Naperville Central: March 2009 Archives

Naperville Central senior swingman and Northwestern signee Drew Crawford is scheduled to be part of the Chicago High School Classic, an all-star game that will take place Friday night at Niles North.

Marshall's Darius Smith - Crawford's AAU teammate who just verbally committed to Connecticut - is also expected at the event. Other players to watch that night include Illinois recruits Joe Bertrand (Sterling) and Brandon Paul (Warren).

Danny Crawford's first NBA season was 1985-86, and he will turn 56 in November. Retirement is an open question, and the referee takes it a year at a time now, working about 75 games per season plus the playoffs. That's the standard union contract.

With his son Drew about to leave Naperville Central to play at Northwestern, Danny is trying to make arrangements that will fill his schedule and strike a balance.

"I'm hoping that the NBA's gonna work with me," Danny said. "I know I'm asking a lot but (looking) at the Big Ten schedule, if Northwestern's playing Michigan or Michigan State, give me a game in Detroit."

There's probably a good compromise somewhere in that plan, but Drew's uncle Gene, a Big Ten official, won't have that flexibility. Gene was told he can't work any Northwestern games until Drew leaves Evanston.

Neuqua Valley 1, Naperville North 0
Neuqua 0 1 -- 1
North 0 0 -- 0
First half: No scoring.
Second half: 1, Neuqua, Oyster (Doyle), 42nd minute.
Saves: Neuqua, Suther, 4 and Gaul, 4; North, Mahmud, 6.
Shots: Neuqua 10, North 13.
Corner kicks: Neuqua 1, North 5.

Naperville Central 1, Waubonsie Valley 0
Waubonsie 0 0 -- 0
Central 0 1 -- 1
First half: No scoring.
Second half: 1, Central, Maddi (Rubin), 78th minute.
Saves: Waubonsie, Hanold, 2; Central, D'Amico, 3.
Shots: Waubonsie 8, Central 3.
Corner kicks: Waubonsie 3, Central 2.

--Drew Crawford has received all-state recognition from yet another organization. The Naperville Central senior was part of a 15-player all-state first team from Classes 3A and 4A, as selected by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

--The rest of the team, as provided by the Chicago Sun-Times, includes: Cully Payne (Schaumburg); Jack Cooley (Glenbrook South); David Brown (Hononegah); Chasson Randle (Rock Island); James Kinney (Centennial); Darius Smith (Marshall); Jonathan Mills (North Lawndale); Derek Needham (De La Salle); Brandon Paul (Warren); Jereme Richmond (Waukegan); Matt Vogrich (Lake Forest); Lenzelle Smith (Zion-Benton); and Reggie Smith (Thornton).

--Neuqua Valley (31-2) and Central (27-3) finish the season ranked No. 17 and No. 18 in the Sun-Times poll.

The Chicago Sun-Times placed Naperville Central's Drew Crawford on its Class 4A all-state first team.

Brandon Paul (Warren), Jereme Richmond (Waukegan), Reggie Smith (Thornton) and Matt Vogrich (Lake Forest) also made the first team.

For the full list, click here.

Naperville Central senior swingman Drew Crawford was named second-team Class 4A all-state by a panel of Illinois media members. Neuqua Valley junior forward Dwayne Evans received honorable mention.

The first team included: Waukegan junior forward Jereme Richmond; Warren senior guard Brandon Paul; Lake Forest senior guard Matt Vogrich; Zion-Benton junior guard Lenzelle Smith; and Glenbrook South senior center Jack Cooley.

For the entire list, click here.

Here's the box score from the Oswego East Sectional final:

Neuqua Valley 62, Naperville Central 55
NC 14 19 14 8 - 55
NV 13 13 15 21 - 62
Naperville Central (27-3)
Crawford 9 10-12 30, Linne 4 0-0 11, Mallett 2 0-0 4, Ondik 0 0-0 0, Neufeld 3 0-0 6, Pomeroy 1 0-0 2, Brate 1 0-0 2. Totals: 20 10-12 55.
Neuqua Valley (31-1)
Brown 0 0-2 0, Muhammad 5 0-0 12, Raridon 2 3-4 8, Evans 10 10-14 30, Amedu 3 1-2 7, Waeghe 0 2-2 2, Sutton 1 0-0 3. Totals: 21 16-24 62.
3-pointers: Naperville Central 5 - Linne 3, Crawford 2. Neuqua Valley 4 - Muhammad 2, Raridon, Sutton.
Rebounds: Naperville Central 19 (Crawford 9), Neuqua Valley 30 (Evans 17).
Turnovers: Naperville Central 12, Neuqua Valley 8.
Fouled out: Naperville Central - Crawford.

It can often be a little bittersweet for basketball coaches to see their players graduate and move on to new horizons. Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum is no different.

In talking to the Sun about Kelley Hendrick, the 2008-09 Girls Basketball Player of the Year, Nussbaum admitted he's having a hard time accepting that his four-year varsity star won't be suiting up for the Redhawks anymore.

"My daughter (Jess) is the same age as Kelley, so I've seen Kelley play since the seventh grade," Nussbaum said. "It's disappointing to me that she has to graduate. I know Kelley has to graduate -- and not only Kelley, but the whole class -- I know they have to move on. But that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it. In a selfish sense."

Hendrick leaves as the school's third all-time leading scorer with 1,369 points. She trails only Candace Parker and Erica Carter on the list. She also finishes as the career leader in 3-pointers with 153, which includes a season-record 71 as a senior.

After Tuesday night's semifinal win over Plainfield North, Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton was asked for a preference in the Class 4A Oswego East Sectional final - Naperville Central or Bolingbrook?

"I'm gonna be a fan (Wednesday) night and it's gonna be fun to watch. Let them play - I'm gonna kick the feet up, eat some popcorn," Sutton said. "Too much stress for me - I can't handle that. (Those) two teams could be in the championship game."

It was unclear whether Sutton put his feet up on the courtside tables Wednesday night, but he was spotted by another reporter sitting on press row with assistant Bob Vozza, scouting Central's 68-61 victory.

Central coach Pete Kramer was planning to watch Neuqua film - maybe on Wednesday night when he returned from Oswego, but certainly Thursday.

"It's gonna be an unbelievable game. They're a very good team," Kramer said. "They got a little bit of everything, so we need to figure out a way to stop the two big guys inside. We'll battle."

So which team do you like in this rivalry game Friday night - No. 1 Neuqua (30-1) or No. 2 Central (27-2)?

Led by Naperville Central senior Kelley Hendrick, four local players were among those earning all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

Hendrick was named to the IBCA Second Team, while teammate Emma Ondik earned Special Mention honors. Joining Ondik on that list were Neuqua Valley senior twins Brittany and Morgan Williams.

The Associated Press all-state team was also recently released, but did not include any Naperville area players.

Naperville Central junior Taylor Heatherly has recently given a verbal commitment to play soccer at Baylor.

Heatherly, a Sun All-City defender last season, narrowed her choices to Baylor, Georgetown and Yale before commiting to Baylor, located in Waco, Texas.

The Bears are coached by Marci Jobson, who is in her first year after leading Northern Illinois for the past three seasons. Jobson has an even closer tie to the area: she's from St. Charles and played for the Saints during their championship runs in the 1990s.

Another interesting trivia bit about Jobson: she scored the game-winning goal in the 1994 state championship game Her opponent? Naperville Central.

Joe Henricksen, who runs the City/Suburban Hoops Report, breaks down the Naperville Central-Bolingbrook matchup, which he calls one of the five best sectional semifinal games. Henricksen writes:

"Drew Crawford continues to make a strong case for Hoops Report Player of the Year. Bolingbrook, though, is one team that has the size and athletes to throw at Crawford. What is unique about Naperville Central is each player knows their role and accepts it. The Redhawks, who have received consistent production from the perimeter from Dave Mallett (10 ppg), keep the game close and put the game in Crawford's hands in the fourth quarter. However, Central is the only team in the Oswego East sectional semifinals who has not even played a team ranked in the Top 25 this season. Bolingbrook is awfully balanced and should be able to use their length and athleticism to extend out to Central's perimeter shooters and make things difficult for the Redhawks."

One Benet player wondered about Central's schedule, and pointed out how the Redhawks needed a late push in December to earn a one-point victory over Notre Dame, which finished third in the East Suburban Catholic Conference and lost five league games.

Central isn't the team now that it was then. And now's not the time to worry about signature victories. With Crawford, Central feels like it can play with anyone.

Who wins this game? Central or The Brook?

There are no surprise teams left in the Oswego East Sectional. The brackets more or less played out true to form, and each program should feel like it has a good chance to make a run to Peoria.

Neuqua Valley holds steady at No. 8 in the Chicago Sun-Times rankings, while Naperville Central rises to No. 18 after an impressive victory over West Aurora. Bolingbrook and Plainfield North entered the list after winning regional titles. Here's what the rest of the week looks like:

CLASS 4A OSWEGO EAST SECTIONAL
Tuesday
No. 1 Neuqua Valley (29-1) vs. No. 5 Plainfield North (26-4), 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday
No. 2 Naperville Central (26-2) vs. No. 3 Bolingbrook (20-6), 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 7:30 p.m.

What are your sectional predictions?

Naperville Central celebrated a regional title on its home floor Friday night with a 71-60 victory over No. 7 West Aurora.

Senior swingman Drew Crawford finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds as the No. 2 Redhawks beat West Aurora (20-8) for the third time this season.

Junior center Matt Neufeld added 23 points and 13 rebounds to lead Central (26-2) into the Oswego East Sectional semifinal, where on Wednesday it will meet No. 3 Bolingbrook.

Naperville Central 71, West Aurora 60
WA 16 12 16 16 - 60
NC 16 16 10 29 - 71
West Aurora (20-8)
Cocroft 7 2-3 17, Hughes 0 2-2 2, Blackmond 2 1-2 6, Carey 3 0-0 7, Starks 2 3-5 7, Vaughn 3 0-0 9, Graham 2 4-4 10, Wyeth 1 0-0 2. Totals: 20 12-16 60.
Naperville Central (26-2)
Crawford 9 6-7 28, Linne 1 2-2 4, Mallett 4 3-3 13, Ondik 0 2-2 2, Neufeld 9 5-7 23, Pomeroy 0 1-3 1. Totals: 23 19-24 71.
3-pointers: West Aurora 8 - Vaughn 3, Graham 2, Cocroft, Blackmond, Carey. Naperville Central 6 - Crawford 4, Mallett 2.
Rebounds: West Aurora 16 (Carey 4), Naperville Central 33 (Crawford 14).
Turnovers: West Aurora 8, Naperville Central 10.
Fouled out: Naperville Central - Ondik.

Across the past two seasons, that's been a favorite throwaway line from Naperville Central coach Pete Kramer (as in his team is much more than that). But it seems like people are finally catching on to Drew Crawford, who was named to the Chicago Sun-Times all-area team. This week Comcast SportsNet also ran a feature on Crawford and his father Danny, the veteran NBA official. It'll be interesting to see how this story grows if Central can keep advancing in the Class 4A tournament.

After a 14-0 run through the DuPage Valley Conference, Drew Crawford and Pete Kramer were recognized as its player and coach of the year. Here's the complete list:

All-Conference
Drew Crawford, Naperville Central*
Dave Mallett, Naperville Central*
Danny Ondik, Naperville Central
Paul Sanders, Glenbard East*
Zach Miller, Glenbard East*
Jack Merrithey, Glenbard East
James Fleming, Glenbard North*
Reilly O'Toole, Wheaton Warrenville South
Tyler Griffith, West Chicago
Danny Grimley, Naperville North
Markus Cocroft, West Aurora*
Juwan Starks, West Aurora*

Special Mention
Dan Hohenstein, Wheaton Warrenville South
Chad Driscoll, West Chicago
James O'Shaughnessy, Naperville North
Zach Dungee, Wheaton North

Honorable Mention
Nick Linne, Naperville Central
Matt Neufeld, Naperville Central
Reggie Davis, Glenbard North
Derek Babb, Wheaton Warrenville South
Will Dolatowski, Wheaton Warrenville South
Chris Bradley, Wheaton North
Lee Skinner, Glenbard East

Unlike the majority of his players, Naperville Central coach Pete Kramer didn't rock the mohawk look during Tuesday night's 77-53 regional semifinal victory over No. 14 Willowbrook. But his day of reckoning is approaching.

"I owe them already. I told them if we went 14-0 (in the DuPage Valley Conference), I'd shave my head, so it's coming. Probably not (until) the end of the season," Kramer said. "I don't want to embarrass these guys."

At which point Drew Crawford reminded Kramer of the exact terms of the wager: "And a beard."

--No. 14 Willowbrook (12-16) never led on Tuesday in Naperville but it was into the game and played hard the entire night. The Warriors were physical on Crawford - Central took 34 free throws - and though nothing major happened you wondered if it was about to escalate. Someone loses his temper, shoves a player and who knows what could happen. That would be the last thing the No. 2 Redhawks (25-2) need heading into Friday's regional final against No. 7 West Aurora or No. 10 Wheaton Warrenville South.

"They just beat the hell out of Drew. I just compliment Drew on how composed he kept, cause I would've lost it," Kramer said. "That's why I took him out a couple times, just to get him out of there. (When) he's tired, you never know, (and) they're kind of tired, (someone could) turn an ankle."

--As Central's gym was clearing out, several people were asking for this final score: Neuqua Valley 59, Benet 57 (OT). The Neuqua-Central showdown is still a possibility.

Naperville Central 77, Willowbrook 53
W 9 21 9 14 - 53
NC 20 22 14 - 77
Willowbrook (12-16)
Miller 3 0-1 8, Reid 6 1-2 13, Market 3 3-3 9, Flanders 1 4-5 6, Lydon 1 2-2 5, Olatunji 2 0-2 4, Schmidt 1 1-2 3, Jones 1 0-0 2, Smith 0 0-1 1, Leisering 0 2-2 2. Totals: 18 11-20 53.
Naperville Central (25-2)
Crawford 7 15-18, Linne 4 6-6 17, Mallett 1 2-2 4, Ondik 3 2-2 10, Neufeld 5 1-2 11, Czarnowski 2 0-0 4, Cephus 0 1-2 1, Brate 0 0-2 0. Totals: 22 27-34.
3-pointers: Willowbrook 3 - Miller 2, Lydon. Naperville Central 6 - Linne 3, Ondik 2, Crawford.
Rebounds: Willowbrook 22 (Market 8), Naperville Central 33 (Crawford 13).
Turnovers: Willowbrook 7, Naperville Central 6.