Here are a whole bunch of random thoughts, observations and notes from the opening days of the season.
➤ If there was any team that needed a confidence-boosting win in the opening week, it might have been Kenwood.
Even as a preseason top 10 team, uncertainty can creep in for any team that loses its head coach just before the season begins; Mike Irvin announced his resignation Nov. 4.
But also in the back of this team’s mind is the fact they fell short in the biggest moments last season.
The Broncos lost to Warren in the Proviso West Holiday Tournament semifinals. They finished second in the Red South Central and lost to Curie in the Public League playoffs. They were then upset in the sectional semifinals by Simeon.
Thus, the 54-52 Sunday win over two-time defending state champ DePaul Prep was just the boost this team needed to start the season.
➤ Waukegan is back. Wins over both Crystal Lake South and Barrington prove this will be the most formidable Bulldogs team since the 2018-19 season.
Waukegan was just on the outside of the preseason Super 25 when the season began but is solidly in this week at No. 19.
The Bulldogs knocked off Warren on the road 72-62 on Wednesday.
This Waukegan team boasts legitimate firepower, starting with Simereon Carter. The 6-4 junior did it all last week by averaging 19.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and nearly four steals a game.
Newcomer Jaali Love, a promising, high-upside 6-7 junior, could be on the verge of coming into his own. Love averaged 19 points and five rebounds a game in the four wins, while athletic 6-4 senior wing Xavi Granville is averaging 13.7 points and 7.3 rebounds a game.
➤ The state should be on notice: LeShawn Stowers is a one-man wrecking crew.
The Peoria High senior star remains one of the overlooked stars in the state. But that statewide anonymity won’t last long after the Miami-Ohio recruiting steal was dominant in a pair of high-stakes wins last week.
In the Decatur Thanksgiving Tournament, the 6-4 guard poured in 39 points in a 58-56 semifinal win over Bolingbrook and Davion Thompson. He then scored 24 more in a 55-54 title game win over city rival Peoria Manual and Dietrich Richardson, the top senior prospect in the state.
➤ Defending state champ Homewood-Flossmoor made an early-season statement by rolling to a Thanksgiving tournament title –– just as it did a year ago. And just like last season, the run included convincing double-digit victories over both Marian Catholic and Bloom.
Coach Jamere Dismukes returned just one starter, guard Jayden Tyler, from a 4A state title team. But the addition of a couple of talented transfers (Arden Eaves and Brent Taylor), a poised freshman (Darrius Hawkins) and a pair of unheralded but effective and emerging seniors (Ethan Howard and Kyle Polk) has fueled the Vikings.
➤ You will be hard pressed to find a more dominating big man this season than Nick Allen of Bradley-Bourbonnais. What an opening week for the 6-10 Illinois State recruit.
Allen led the Boilers to a 4-0 record and tournament championship while averaging 29 points and 13 rebounds a game, including 23 points and 15 rebounds in the title game win over Lemont.
➤ With New Trier’s scuffling 2-2 mark over Thanksgiving, might Evanston be the favorite in the Central Suburban League South?
The Wildkits beat a solid Fremd team before picking up one of the more impressive wins of the weekend –– a 59-54 victory over an experienced and ranked Rolling Meadows team, led by Marquette recruit Ian Miletic. Evanston senior Theo Rocca was named tournament MVP.
➤ The bulk of the great Downers Grove North teams of the past two years have graduated, including star Jack Stanton. Coach Jim Thomas returned just one key player, role-playing 6-5 Aiden Akkawi, from last year’s 31-win team. But the Trojans are 4-0, nonetheless, winning their own Thanksgiving tournament with wins over Proviso East and Metea Valley.
➤ Elijah Lovemore was a stat-sheet-stuffing point guard a year ago. The 6-3 senior has picked up right where he left off.
Bloom went 3-1 in the opening week with Lovemore putting up a whopping stat line: 17.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 4.5 steals and eight assists a game, including an 8-to-1 assist to turnover ration.
Lovemore is one of the best uncommitted prospects in the senior class.