The annual When Sides Collide Shootout organized by the City/Suburban Hoops Report has provided a platform for players and a big stage for highly-ranked teams for over a decade.
There was the epic Jalen Brunson-Tyler Ulis matchup in 2014 which remains the signature game in the history of this event. Brunson scored 32 to lead Stevenson to a win over Marian Catholic and Ulis (23 points).
There was Naperville North’s stunning come-from-behind, overtime upset over No. 2 ranked Evanston and Nojel Eastern in 2017.
The top two players in their class clashed in 2018. Morgan Park’s Adam Miller put on a memorable show when he buried eight consecutive three-pointers en route to 9 of 11 from beyond the arc in a highly-touted matchup with Fenwick’s DJ Steward as sophomores.
The 2020 event brought together a hyped Max Christie-Bryce Hopkins battle — Hopkins scored 37 and Christie 31 — along with Bloom’s high-flying dunk show vs. Evanston in a crowd-pleasing performance.
Last year the Glenbard West-Young showdown before a standing-room-only crowd was a preview of what would transpire two months later in the Class 4A state championship game.
But on paper, from top to bottom, the 2023 version of When Sides Collide this Saturday at Benet may have the deepest and best lineup it’s ever assembled. The event will bring together each of the top four teams in the Super 25 rankings and seven of the top nine.
When you add Moline, a state-ranked Class 4A program with two Big Ten recruits, it’s a day of basketball where each of the top six teams in the most recent Class 4A AP statewide rankings will be in the gym together. And that list doesn’t even include Simeon, the No. 2 ranked team in Class 3A.
You want big names? The state’s three best senior college prospects, Cameron Christie of Rolling Meadows, Jeremy Fears Jr., of Joliet West and Darrin “Dai Dai” Ames of Kenwood, will all be on display. In total, eight of the top nine prospects in the Class of 2023 will be playing in the event.
The state’s best uncommitted senior, Young’ Daniel Johnson, will have another opportunity to shine, while fans will get a look at the top-ranked sophomore, Joliet West’s Jeremiah Fears.
Here is a preview of the four games that will take place this Saturday at Benet.
No. 6 Rolling Meadows (19-2) vs. No. 7 Brother Rice (19-2), 2:30 p.m.
The star of the show for Rolling Meadows is Christie. The Minnesota recruit has been sensational, averaging 24 points, six rebounds and four assists a game. He scores every way imaginable and has the size, length and shot mechanics to get his shot off when he wants.
When you combine the 6-6 Christie with 6-8 versatile big man Mark Nikolich-Wilson, who puts up 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists a game, 6-7 shooter Tsvet Sotirov (11 ppg), 6-6 Ian Miletic (9 ppg) and powerful 6-4 Foster Ogbonna (8 ppg), there are a surplus of scoring options.
The offensive potency and efficiency of Rolling Meadows is as dynamic as any team in Illinois. The blowout win over Evanston last weekend is a case in point. The Mustangs shot 59 percent from the three-point line (16 of 27).
Their eFG percentage (effective field goal percentage) was a ridiculous 79 percent; any eFG percentage of 50 percent or higher is considered good.
The shooting, size and experience coach Kevin Katovich’s team plays with is typically a matchup nightmare for opponents. Rolling Meadows has just two losses all season — by a combined three points to two highly-ranked teams. And one loss came without Sotirov playing and the other with Christie having an off night shooting.
Brother Rice hasn’t missed a beat in coach Conte Stamas’ first year on the job. The Crusaders boast an 18-point win over Curie and have beaten Bolingbrook and Bloom.
Brother Rice’s Ahmad Henderson is capable of playing at an extremely high level at the point guard position. That’s a great starting point. The Niagara recruit leads the Crusaders with 16.4 points a game while playing with a moxie that brings comfort in closing out games.
Khalil Ross, a veteran 6-7 senior, averages 11.6 points, while Zavier Fitch (6 ppg) and Cole Cosme (5.7 ppg) have been two younger players who have been more and more instrumental as the season has played out.
The pick: Rolling Meadows 66, Brother Rice 59
No. 3 Young (16-4) vs. No. 9 Joliet West (15-5), 4 p.m.
Young heads into the When Sides Collide Shootout with just one in-state loss — to Kenwood. And that came way back in November. That sounds familiar to past years as the Dolphins play a wealthy list of top-notch out-of-state opponents.
Coach Tyrone Slaughter’s team is playing well. They knocked off St. Rita and took care of Kenwood in a December rematch to win the Proviso West Holiday Tournament. This is their first big test since then.
Joliet West has played a very strong schedule and by now are well prepared for anything thrown its way. The Tigers have wins over Metamora, St. Rita and Rolling Meadows on the résumé. But with losses to Kenwood, Benet, Curie and Oswego East, Joliet West is primed and ready for another shot at nabbing a marquee win.
There is no ignoring the point guard battle that will evolve and be entertaining to watch over 32 minutes. Michigan State recruit Jeremy Fears, Jr. of Joliet West and Young’s Dalen Davis, who has signed with Princeton, are two elite players in the senior class.
But it’s been Johnson, Young’s 6-6 senior, who has been a breakout star this season. Johnson is putting up 19.3 points a game and has been his best in the biggest games. The best unsigned senior in the state, Johnson was MVP of the Proviso West Holiday Tournament.
Slowing down the Fears brothers in the backcourt — Jeremy and Jeremiah combine to average 37 points and 10 assists a game — will be priority No. 1 for the Dolphins. Justus McNair, a 6-3 junior guard, is another double-figure scorer at 11 points a game.
The pick: Young 62, Joliet West 59
No. 2 Simeon (17-1) vs. Moline (18-2), 6 p.m.
The No. 2 team in Class 3A takes on the No. 4 team in Class 4A. Both Simeon and Moline have eyes on a bigger prize: playing for a state championship in Champaign this March. This is a regular season state-level type matchup that will prepare both for long state tournament runs.
Simeon has played a rugged schedule and has just one hiccup through two months — a three-point home loss to now No. 1 Kenwood last week. The Wolverines have received outstanding guard play from Jalen Griffith. He’s been a catalyst in coach Robert Smith’s final season.
While Griffith has been the glue, the combination of 6-9 Loyola recruit Miles Rubin and 6-9 Northern Iowa-bound Wesley Rubin have been the anchors. They are a pair of big men that complement each other so well.
Simeon is loaded with Division I talent — don’t forget about the athletic 6-5 Sam Lewis, who is headed to Toledo, and Stony Brook recruit Kaiden Space in the backcourt — but it’s a team with balance and togetherness.
Moline boasts two Big Ten recruits: point guard Brock Harding and 6-10 Owen Freeman. Both are headed to Iowa and put up numbers.
Harding, who is averaging 18.1 points and 5.1 assists a game, is a table-setter who can get to any spot on the court and oozes confidence. Freeman (18.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg) is a 6-10 rim-runner who puts up regular double-doubles.
Moline is fresh off an eye-opening win over state-ranked East St. Louis last weekend. The Maroons crushed the Flyers 77-53 as the Harding-Freeman tandem combined for 47 points.
Harding and Freeman will need all the support they can get from the supporting cast, including Grant Welch (8.6 ppg) and Trey Taylor (7.8 ppg).
The pick: Simeon 66, Moline 58
No. 1 Kenwood (16-2) vs. No. 4 Benet (20-1), 7:30 p.m.
This has the makings — or at least the potential — of being a special game. Benet and its rowdy, loud crowd will welcome the No. 1 team into its gym. There are contrasting styles to watch and enjoy.
Kenwood averages over 70 points a game; Benet has allowed only one team all season to reach 60 points.
Benet’s No. 4 ranking, the win over Joliet West and the three-point loss to Simeon should help coach Mike Irvin in grabbing the attention of his team. And if that doesn’t, the energy in the gym at the tip surely will.
Kenwood is absolutely loaded. There is size and strength, elite athletes and Division I talent up and down the roster, starting with Kansas State recruit Ames. He teams up with guard Tyler Smith to form a very good backcourt.
Ames is the type of experienced, high-octane guard who can take over a game. But it’s also the exact type of player Benet has historically slowed down over the years with its pinching halfcourt defense.
The margin of error for Benet will be slim because of the size and athletic disadvantage. Can Benet keep the likes of 6-10 Jaden Smith, 6-5 uber-athlete Calvin Robins and 6-7 Solomon Mosley off the glass? Can Benet handle Kenwood’s pressure, athleticism and, particularly, the size and length the Broncos bring to the table? Can Kenwood turn it into a track meet?
A lot will be in the hands of Benet’s steady point guard Brayden Fagbemi. He remains one of the best-kept secrets in the state. Niko Abusara, a Dartmouth recruit and a player who brings size and athleticism to the mix, and hard-nosed Brady Kunka have been rock solid.
Kenwood will win, but in a hostile road environment that will make this team better by who and where they’re playing.
The pick: Kenwood 67, Benet 58
