DePaul Prep Advanced to 2A State Championship Game with 45-17 Defensive Gem over Teutopolis

The DePaul Prep Rams are peaking at the best time of the season. They handled the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes 45-17 in the IHSA 2A semi-final in Champaign. I was told that 17 points is the lowest point total in IHSA playoff history. Teutopolis struggled to even get shots up. This was probably the Rams best performance of the year.

The Rams difficulties in the Chicago Catholic League, going 6-7 in the Blue, were clearly frustrating, even disconcerting, for the Rams and their fans.

“We got the injuries when we had Rita, Mount Carmel and DeLaSalle so we took our lumps early,” said DePaul head coach Tom Kleinschmidt. “But we learned from that. And now we are a little bit seasoned.”

Advancing in such dominant fashion to the state championship game must be satisfying, even vindicating, for the Rams. But even more than that, the Rams and their coach Tom Kleinschmidt clearly want it. They are driven to get this championship.

The defensive effort of the Rams, particularly in the second half, was something really special--truly a historic defensive effort. Teutopolis did not score in the fourth quarter. Their seventh and final point came midway through the third quarter.

“We executed our game plan. We fronted the post on the big. We wanted to turn them into passers with back side help. We shaded [Teutopolis’s Brayden Niebrugge and Garrett Gaddis]. We wanted to make the other guys score on us. [Teutopolis’s James Niebrugge, Brayden’s cousin] hurt us,” Kleinschmidt continued.

“We wanted to run that clock in the fourth quarter. So we called a longer set. We wanted to take a minute and a half [off the clock with every possession] and have them chase us. We wanted to wear them down where they had to chase and foul. And then we could do what we did, flash and get back door cuts.”

DePaul’s senior guard Maurice Thomas nearly beat Teutopolis himself with sixteen points. Junior forward Jaylan McElroy had ten points. PJ Chambers with seven. Payton Kamin with six. Jonas Johnson and Henry West each with exclamation point buckets at the end. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention senior Dane Barkley’s beautiful no look assist to Henry West with 1:12 left.

The Rams advance to face the Bloomington Central Catholic Saints on Saturday in the 2A state championship game at 12:45.

Be careful what you wish for. Bloomington Central Catholic defeated Rockridge 57-44 in the other semi-final. The Saints have Cole Certa. Certa finished with nineteen points, sixteen of which came in the second half. If you have not heard of Certa, you soon will. The heavily recruited junior guard is the third highest rated 2024 prospect in Illinois behind only St. Rita’s Morez Johnson and James Brown.

Stay tuned. The Rams will have to duplicate, or maybe improve their defensive effort to bring home the school’s first basketball state championship.

DePaul Prep Wins Trip to State Finals Defeating Perspectives 50-46

The DePaul Prep Rams rallied from ten points down late in the third quarter to defeat the the Perspectives Leadership Academy Warriors 50-46 in the 2A Super-sectional. The Rams will be going to the State Finals on Thursday for the second consecutive year and the third time in the last three finals.

What a game.

It started slow. Rams lead 7-4 at the end of the first quarter and it was only 17- 15 Rams ahead at the half.

That all changed in the third quarter. A 14-0 Perspectives run in the third put that Rams down 10, 26-36. Basically, the Warriors did what they are going at, they got some turnovers and rebounds and scored in transition.

It looked grim for the Rams.

But these young Rams showed a poise and determination that I wasn’t sure they had. Junior center Jaylan McElroy scored five straight points to close the third and open the fourth.

But it was the senior leadership of guard Maurice Thomas that rallied the Rams. Nine of Reece’s nighteen points came in the closing minutes including two free throws after a Warriors technical foul for calling a time out that they did not have. Thomas hit both from throws with the game tied at 46.

“I was just thinking about how the team needed the free throws. I was taking death breathes trying to stay call, just knock ‘em down,” Thomas told me after the game.

“We stuck together. We talked it through. We huddled. Through the runs they had, we stuck together and we ended up winning,” Thomas added.

Payton Kamin added two more in the closing seconds.

The Rams are going to State.

DePaul Prep Defeats North Lawndale 50-42 to Win 2A Sectional

Preview of my upcoming Inside Publications article:

The DePaul Prep Rams defeated the North Lawndale Phoenix 50-42 on Friday evening to win the IHSA 2A Christ the King Sectional championship and move on the Super-sectional against Perspectives—Leadership on Monday.

The Rams’ pair of highly rated forwards, Jaylan McElroy and Payton Kamin, have sat out much of the season with injuries but they have been back in the line up together now for a couple weeks. It has taken a while to see if and when the talented pair would regain their dominate form. These last two sectional playoff games against two very good CPS teams have answered those questions. And the answers are yes and now.

The DePaul Prep Rams, 19-12 overall and 6-7 in the Chicago Catholic League Blue, have two third-place finishers in the state tournament in recent years. In 2019, the Rams lost to Bogan in the 3A semi-final and defeated Peoria Manual to take third place. Last year, the Rams lost to Nashville in the 2A semi and defeated Rockridge to take third.

And let’s not forget the Rams functional equivalent of a state title with the #1 ranking and championship in the COVID season’s Chipotle post-season tournament in the absence of the IHSA state finals in the COVID season.

The North Lawndale Phoenix, 15-11 overall and 5-3 in the CPS Red-West/North, have a storied history as well having won a 2A state championship in 2008 under their late coach Lewis Thorpe.

The Rams’ second quarter defensive stand and rebounding performance proved that the junior pair are back and playing together at a high level. After an even 9-9 first quarter, the Rams defense put the Phoenix back on one their heels.

“I think our switching bothered them a little bit. And then they got used to it and spread us,” DePaul Prep head coach Tom Kleinschmidt said about the Rams second quarter play. That’s what happened. Interestingly, the Rams and Phoenix play a similar game. They both want to move the ball side-to-side looking the dribble penetration for a layup or a kick out pass for an open three.

The Rams would not bite. DePaul did a great job switching defensive coverages as the Phoenix the ball around which forced long outside shots that missed the mark.

“We did a nice job giving them one shot and keep them off the glass. We limited their possessions. We did what we wanted to do,” Kleinschmidt said of the defensive stand that held North Lawndale scoreless for most of the second quarter while the Rams converted on the other end for an 11-0 run.

It wasn’t all Rams. North Lawndale is too tough and skilled to turned off for long.

“In the second half, we had a hard time containing the ball. They spread us in the second half. Attacked our guards a little bit and got in the paint too much. And that bothered us in the second half,” Kleinschmidt continued.

Down 25-16 at the half, North Lawndale chiseled their way back in the game briefly tying the game late in the third quarter. But the Phoenix physical play get them in foul trouble repeatedly sending the Rams to the line. Not a good place to be against the DePaul shooters. The Rams dropped sixteen free throws in the second half.

“I just think it’s a style they play in the Red West. They press. They are physical. They play a lot of guys. They are in shape. That’s their style of play and we know that going in,” Kleinschmidt said of the Phoenix physical play.

At the end of the game, “we [did] a nice job of spreading [the offense]. We usually have some guys that can make some free throws and that didn’t happen tonight. But we made enough [free throws] to get a win. We got enough stops and rebounds down the stretch,” Kleinschmidt said.

The Rams took their lumps in the Chicago Catholic League regular season without them. The early season four game losing streak to St. Laurence, DeLaSalle, Mount Carmel and St. Rita definitely stung. When asked about what this playoff success means to his team, Kleinschmidt said, “We’ve got two goals. We want to win the Catholic League and we want to win State. We knew we would probably struggle when we had the injuries. We looked at it as a positive. The sophomores (forward Jonas Johnson, point guard Makai Kvamme and guard Rob Walls) would get a lot of minutes and then they could help us in games like tonight. And they did.”

Of the press break and killing the clock, Kleinschmidt said, “we drill it and practice it so they should be good at it. We turned it over one time late that we did not like. If we would have finished some of those layups we had, I think we missed three layups under the rim, that’s what we wanted. We don’t want jump shots under five [minutes]; we want to go to the rim. It makes the game a little easier if you finish those.”

DePaul Prep will face Perspectives Leadership on Monday in the super-sectional at Joliet Central High School. The winner of that game moves on the state championship 2A finals starting Thursday.

DePaul Prep Handles Clark 62-42 in 2A Sectional Semi-final

The DePaul Prep Rams (19-12) defeated the Michele Clark Eagles (19-7) 62-42 Wednesday evening in the 2A Christ the King sectional semi-final.

It was so nice to see Payton Kamin and Jaylan McElroy playing at a high level again. The Rams meshed into the team we hoped we would see when the season started. The injuries to Payton and Jaylan put all that on hold. Until tonight.

Payton had twelve of his twenty-eight points in the first quarter. The Rams really needed that. Getting down in the first quarter hasn’t work out well in recent games. Tom Kleinschmidt teams always play better with a lead. I suppose all teams do. I just mean that I cannot recall the Rams blowing a lead of eight or ten points. And I have seen most of the Gordon Tech/DePaul Prep games since 2013 or so.

Jaylan MeElroy was back too. I had him with eleven points. I don’t know how many rebounds but it was a lot. He was a presence in the lane on defense. Again, I don’t know how many blocks but a good number. A really nice job.

Terry Head’s Clark Eagles are good. Senior Cordy Johnson is a force and not afraid to drive the lane into Jaylan McElroy. The Eagles were taking it to the Rams in first quarter. The Rams were in the bonus not too long into the first quarter. Five of the Rams’ sixteen first quarter points were from free throws. No one is going to out physical the Rams; not with McElroy and Kamin back in the lineup. Such a strategy just sends them to the line. Usually not a good idea.

Ultimately, it was Payton Kamin’s emergence as a dominate scorer that buried the Eagles. Kamin’s twenty-eight on top of the usual production from Reece Thomas, PJ Chambers and Makai Kvamme worked out well. Sophomore point guard Makai Kvamme’s performance deserves a mention. Although Kvamme didn’t lead the scoring he reliably brought up the ball against the Eagles determined full court pressure. He gets better every game.

Eight fourth quarter free throws from Kamin didn’t really seal the victory; the game was mostly decided by the Rams’ third quarter defense. But Kamin’s free throws just took the life out of the Eagles. And it pushed the Rams lead to twenty points.

The Rams face North Lawndale (15-11) on Friday for the sectional championship. The North Lawndale coaches in attendance got a look at a Rams team they might not have expected to be back at full force. The only common opponent for the Rams and Phoenix is Clark. North Lawndale defeated Clark 61-55 in December.

Nice to be playing one’s best basketball going into the sectional championship.

See you Friday.

DePaul Prep Falls to Byron 52-45 in 2A Super-sectional

By Jack Lydon

The DePaul Prep Rams fell to the Byron Tigers 52-45 in 2A Super-sectional at the Elgin Community College Monday night. Two disciplined and evenly matched teams put on an exciting game that demonstrated the high level basketball one expects to see in a Super-sectional match up.

Byron jumped out to an early 12-4 lead not because they were especially dominating but mostly because DePaul we not hitting inside shots they ordinarily would. The Rams were able to crack the impressive 1-3-1 zone defense the Tigers threw at them; they just rushed some shots and could not take advantage.

On the other end, the Tigers were able to finish just enough layups early when they penetrated the Rams defense to grab the early lead.

“We tell the kids and we have learned the hard way. We want to stay even the whole game. We don’t want to get too high to start. We feel like we play tight if we get too high and you can’t keep the up for the whole game,” Byron head coach Eric Yearly said.

“We also talked about starting fast. When you come to a Super [sectional game], one team is nervous, and if you can jump out early, it makes it tough to come back and overcome a deficit from the beginning. We jumped out early. When you have a seven-point cushion it makes it a little easier.”

Despite the Tigers’ fast start, the Rams settled down and outscored Byron in the second quarter. DePaul senior Nora Leadstrom had thirteen points in the first half keeping the Rams close.

In the second half, the Rams rallied and eventually cutting the Tigers’ lead to two points with under four minutes left in the fourth quarter.

“They brought the pressure up in the zone and they got us,” admitted DePaul Prep Coach Sarah Zarymbski. Down two, the Rams lost a few turnovers resulting in fast break points that stretched Byron’s lead.

As the clock ticked down, “[DePaul] extended their defense and we were able to get some back cut layups. Our kids come over in the huddle and said ‘the back cuts are open so get your eyes up,’”said Yearly.

“Once you get it under two [minutes], you gotta make your free throws. We made enough to win. “They are a good team. They are the best team we have played all year. We are the mirror image of each other. We have great posts and great guard play. We just happened to be the one that came out on top,” Yearly continued.

Losing three super-sectionals in a row is tough for the Rams. An emotional Coach Zarymbski took the loss hard but kept it together after the game. Zarymski, the 26 year-old, fourth year coach, has been impressive in her short tenure.

“We did a lot this season that we have never done. Most wins in program history. A GCAC regular season title and we are young,” Zarymbski said.

Byron moves on to 2A State Final at ISU on Thursday and will face CPS Noble charter school Butler in the semi-final.

DePaul Prep Wins Seventh Straight Regional 56-36 Over Latin

DePaul Prep Wins 2A Sectional Championship 50-25 Over Regina Dominican

Full game story to follow but I wanted to get the photos up as soon as possible.

This group of photos turned out really well. The settings are dialed in. The color is not perfect. The shots are not as sharp as the best photographers out there but they feel better to me.

DePaul Prep Defeated Latin 75-53 in IHSA Sectional Semi-Final

Rams move on to face Regina Dominican in the Sectional Championship on Thursday evening in the Tom Winiecki Gym.

DePaul Prep Comes Up Short 47-43 Against No. 2 Benet

DePaul Prep Rams closed the regular season on Friday Evening falling to #2 ranked Benet Academy 47-44. I have seen Benet play several time this year. I saw them beat Joliet West at Pontiac. Then later that same day Simeon topped them for their only loss. Since then the only Marist and Kenwood gave them games but lost.

So coming into DePaul’s Tom Winiecki Gym to face a DePaul team that hasn’t been the dominant team this year that it has been in recent years, it should have been a easy time for the Redwings.

But it’s hard for any team, any time to come into DePaul’s gym and win. There are close connections between DePaul and Benet. DePaul Prep’s former sophomore coach David Kleinschmidt, brother of DePaul Prep coach Tom Kleinschmidt, is Benet’s sophomore coach now. (By the way, DePaul Prep’s sophomore team beat Benet’s in the first game.) Tom Kleinschmidt and Benet’s Gene Heidkamp are close.

Both teams play a similar style of game, play defense, control the ball, control the clock and run the offense. The score was not going to be in the seventies.

And so it played out, but unfortunately for the Rams, it was Benet that played DePaul’s game. They got an early first quarter lead with smothering defense and, despite a determined fourth quarter comeback by Tom Kleinschmidt’s young Rams squad, the Redwings never game up the lead and prevailed 47-43 in the end.

Honestly, one never felt as though Benet would collapse. The lead in the fourth was moved between 5 and 7 thoughout the final minutes. But is sure did not look like a game between a middle of the pack Chicago Catholic League team and the No. 2 ranked 26-1 powerhouse from the suburbs.

Sometimes the records are out the window, and one is glad just to get out of town with a win. That was Benet’s Friday night.

The DePaul Prep Rams finish the regular season with a good but disappointing 16-12 overall record and a 6-7 record in the Catholic League Blue given the great teams that we have enjoyed in recent years. The Rams suffered no bad losses; but no signature wins. Injuries hampered the Rams but they also gave playing time to young players that would not have seen the floor as much. That will help next year.

The IHSA Playoffs are upon us. DePaul Prep opens the 2A playoffs on Wednesday evening at home against Noble Academy. Noble Academy coach Adrian Rodriguez informed me that Noble defeated Marine Leadership 74-26 yesterday.

Playoffs are like elections. It will all be over on a short schedule. We’ll have a new state champs in three weeks.

DePaul Prep Wins 2A Regional 68-11 over Francis Parker

The DePaul Prep women’s varsity basketball team defeated Francis Parker 66-11 at Francis Parker Thursday evening. It was all Rams from the beginning. Francis Parker suffered a rash of turnovers early and the Rams jumped out to an 13-0. And it continued from there.

The Rams move on to hosting a 2A Sectional tournament next Tuesday, February 21, 2023. The Rams will face either Latin or Christ the King.

Simeon Survives Late Charge by Kenwood; Wins City 71-64

After being completely dominated by Simeon in all phases, down 22 points early in the fourth quarter, the Broncos dialed up a three quarter court zone trap and comes all the way back to force overtime. Simeon survived to win the City Championship 72-64.

No full piece on the game this time, just not enough time.

But I did have an interesting exchange with Simeon’s coach Robert Smith after the game. When asked why he did not take a time out after getting a chance for a game winning shot with 39 seconds left in regulation, legendary Simeon Wolverines head coach Robert Smith said:

“I was thinking about Curie [referring to Thursday’s quadruple overtime victory over Curie in the City Championship semi-final last Thursday.] Every time [Curie] had the ball in overtime they called a time out to let us set up our defense. [Kenwood] could have switched and put a better defensive player on the floor. I didn’t want to them to have that opportunity. Plus I didn’t know if I had any time outs left. I had seniors on the court, someone to make a play. We had the ball. We were to hit the last shot or go to overtime and see what happens.”

That says a lot about Smith and coaching in general. That was an education in the game right there worth the price of admission. He trusted his seniors. The worst that could happen was overtime.

As for the photos, this was the largest crowd of photographers that I have seen at any game. I had to work at getting my favorite spots on the floor.

CPS Athletics did an outstanding job with the event and frankly the whole season. The branding and marketing is first rate, truly professional. From a media view point, the organization was outstanding. It’s easy and reliable. Everyone is friendly and helpful. From the a fan standpoint, UIC is a great venue for this parking is close and not overpriced. The seating and sight lines are great. The food is expensive but this isn’t the Masters or something. Food is expensive everywhere one goes.

The light at UIC Credit One Arena is not as good as it is at Wintrust but its not bad. It’s a pretty cool light, just not quite as much of it as I would like but definitely manageable.

I hope the photos are half as good as was the game and the whole experience.

Simeon to Play Kenwood in City Championship Game Saturday

The Simeon Wolverines went to four overtimes, surviving four last shot chances by Curie to advance 64-60 to the Chicago Public League’s basketball championship on Saturday. Kenwood advanced as well with a deliberate but convincing 56-42 win over a newcomer to the City Championship final four, Perspectives-Leadership.

I have never seen four overtimes in a basketball game, until today. Four times Simeon had chances to put away the Curie Condors and four times Curie battled with a shot to win the game at the buzzer. Simeon’s defense wouldn’t allow it.

Curie’s head coach Mike Oliver called times out at that the ends of the second and third overtimes with under nine seconds giving his team not a lot of time to inbound the ball, crack the 1-3-1 pressure from Simeon’s Rubin twins to get up a game winner. Twice the Condors launched desperation shots that were nowhere close to going in, twice they didn’t even get up shots.

In the fourth overtime, Simeon managed to get a lead on Jalen Griffith and Miles Rubin’s free throws that Jeremy Harrington and the other Condors could not overcome.

Simeon’s Jalen Griffith finished with 21 points. Miles Rubin had 10 including two late free throws to seal the victory. Sam Lewis had 9. For Curie, Carlos Harris had, 17 Jeremy Harrington 16, Kros Barrett 13 and Shawn Brown 10. 64-60 was the final with the winner to meet the winner of the following game, Kenwood v. Perspectives-Leadership.

Mike Irvin and his Kenwood Broncos faced the unlikely upstart Perspectives-Leadership Warriors. On January 17th, the Broncos went into Perspectives’ gym and jumped out to a 31-7 lead after the first quarter on the strength of points in transition. The Warriors had no way to stop the lighting quick Broncos.

Until today that is. “We did a better job slowing down the game, playing a half court zone [defense] in the first half. It helped us out a lot. At home, we put a lot of pressure on the ball in half court. They got a head start on us. Today we were able to play a slower game. It worked in our favor in the first half. In the second half, it went the other way,” said Warriors head coach Mike Smith.

Even so, the Broncos were too much for the Warriors. The Broncos pulled away in the second had outscoring the Warriors 31-18.

Perspectives-Leadership’s impressive first half against Mike Irvin’s powerhouse Broncos squad bodes well for the upcoming IHSA 2A state tournament. The Warriors land the #1 seed in the Julian Sub-sectional B. Other top seeds in the Joliet (Central) Super-sectional include Phillips, DePaul Prep and Christ the King.  

Perspectives has taken a big jump in its first year in CPL’s Red Division becoming the first charter school to make it to the City Championship final four. The addition of transfers Jakeem Cole (for Leo) and brothers Gianni Cobb and Kamarion Cobb from Bloom raised expectations. Gianni Cobb and Jakeem Cole lead the Warriors with 16 and 14 points respectively.

Kenwood’s leading scorer was Jaden Smith with 14 points. Darrin “Dai Dai” Ames and 13 points despite sitting much of the second period with two early fouls. Tyler Smith had 12.

Saturday evening’s City Championship at UIC’s Credit One Arena—the old Pavilion, will be a showdown between the old and the new. Simeon head coach is on his victory lap as he plans to retire after this season. Mike Irvin and his Kenwood Broncos fancy themselves the new rising powerhouse in CPS. Never at a loss for words, Mike Irvin said, “we are excited.”

“This is what we worked for all season. We told everbody, we are a great team. We will be here. We changed his name to Disco Dai Dai [Darrin Ames] because he was dancing tonight. We are excited to be here.”

We got the matchup of the best teams. I guess we see how it works out.

When Sides Collide

These are selected photos from the When Sides Collide Shootout yesterday at Benet Academy. When Sides Collide is always a highlight of the high school basketball season. We were treated to four top level exciting games between top teams. There was a huge crowd and pumped up. Oh, and the light in the Benet Gym is first rate.

I couldn’t stay for the final two games but the first two did not disappoint. Br. Rice and Rolling Meadows traded buckets the first half of the first game. The Crusaders came out from the half and went on a run. That proved too much for Rolling Meadows to overcome.

Before the second game, I asked some of the gathered experts, “Who wins, Whitney Young or Joliet West?”

More than one said, “Just depends which Joliet West team shows up.”

The talented and focused Tiger squad showed up. After taking everything the Fears brothers through at them at them in the first half, the Dolphins hung around. A twelve point deficit became a two point deficit with seconds left. The Dolphins shot to win missed. Tigers hung on.

I couldn’t stay for Simeon v. Moline and Benet v. Kenwood. Too bad for me. Two more great games.

Remember these games when the IHSA playoffs are here in a few weeks.

DePaul Prep 51, Leo 28

In a rematch of last season’s IHSA 2A Super-sectional in Joliet, the DePaul Prep Rams faced the Leo High School Lions but this time at DePaul’s Tom Winiecki Gym. Similar result as last year but not the same game at all.

The Lions are not the same team. The unexpected resignation of last year’s coach, Jamal Thompson, last August at the start of the school year lead to the transfers of several top players. The Lions have went from first in the Chicago Catholic League Blue Division to last at this point this year.

The Rams controlled the game wire-to-wire. After struggling at the start of the season, the Rams have racked up four wins since the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic. With the anticipated return of two of its top players, Jaylon McElroy and Payton Kamin, the Rams record are likely to continue to pile up wins.

Despite a running clock in the fourth quarter, there was no quit in the Leo Lions. They continued scoring to the end.

Final, DePaul Prep 51, Leo 29.

DePaul Prep Drops Lake Forest 51-45 at Steve Pappas Shootout

DePaul Prep hosted its 4th Annual Steve Pappas Shootout on Saturday. Four high level high school basketball games from noon to 6:30. The first game was the host DePaul Prep Rams (10-6, 1-4) against Lake Forest Scouts (7-8, 2-2).

The Rams opened an early lead on strength of seven points by PJ Chambers. The Rams have struggled a little this year losing four straight games to Chicago Catholic League opponents. The Rams are without two junior starters Jaylon McElroy and Payton Kamin who are expected to return to the starting line-up soon.

This matchup against Lake Forest brought Asa Thomas to Tom Winiecki Gym. The Lake Forest senior forward and Clemson commit is one of the top players in Illinois. This was the first time I got to see him play in person. He did not disappoint. Unfortunately for the Scouts, he didn’t have enough support on either end of the floor.

The Rams opened a ten point halftime and lead by as much as 14 in the third quarter. Lake Forest chipped away at the lead cutting it to four points with 17 seconds left. The Scouts turned the ball over with 6 seconds on the clock. The Rams survived 51-45.

Asa Thomas lead all scorers with 24 points. The Rams PJ Chambers had 22. It was a nice win for the Rams against a quality team in the shootout honoring their from coach Steve Pappas.

Simeon Survives Benet to Win Pontiac Championship 52-49

I just love the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. It is so well done. And this year it did not disappoint. Simeon took a sixteen-point lead at the half. I knew it wasn’t over.

Benet Academy (15-1, 5-0) came all the way back, well—not all the way. Simeon (12-0, 3-0), lead by Jalen Griffith, 17 points, survived a furious comeback by the Redwings, 52-49, to win Robert Smith’s 11th championship at Pontiac and Simeon’s 15th.

So more about Pontiac. It’s totally about basketball. People are there to see good basketball. The crowd is large but not too large. The gym is big but not too big. The light is, well, good enough. The food is good and not expensive.

And the people there are so nice. They treat the patrons and the media so well. I cannot overstate how great of an experience it is. It’s so comfortable to work there. They have a wonderful media room. They provide food and drinks.

Except for a break for World War II and the COVID Pandemic, the tournament has been going since 1926. The program contains a ton of facts to know and tell. How many times has Mike Oliver and his Curie Condors won the tournament you ask? On page thirty of the program, one will learn Coach Oliver have won the tournament four times. How many Mr. Basketballs have played in the Pontiac Holiday Tournament you ask? Nine, of course. (Page 80.) How many NBA players have played in the Tournament? 25. See page 78.

Oh, and did I say the tournament used my photo of Miles Rubin on the cover of this year’s program? It did. It’s a great honor for me, even if my loving wife is not impressed.

Only 362 days until on the 2023 Pontiac Holiday Tournament!

Payton Defeats Jones 60-51

I stopped over at Payton to catch as much of the Jones game before heading over to the DePaul Prep v. St. Rita game last Friday. I am glad I did. Payton has a good basketball team and a lively gym atmosphere. Once one can get in the building that is.

I was impressed by senior guard, forward and center Brennan Moore. He can do it all and regularly does. He and his band of large omnivores put a solid beating on a very good Jones team.

I had a nice chat with coach Ross Burt after the game. “We don’t really have positions,” he told me.

I couldn’t work up a proper story in a timely fashion but I will get back there for the full treatment at some point.

Oh, and they have really interesting halftime entertainment too.