Evanston must deal with change of pace
No.1
When Evanston coach Mike Ellis walked into practice last Wednesday after the Wildkits’ first loss of the season, a stunning 90-71 blowout against Zion-Benton, he said there was no need to grab his team’s attention.
His players were focused and ready to work without him having to say a word.
Now Evanston has a quick turnaround after a weekend that included beating rival New Trier and knocking off highly ranked Bloom in a thriller at the When Sides Collide Shootout.
The Wildkits, who drilled 13 three-pointers in the 81-79 victory against Bloom, will face a completely different style this week. They’ll go from the up-and-down, fast-paced attack of Zion-Benton and Bloom to the patient, defensive-oriented games of Loyola (20-2) and Glenbrook South (18-3).
There’s plenty at stake in both games. The matchup Tuesday with Loyola could determine the No. 1 seed in the Elk Grove Sectional. The showdown Thursday with Glenbrook South features two teams that are unbeaten in the Central Suburban League South.
No. 2
With the state-tournament brackets recently released by the IHSA, here’s a sneak peek at what the state semifinals could look like in two months in Peoria based on current records and state rankings.
Class 3A: Bogan vs. Lincoln; Niles Notre Dame vs. Peoria Notre Dame.
Class 4A: Collinsville vs. Cary-Grove; Evanston vs. Curie.
No. 3
Glenbard East is 13-6, contending for an Upstate Eight Conference title and fresh off beating Aurora Christian this weekend as host of the When Sides Collide Shootout.
The impact of retiring coach Scott Miller, however, goes beyond what happens during the season.
Miller, in his 21st season as coach at Glenbard East, will step down as the all-time winningest and most successful coach in school history.
When he took over in 1999, the program had won an average of seven games the previous eight seasons. Miller built up the feeder program and established a culture, and in a 12year run from 2005 to ’16, the Rams averaged just under 20 wins. The Rams won six conference titles and six regional titles and finished third in the state in 2011 during that run.
A program that had a total of four 20-pluswin seasons in school history has enjoyed six 20-plus-win seasons under Miller.
Miller, who will be inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame this spring, is part of a small and elite club of coaches to win a state trophy in the small- and big-school state tournaments.
He guided Plano to its only state finals appearance and a Class A fourth-place finish in 1999. He had Glenbard East in Peoria 12 years later in its record-breaking 28-win season, which included beating Ryan Boatright and East Aurora in the sectional final and a super-sectional win over Rockford Auburn and Fred VanVleet.