Spartans recover from big loss
No. 1
Marian Catholic lost its leading scorer just weeks before the start of the season. The departure stung, but the timing made it a bigger cause for concern.
However, the Spartans haven’t missed a beat offensively and are a different and better team defensively since the 5-9 Malik Tidwell decided to transfer to a prep school in October.
“The growth of our younger kids has been very promising, and I’m not sure it would have been as fast,” Marian Catholic coach Mike Taylor said of the added minutes and opportunities as a result of Tidwell leaving.
Junior guard Aaron Ulis (19 points per game) still is the catalyst for the Spartans, while 6-6 senior Chris White is averaging 11 points. But three juniors — 6-0 guard Joe Green (15 ppg), 6-5 Elijah Jones (8) and 6-2 Yemi Elitulo (9) — have played better than anticipated.
Taylor had a blueprint of what he planned to do defensively heading into the season. But Tidwell’s last-minute departure allowed him to change things up and take advantage of the team’s length.
The No. 12 Spartans (5-1), whose only loss came against Homewood-Flossmoor (and without Ulis), will get a big test this weekend against No. 14 Waukegan.
No. 2
St. Laurence started last season 8-1, and the Vikings are 8-1 again.
But the fast start this year feels different after a week in which the Vikings beat St. Rita, St. Mel and Notre Dame.
Coach Jim Sexton’s team returned budding junior star Jeremiah Williams and senior Lance Jackson from the 20-win regional champ last year. Plus, the Vikings went a combined 43-4 at the freshman and sophomore levels last year, so expectations have risen.
With three winnable games ahead, St. Laurence could head into the Jack Tosh Holiday Tournament at York with an 11-1 record.
Can this be a team that puts a legitimate scare into Morgan Park and Bogan in a Class 3A sectional in March?
No. 3
Eric Anderson, one of the all-time great high school basketball players in the state, passed away suddenly over the weekend. He was 48.
Anderson led St. Francis de Sales to a 29-2 record and second-place finish in Class AA in 1988.
The Pioneers beat St. Joseph, Simeon and Rock Island to reach the state title game, setting up a matchup of McDonald’s AllAmerica big men in the 6-9 Anderson and 6-9 LaPhonso Ellis of East St. Louis Lincoln. Anderson had 23 points and 17 rebounds, while Ellis had 26 points and 15 rebounds. The Pioneers lost 60-52.
In the four tournament games, Anderson averaged 26.7 points and 14 rebounds.
He also was a standout at Indiana, where he led the Hoosiers to the 1992 Final Four. Anderson finished his career at IU with 1,715 points and 825 rebounds.