The 10 best reasons to watch high school boys basketball this winter.
Dec. 4: Young at Julian. Showdown of the top two Public League teams. In one preseason poll, Young was ranked second in the nation, Julian eighth.
Dec. 11: KMOX/Coca-Cola Shootout in St. Louis. Fenwick and Duke recruit Corey Maggette face Kansas City Pembroke Hill and player-of-the-year candidate Jaron Rush. Young goes against Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard which boasts one of the top backcourts in the Southeast.
Dec. 19: Young vs. Simeon at Chicago State. The future of DePaul goes head to head as Young’s Quentin Richardson will likely match up with Simeon’s Bobby Simmons.
Dec. 26-27 and 29-30: Proviso West Holiday Classic. The premier Christmas tournament in the state features King, Fenwick, St. Joseph, Westinghouse, Proviso East, Farragut and the host Panthers.
Dec. 27-30: Board of Education Christmas Tournament. Young, Julian and King will settle early-season bragging rights in the city.
Jan. 10: High School Hoops Showdown at Rockford MetroCentre. Westinghouse challenges local kingpin Rockford Boylan and Illinois recruit Damir Krupalija while four-peat state champion Peoria Manual faces Wisconsin two-time champion Milwaukee Vincent.
Jan. 17: Proviso West Shootout. Hoops triple-header pits Galesburg with Iowa signees Roderick Thompson and Joey Range against Glenbrook North in the opener; Proviso West vs. Bloom in game two and in the feature attraction, Young against Peoria Manual.
Jan. 18-19: Hoops In The Loop. Sunday games–Elgin vs. Brother Rice, Providence St. Mel vs. New Trier and Lexington (Ky.) Catholic vs. Young. Monday games–Anderson (Ind.) vs. St. Joseph, Gary (Ind.) Westside vs. King, Galesburg vs. Fenwick and Milwaukee Washington vs. Julian.
Feb. 14: Happy Valentine’s Day at the City-Suburban Shootout at Welsh-Ryan Arena. New Trier takes on Manual in the first game and Fenwick collides with Young in the nightcap. Watch for the showdown between the state’s two best players, Fenwick’s Maggette vs. Young’s Richardson.
March 19-21: Class AA state finals and March Madness Experience. Among the favorites that could qualify for the Elite Eight at Peoria’s Carver Arena are Young, West Aurora, Galesburg and either Fenwick or St. Joseph.
