Lincoln Park may have the best home-court advantage in Chicago. The Lions have never been a basketball powerhouse, so that isn’t widely known.
There are three rows of bleachers on each side of the tiny gym. Fans sitting in the front row have their feet on the court, in play. The ceiling seems to send the sound right back down and the gym floor is slippery. It’s hot, loud and cramped and visiting players learn quickly that trying to do anything in a corner or near a sideline will result in stepping out of bounds.
“I’m not making excuses but that is just a really difficult place to play,” Young coach Tyrone Slaughter said.
The Dolphins have one of the state’s exciting young teams. But no one realized just how talented of a young group new Lincoln Park coach Josh Anderson had on his hands.
The No. 20 Lions knocked off No. 12 Young 70-67 in a thriller on Friday.
The Dolphins (5-5, 2-1 Red-North/West) had a chance to tie it at the end but missed a three-pointer. The key play of the game came on the possession right before.
Lincoln Park senior Semaje Howard made a steal in the lane, dribbled down the court and passed to junior Chayse Turner on the fast break. Turner went up for the dunk and was blocked by Young’s Antonio Munoz.
Both Turner and Munoz tumbled onto the court. Turner grabbed the rebound and scored to put the Lions (7-2, 3-0) ahead 70-67.
Munoz is one of the best athletes in the state. He’s a highly-recruited 6-6 junior. Turner, a 6-4 junior, is a complete unknown.
“[Munoz] can jump high but I can jump high too,” Turner said. “So it is nothing to be afraid of.”
Turner finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Munoz had 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
“[Turner] went down with a knee injury that sidelined him this summer,” Anderson said. “Now he’s healthy. He’s 6-4, can run like a deer and play above the rim. I think he will be a D1 prospect this summer.”
Young missed eight free throws in the second half and had 19 turnovers.
“The better team won,” Slaughter said. “They outplayed us from the beginning of the game to the end of the game. My hat is off to them.”
Sophomore Ahmad Lee scored 17 for Lincoln Park and sophomore Jaylen Dickerson added 13 points. Anderson, a first-year head coach, is the son of former NBA player Nick Anderson and a Simeon alum.
“I’m lucky,” Anderson said. “These guys came up from JV together and they have a good feel and a good rhythm and are unselfish because they want to see each other do well.”
The Lions nearly beat Kenwood on the road the first week of the season. That opened some eyes. This win against Young should convince doubters that Lincoln Park will be a factor this season.
“We proved today that we are a top team in Chicago,” Lee said.
Senior Cole Pruitt led the Dolphins with 16 points. Sophomore Nasir Rankin scored 12 and sophomore Marquis Clark added 11 points.
“These guys are locked in and learning every day,” Anderson said. “I’m a young coach and they are young and we just hit it off. I’m elated. I’m so happy. I played AAU for [Slaughter]. It’s an honor to be able to coach against him.”
