Irvin drives Mustangs to the top
Coach has turned team into perennial contender
No. 1
Morgan Park’s road back to relevance several years back was the result of an influx of superior talent and the arrival of Nick Irvin as coach.
Since Irvin came to Morgan Park in 2008, the Mustangs have won at least 23 games every season. That nine- year run now includes three state championships and one thirdplace finish in Class 3A.
Thanks to Irvin, Morgan Park is known for its relentlessly aggressive and attacking style, which it applies to everything it does.
This season was different, though. This championship team had less overall talent, and it played in the title game in Peoria without its star player.
Ayo Dosunmu was lost in the first quarter of the semifinal with a slight fracture in his foot. Many teams would have crumbled if its catalyst, who just happened to be the top junior in the state, was lost at such a critical time.
But the Mustangs persevered and stuck with their usual frenetic game plan. Call it controlled chaos. Irvin’s teams play with all- out hustle and competitiveness that turns mistakes and miscues into points and wins. No matter the circum- stances, Irvin’s teams always play hard and find ways to win.
No. 2
The best teams typically have the best players, so it’s no surprise that at least 25 players from the eight teams who competed in the Class 3A and 4A state finals last weekend in Peoria will be playing Division I college basketball.
That’s why it bears repeating that Fremd’s season was remarkable for so many reasons. The most glaring one: The Vikings were the only team there that did not have a D- I prospect in the starting lineup.
Coach Bob Widlowski’s team showed that fundamentals still matter in basketball and that they can allow you to compete at the highest level.
Fremd was panned as a pretender by many, but it had eventual state champ Young on the ropes in a tie game with 1: 30 left to play.
No. 3
A peek ahead to the 2017- 18 season reveals some familiar teams among the area’s best, namely Young, Simeon and Morgan Park.
Class 4A state champ Young loses Lucas Williamson but returns a bevy of D- I prospects in juniors Javon Freeman, Xavier Castaneda and Justin Boyd, sophomore Myles Baker and freshman Tyler Beard.
Simeon has four starters back: the talented junior trio of Talen Horton- Tucker, Kezo Brown and Messiah Jones and sophomore Kejuan Clements.
Dosunmu returns for Mor- gan Park, along with 6- 9 junior Tamell Pearson, sophomore Lamond Johnson and freshman star Nimari Burnett.
JOE HENRICKSEN