Coaches and/or athletic directors, please email info on your team to [email protected]. Only emails will be accepted. I’ll send out a preview on every team that sends information. You can follow along on X @michaelsobrien or read the previews here. All Illinois schools are eligible, not just schools in the Sun-Times’ coverage area. Please include the following:
School:
coach:
Cell phone:
Outlook for this season:
Top Returning Players (Position, Height, Year in school):
Top Newcomers (Position, Height, Year in school):
Top teams in your conference:
Players on your team and in the conference to consider for the list of the area’s best:
Interesting story idea about your team:
I’ll be updating this story almost every day until the start of the season. Here’s everything that has been sent out so far:
Andrew: Unselfish, gritty team will be led by returning starters Ryan Dinnon and Malik Mahmoud, both juniors. Seniors Qasam Alzir, Jameson O’Reilly and Hisham Massad add toughness. Junior Justin Freeman will play a prominent role in the backcourt.
Antioch: Mark Render is the only returning starter. Likely a rebuilding year after a successful two-season stretch. Junior Jake Yeager, sophomores Logan Lennon and Liam Hill and freshman Miles Marabella are joined by 11 seniors.
Bishop McNamara: Tallest team in recent memory with 6-7 Callaghan O’Connor, 6-7 Richie Darr, 6-4 Coen Demack and 6-3 Karter Krutsinger. It will be key for the football players to arrive healthy. Could have a different leading scorer every game.
Brown County: The 25-win team brings back 4 starters and 7 of the top 9 from a year ago. Top returners are juniors Jackson McNeff and Matthew Boylen and sophomores Bradley Markert and Michael Kassing. Key newcomers include junior Wyatt Kassing and 6-5 sophomore Henry Ingram.
Christ the King: Graduated 8 seniors from the Class 2A third place finishers, but a state title is the goal once again with 7 seniors led by Kemarius Richards. The JV team won 27 games last season.
Deerfield: Leading scorers Jake Pollack (Dartmouth) and Evan Nagler return from a 24-8 team that advanced to the sectional finals. Tommy Donahue is also back. Sophomores Charlie Yellen and Tyler Sale will have impactful roles.
Downers Grove North: Graduated most key players for the second straight year. Not many seniors and not much experience. Starter Jack Romsey returns. Two juniors, 6-8 Colin Doyle and 6-6 Jacob Vroman, were strong over the summer and will grow throughout the season.
Grayslake North: Three-year captain Uros Mitrovic leads a team filled with talented but largely unproven players. Mitrovic, 6-5, is 6 points short of 1,000 and 8 threes from the school’s all-time record. Tall group with a pair of 6-7 sophs, including Jared Van Donselaar.
Hinsdale Central: Coming off the winningest three-year stretch in the program’s 125-year history. Nearly 94% of last year’s offense graduated. Will be inexperienced but energetic. Seniors Cole Bero, Christian Cheung and Kris Dowell are expected to make major contributions.
Hoffman Estates: Three-year varsity guards Torey Baskin and Chris Mobley take over in the backcourt. Juniors Cam James and Ramon Rosario step into big roles. Newcomers to watch are junior Amari Thompson and sophomore Bryce Smith.
Lisle: Undersized but versatile and unselfish. A solid, deep mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen. Three starters return from last season.
Loyola: Looking for ninth consecutive 20-win season and to improve on last year’s Sweet 16 appearance. Starters Trey Williams (Cornell), Sam Golden and Luke Alvarez are back. Brody Munsey-Johnson and Danny Lee played valuable minutes last season.
Marist: Should be one of the state’s best teams. Starters Adoni Vassilakis, TJ Tate and Stephen Brown return from 31-3 squad along with Karson Thomas, Ryan Lawlor and Kendall Meyers. Transfer Charles Barnes is a major addition.
Oswego: Unselfish group that shoots well. Sophomore Ethan Vahl will pass the 1,000-point mark this season. Senior Brayden Borrowman and junior Graham Schwab also return. Fans will be impressed with sophomore MJ Johnson, who will start. Keep an eye on 6-11 soph Cole Jansons.
Rochelle: Brody Bruns, a 6-5 junior, will eclipse 1,000 points early in the season and break the school rebounding record. Senior guard Van Gerber and 6-7 junior Warren Schweitzer also return. Primed for a solid season after finishing strong last year.
St. Laurence: Talented with good size and depth. Should develop into a contender. Marquese Peoples, Reggie Stevens, Logan Brown, Noah Corro and Jeremiah Toney are the top returners. Jacob Johnson, a 6-6 senior, is a major addition. Watch freshmen Lawrence Burnett and Evan Lemons.
Schaumburg: Starters Cam Anderson, Tony Horton and Ray Black return from 22-win team. Black shot 41% from three. Sophomore guard Masyn Harrell is one to watch.
Sherrard: Lost key pieces but competed at a high level at times this summer. Will lean on the experience of Carter Brown and Ryder Veronda. Will push the tempo with full-court pressure. The only 2A team to beat state champion Dyett last season.
Stevenson: A lot of players without significant varsity minutes, but senior guards Rocco Pagliocca and Donny Williams are talented and experienced. Aidan Albrecht will have an expanded role. Quentin Frakes, a 6-6 junior and Max Dabbs, a 6-7 sophomore, are new additions with size.
Warren: Last season’s Class 4A second place finisher returns POY favorite Jaxson Davis and seniors Braylon Walker and Avonn King. Top newcomers include Javin Griffin, Cashius Collins, Joel Paasch and Tayte Cordova.
Waubonsie Valley: Graduated 6 of the top 7 but talented junior Kris Mporokoso and 6-6 sophomore Kyler Payne return. Senior class, led by Aidan Lee and Tate Bartzen, shoots well.
Waukegan: Should be one of the state’s most interesting teams. Simeron Carter, a 6-4 senior, is back fully healthy and ready for a breakout year. Point guard Carter Newsome and 6-7 senior Jaali Rico Love also return. Senior guard Trey Roberts is a great defender
West Aurora: Looking to build on 21-9 record and conference title. Junior guard Travis Brown leads a team dominated by underclassmen. Transfers Jordan Weeks and James Baker add size and depth. Juniors Jaden Matthews-Thomas and Orlando Edwards provide athleticism on the perimeter.
Wilmington: Will build on consecutive 19-win seasons. Starters Ryan Kettman and Brysen Meents return with sixth man Declan Moran. Expect a major jump from those three. Keep an eye on sophomore Hunter Kaitschuck.
York: Princeton football/volleyball recruit Hunter Stepanich, a 6-9 senior returns along with 6-6 Costa Kampas, a Georgetown football recruit. Talented young group of guards is led by junior Sawyer Asgedom and sophomore Will O’Leary.
Yorkville: Looking for big improvements this season behind four returning starters. Braydon Porter, 6-7 Joey Jakstys, Gabe Sanders and Frankie Pavlik are all back. Will have 3-4 sophomores on varsity. Sophs Jakstys and Porter are already receiving college interest.
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