By Dominic Scianna

“June is truth-telling time (for a team), it shows you where you are, what you’re good at, and most importantly, it tells you what you’ve got to improve on,” said Walter Payton College Prep head varsity basketball coach Reggie Bates. “That’s what these summer competitions are all about.”

That’s the mantra that most Chicago Public League (CPL) coaches abide by when the summer basketball “live” periods and showcases take place in the off-season. And to show the importance of these high-profile events, at Riverside-Brookfield High School, and the Romeoville Athletic Center facilities on back-to-back weekends in June, the CPL had several of its teams registered to compete.

“Another major feature to these events is you’ve got college coaches out here and players can put themselves in a position to earn a scholarship and a free education at the next level,” noted Bates.

Coaches and scouts cannot speak to the players or coaches during this time, but their mere presence is enough to foster the connectivity and networking for future relationship building with a player, coach, and/or family member(s).

At Romeoville, the game format is different. Ten courts are in play, full-time, with 20- minute running clocks split into two halves, which last no longer than an hour to accommodate the amount of games and teams involved.

All this amid referee whistles blowing from adjacent courts, the squeaking of sneakers, foot traffic from one game to the next, plus players and basketballs flying every which way. But it all seems to go smoothly and it all makes sense. 

“I played here (in Romeoville) as a member of the Chicago Public League in high school at Lincoln Park (2007 graduate) and in college at Northwestern University (2011 graduate) so I’m familiar with this annual event and its popularity,” said Iona University (an NCAA Division I school from New Rochelle, NY) assistant coach, Michael “Juice” Thompson. “It’s great to come back and see so many familiar faces and watch these talented Illinois players compete. To see the grit and toughness that they play with, and the way they share the ball is refreshing to see. I’d love to see these Illinois athletes get opportunities (like I did coming out of Chicago) at the next level.”

Payton, Simeon Career Academy, Farragut, Michelle Clark, and King High Schools were on the docket during my weekend of game observations at Romeoville (July 27-28). 
Seniors like Simeon’s Isiah Coleman, who is still undecided on his collegiate choice as he enters his final year of high school basketball, relished the chance to play at an elite level against the best of the best teams that the state has to offer. And, especially when, a team like Simeon gets an opportunity with a format centered around two memorable weekends of top competition that head coach Tim Flowers had planned for his Wolverines.

“It’s great because you have to raise your game to another level of competition and get better with each time you play,” said Coleman. “We get the opportunity (this weekend) to play the state champions (DePaul College Prep, three-time IHSA champion in Classes 2A and 3A, coached by Tom Kleinschmidt, a Chicago native and legendary player from Gordon Tech and DePaul University). “We want to play the best to see where we’re at as a team. Plus, Coach (Flowers) pushes all of us, especially me, to my limits every day to be a great leader.” 

These events are full of a diverse cross-section of coaches, historians, and basketball purists that form a unique fraternity, and if you’re around long enough, great stories emerge, and lifelong friendships are front and center when they all gather in one place for one long weekend.

Michele Clark head basketball coach Terence Head could be seen hugging his longtime mentor and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Hall of Fame coach John Bonk in an exchange after one of his games. Bonk was Head’s coach at Weber High School as a player and he mentored him as an aspiring coach in the Chicago Catholic League back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.

“That’s what’s great about what we do. The relationships and friendships are never-ending,” said Head. “As far as this competition goes (in back-to-back weekends), wherever we have to be we’re going to be (in order to play elite teams like this). I’d love to see this event in Chicago because it’s tough getting our players out here. But we manage to do it because we have to be here.” 

At Farragut, coach Emmanuel Little has a former IBCA Hall of Famer of his own on the bench in William “Wolf” Nelson, a basketball icon in the coaching fraternity of Chicago. Nelson retired as a full-time head coach and is as animated as ever today on the Farragut bench as an assistant. He navigated through a successful 40+ year run as Farragut coach in guiding the Admirals to 541 wins in his career.

“We’re a young team and it helps us tremendously to play in a different environment to get ready for the upcoming season,” said Little. “During the summer, I watch and sit on the sidelines and learn from him (Coach Nelson). It’s great to have him around for me and for our current players to experience.

Finally, my observations from a long weekend of basketball for the CPL was nothing but positive, and this exposure only gained notoriety and more praise for the league and its talent pool of players and coaches. This couldn’t be more evident in CPL’s play across the board so far this summer. 

And, as a referee acknowledged, not wanting to let the moment pass after officiating a summer contest at Romeoville, how impressed he was with a performance and interactions with a certain CPL coach and his team.

“This team and coach (King High School and coach Jerell Parker Sr.) are going to be good, you can just tell,” said the IHSA veteran referee. “Plus, they handle themselves the right way and that made an impression on me both on and off the court.”

Parker certainly has the Jaguars headed in the right direction coming off of a successful season and championship title in the CPL White Division last year, and that’s a common theme with a host of CPL boys basketball coaches their teams this upcoming 2025-26 campaign, which makes the Boys Basketball City Championships wide open with no clear cut favorite.

And by all accounts, these summer “live” weekend showings at Riverside-Brookfield and Romeoville by a large contingent of CPL teams, proves that the best may be yet to come!