Senior love. As this season tips off, it’s time to throw a whole bunch around.
Every year there are seniors who are simply ready to shine at a different level — a higher level.
This is the group that impressed as juniors with breakthrough seasons. They are productive, go-to players for their respective teams, but they’re not household names in the high school basketball world just yet.
But with additional experience and the added confidence of being a senior, they’re capable of putting a team on their shoulders when needed.
Here are 17 seniors ready to do just that.
AJ Levine, York
The West Suburban Silver was loaded a year ago. There were three teams that won 26-plus games and were ranked all year.
Individually, Hinsdale Central’s Ben Ooosterbaan (St. Thomas) and Lyons Township’s Nik Polonowski (Penn) were Division I recruits. Jack Stanton and Downers Grove North took the month of March by storm.
Meanwhile, York, while competitive but not yet ready to play with the big boys of the league, was led by a junior guard who was impactful but overlooked: AJ Levine.
The 6-0 combo guard is ready to lead the Dukes after putting up 17 points, 3.9 rebounds and three assists a game last season. He’s blessed with the combination of being a creator for others and a scorer with shooting range and efficiency.
Levine, who just picked up an offer from Penn, is an all-area caliber guard who will certainly receive more pub with the numbers he puts up and the improvement of York this season.
Camden Cerese, Lake Park
A prime example of the type of work Cerese puts in to improve his game is the monster jump he made from his sophomore to junior season. He improved his scoring by 16 points a game.
There is no player who produced more last year for a winning team with less fanfare than Cerese.
All Cerese did was average 21 points a game as a junior — up from his five points a game as a sophomore — while leading his team to 22 wins and a regional championship.
Now, a year older and better, the 6-1 guard is going to be an absolute load to handle for DuKane Conference foes and beyond. There are some serious headline moments ahead.
Cerese is a scrappy competitor who outworks opponents while finding a way to score. He plays with a unique style, from posting up as a guard to a pull-up, mid-range game that is pure old school.
Miles Boland, Loyola
After a highly-productive junior year, which included 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists, the 6-2 combo guard embarks on a senior season where he’s set to surpass 1,000 career points as a two-year captain.
Boland is a complete player who fills the stat sheet in the backcourt. From scoring ability to his vision to the intangibles he possesses, Boland checks off so many boxes for coach Tom Livatino. As a shooter, he connected on 53 three-pointers as a junior after knocking down 70 threes as a sophomore.
You’re not going to see any Loyola player regularly pump in 20-plus in games, but with Boland you’re going to get the key play, the right play, in the big and important moments. The steady numbers will be there, but so too will the little things that help you win.
Cale Cosme, Brother Rice
Ahmad Henderson was an all-state point guard for the Crusaders last year who is now shining as a freshman at Niagara. While Cosme played an important role last year for coach Conte Stamas’ 30-win team, the keys are officially turned over to Cosme this year.
He’s made a name for himself already — first due to his robust play at a diminutive size and then with a monumental postseason performance in a sectional final loss to Kenwood last March. The 5-8 Cosme was sensational while his highlights from his 27-point game, which included seven three-pointers, went viral on social media.
But now with way more responsibility and the ball in his hands, Cosme is set to become one of the top point guards in the Chicago area as a senior.
Cosme, who is headed to Division II Lewis University, is a blast to watch play because of how he plays. He’s smart, crafty and is the quintessential point guard who makes reads effortlessly and makes those around him better. And as proven with his outburst against Kenwood, there is scoring capability.
Josh Fridman, Glenbrook North
Simply put, Fridman is one of the elite point guards in the state.
Now if the 5-10 senior could just avoid the injury bug and stay healthy.
Fridman went down with a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum following his sophomore season and missed a large chunk of the offseason in 2022. Then he tore his ACL late last season, ending what was a dynamic junior year. He scored 15 points a game in helping a GBN team that won 28 games and earned a No. 2 sectional seed.
But Fridman is the player who is so much more than the numbers. He’s a spark plug lead guard who brings a pass-first mentality, yet he’s a more than capable scorer off the bounce and with his perimeter jumper.
DJ Bolden, Westinghouse
This 6-1 guard shows up, goes to work, gets to his spots and scores his points. Bolden is constantly pressuring opposing defenses, putting points on the board in bunches with his scoring and shot-making ability off the dribble.
Bolden averaged more than 20 points a game last season as a junior — in the Chicago Public League — while winning 19 games and a Class 3A regional title. But Bolden remains more of a mystery than other city stars.
He’s added weight and strength while still playing with that relentless, fun style.
And several more overlooked seniors ready for more fanfare …
Larenz Walters, Kankakee
What a junior campaign the 6-2 guard put together. He scored a single-game school record 43 points in one game en route to averaging 18.3 points a game. He also added over three rebounds and three assists a game.
What will Walters, who shoots a soft jumper with extended range, do for an encore?
The quarterback of the football team suffered a sprained knee three weeks ago but should be good to go when the season starts. He’s set to lead a Kankakee team that is on the fringes of being ranked.
Davee Flowers, Niles West
If Niles West climbs the ladder of the always tough Central Suburban League South, they’ll do it behind the play of Flowers. The 6-2 senior guard is one of the more adept scorers in the class.
Flowers averaged 13 points a game as a sophomore and dropped an exciting 15.2 points a game last season. He does it in a variety of ways — with his jumper, getting to the rim and in transition — but still plays in anonymity.
AJ Abrams, Eisenhower
A player with the credentials of Abrams deserves more attention. He was the South Suburban Red Player of the Year as a junior who put up a whopping 21 points and eight rebounds a game. A similar season will put the senior guard well past 1,500 career points. And an improved, veteran Eisenhower team will help in gaining some notoriety outside the south suburbs.
Will Ashford, Metea Valley
A big summer showed Ashford is set to expand his game and increase his solid numbers from a year ago when he put up 12 points and six rebounds a game.
The 6-6 athletic wing is as multifaceted as they come. He will post up and face up from the three-point line. He will rebound and lead the break. He will play above the rim with dunks and block shots.
Ashford is one of the best-kept secrets in the senior class.
Alejandro Diaz, Fenton
Fenton won the most games in school history last season, thanks in large part to the standout play of Diaz. The 6-2 guard did a little of everything at both ends of the floor for the Bison in helping them to 24 wins.
There were some real eye-opening numbers: 17.3 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals a game. But there were also the 15 charges taken and being an elite student in the classroom.
Deshawn Nolan, Oak Forest
The 5-11 Nolan plays with speed and athleticism. A playmaking guard who is in attack mode with the ball in his hands, Nolan will break down defenders and find his way to the basket, both in the halfcourt and in the open floor. Last season he averaged 13 points, three rebounds and three assists a game.
Corey Lee, Oak Lawn
A stellar junior year — the 6-0 point guard averaged 12.2 points and 4.2 assists a game — included some exclamation points, including 25 points against De La Salle and 26 against Riverside-Brookfield.
Lee’s strength gives him an advantage in isolation and in getting to the rim, but he’s also a very capable three-point threat.
Treshawn Blissett, Waubonsie Valley
While his junior year stats aren’t eye-popping, Blissett’s high ceiling and the overall spring and summer he put together are a springboard for a big senior year.
A jack-of-all-trades, the rangy 6-5 Blissett averaged 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists a game while being a constant threat on the defensive end with his length — he averaged 1.5 steals and one block a game.
Look for the scoring numbers to increase as he’s become a better all-around scorer.
Wandy Munoz, Wheaton Academy
A complete no-namer, the jet-quick Munoz is a scorer (13 ppg) and distributor (4 apg) who can disrupt defensively, breaking the single-season team steals record with 65 in just 19 games. The 5-10 point guard, who has competed with the Dominican Republic FIBA U18 team, missed the spring and summer with an injury but is set for a big senior season.
Anthony Kemp, Bradley-Bourbonnais
This is another conference player of the year as a junior who few have heard much about up to this point. The 6-6 Kemp blossomed as a junior, winning Southwest Suburban Red Player of the Year honors while helping his team to a league title.
Kemp averaged 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. He can look the part of slasher, finisher, shooter, runner in transition … you name it. Kemp provides a team tremendous flexibility.
Nolan Sexton, Evergreen Park
A three-year veteran in the backcourt, Sexton is fresh off a junior season in which he averaged 16 points, six rebounds and three assists a game. A terrific catch-and-shoot weapon, Sexton shoots it with tremendous range that extends to 25 feet.
