Hope Academy senior Jordan Doss extended his left hand for an off-the-court assist to an unlikely person Saturday afternoon.
When Eagles coach Antwon Johnson‘s voice started shaking and tears began to well during the press conference following the Eagles’ 60-46 win over Newark in the Class 1A third-place game, Doss placed his hand on Johnson’s right shoulder.
“These guys have stuck through the process … and this is the result of it,” Johnson said, wiping away a stream of tears. “These guys have bought into everything I have asked of them. … Through this process, I saw something special.
“This has been the best team. They actually care about each other. … We didn’t get what we wanted, but we got way more than (other teams).”
The Eagles (29-4) earned the first state trip and first state trophy for the 205-student West Side private school.
Doss made five 3-pointers and scored 20 points. Ajani Parker and Javion May each scored 12, and Hope Academy outscored the Norsemen (28-6) 32-17 in the second half. The Eagles passed for 15 assists on 22 field goals.
To be part of this team, for me, is an amazing feeling,” Doss said.
Cameron Myer and Will Clausel scored 19 points apiece for Newark (28-6).
McNamara takes third in 2A: Jalen Chavers scored six of his 10 points in the final 2 minutes, 44 seconds to lead Bishop McNamara to a 58-53 win over Monticello in the 2A third-place game.
The Fightin’ Irish (25-8) trailed 29-24 at halftime. Chavers put them ahead for good with a jump shot that gave McNamara a 33-32 lead with 3 minutes left in the third quarter. The Sages (23-7) cut the lead to one again with 3:02 to play before Chavers stepped up.
Chris Bell led McNamara with 16 points, and Dylan Post added 15 as the Irish earned their first state trophy.
“We had a great season, the best season in school history,” senior forward Tevin Watson said.
Brock back in the game: Hope Academy assistant coach Calvin Brock, a 2004 Simeon graduate who played at Illinois, mostly stayed in the background during the Eagles’ first trip to state.
Johnson credited Brock for helping to build the program the last five years.
Johnson, formerly known as Antwon Harmon, was a member of Northern Illinois’ 1991 NCAA Tournament team, and inherited Kenny Battle‘s No. 33 upon his arrival in DeKalb. Johnson played professional basketball for 12 years in Turkey, Israel and Spain.
“I’ve known Calvin a long time,” Johnson said. “When his playing career ended, I told him the best thing to stay in the sport was to get into coaching. He’s been a great help for us.”
Dateline Orr: A camera crew from “Dateline NBC” has been following Orr since its win over Uplift for the Class 2A Orr Regional title. Athletic director Thomas Johnson said the crew has been attending practices and games, but his administration is not aware of the publication’s intent or timeline for airing any material.
Unique uniforms: Newark stood out from the other seven teams at the small school state tournament in the fashion department. Instead of donning uniforms made by a national brand, the Norsemen wear gear manufactured by Boombah Inc., a clothing and apparel company based in Yorkville.
The company’s president and founder? Newark coach Rick Tollefson.
“It’s fun and the kids enjoy it,” Tollefson said.
Senior guard Will Clausel joked that he does get the occasional odd stare from some opponents when they notice the interlocking BB logo.
“We have really nice uniforms,” Clausel said. “It’s good stuff and we like it.”
Buss in the house: Former two-time Ms. Basketball of Illinois Tyra Buss, the state’s all-time leading scorer, was among the large throng of Mount Carmel fans in attendance for Saturday’s 2A championship game.
Buss, who averaged 45.8 points per game in her senior season, is a junior point guard at Indiana, as well as the sister of Mount Carmel coach Tyler Buss and the daughter of District Superintendent Tim Buss.
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
