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An ankle sprain suffered by 6-4 junior guard Jamie Brandon (28 ppg) last week may force coach Landon ”Sonny” Cox to keep his superstar out of the opener against St. Joseph. But is Cox worried? ”I haven`t taken a whole bottle of Excedrin or anything,” he replied. The return of Brandon and three other junior starters-6-7 Johnny Selvie, 6-3 Ahmad Shareef and James Webster-would put King in anyone`s Top 10. But the addition of Englewood transfer Victor Snipes (22 ppg) at point guard and Hubbard transfer Damian Porter (6-10)
vaults the Jaguars over Public League rival Simeon for the top spot. With beefy Porter and Selvie on glass patrol and Brandon hitting his sweet jump shot, Cox should make plans for another trip to Champaign.
SIMEON
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Forget about Simeon`s two summer league losses to King. Coach Bob Hambric said the Wolverines already have. ”The only thing that counts is the city and state playoffs,” Hambric said. ”The rest is incidental.” Simeon beat King twice last year when it counted, and Hambric returns four starters from the 26-4 city champions, starting with 6-9 center and all-America candidate Deon Thomas. Slick guard Cody Butler (5-10), Mario Bailey (6-6) and 6-5 forward Alfred Redman are also back. The talent is surely there; Hambric is hoping the desire is too. ”Having a senior team doesn`t always guarantee the same results,” he said. ”Underclassmen always put out better.”
ST. JOSEPH
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Coach Gene Pingatore thinks this team may be better than the 26-4 group that reached the supersectionals last season. You can afford to be optimistic when you have 6-7 De Paul signee Deryl Cunningham, one of the country`s top 20 prospects, and 6-foot guard William Gates, the first player in Pingatore`s 19 seasons at St. Joe to start regularly as a freshman. (Yes, that includes Isiah Thomas.) Cunningham (13.5 points, 9 rebounds) will be joined inside by 6-3 senior Andre Cooper or 6-4 senior Frankie Thames. Reggie Bishop, a 6-foot junior, and either 5-8 senior Gregory Orr or 5-11 junior Mark Layton will join Gates in a three-guard attack. The Chargers have good quickness and improved depth.
EVANSTON
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The Wildkit football team recently completed one of its best seasons ever, and chances are Mike Hart`s basketball squad will make just as much noise. In fact, the two Evanston quarterbacks-Tyrone Bell and Sloan Smith-both have traded in their shoulder pads and cleats for wrist bands and sneakers. Along with all-area senior center Juvon McGarry (6-5), senior point guard Bell (6-3) and junior forward Smith (6-5) figure to guide the Wildkits to another Central Suburban South title and perhaps their second consecutive trip to Champaign. The Wildkits play a tough schedule, but when all is said and done look for another season of 20-plus victories.
EAST AURORA
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Tomcat center Thomas Wyatt said during last summer`s Prairie State Games that he wants the rest of the state to know that Jamie Brandon isn`t the only top- notch junior around. The 6-5 East Aurora star could lead the Tomcats Downstate for the second year in a row. He averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds a game last year, but coach Scott Martens would like him be more aggressive on the boards. ”I`d like to see him get about 13 rebounds a game,” Martens said. ”The supporting cast is capable of scoring, but we need Thomas to rebound more.” The defending Upstate Eight champions also return 6-1 forward Darryl Brown and guard Mark Oliver. Look for sophomores Jeremy McGee and Melvin Meeks to see plenty of action.
SOUTH SHORE
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The Tars have it all: talent, depth and the pressure that comes with great expectations. There may not be a team in the state that has a better quartet of college prospects than 6-9 center Kenneth Williams (16 points, 12 rebounds), 6-4 swingmen McGlother Irvin and Reggie Smith (22 points) and 6-7 junior forward Kerman Ali. Coach Don Pittman hopes Irvin (22 ppg at Julian last season) will be the missing link that pushes South Shore into the Elite Eight. But an abundance of talent can be a curse as well as a blessing.
”Anytime a team is full of guys capable of scoring 20 points at any time, someone has to be a role player,” Pittman said. ”The important thing is whether from game to game, we accept our roles.”
DE LA SALLE
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Meteor coach Jim Tracy returns 6-5 1/2 forward Tim Geers (14 points, 4 assists) and 6-4 guard Brooks Taylor, who have signed with Illinois, from last year`s 20-5 team. And he has future Division I prospects in 6-7 junior Charles Brakes and 6-8 sophomore Aminu Timberlake. De La Salle is not a program hurting for talent. Nor depth. Like Taylor and Brakes, 6-4 senior forward Steve Farrahi and 5-8 senior guard David Ruffin started at times last season. Senior guards Don Houston and Brian Sheehan also will battle for starting jobs. The Meteors have size and speed, and Geers and Taylor provide outside scoring; but Tracy believes his team has to improve on defense.
RICH CENTRAL
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Coach Ron Brauer says the Olympians are coming off a down year. It`s hard to call 19-9 and winning the SICA South a down year, but at Rich Central it could be. They have won 20 games and the SICA South title in eight of the last 10 years. ”We have more potential this year,” Brauer said. Four players who saw significant playing time are back: senior forwards Eric Gill (6-5) and Gene Cross (6-3), junior guard Kass Weaver (6-2), and senior center Kevin Murray
(6-4). The fifth starter is senior Thomas Nelson (5-7), whose presence at point guard will free Weaver, an excellent shooter, to concentrate more on offense.
THORNTON
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Star guard Tracy Webster leads the returnees from a 22-6 season that brought the SICA East championship. Webster, a 5-10 junior, averaged 8 assists and 2.5 steals per game a year ago. ”He does so many things,” said coach Sam Cameli. ”He`s the key to our team. It`s nice to put the ball in the hand of our best player about 90 percent of the time.” Maurice Stovall, a 6-2 1/2 junior, and Dion James, a 5-11 senior, are also back from the starting lineup. Junior Omar Williams (6-3) and senior Lewis Ely (6-6) will give the Wildcats some needed size up front. ”We`re not physical,” Cameli said. ”But we`re quick and talented. We`ll see what happens when we`re tested.”
FREMD
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The Vikings (28-2, 10-0) breezed through the Mid-Suburban North last year but lost stars Jason Joseph (1,700 career points) and George Poorman to graduation. Nevertheless, Fremd is once again the conference favorite. Coach Moe Tharp returns one of the area`s top three-point shooters in senior guard Todd Leslie (17 ppg; 71 of 137 from three-point range). Joining Leslie in the lineup will be 6-5 forward John Tharp, 6-5 center Darby Veeck, 6-3 junior Sean Gribbon and junior point guard Ken Fiedler (6-2). ”We know Todd will perform,” Tharp said, ”but when he`s double- and triple-teamed, one of the big questions is how the other four will step in.”
GORDON TECH
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Coach Steve Pappas returns three senior starters from last season`s 21-7 team, including 6-3 all-Catholic League guard Cory Oliver and 6-5 center Dan Watkins. But he says his best player could turn out to be 6-4 sophomore swingman Tom Kleinschmidt, who may miss the early part of the season with a broken collarbone. No wonder the rest of the conference worries about the Rams. Oliver (16 ppg) is an outstanding offensive player. Watkins is set to become Gordon`s career rebounding leader. ”He`s the best athlete in the school,” Pappas said. Returning starter Kirk Robinson, a 6-4 forward, and 6- foot senior guard Thomas Gill round out the starting lineup.
DUNBAR
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Courtesy of Dunbar coach Fate Mickel, here are words destined for the King bulletin board: ”I know we can beat King. We are going to win our section this year.” If it sounds like Mickel has a death wish, be warned he has weapons available for the Red-Central wars. They include four returning starters: 6-6 senior center Lester Neal, 6-foot junior guard Darnell Woods, 6-3 senior guard Robert Johnson and 6-6 senior forward Chauncey Bell. Neal is one of the Public League`s top players. For the fifth spot, Mickel has four talented prospects 6-5 or taller. ”The advantage we have is we`re tall, but we`re fast,” he said. ”The difference in this team is confidence and the desire to win.”
BLOOM TRAIL
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With three starters back from an Elite Eight team, coach Gary Meyer would look to be in good shape. He also welcomes Brandon Johnson, a 6-2 transfer from Bloom who averaged 10 points per game as a junior. But he has no other returning lettermen, so he`ll have to build a bench. Back are senior guards John Davis (5-11) and Mike Richardson (5-10), as well as junior forward Steven Henley (5-11). Richardson led the team in scoring last year (16.8 ppg), and Henley was the key to the late-season surge that ended Downstate. The other starter will be either Troy Dillard, James McKinney or freshman Randy Rhyms
(6-3).
JOLIET WEST
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Coach Mike O`Connell calls this group ”the most talented” he`s had in his six years, including last year`s SICA West championship team. Three starters, juniors Tony Marion (6-6) and Michael Thompson (5-7) and senior Elliott McGaughy (6-1), return. Marion was all-conference as a sophomore forward, averaging 10 points and 8 rebounds per game, and O`Connell hopes to take advantage of his fine outside shooting touch this season. Thompson (9.2 ppg from the point) has started since his freshman year. Senior Kevin Robertson
(6-6) is greatly improved and will join Marion on the baseline in the Tigers` 1-2-2 alignment.
WEST AURORA
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The big question mark for the Blackhawks (15-13, 9-5 in the Upstate Eight)
will be the attitude of talented senior guard David Bacon. Coach Gordon Kerkman suspended Bacon for disciplinary reasons last year; if Bacon plays well, West Aurora could be a contender. Billy Taylor, a 6-5 sophomore forward, averaged 8 points per game as a freshman and will be counted on to score more this time out. Starters Mario Clark (6-1) and Greg Hill (5-9) also return. ”I think last year we showed some immaturity and even with that were still able to finish in third place in the conference,” Kerkman said. ”There are a few legitimate deficiencies, but I expect we`ll be up there again.”
OAK PARK
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Oak Park is stocked with top-notch ballplayers, and head coach Al Allen knows it. ”This is the most talent we`ve had under one roof in a long time, maybe ever,” Allen said. ”If we are going to be good, this is the year.” Heading the list is Allen`s all-conference guard duo of Greg Guy (19 ppg) and Cordell Robinson (11 ppg). A front line of 6-5 Jacob Lofgren, 6-5 Steve Fitch and 6-6 center Andre Rodriguez should help the Huskies improve on last year`s 18-8 mark. Oak Park will run as much as possible and rely on a pressure defense that was a strong point last season. ”We have the potential to be one of the better teams in the area,” Allen said. And in the state? ”It`s a pretty big state.”
MARSHALL
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The Commandos suffered heavy losses from a 21-6 team but should have enough left to edge Westinghouse in the Public League Red-West. Leading the way are returning starters Alex Robertson, an underrated 6-3 senior swingman who averaged 17.8 points a game last season, and 5-6 senior guard Vondell Brim, who averaged 8.5 points and 6.5 assists. The other starting spots will probably be filled from among 6-2 senior forward Fred Barfield, 6-foot senior guard Nathaniel Bell and centers Charles Parker, a 6-2 1/2 senior, and Kykhaura Wright, a 6-4 senior. The Commandos are a quick, experienced group that played well in summer competition, though they do lack height.
RICH EAST
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After a slow start last year, Rich East won 13 of its last 15 games to finish 15-9 and challenge Rich Central for the SICA South crown. The Rockets figure to do the same this year because they return eight seniors. Among them are the five starters, Marlon Smith (6-4), Bill DeWitt (6-4), Jason Hodges (6-3), Carlos James (6-0) and Brian Yarborough (6-1). Coach Dale Fruendt will also work seniors Sjarieff McGhee and Darryl Denham into the lineup, and eventually he hopes to get significant contributions from 6-6 juniors Chris Stelter and David DeWitt. ”We can be as good as last year, maybe better,” Fruendt said. BENET
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The Los Angeles Lakers aren`t the only team with Magic. Benet has its version too. ”The magic is coming back at Benet,” said coach Tom Allen. ”We have a great tradition here and the kids know it. We`ve been going through a transition period here the past couple of years, but we`re back.” The Redwings, small and talented, return four starters. Matt Conrad (15 ppg), Dennis Krob (10 ppg, 3 steals), Mario McIntosh (12 ppg, 6 assists) and J.T. McRae (7ppg, 7 rebounds) are returning starters. Allen also has two starters from last year`s 23-1 sophomore team, John-Marc Berthoud (19 ppg) and Neal Fitzgerald.
ZION-BENTON
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The tandem of returning starters John Anderson and Lance Dowdell puts the Zee- Bees, 21-6 last season, in good shape to win the North Suburban Conference. Seniors Anderson (11 points, 5 rebound a game last year) and Dowdell (10 points, 7 rebounds) will be joined by senior forward Clayton Myles (6 points) and Desmond Hunt (4 points). Coach Phil Judson lists quickness, rebounding and shooting as his teams strengths. The weakness? ”We lack a leader, someone who can take the bull by the horns and take charge,” said Judson, who will also count on newcomers Dominique Brooks and Maurice White from last season`s 18-5 sophomore team.
