For me at least, R-B is the start of basketball season. I know there are AAU weekends and other “live” events, but the Riverside-Brookfield Summer Shootout is the best of all worlds. Top teams, top college coaches, top players, a look at new line-ups for top teams. It’s great to catch up with coaches, players, parents, reporters and even a few photographers.
I know football interrupts the season but R-B sparks the excitement, football sustains it and the Thanksgiving tournaments sets it free. So get ready for another sprint through the season.
We don’t have to wait long our beloved DePaul Prep Rams light it up at noon against the Lake Zurich Bears were 22-9 last season, finishing fourth behind Warren, Lake Forest and Stevenson in the North Suburban conference. I confess I didn’t know the first thing about Lake Zurich. I had no idea what the mascot was. I had to look it up. Twenty wins in a hard conference makes a tough team. It will be fun to see the new Rams line-up against at team I never considered before today.
The Benet against Bolingbrook—two top programs face off at 12:55. DePaul Prep again against Chicago Catholic League rival DeLaSalle Academy at 1:50.
Our El Paso Gridley Titans make an appearance for the first time (I assume) at R-B. The Titans, a 2-A school from Central Illinois about 30 miles north of Bloomington, travel up here presumably to showcase their top player Jonah Funk. Except Funk is reported to be moving to Metamora and will play there this season.
I think of El Paso mostly as a football school. My brother-in-law Mike Souhrada took the then El Paso Comets, before the combination with Gridley, to a state tittle football game 22 years ago. My nephew Jared Souhrada played on the basketball team a few years later.
After that we get a preview of Loyola, East St. Louis, Kenwood, Warren, Mount Carmel, St. Ignatius, Rich Township, Lane Tech, Simeon and St. Laurence.
It’s gonna be a busy afternoon and evening in Riverside-Brookfield. More fun than should be allowed in one evening.
Get there early. Parking is a . . . ..
Here are few photos from last year’s R-B.
