Blazing Trojans turned up the heat
Blazing Trojans turned up heat with tougher offseason schedule
Bloom coach Dante Maddox didn’t pull punches with rigorous offseason schedule.
It’s not out of the ordinary for some boys basketball coaches to take the foot off the pedal during the summer and allow their players to focus on AAU competition.
Bloom coach Dante Maddox doesn’t believe in that philosophy.
In particular, Maddox turned up the heat last summer, which he considered vital to the continued development of his skilled, young team.
“We played a very tough schedule,” Maddox said. “Simeon, Curie, Whitney Young, Morgan Park. Iwanted us to play the best. We got up for those games and we won them.”
Bloom hasn’t stopped winning.
The Blazing Trojans entered Friday with a 16-1 record and sat atop the Southland Conference standings.
They have wins over Homewood-Flossmoor (twice), Morgan Park, Hillcrest, Kankakee, Oak Park-River Forest, Thornwood, Bloomington and West Aurora.
Not a slouch in the bunch. Senior forward Sincere Moses feels grass wasn’t the only thing that grew during the dog days of summer. So did the Blazing Trojans.
“That’s what set us up for this season,” Moses said. “Playing the top teams made us realize the potential we had and how important it is for us to execute.”
Bloom is a fun team towatch. Junior guards Donovan Newby and Dante Maddox Jr. not only have unlimited shooting range. They have the blessing of their coach to let it fly from long distances.
I watched Newby drain a pair of 3-pointers in a rematch against H-F from 25 and 30 feet.
Brandon Cole would be proud.
Maddox Jr., the coach’s son, has twice made seven 3-point- ers during a game.
In his third season as Bloom’s coach, Maddox confirmed he’ll sometimes keep one eye open when he sees Newby and Maddox Jr. launching shots from downtown.
“It’s natural and not beyond their range,” Maddox said. “They’ve hit some long ones.”
So has junior guard Keshawn Williams, another explosive scorer opponents must keep a close eye on.
And 6-foot-9 junior forward Martice Mitchell provides an exciting presence in the lane.
Newby, Maddox Jr., Williams and Mitchell have been on the varsity since their freshmen year, so a lack of experience isn’t a concern.
Tthe contributions of Moses and fellow seniors Emani Burgess and Kevin Vance, however, can’t be minimized.
I’m not referring specifically to their impact on the scoresheet.
Most seniors would find it difficult to give up the spotlight to juniors.
Burgess, Vance and Moses check their egos at the gym door, more than willing to do what’s best for the team.
“All four juniors are talented,” Moses said. “They’re going to be on the court. Every- body feels thatway. I’ve figured out what I can do to help the team and impact the game. We just want to keep getting better and win.”
The team-first attitude isn’t surprising to anyone who knows Maddox, a 1993 Bloom graduate who prioritizes being a gentlemen and hitting the books as much as winning.
“Coach cares about life after basketball,” Moses said.
With the Blazing Trojans piling up the wins, McCann Gym should be rocking. It’s not.
Too often, Bloom players enter a half-filled gym for games.
That shouldn’t be the case. Not froma proud Bloom program steeped in tradition and history.
Fans need to start coming out in droves.
This team is built to end the program’s 107-year state championship drought.
“One of our goals is to get people out to support this team and take pride in what we’re doing,” Maddox said. “Crowds are getting better. I tell the guys to play the best they can. Hopefully, fans will start coming out.”
They’re missing a great show.