This is the perfect time to rally around U-46 teams

What in the hallowed name of Chesbrough Field House is going on?

The unfortunate firing of head coach Rob Brault, who was arrested on DUI charges earlier this week, has cast another shadow on the history of Elgin High School basketball, which was once one of the proudest and most tradition-rich basketball programs in all of Illinois.

But times have changed. And what happened on Maroon Drive this week is no greater a concern than the overall athletic picture in Elgin School District U-46. The fact of the matter is five high schools in the same district saturates the overall athletic talent pool at each school, thus diminishing the chance for success in terms of wins and losses. Yes, we know high school sports aren't all about winning and losing but winning more than losing also increases participation.

But let's, for now, stick with basketball. The Brault situation is unfortunate, but it is what it is. People are human and people make mistakes. We all answer, at some point in time, for the things we do in this life.

From a basketball perspective, we are now left with five high schools in U-46 whose longest tenured varsity boys basketball coach is Chaz Taft, in his second year at South Elgin. With Mike Sitter taking over for the season at Elgin, the Maroons are now on their fourth coach since 2000, after having just two coaches -- Bill Chesbrough and Jim Harrington -- for the previous 50 years combined Since, Mike Miller came and said he was here to stay. He bolted after one season. Dave Gilliland, who talked for years about Elgin being his dream job, made it just six games into his second season before his well-documented meltdown at Oak Park one Saturday night cost him the job. Brault took over and was going into his fourth full season prior to his removal this week.

Gone are those days of Chesbrough, Stan Martin, Ken Johnson, Harrington, Dom Cannata -- the coaches who built the tradition of high school basketball in Elgin. Gone, too, are the overflow crowds for any game -- not just Elgin vs. Larkin -- but any game.

It's the world we live in today and the best thing we can all do is look forward. We hope and pray that Rob Brault's situation turns out positively. He's a good man.

But as Sitter said earlier this week, it's still basketball and it's still for the kids. Sitter and Maroons' fans should be excited about this team's prospects for the season. It's a good group -- Armani Williams, Kenny Williams, Jeremy Granger and mates could win a lot of basketball games. Sitter is a Maroon through and through and he will put his heart and soul into this job as will his assistant, Jeff Howard.

And at the other four U-46 schools, we say let's stay positive. Tim Jones at Streamwood and Larry Hight at Larkin have waited a long time for their opportunity. Jim Wolfsmith at Bartlett, like Hight, has proven he can build a winning softball program, so why not in boys basketball? And Taft is a go-getter who has the advantage of Harrington's presence in the building to bounce things off of now and then.

Let's focus on Kamil Janton, Cory Hrynak, Tem Eskiel, Cam Kinley, Josh Glenn and all their teammates from here on in.

Those of us who have grown up with basketball in Elgin may feel a little dismal about what happened this week.

But now is when the kids playing the game need the support of their community. The season starts Monday. Get out and see the young men play, and give the adults now leading them a fair chance to do their very best to bring winning basketball to the district.