By the time those holiday tournaments across the state tip off, there has been ample time to smooth out the wrinkles and work out the kinks. Crowds fill the gyms, the stakes are raised, pressure moments crop up and the brand of basketball at Christmas time evolves into something different than in the weeks leading up to it.
Here’s a look back at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament.
Biggest story: Young beats two top five teams for title
Despite the name recognition Young brings to any game, event or tournament it plays in, the Dolphins can often be the forgotten power in the Chicago area.
That’s because the schedule coach Tyrone Slaughter puts together includes a boatload of top out-of-state opponents. As a result, the Dolphins become an out of sight, out of mind team at various points of the season. And it’s a rugged slate that often leads to some losses –– but of the team and season-building variety.
Young headed into the Proviso West Holiday Tournament with four losses, including one to tournament favorite Kenwood and to three out-of-state foes. The biggest in-state win? Probably over Rockford Auburn?
However, three of those four losses were by a combined four points. And it is Young, after all, a program that has continually won big games over the years.
Although it’s been a quiet banter, there were mentions of Young being a team with something to prove this holiday season. The Dolphins didn’t disappoint and took care of business.
A sweep over both St. Rita and Kenwood maybe shouldn’t be a surprise, but it’s certainly the biggest story.
Biggest surprise: St. Rita loses showdown, drops another
The heavily-hyped, highly-ranked St. Rita team, boasting three high-major prospects in the junior class, came to Proviso West still in need of a statement win. Following losses to Simeon and Joliet West early in the season, the opportunity presented itself with a semifinal showdown with Young.
Big stage, bright lights, large crowd, top-tier opponent. … Pffft.
The Mustangs dug a big hole, fought back, but fell short in a 68-66 defeat to Young. That was also with the “Big Three,” Morez Johnson, Nojus Indrusaitis and James Brown, scoring 20, 18 and 15 points, respectively.
And say what you will about third-place games, but they still matter. They still count. At times they can be a challenge to get up for, particularly after a tough semifinal loss. But it’s also a test for top teams to show some resiliency, pride and competitiveness, particularly in teams in need of wins and some momentum.
St. Rita’s loss to what should have been an overmatched Proviso East team in the third-place game was a missed opportunity.
Player of the tournament: Young’s Daniel Johnson
Young was expected to be very good this year; the Dolphins entered the season ranked among the top five teams in the preseason. But with the loss of Division I talents like Xavier Amos and AJ Casey from last year’s team, there were some question marks.
The reason the Dolphins have made the jump from very good to state and city contenders is Daniel Johnson, the top uncommitted senior prospect in the state. The tournament MVP was outstanding at Proviso West, especially in the big semifinal win over St. Rita when the 6-6 Johnson hit four big threes and went for 25 points and six rebounds.
Johnson averaged 21.5 points and seven rebounds in the four tournament wins. Plus, he shot 40% from three (9 of 22) and 77%from the line (13 of 17).
Best Prospect: St. Rita’s Morez Johnson
In a tournament featuring three teams with a ridiculous amount of Division I talent, St. Rita’s Johnson stood out. The physical attributes as a prospect are eye-popping. Strong, and athletic, the 6-8 Johnson has a college-ready body already.
But he also finished the four games averaging 19.8 points and 13.3 rebounds.
If Johnson can improve his free-throw shooting and cut down on the turnovers, the Illinois commit can take another big step forward with his production.
What we learned
➤ The good news for St. Rita, which now has four in-state losses, is that all of their goals are still in front of them. A Catholic League title is within reach. Winning the program’s first-ever sectional is still attainable. And time is on their side to mount some momentum.
➤ If a team is unable to control the tempo against Kenwood, good luck to you. With their speed, athleticism and depth, when coach Mike Irvin’s team is running full-throttle, pedal to the metal, it can turn into a nightmare for opponents trying to match it. Just ask Proviso East. The Pirates were down 35-5 just eight minutes into its semifinal matchup with Kenwood.
➤ The tournament produced big-time games featuring big-time talent, but this proud, tradition-rich tournament remains extremely top heavy.
A tournament that once prided itself on featuring the best opening-round games of any 16-team tournament in the state, just isn’t the same. The top four teams in the tournament, Young, Kenwood, St. Rita and Proviso East, won their opening round games by 36, 84, 57 and 26 points, respectively.
➤ A couple of young players really opened eyes, one who already had some name recognition and another who didn’t.
Kenwood sophomore Aleks Alston is the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s No. 3 ranked prospect in the Class of 2025 and will likely move to No. 2.
Forget about the championship game for a moment –– Alston was held scoreless in 16 minutes. Over the first three games of the tournament? Wow. In three Kenwood wins Alston averaged 17.6 points while shooting a dazzling 17 of 29 from the three-point line.
Then there is Proviso West freshman Rajan Roberts, a much lesser-known prospect who was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 17.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He also banged home eight three-pointers in what was a breakout performance from a young player who has been putting up numbers all year.
➤ Fenwick has been a sneaky competitive team all season. That’s a great sign for a team that is a sophomore-dominated one, including Damion Porter, Jr. But it was a junior, 6-6 Darshan Thomas, who continues to catch the Hoops Report’s eye. Thomas averaged 13 points and eight rebounds as the Friars went 2-2 at Proviso West.
Parting shot
It’s difficult to get too amped up about an individual 65-point offensive explosion when a team is leading by 32 points after one quarter and heads into the half up 80-23.
Darrin “Dai Dai” Ames’ 65 points broke the Proviso West Holiday Tournament scoring record. But it also raised some eyebrows beyond the record-breaking number.
Ames is an extremely talented player, one of the elite stars in the state. But playing 27 out of 32 minutes in a 122-48 rout over undermanned Southland does taint the single-game Proviso West Holiday Tournament scoring record he broke.
It’s a record with historical significance, both because of it being a premier tournament that’s going into its seventh decade and the circumstances surrounding how the record was set. It’s almost become a sacred record in our state history.
Let’s reminisce.
Glenbrook North’s Jon Scheyer’s is an iconic player in state history. And perhaps his most iconic moment was breaking the Proviso West Holiday Tournament scoring record in 2005. His memorable 52-point outburst was voted as the No. 1 moment in tournament history in the 50-year celebration of the tournament a decade ago.
His 52-point explosion came a day after scoring 41 points in an opening round win.
The performance was part of folklore and one I was lucky enough to witness in person. Scheyer, now the head coach at Duke, gained national notoriety when he, amazingly, scored 21 points in 75 seconds.
His future coach, Mike Krzyzewski, was in attendance, as were close to 4,000 fans in a packed Proviso West gym. Glenbrook North was the defending state champ, unbeaten, riding a 35-game win streak and ranked No. 1 in the state when Scheyer’s Spartans were trailing the host, Proviso West, 71-58 with 1:24 to play –– and Scheyer had just 31 points.
Scheyer’s incredible heroics began with the crowd standing and roaring, Scheyer drained ridiculous threes –– one from 30 feet, another from 25 and then the ridiculous lean-in three he shot left-handed as he was double-teamed. He made pull-up jumpers with hands in his face, stole the ball, converted a three-point play and a four-point play in an ultimate will-to-win moment.
And then the poor official who ended it all in the closing seconds. With Glenbrook North down three and the ball in Scheyer’s hands, a phantom offensive push-off foul was called, sending Scheyer to the bench with his fifth foul and ending any hope of a dream-like ending for the ages.
That’s the record that was broke last week at Proviso West.
How mind-boggling was Scheyer’s Proviso West Tournament performance in 2005? He scored 134 points, averaging 44.6 points a game, in just the first three games he played while being so sick he was in the hospital the morning of the fifth-place game. After receiving IV fluids he came back to play minimal minutes and scored just six points in the final game.
Those six points did push Scheyer past Deerfield’s Ryan Hogan for the most points scored in tournament history. The good news is Scheyer still holds the single tournament scoring record of 140 points, leaving a legacy at Proviso West that still exists.
