The start to the season hasn’t been picture-perfect, but Metamora, the defending Class 3A state champs, are still a state title contender and the team to beat at York’s Jack Tosh Holiday Tournament. The addition of the Redbirds was a holiday tournament coup for York
Metamora (7-3) has a future Big Ten player in 6-8 Cooper Koch (Iowa), underrated Division II-bound Tyler Mason (Winona State) in the backcourt, 6-8 senior Luke Hopp, and an up-and-coming junior, 6-5 Matthew Zobrist, another Division I prospect. Plus, don’t discount the winning, big-game mentality of this particular team after what’s transpired in this burgeoning basketball program over the past two years.
Top contenders: Downers Grove North and Bolingbrook
Downers North is another big addition this year at York. Jack Stanton and Company, though, are in the same bracket as Metamora, thus the two teams reached Champaign last year –– and the two best teams in this tournament –– could meet in the semifinals.
Bolingbrook is deservedly ranked, but the Raiders remain a work in progress but an ultra-intriguing one. Newcomer JT Pettigrew has contributed in a significant way with regular double-doubles, while freshman guard Davion Thompson is an elite talent who has lived up to the hype. But they are both new pieces fitting around returning point guard Josh Ancito.
But this much can be expected: Rob Brost’s team is ready for another run at York. The Raiders fell in the semifinals each of the past two years after winning the tournament in 2019. Bolingbrook is the favorite in the bracket opposite of Metamora and DGN.
Sleepers: Riverside-Brookfield, Glenbrook South, York, Rolling Meadows and Glenbard North
When digging into this big ’ol bracket, there are so many “sleepers.” But we’ll start with these four.
R-B has climbed its way into the rankings with a nifty and efficient start, highlighted by the play of 6-11 big man Stefan Cicic and emerging sophomore guard Cameron Mercer. The lone loss this season came to highly-ranked Brother Rice.
A real unheralded player in the senior class is Glenbrook South’s Nick Taylor. He’s a hard hat, lunch pail type of player who also happens to be a chiseled and athletic 6-7. Taylor is a force as a finisher and on the glass. The backcourt of point guard Anestis Hadjistamoulou and shooter Nate Kasher complement Taylor well.
Keep an eye on the host. York has made a habit of playing pretty darn well in its own tournament with three titles in the last 10 that have been played. The Dukes feature a go-to player in guard AJ Levine, a Penn commit, and blossoming 6-6 senior Kyle Waltz.
Rolling Meadows, the defending tournament champs, wasn’t going to fall off a cliff once the Christie brothers headed off to college. There were a couple of solid pieces returning and upcoming young talent in the pipeline. But the Mustangs, led by 6-7 junior Ian Miletic’s monster start to the season, seem to be coming together quickly. Miletic is averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds a game.
A team lying in the weeds is Glenbard North, though the Panthers won’t have the luxury of dodging anyone early. The bracket may prevent this team from making a deep run, starting with Conant in the opening round and potentially playing York in the second round. Those are two difficult matchups –– and that’s just to get to the quarterfinals where Bolingbrook could be waiting. But there is legitimate talent in 6-5 JJ Hernandez and athletic 6-6 Jalen Crues, who combine to averaging over 30 points a game, to make a run.
Jack Tosh stocking stuffers and other thoughts
- The balance and depth in this tournament is beyond anything the Jack Tosh Tournament has showcased before. For a 32-team tournament, York offers a variety of first-round games that will require some heavy lifting, which makes for an interesting first day of action.
- Downers Grove South-Batavia is an under-the-radar quality matchup in the first round with a couple of intriguing juniors: Batavia’s 6-6 Jax Abalos and Downers South’s 6-7 Justin Sveiteris. DGS is vastly improved, playing some good basketball and nearly knocked off Downers North.
- St. Ignatius and Yorkville were ranked in the preseason for a reason. Now they meet in the opening round after scuffling a bit in the early part of the season.
After such high expectations, Yorkville’s shaky start to the season has left them with a rigorous road at York. But the Foxes’ personnel is finally all together, so a matchup with Phoenix Gill and St. Ignatius should be an interesting one. Yorkille’s 6-10 Jason Jakstys is headed to Illinois.
St. Ignatius has one of the top players in the tournament in Gill. But the Wolfpack have fallen short in each of their biggest tests with losses to Loyola, Riverside-Brookfield, De La Salle and Mount Carmel. There is an opportunity to build some momentum in what shapes up to be a very tough early bracket at York.
- Another quality matchup on the first day: Glenbard North vs. Conant.
Glenbard North has surpassed expectations behind senior JJ Hernandez and bouncy 6-6 Jalen Crues. The Panthers just suffered their first loss of the season, falling to Lake Park in the closing seconds. But the mix-and-match defense it plays, which includes everything from man-to-man to a 1-3-1, is effective with its length.
An extremely veteran Conant team hasn’t quite lived up to the preseason expectations. But no one, especially one-loss Glenbard North, wants to play the Cougars, a team with endless experience and talent to rise up.
The loser of this instantly becomes a consolation bracket favorite.
- They won’t be talked about much because they’re hovering around the .500 mark but St. Laurence (6-5) is dangerous. They are 6-2 after a 0-3 start to the season with one of those losses coming to talented Marist in overtime. Junior Zerrick Johnson (14.5 ppg) and Denver commit Josh Pickett (14.2 ppg) are a 1-2 punch capable of causing some problems, starting with surprising Andrew in the opening round.
- The fact this tournament preview still has yet to even mention the likes of Fenwick, Andrew, Stagg, St. Francis, Lemont, St. Patrick, Lake Forest and Palatine highlights the quality depth at York. That’s eight more teams in this field that will head to York with eight-plus wins already this season.
In particular, this five-day marathon of a tournament provides a valuable measuring stick for several teams, including both Stagg and Andrew, two conference foes who are a combined 20-3 with one of the losses coming to the other; Andrew knocked off Stagg 67-65.
- Hansberry will quickly find itself in the consolation bracket –– a lopsided loss to Metamora in the opening round awaits –– but it’s a team that boasts one of the top junior talents in the state: 6-7 Al Brooks. He’s a fun prospect to watch.
- Speaking of individual talent, Naperville North’s Luke Williams is a player to watch at York. Williams does it all and in a way that’s easy to appreciate. The high-level football recruit –– Williams just signed with Purdue –– is one of the state’s best basketball players.
- And a few more seniors to get your eyes on while taking in games at York: Palatine’s Connor May; Stagg’s Connor Williams; and Lake Forest’s Tommie Aberle.
