By Joey Gelman and Michael Wojtychiw
Entering its second decade, the Chicago Elite Classic once again showcased the top basketball talent in the city of Chicago and beyond. The tournament, (link) led by Whitney Young Boys Basketball Coach Tyrone Slaughter and Simeon Boys Basketball Coach Robert Smith featured both a girls and boys basketball tournament including many CPS schools. This version of the Chicago Elite Classic was also the final one for Coach Robert Smith, who will be retiring from coaching at the end of the season, after what has been an incredible coaching career at Simeon, full of state and city titles.
This year’s Chicago Elite Classic featured a shot-clock for what could likely be the first time ever in a Chicago Public League basketball game and also featured the usage of the college 3-point line v.s high school giving an extra challenge to navigate during the tournament.
Please find the notebook below, featuring boys basketball game recaps of all the games teams from the Chicago Public League played in. It was a great weekend against great competition as teams gear up for Conference Play!
**The Girls Basketball Chicago Elite Classic Notebook can be found here.
Lane Tech 51, Taft 46 – December 2, 2022 @ 6pm
For the second year in a row, the two North Side rivals faced off in the Chicago Elite Classic, marking the Champions’ third appearance in the Classic and the Eagles’ second. Both teams came out struggling putting the ball in the basket, combining to miss eight of the first 11 shots of the game. The Eagles took control in the second quarter, turning a one-point deficit after the first quarter into a seven-point lead at the half.
Lane coach Nick LoGalbo put a lot of trust in his standout junior Shaheed Solebo, who picked up three fouls in the first half and his fourth midway through the third quarter. The veteran coach never took Solebo out though and it paid off in the fourth quarter, as he and Dalton Scantlebury helped lead a comeback. Scantlebury stepped up when Solebo had to rein his game in abit and finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and five blocks, while Solebo had 15 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. The Champions were able to get back into the game by not allowing Taft to score for the first three minutes, going on a 8-0 run and eventually taking the lead for good with 3 minutes, 42 seconds remaining on a Scantlebury bucket. His two free throws with 20.6 seconds left cemented the game.
Shaheed Solebo on playing with four fouls: “Usually I like to play aggressive, I’m reaching for everything, physical. I had to lock in, become more disciplined, stand straight up.”
Shaheed Solebo on the fourth quarter: “We got a lot of big energy stops that turned into offense. Once we started looking for other guys, it opened things up offensively and got easier.”
Hyde Park 58, U High 34 – December 3, 2022 @ 12pm
Hyde Park started off fast against U High Chicago, building an 8-0 lead in the first quarter, a lead they would hold the entire game. Junior Jurrell Baldwin led Hyde Park with 19 points, with 14 of them coming in the first half alone. Baldwin scored the first basket of the first, second and fourth quarter, setting the tone for Thunderbirds. Baldwin and the Thunderbirds were incredibly active and aggressive defensively as only two players from U High scored the entirety of their 34 points. Because of Hyde Park’s 24-point victory, every player was able to see playing time for the Thunderbirds, allowing them to get great experience against top competition in the tournament in advance of league play.
Vashon (St. Louis) 59, Curie 36 – December 2, 2022 @ 4:30pm
The Curie Condors are primed to be one of the top teams in the Chicago Public League this year after a strong showing in the city playoffs last year. However, they faced a tough opponent in Vashon (St. Louis) as the Wolverines jumped out to a fast start and 12-point halftime lead. Curie started to hold their own in the second quarter, and then scored the first six points in the 4th quarter to close the scoring gap back to 12, but that was as close as they got after a 13-2 run by Vashon to close out the game. Senior Chikasi Ofoma led the Condors with 12 points , including eight in the second half.
Whitney Young 54, National Christian 52 – December 2, 2022 @ 6pm
In one of the most thrilling games of the night, Whitney Young, defeated National Christian on a buzzer-beating tip in to jump start their season as they head into conference play. Junior Daniel Johnson led the Dolphins with 16 points, with nine in the second quarter alone. Whitney Young led National Christian by 12 points at the half, but National Christian cut the lead down to two points in the third quarter. However, the big turning point in the game was at the 5:39 mark in the 4th quarter, as National Christian’s leading scorer Kristopher Mickens fouled out. The game was tied at 48 with five minutes to play in the 4th quarter. Neither team led by more than two points in the final five minutes of play. As the game came to an exciting close, Whitney Young drew a key offensive foul with 45 seconds left and the Dolphins had their last chance to secure the win. As the clock wound down in a 52-52 game, an inbounds pass for Whitney Young went to Marcus Pigram to try a three which was just off the mark, but guard Dalen Davis was waiting under the basket, secured the rebound, and tipped it in as time expired to win the game.
Dalen Davis on the game: “ I was in the right place, right time , DJ (Daniel Johnson) helped with it, lucky to get the shot off, blessed… Winning our first classic game in many years, so it is a good feeling.”
Simeon 86, St. Rita 59 – December 2, 2022 @ 7:30pm
The Simeon Wolverines came into the season as the preseason #1 ranked team in the state according to Michael O’Brien and the Chicago Sun-Times and they lived up to the hype on Saturday with a 27-point victory over St. Rita. Simeon got out to an early lead, keeping the Mustangs scoreless for the beginning of the 1st quarter, and then to a 12-3 lead in the first 4 minutes of play. The second quarter began with a 21-8 lead for Simeon and the Wolverines closed the half shooting 7-15 from the college 3-point line, with star guard Jalen Griffith having 14 points, and four three-pointers for a 42-22 halftime lead. While University of Illinois-bound Morez Johnson finished the half with 10 points and nine rebounds (game totals – 16 points and 11 rebounds), Simeon continued to take over in the second half, ultimately beating St. Rita. Griffith finished the game with 23 points, Wes Rubin finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds and Sam Lewis added 18 points and seven rebounds in Simeon’s win.
Sam Lewis on the game: “ I think it was a stepping stone game, we came together as a group, we gotta work from here.”
Wes Rubin on the game: “ This was a statement game. We came out and executed a game plan and did what we were supposed to do, so this was a statement.”
Jalen Griffith on the game: “It’s just the beginning…. It prepares us to know what we’re up against [this season].”
Head Coach Robert Smith on the game: “ It was a great group effort, team effort, executed the game plan as best as we could…It was making sure we played defense and rebounded the basketball…didn’t want to get beat on the backboard…Our expectations are like this every year. So (this game) gets us prepared for out of state games and conference games , our conference is really tough so we’ll build on this moment.”
Assistant Coach Tim Flowers:
“It’s important to get early challenges. That can only help us down the line. Being able to have a preparation stage like this early in the year can only benefit us later in the year.”
Kenwood 72, Joliet West 66 – December 2, 2022 @ 9pm
The final boys game of the night featured two top programs with top players in the state between Kenwood and Joliet West. Dai Dai Ames of Kenwood and the Fears brothers from Joliet West headlined the finale of the Chicago Elite Classic. Joliet West got out to an early lead in a back and forth contest, finishing the 1st quarter with a 18-12 lead, and the first half with a 32-25 lead. However, in the second half, foul-troubles sidelined both Jeremiah Fears and Dai Dai Ames for large portions of the 3rd quarter, but Kenwood’s Tyler Smith, took the game over. The Broncos went on a 14-0 run in the quarter behind Smith’s game total of 17 points and Calvin Robin’s 21 points, with 13 coming in the 4th quarter, allowing Kenwood to hold their lead all the way until the final buzzer. Ames finished with 12 points.
Head Coach Mike Irvin on the game and season: “Down the stretch, we spread them out and ran what we wanted to run. We dictated the game…I knew what we had… I have the best staff, I knew what players we have and what staff we have and we can compete with anybody in this state any day, and we’re ready to win the city and state championship.”
Calvin Robins – Key was teamwork, staying with my team-mates, lifting them up.. Being able to play through adversity down the stretch.. Coach always preaches fight through adversity together. As long as we stay together, we’ll be ok.”
**The Girls Basketball Chicago Elite Classic Notebook can be found here.
