Boys Basketball

Even with the loss of a couple cornerstone players to graduation and a resulting learning curve, Woodland boys basketball coach Connor Kaminke likes what he’s seeing from his 2024-25 Warriors.

The La Salle-Peru boys basketball team looks to be competitive with a cohesive team after losing four starters from last year's team that went 24-9 and won a regional championship.

It was a highly-contested field with each team losing at least once. The Bobcats went 2-1 followed by Princeton Christian Academy (2-1), third-place Ohio (1-2) and fourth-place Malden (1-2)

Morris falls in boys soccer, Minooka falls in girls volleyball in Wednesday's roundup.

Wheaton Academy freshman Ben Patel and sophomore Owen Coniaris both shot 2-under par to share the lead after the first round of the Class 2A state golf tournament at Normal’s Weibring Golf Course. At the Class 3A tournament, Hinsdale Central is at 5-over in first place.

Hinsdale Central and Wheaton Academy's boys golf teams both won regional titles Wednesday, leading area qualifiers to next Monday's sectional meet.

Here is an in-depth feature on the 1969-70 Sterling boys basketball team, which will be inducted into the Sterling Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend. It is written by Jeff Metcalfe, 1971 Sterling graduate who was a manager on the team.

Dixon grad Isaiah Roby will be playing his first season outside of the United States this September after signing with a team based in Germany.

Former Yorkville Christian star and 2020 Record Newspapers Player of the Year Micah Schnyders will host the "Hoops for Hunger" basketball skills clinic on Saturday at Yorkville Christian.

Summer was almost perfect for Benet’s boys basketball team. The Redwings, who return four of five starters, won 24 of their 25 games in June, absorbing the transfer of star Gabe Sularski.

Brian Frericks, a 2013 Crystal Lake South graduate, welcomed his first child (daughter Makenzie) with wife Katina last week and was officially announced as Prairie Ridge's newest boys basketball coach.

Ottawa's Cooper Knoll will continue his education and basketball career at Illinois Central College.

Burlington Central senior point guard LJ Kerr, also a standout on the football field, has enjoyed a busy and productive summer on the basketball court. Kerr and Patrick Shell are among those players hoping to take a big leap for a Rockets' team coming off a 21-11 season.

Riverside-Brookfield junior guard Cameron Mercer's dad, Ron, was a star at Kentucky and played in the NBA from 1997-2005. Now Cameron Mercer is looking to make his own mark and is the leading returning scorer for a Bulldogs' team coming off a 26-5 season.

The amount of multisport standouts in local boys athletics runs very deep. So many athletes with NCAA Division I offers in one sport are still playing another. It makes for a lot of strong candidates for the Daily Chronicle 2024-2025 Boys Athlete of the Year.

After a promising sophomore season, Glenbard West’s TJ Williams is making a big splash in a breakout summer for a Hilltoppers' team that returns four starters and adds transfer Josh Abushanab.

The York boys basketball team graduated eight seniors from last year's sectional finalist, but led by senior guard Connor Fitzgerald and junior forward Hunter Stepanich the new-look Dukes had a strong June capped off by a 3-1 finish at the Riverside-Brookfield Shootout.

Oswego senior Dasean Patton made his final appearance in the Morris Shootout an unforgettable moment. Patton closed out a strong showing by the Panthers at Morris by drilling a fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer to defeat Galesburg on the final day of the prestigious summer event.

The focus on DeKalb's summer was finding consistency, said head coach Mike Reynolds. It’s especially important for players like Justin O’Neal and Marquise Bolden, both rising seniors who started last year.

Sycamore brings back a lot of talent from last year's squad as well as a couple of transfer students, including former DeKalb guard Unique Shaw. After a strong summer, the Spartans have high hopes for the regular season.

Anyone interested in being a part of the tournament can contact coach Litwicki at tlitwicki@jths.org.

Oswego and Sandwich both showed improvements over two days at the 37th Morris Shootout held this week.

Riverside-Brookfield hosted a boys basketball summer shootout on Saturday, June 22, 2024.

Despite a glitch at the end, the 37th Morris Boys Shootout was once again a success

Jeremy Fears Jr. has reportedly been granted an additional year of collegiate eligibility after playing only 12 games his freshman season at Michigan State due to a Dec. 23, 2023, shooting in Joliet while he was home over Christmas break.

Matas Buzelis already had an unlikely story. Even more improbable was the Hinsdale Central alum lasting until the No. 11 pick of the NBA draft and being chosen by the hometown Chicago Bulls.

Davon Grant already has two high-level basketball seasons under his belt, a breakout football campaign and seven NCAA Division I football offers. The DeKalb rising junior is the Daily Chronicle Boys Athlete of the Year.

Jacobs graduate Cameron Krutwig was dropped from one Spanish team, but thrived with Forca Lleida, which he helped earn a promotion for the 2025 season.

Bolingbrook went 3-0 in pool play Tuesday at the 37th Morris Shootout, while Minooka went 1-2 despite taking Bolingbrook to double overtime

The 32-team Morris Boys Shootout will take place Tuesday and Wednesday next week

Marian Central's Christian Bentancur is the only athlete in IHSA history to get 200 receptions in football and 2,000 points in basketball in a career. Bentancur is the 2024 Northwest Herald Male Athlete of the Year.

The Sycamore boys basketball team took on Boylan Tuesday in summer play at DeKalb High School.

The DeKalb boys basketball team played Elk Grove in summer action at DeKalb High School.

In Year 1 under new head coach Matthew Montavon, the Hiawatha boys basketball team won more games than they had in any season in the last two decades. Montavon and the players said they hope it’s just a start.

The Hiawatha boys basketball team held a practice Thursday in Kirkland under second-year head coach Matthew Montavon from DeKalb.

A 35-second shot clock is coming to both boys and girls high school basketball in Illinois starting in 2026. The IHSA Board of Directors approved the move at its Monday meeting.

Jeremy Burke, a 1997 Marengo alumnus, will take over as Indians head boys basketball coach.

Former Yorkville Christian star Jaden Schutt, who left Duke and entered the transfer portal in April, has announced that he is headed to Virginia Tech. Meanwhile, Schutt’s teammate at Yorkville Christian, David Douglas Jr., has entered the portal and is leaving UW-Green Bay.

Nick Oraham, a Crystal Lake native and Lockport resident who was previously head coach at Elk Grove for the past six seasons, has been named the new head boys basketball coach at Oswego High School.

Hinckley-Big Rock state champion Jenna Thorp, Malta's final points and rebounding record-holder Justin Allen and current DeKalb coach Mike Reynolds were inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame earlier this month

Known for his dedication, loyalty, friendly nature and positive, people-first writing style, Shaw Local reporter Charlie Ellerbrock will be part of the IBCA Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 inducted this weekend.

L-P's John Senica, St. Bede's Stephanie Mickley, Fieldcrest's Jeremy Hahn and Earlville's Gerald Fruit were named Illinois Basketball Coaches Association District Coaches of the Year.

Wheaton Warrenville South's boys volleyball team earned a 25-17, 25-23 sweep against rival Wheaton North on Tuesday to stay perfect in the DuKane Conference.

The Illinois Valley All-Star Basketball Games returned for the first time since 2019 with games Saturday at St. Bede.

The rosters were announced for the Illinois Valley All-Star Basketball Games, which are Saturday at St. Bede.

Jaden Schutt, who led Yorkville Christian to the 2022 Class 1A state basketball championship, announced Monday he is entering the NCAA’s transfer portal after two seasons at Duke.

Dundee-Crown's Zach Randl and Kali Freeman came up big in the second half to lead the Home team past the Away in the McHenry County Area All-Star Basketball Extravaganza Sunday at Alden-Hebron's Tigard Gymnasium.

Area basketball players compete in the boy's game of McHenry County Area All-Star Basketball Extravaganza on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at Alden-Hebron’s Tigard Gymnasium in Hebron.

The McHenry County Area All-Star Basketball Extravaganza will tip off at 2 p.m. Sunday at Alden-Hebron's Tigard Gymnasium with the girls game. The boys game will follow at 5.

After many years of planning, breaking ground in March of 2023, then 13 months of construction, Seneca High School unveiled its new 28,000-square-foot gymnasium to the public at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday night.