Jon J. Kerr

Carmel's Joey Halaburt, right, plays tight defense on North Chicago's Jourdon Presley (15) during a game on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020.

A change for the better: Carmel boys basketball coach Zack Ryan implements study hall, which pays off in Academic All-State honor

July 6, 2020 at 3:43 p.m.

In the 2019-20 academic year, Zack Ryan completed his sixth season as Carmel's boys basketball coach. He has won 60 games the past three seasons, including two regional titles. In...

Mundelein's Chris Hynes, left, and Clay Kovac, center, meet on the mound during a 2002 game against Prairie Ridge.

Newly hired Wauconda baseball coach Clay Kovac spent 12 years as an assistant at Warren and his alma mater, Mundelein, but knows ‘you keep learning’

June 25, 2020 at 5:28 p.m.

On the morning of June 23, Clay Kovac walked the playing fields around Wauconda High School. He talked to trainers, coaches and athletes who were gathered for an all-sports minicamp....

Stevenson's Matthew Ambrose high-fives a teammate after a win against Deerfield during a Class 4A Waukegan Sectional semifinal on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. Ambrose, a 2020 Stevenson graduate, now instructs kids through Zoom with TAO Training.

With camps canceled, former Stevenson basketball players start a virtual training program for kids: ‘It was real important to us to give back to our community.’

June 19, 2020 at 7:17 p.m.

During the spring, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, a group of former Stevenson players had an idea. They wondered: How can basketball be used to foster community and...

Stevenson's Simone Sawer, left, and Nikki Ware helped the Patriots earn Academic All-State honors during the 2019-20 season.

Stevenson girls basketball team embraces school’s extracurricular emphasis

June 19, 2020 at 5:44 p.m.

As an eighth-grader at Daniel Wright Junior High in Lincolnshire, Carly King first saw the impact that upperclassmen could have on incoming freshmen. She sat in an auditorium at Stevenson...

Mundelein's Jack Bikus (23) helped the boys basketball team earn IBCA Academic All-State honors.

Mundelein boys, girls basketball teams honored for academic excellence

June 12, 2020 at 5:13 p.m.

Coaching girls basketball is a part-time job for Greg Dorgan at Mundelein. Teaching, however, is a full-time job. Sometimes, Dorgan will have basketball players in his math classes. Such was...

The Northshore Trevians and other teams in the Tri-County Youth Football League are trying to make plans amid uncertainty about the 2020 season.

Youth football programs make tentative plans for upcoming season: ‘Everything is speculation.’

June 6, 2020 at 7:33 p.m.

In a typical year, the Northshore Trevians youth football program would be deep into preparations for the 2020 season. But this year has been anything but typical, largely due to...

Howard Romanek remembered as passionate coach, teacher at Glenbrook South

June 2, 2020 at 3:56 p.m.

In the summer of 1993, Erin Partaker was a few months away from taking her first classes as a Glenbrook South freshman. Partaker loved basketball and wanted to play for...

Evanston boys basketball coach Mike Ellis does not allow his players to wear jersey No. 23. He said that policy stems from respect for Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan’s No. 23 is off limits for Mike Ellis’ basketball players: ‘It’s not a number we have.’

May 18, 2020 at 6:10 p.m.

Evanston boys basketball coach Mike Ellis is among the millions of viewers who have been glued to ESPN on Sunday nights. Ellis said he has enjoyed watching "The Last Dance"...

One of the state’s top prospects, Carmel’s Ben Wiegman knows the curtailed MLB draft makes it likely he’ll pull a coveted scholarship offer out of his back pocket

May 18, 2020 at 4:34 p.m.

Ben Wiegman had prepared for a season that could have made him the envy of his peers. If all went according to plan, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander would have had...

For Alex Borland and other Waukegan seniors, cancellation of the baseball season also means no last at-bat to impress college coaches

May 6, 2020 at 6:11 p.m.

Waukegan senior Alex Borland believes in the importance of repetition. Borland hit off a tee almost daily during the 2019 season, strengthening his hand-eye coordination and plate discipline. He struck...

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