended players when they become eligible in time for the Wildkits` game Monday at Proviso West against Benet. ”Right now, I am leaning to sticking with the kids who scrapped and worked very hard for us the last 10 days,” said Hart. ”I don`t know how many of those other kids even picked up a basketball or ran on their own. I`m not sure if any one them would be in shape to play. I`ll have to wait and see.”
— The individual talent on display at the Proviso West tournament makes it a meeting ground for many of the top recruiting gurus in the country, including Clark Francis of Hoop Scoop, Rick Bolus of the High Potential Recruiting Service and Bill Cronauer of the B/C Scouting Service. Cronauer`s list of the top 10 underclassmen in Illinois, in order: 6-2 freshman Jamie Brandon of King, 6-9 junior Laphonso Ellis of East St. Louis Lincoln, 6-9 junior Eric Anderson of St. Francis de Sales, 6-5 junior Andy Kaufmann of Jacksonville, 6-6 junior Curtis Price of St. Rita, 6-3 junior Ray Thompson of Argo, 6-foot junior Alonzo Verge of Proviso West, 6-4 junior Tyrone Lake of Farragut, 5-11 freshman Tracy Webster of Thornton and 6-4 junior Johnny Melvin of Robeson. His list of top ”on-the-rise” players includes 6-9 sophomore Todd Schoettlekotte of Naperville North, 6-8 senior Jeff Mironcow of Fremd, 6-4 senior Archie Tolliver of Chicago Marshall, and 6-2 senior Mel Davis of De La Salle.
— Having signed 6-8 1/2 Bill Heppner of Crystal Lake Central in November, De Paul coach Joey Meyer has turned his attention toward acquiring a perimeter player. He has a shot at 6-foot-4-inch guard Jerome Harmon of Gary Wallace, regarded by most scouting services as one of the nation`s top 15 prospects.
Harmon has narrowed his choices to Purdue, De Paul, Kentucky and Louisville. Wallace coach Earl Smith says that De Paul and Purdue coaches have been showing the most interest in Harmon in ways such as attending his games, and that may have given them the lead.
”At this point in time, because they have manifested the most interest, I wouldn`t be surprised if he decided between those two,” Smith said. ”But it`s still up for grabs.”
Harmon`s offensive acrobatics remind some of the Bulls` Michael Jordan. Through his team`s first six games, Harmon was averaging five dunks, with a high of eight in one game. He was also averaging 28.3 points and 10 rebounds and shooting 53 percent from the floor and 91.2 percent from the line.
”He`s been unbelievable,” said Smith. ”He`s been asserting himself, really assuming a leadership role. He`s been the catalyst in every capacity you can think of. They say the great players have the ability to take a team one step further, and that`s the way I`d describe him now.”
— Lawrenceville defeated Teutopolis 61-54 Saturday to end the longest current winning streak in Illinois high school basketball at 39 games. Lawrenceville itself holds the state record for the longest winning streak–68 games from 1981 to 1983, which included two Class A state championships. Teutopolis
(6-1), the defending Class A state champion, was 33-0 last season.
— St. Francis de Sales is looking for an opponent for Jan. 10. The Pioneers` game with Calumet scheduled for that date has been canceled.
— The Atlanta Tipoff club has announced it will award a Naismith National Player of the Year in boys` and girls` basketball, to complement the Naismith awards that have gone to the top men`s and women`s college players. A top high school boy and girl player will be selected from each state, with the national winners being selected from this field. King`s Marcus Liberty would have to be considered among the favorites for the inaugural boys` award, along with such players as Eric Manuel of Macon, Ga., and Dennis Scott of Oakton, Va.
Football
— Wheaton North quarterback Kent Graham, Mt. Carmel wide receiver Nate Turner, Benet Academy wide receiver-defensive back Pat New and Oak Park tight end-linebacker Doug Amaya have been named to Bally`s 100-player 1986 high school All-America team. The team is selected by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association on the basis of athletic and academic
performance. Graham and Turner were named to the team`s 25-player honorary squad.
— The Best of High School Football Clinic is Jan. 16-18 at the Best Western Des Plaines O`Hare Inn, 1750 Elmhurst Rd., Des Plaines. Speakers include former Northwestern coach John Pont, Wisconsin-Whitewater coach Bob Berezowitz, University of Chicago coach Mick Ewing, Illinois Benedictine coach Bill Barz and Hamline University coach Dick Tressel. High school coaches scheduled to speak include Wheaton North`s Jim Rexilius, St. Patrick`s John Urban, Downers Grove South`s Tim Mash and Glenbard West`s Jim Covert. Graduate credit is available through Hamline of St. Paul, Minn. For information, contact Joe Newton at York High School, 530-1240.
— The Suburban Football Coaches Association begins its series of monthly clinics Jan. 14. Clinics also will take place Feb. 11, March 11, April 8 and May 13. All begin at 7:30 p.m. at Westmont High School. Membership, at $10 for all five meetings, is open to all levels of coaches. There will be two speakers each evening from the high school and college ranks. For information, call Jack McInerney at 654-3043.
Swimming
— Loyola Academy sophomore Erik Maurer figured in all three meet records Saturday at the College Events Invitational in Naperville. Maurer won the 1,650-yard freestyle in 16 minutes 23.33 seconds, breaking the mark of 16:33.37 set by Palatine`s Gary Richter in 1983. Maurer`s 4:24.85 in the 400 individual medley topped the 4:30.35 set by Naperville North`s Fabio Minervini in 1984. Maurer also swam on the Loyola 400 freestyle relay team that posted a 3:25.81 to beat the 3:26.99 set by Whitney Young in 1984. Host Naperville North won seven events and amassed 289.5 points to 225 for second-place Loyola and 221.5 for third-place Downers Grove South. Oak Park was fourth with 191.
— Hinsdale Central is ranked No. 1 and St. Charles No. 2 in the latest state poll conducted by Swimming in Illinois. The rest of the top 10: Fenwick, New Trier, Glenbrook North and Stevenson (tied for fifth), Hinsdale South, Naperville Central, Schaumburg and Barrington. The second 10: Brother Rice, Rockford Jefferson, Loyola Academy, Homewood-Flossmoor, Evanston, Kenwood Academy, Freeport, Fremd, Naperville North and Peoria Richwoods.
Wrestling
— Armando Sanders of Waubonsie Valley set a state high school record for the quickest pin at 155 pounds when he stopped Brian Johnson of Glenbard South in 5 seconds Nov. 25. Peoria Bergan`s Jason Prince and Hoopeston-East Lynn`s Joe Layden shared the previous mark of 7 seconds. Heavyweight Joe Cordes of Clifton Central recorded the quickest pin in state history when he defeated Bob Brown of Marseilles in 4 seconds last February.
Track and field
— Sandburg is looking for a head track coach. Applicants must have experience as a track coach or athlete and have a valid Illinois teaching certificate. Contact athletic director Cliff Eade at 361-4600.
Soccer
— Hoffman Estates sophomore midfielder Steve Snow is competing in Honduras with the United States Under-16 National Team through Jan. 4. Snow, 15, scored the first goal in the opening minute of a Nov. 30 match against Mexico during a two-game series in Columbus, Ga. He is the lone Illinois resident on the 18- man roster.
— The Best of High School Soccer Clinic is Jan. 16-18 at the Best Western Des Plaines O`Hare Inn, 1750 Elmhurst Rd., Des Plaines. Speakers include Palatine coach Alex Mihailovich, University High coach Sandy Patlak, Lewis University coach Alex Hernandez and Glenbrook North coach Frank Radkovich. Graduate credit is available through Hamline University of St. Paul, Minn. For information, contact Joe Newton at York High School.
