Quarterfinals which are at home gyms held at the same time on Tuesday, 5pm Central will have some intriguing storylines. By the way some Julian players were crying tonight after losing the Blue title game, City still means a lot to these young men. Here are a few
Red North/West vs Red South/Central:
This is the matchup in all four quarterfinals with 2 each playing at home. Most of the talent used to play in the old Red West. Now it has switched over. Or has it? Some of these results may tell us something about which side is the best.
Here we go in bracket order:
Wendell Phillips Academy (17-8) at Westinghouse College Prep (18-7)
Westinghouse used to be a perennial powerhouse. It's been a slow move back after closing for two years and turning into a select school. Coach Rafie Fields, an alum of those old teams has brought them back to prominence. They can take another step with a win in this one. Has a veteran team playing on their home court.
Top players:
DJ Bolden, 6'2" senior combo guard
Askia Bullie, 6'0" senior point guard
Treyvon Ali, 6'3" senior combo guard
Emmanuel Fuller, 6'4" wing
Wendell Phillips history goes back to at least the 1950's but hasn't had much recent success with exception of former star Marlo Finner. Coach Paris Martin is in his second year and was a star small player himself. He has some more big time smaller guards that push the pace. They will have to control it to win on the road and get to the semifinals. Also has a young team so can they handle the big time atmosphere? Key will be his Big man has to dominate the interior. *denotes key bigs
Top players:
EJ Horton, 6'2" junior combo guard
Amari Edwards, 5'9" junior combo guard
Phoenix Childs, 6'4" junior wing *
Claude Mpouma, 6'6" sophomore *
Lincoln Park (19-8) at #13 Kenwood Academy (21-6):
Lincoln Park had Kenwood beat early in the year in a matchup at Kenwood. They lost by one. Can they finish the job and win it this time? They are very confident that they can. There is no fear in this team. They are young but first year Coach Josh Anderson has them buying in to bring the best. It's been awhile since they have gotten this deep in the playoffs. Keyshawn Barfield has to stay out of foul trouble and play to his height and aggressive. Will have to keep the bigger Kenwood team from dominating the glass on both ends. Guards will have to control tempo in a hot and heavy atmosphere.
Key players:
Ahmad Lee, 6'3" sophomore point guard
Chayse Turner, 6'4" junior wing
Larry Harris, 6'4" sophomore forward
Keyshawn Barfield, 6'9" junior center
Kenwood Academy was preseason #1 but has had some bumps throughout most of the year. A lineup change going bigger has changed things. Four players in the lineup 6'5" or taller. Coach Mike Irvin's team has won 9 straight as they are loooking for the double of city and state championship. Their young guards have been more comfortable coming off the bench. Seems like it's a little less pressure for them. Kenwood will still have to handle Lincoln Park's press defense. Jaden Smith going against his old school is intriguing.
Key players:
Chris Riddle, 6'5" senior wing (DePaul commit)
Aleks Alston, 6'9" junior wing
Jaden Smith, 6'11" senior center (Arizona State commit)
Edwon Duling, 6'0" senior point guard
Whitney Young (15-12) at #1 Curie (24-2):
This is not your usual powerhouse Whitney Young team. They are frightenly young and might be missing big time junior forward Antonio Munoz in this one. Will senior Sean Brown be available? Coach Tyrone Slaugter has multiple state titles and city titles so don't count his team out. Can the young guards handle Curie's physical defense and pressure?
Key players:
Marquis Clark, 6'2" sophomore point guard
Nasir Rankin, 6'1" sophomore combo guard
Howard Williams, 6'6" freshman wing
Damarjay Richardson, 6'0" junior point guard
Curie has a veteran team who will get into you defensively and knows how to do it without fouling. Coach Mike Oliver runs his system, the players know it because they are usually 4 year players in the program. Experienced team. He has a state title and a city title (don't care if one was stripped they won it on the court). They have balanced scoring and you don't know who will kill on a given night. They rim protect and hit the glass hard. Curie is #1 for a reason, the most complete team in the area and this tournament.
Key players:
Carlos Harris III, 6'2" senior point guard (Illinois Chicago commit)
Will Gonzalez, 6'6" senior guard
Christian Brockett, 6'2" senior combo guard
Taevion Collier, 6'6" senior forward
Simeon Career Academy (Chicago) (13-12) at Lane Tech College Prep (17-10):
Simeon is the defending city champion. Simeon has 49 consecutive winning seasons. That record is in jeopardy and a win here would go a long way toward 50. First year Coach Tim Flowers, a former star here, is doing a reboot this season. Lost a couple of players before the season to transfer, one was ruled ineligible. They still have some good young talent but they have played a rugged schedule and hopefully toughened them up.
Key players:
Rashad McKinnie, 6'2" senior combo guard
Lorenzo Shields, 6'3" junior guard
Andre Tyler, 6'5" sophomore combo guard
Isaiah Coleman, 6'5" sophomore forward
Lane Tech has not had a lot of basketball success. I'm not sure if they've ever advanced this deep in the playoffs? Look for a packed house for this one. They had one a few weeks ago when they played Whitney Young. Lane beat them for the first win over the Dolphins since Tyrone Slaughter took over there. Will they succumb to the nerves of trying to get to the semifinals?
Key players:
Shaheed Solebo, 6'4" senior combo guard
Jackson Labkon, 6'1" senior point guard
Dalton Scantlebury, 6'8" junior forward
Andrew Bartolai, 6'4" junior forward
NOTE: I'll plan on being at Westinghouse.
I will be at Lane for the Simeon game.