Naperville Central senior Kelley Hendrick was selected for the third straight season as a unanimous choice for the all-DuPage Valley Conference girls basketball team.
Hendrick, the defending Sun Player of the Year, was joined on the first team by teammate Emma Ondik, a sophomore who was also a unanimous choice.
Naperville North senior Kaelyn Witkowski also earned first-team honors.
Two Redhawks -- junior Claire Fleming and freshman Emma Donahue -- were named Special Mention, while North senior Haley Krentz and Central junior Catherine Tanck earned Honorable Mention nods.
Drew Crawford has created a new standard at Naperville Central.
The Northwestern-bound swingman broke Tim Szatko's all-time school scoring record during Wednesday night's 59-49 win over Wheaton North in Naperville.
Crawford came into the team's senior night needing 15 points to set the mark, and he passed it with a twisting layup along the baseline at the 7:43 mark of the third quarter. Crawford finished with 28 to lead the 24-2 Redhawks, who completed a perfect 14-0 run through the DuPage Valley Conference.
Crawford now has 1,480 career points heading into next week's Oswego East Sectional.
Neuqua Valley destroyed Downers Grove South - a team that beat Naperville Central by five points last month - during a 70-31 victory on Saturday night, an effort that pushed the Wildcats to No. 8 in the Chicago Sun-Times rankings. Guard Rahjan Muhammad led the Wildcats (26-1) with 17 points as they extended their winning streak to 18.
Central, the DuPage Valley Conference champion, remained at No. 20 in the same poll, and look for a common opponent like Downers Grove South to be a reference point come March. Basketball's chattering class continues to talk up Neuqua as a state title contender.
Roy and Harv Schmidt of Illinois Prep Bulls-eye predict that Neuqua will beat either Central or Bolingbrook for the sectional title and then take care of Rockton Hononegah in the DeKalb Super-Sectional to earn a trip to Peoria.
After Saturday's performance in Downers Grove, what are your predictions for the Oswego East Sectional and beyond?
This time Naperville Central wasn't interested in sharing.
Drew Crawford scored 27 points to lead the Redhawks to a 62-57 overtime victory against Wheaton Warrenville South on Friday night in Naperville. The win gave them the DuPage Valley Conference championship outright, a year after they split the title with Wheaton North.
Central last earned consecutive DVC championships in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons.
Among the Raptors the player most sought after was shooting guard Anthony Parker, who is in the last year of a contract paying him $4.5-million this season. That combined with his versatility, defensive steadiness and three-point shooting made him attractive to several playoff-bound teams, according to league sources.
The Raptors, however, are interested in signing Parker to a new deal this summer if terms can be reached, and weren't willing to part with him for a player under a longer-term contract unless the returning player was an upgrade.
In Thursday's notebook we highlighted the lift 6-foot-5-inch sophomore Matt LaCosse has given Naperville North in the two games since his promotion to the varsity. That's a familiar name you shouldn't forget, as he will likely be North's starting quarterback come Aug. 28 at Neuqua Valley.
LaCosse fits the profile of a big, athletic player who can potentially make an immediate impact in a postseason game. Last year Glenbard West's Tyler Warden couldn't be found in your sectional program, but there was the sophomore taking over the Drew Crawford assignment midway through the third quarter of a regional final. To that point, the Naperville Central star had scored 12 points, but with Warden's long arms suddenly in his airspace, he finished with just 17.
Of course being John Shurna's wingman has its benefits. Shurna scored half of Glenbard West's points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 40-36 comeback victory.
As it turns out, Shurna and Crawford are friends who will be teammates next season at Northwestern. In the meantime, Shurna will continue hitting big shots. On Wednesday night his baseline 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds to play was the difference in a 72-69 victory over Ohio State in Evanston.
"[This win] is a great feeling for the whole team," Shurna told the Chicago Sun-Times. "We've been neck-and-neck in all these Big Ten games, and it doesn't seem to fall our way. So it's nice to finally pull one out.''
Joaquin Phoenix wowed us all with his Andy Kaufman act, hip-hop dreams and ability to mumble and chew gum at the same time while crushing it on "Late Show with David Letterman." That's a good run, but which one of these area teams had the Best Week Ever?
-Neuqua Valley (25-1) wins its 17th consecutive game, blows out Geneva and Lake Park by a combined 36 points, earns the No. 1 seed in the Oswego East Sectional and finds out East Aurora is unraveling. The Wildcats, who are ranked 10th by the Chicago Sun-Times, are now atop the Upstate Eight Conference alongside St. Charles North. Both teams have one loss, while East Aurora has two after weekend losses to Bartlett and Waubonsie Valley.
-Naperville Central (21-2, 11-0) clinched at least a share of its second-straight DuPage Valley Conference championship with a with a 69-55 victory over Glenbard North on Friday night in Carol Stream. The Redhawks also learned they will be a No. 2 seed in the Oswego East Sectional and moved up to No. 20 in the Sun-Times poll.
-Waubonsie Valley (12-11) may have turned its entire season around with weekend victories over Dundee-Crown and East Aurora. The Warriors climbed above the .500 mark and Beacon News hoops guru Rick Armstrong thinks a regional title is a possibility.
-Benet beats Nazareth - the program first-year Redwings coach Gene Heidkamp used to run - by 23 points on Friday night and then follows it up a day later with a 61-47 rivalry game win over St. Francis at Benedictine. Now the Redwings are 10-12 - 5-6 in the East Suburban Catholic Conference - with another winnable game coming up Tuesday night at Wheaton North (6-15).
CAROL STREAM - Naperville Central clinched a share of its second consecutive DuPage Valley Conference title with a 69-55 victory over Glenbard North on Friday night in Carol Stream.
Drew Crawford scored 12 of his 24 points in the first quarter of a game the Redhawks (21-2, 11-0) led almost entirely from start to finish. Dave Mallett, who added 22 points, took over from there against Glenbard North (7-15). The senior hit four 3-pointers on the night, and a few key baskets down the stretch once Crawford went to the bench with his fourth foul at the 2:52 mark of the third quarter.
The Redhawks, who shared the conference title with Wheaton North last year, can win it outright with a victory next Friday against Wheaton Warrenville South. The last time Central earned back-to-back DVC championships was the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons.
Neuqua Valley, the top seed in the Oswego East Sectional, was assigned to the Batavia Regional and will face the winner of the Naperville North-Benet opening round game, the IHSA announced Friday. In order to win a regional championship, the Wildcats may have to defeat No. 9 Batavia on its own floor.
As a regional host, No. 2 Naperville Central will enjoy home-court advantage. But in order to advance, it could have to beat seventh-seeded West Aurora for a third time this season.
In the East Aurora Regional, No. 12 Waubonsie Valley will take on No. 21 Wheaton North for the right to face fifth-seeded Plainfield North.
If the brackets unfold true to form and all top-four seeds survive the regionals, Neuqua would meet East Aurora in one sectional semifinal, and Naperville Central would play Bolingbrook in the other. Regional play begins March 2.
As expected, the Neuqua Valley (24-1) and Naperville Central (20-2) boys basketball teams were awarded the first and second seeds, respectively, for the upcoming Class 4A Oswego East Sectional. The IHSA released the seeds Thursday afternoon, in the first year for online voting by area coaches.
In the 22-team grouping, Waubonsie Valley (10-11) was slotted 12th, followed by Naperville North (8-14) at No. 16 and Benet (8-12) at No. 17.
Regional sites were predetermined: Central, East Aurora, Batavia and Glenbard West will be hosts. The IHSA will announce the pairings on Friday. Regional quarterfinals are scheduled to begin March 2.
Oswego East Sectional
1. Neuqua Valley
2. Naperville Central
3. Bolingbrook
4. East Aurora
5. Plainfield North
6. Glenbard East
7. West Aurora
8. Geneva
9. Batavia
10. Wheaton Warrenville South
11. Bartlett 12. Waubonsie Valley
13. Oswego East
14. Willowbrook
15. Glenbard West 16. Naperville North
17. Benet
18. Marmion
19. Glenbard North
20. West Chicago
21. Wheaton North
22. Lake Park
In his Chicago Sun-Times-affiliated blog, Joe Henricksen of the City/Suburban Hoops Report breaks down that question and the candidacy of Drew Crawford, the 6-foot-5-inch Naperville Central swingman committed to Northwestern. Henricksen writes:
"Player of the Year conversation should include....
In a recent radio interview I mentioned that Naperville Central's Drew Crawford should be in the Player of the Year conversation. By the reaction I received you would have thought I was talking about a player in Alaska. While Crawford is certainly a darkhorse and a Hoops Report favorite over the past two-plus years, he has no realistic chance for the Mr. Basketball award due to the fact hardly anyone knows much about him or has seen him play. He doesn't play in the Public League, he didn't play at Proviso West or Pontiac over the holidays, and he didn't sign with a big-time college basketball program. Crawford, though, should be a top five Mr. Basketball vote-getter."
We agree with Henricksen's logic, but the guess here is that it won't bother the well-adjusted senior all that much. Crawford felt somewhat slighted when his breakout junior season didn't warrant a single offer, but he proved that he was a Big Ten player over the summer on the AAU circuit.
"Big-time" depends on your definition - Northwestern may not fit it - but remember that it was essentially Crawford's dream school, and in deciding to stay close to home he turned down Wake Forest.
In an age of elite players moving and transferring here and there, Crawford is still a four-year program player (three years on varsity) who will likely end his career as the school's all-time leading scorer. Crawford gets his shots without being selfish, and his teammates never seem to resent all the attention he receives, patiently answering the same questions. Maybe that's because he helps them get open looks and pad their stats, but it also has to be a reflection of his personality and lack of ego.
If, as seems likely, Central (20-2, 10-0) wins another DuPage Valley Conference title and makes a long run in the Oswego East Sectional, those Mr. Basketball votes will be an afterthought.
What would your player of the year ballot look like?
Neuqua Valley and Naperville Central are located in the same city but separate school districts and different conferences. But a consensus seems to be building that Neuqua and Central will be the top-two seeds once the brackets are released later this week (Friday the 13th according to this IHSA release, a day after the seeds are posted).
Dick Goss of the Herald News has Neuqua and Central at No. 1-2, with this warning:
But the field includes nine other teams with at least 14 wins, so matter what the online voters decide, there will be hurt feelings. ... Bolingbrook and Plainfield North can make legitimate cases for being in the 3-4 spots. But followers of East Aurora, West Aurora, Batavia, Glenbard East, Geneva and a couple of others may feel the same way.
It's 62 degrees right now, and within days pitchers and catchers will start reporting to spring training in Florida and Arizona. The prep season starts March 2, and it's finally starting to feel like baseball is getting closer. In this column we looked at Phil Lawler's next legacy project at Naperville Central. Here's the direct link: http://nchsbaseballalum.com/
For outsiders, one of the more interesting Top-Five lists is players Central faced during the Bill Seiple era. According to the site, they are:
The last time these District 203 rivals met, Drew Crawford was feeling sick but still managed 21 points to lead Naperville Central to a 43-32 victory over Naperville North. The Huskies (7-13, 1-7) will have to deal with the Northwestern-bound swingman again Friday night on their own floor.
Last week West Aurora assigned one primary defender to Crawford, instead of rotating several fresh players to guard him. Jamal Blackmond made Crawford work - he didn't score during one eight-minute stretch in the first half. But Crawford still efficiently put together a 25-point game and just his presence opened things up for the other Redhawks.
After Central's 51-46 win, West Aurora coach Gordie Kerkman was asked about ways to contain Crawford.
"No specific gameplan. Just try to keep (Crawford) from penetrating as much as possible, give Jamal as much help as possible," Kerkman said. "Some people force baseline. We do not force baseline. We try to deny baseline. We got beat on the baseline so many times by him, either with backcuts or just dribble-drives.
"He hurt us. There were times where he went down there and we maybe came down to give him help - but he kicked to somebody that was open and they got the good shot."
That is North's dilemma on Friday night. And that's why Central is 19-2 and 9-0 in the DuPage Valley Conference.
Naperville North and Naperville Central are asking fans to bring non-perishable food items to Friday's crosstown boys basketball game between the Huskies and Redhawks.
The sophomore game is at 6 p.m., followed by the varsity at 7:30 p.m. All proceeds will go to the Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry.
For more information contact the athletic departments at North (630-420-6490) or Central (630-420-6444).
Brad Engel is the longest-tenured member of The Sun sports staff and has won several national and state awards in his coverage of preps as well as the Chicago Bears, Chicago Fire and general sports.
Paul LaTour
Paul LaTour has been honored with national awards in each of the last three years and currently serves as The Sun's sports enterprise writer in addition to his duties covering high school and college sports.
Patrick Mooney
Patrick Mooney covered politics, prep sports and professional baseball for several print and online media outlets before joining The Sun in August 2007. He concentrates on prep sports, writing features, profiles and breaking recruiting news.
