Field as balanced as ever
It's 8:45 a.m. the day after Christmas.
The smell of brewing coffee from the concession stand permeates Elgin's Chesbrough Field House, beckoning early rising fans who dot the bleachers.
Though the rising sun has yet to clear the treeline outside, defending champion Neuqua Valley and up-and-coming Waukegan have already completed their warmups in preparation for their interesting matchup.
Neuqua Valley, off to a 7-2 start, is loaded with a group of seniors who went 28-0 as sophomores, and senior center Danny Pawleski (6-8) is one of the best post players in the suburbs.
Waukegan (5-4) is led by the talented Jereme Richmond, one of the best players in the state.
Waukegan lost its first three games of the season, including a 66-51 defeat against Bartlett at Thanksgiving, when Richmond sat out due to a team-imposed suspension. The Bulldogs won five straight once he joined the team.
Already verbally committed to the University of Illinois, the 6-6 sophomore got a chance to play at Champaign's Assembly Hall last weekend when Waukegan was upended by Peoria Manual, 47-44, despite Richmond's 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Pawleski and Richmond shake hands as a scout adds cream to his coffee.
Seconds later the referee throws the ball up for the jump and the 33rd Annual Pepsi/Daily Herald Holiday Boys Basketball Tournament begins.
How the title game ends on Saturday, Dec. 29 at 8 p.m. is anyone's guess.
The top four seeds, in order, are Batavia (7-1), Wheaton North (7-1), Highland Park (8-0) and Buffalo Grove (8-1), each a worthy seed.
But the talent at this year's tournament isn't limited to the seeded teams.
This year's field is deeper than a Federico Fellini film.
"I think it's the deepest field since we've been coming up there," Batavia coach Jim Roberts said.
Of the 16 teams entered, 12 currently boast winning records. Five teams have already won at least seven games (Batavia, Highland Park, Buffalo Grove, Wheaton North and Neuqua Valley).
"It's the deepest the tournament has been in my recent memory," echoed Elgin coach Mike Sitter.
The host Maroons, for instance, are 5-2 and have four starters with three seasons of varsity experience. Elgin is hungry to be a factor in this tournament after finishing sixth last season.
"We're going to try to go in, play hard and win a championship," said Elgin point guard Jeremy Granger, who has been sitting out practices this week due to the hyperextended right elbow he suffered in the waning moments of a 64-61 loss to Schaumburg on Saturday.
"It's pretty good competition," Granger added. "We have a lot of D-I prospects coming in this year like Jereme Richmond. There's going to be a lot of good competition. I'm just excited to play in it."
Granger also mentioned Batavia's Nick Freundt, however, the Northwestern-bound star won't be able to compete.
Roberts confirmed Wednesday that Freundt will miss the entire Elgin tournament, as well as Friday's home game against Sycamore and Saturday's game at Quincy, as he continues to recover from a case of mononucleosis.
Without the four-year starter in the lineup, Batavia suffered its first loss of the season Saturday at rival Geneva, 73-70.
"We were down 34-17 and the kids dug in pretty deep," Roberts said. "We actually had a 10-point lead. It was kind of a tale of three games in one game. I was very proud of their effort, and we have to continue that way."
Batavia will face Larkin (0-8) in the opening-day finale, scheduled for 8 p.m. Larkin will tune up for the tournament with an Upstate Eight Conference game at Waubonsie Valley Friday and a nonconference home against Fremd Saturday.
The Royals, as they have all season, will face a decided height disadvantage against David Bryant and the Bulldogs.
"We'll give them our best shot," first-year Larkin coach Larry Hight said. "We're working hard and whatever happens happens. The one good thing is we played our best game on that court, at least for three quarters, so that's a positive and the kids are excited about it. I'm glad we're in it."
The game Hight referred to was a 75-59 loss to Elgin at Chesbrough on Nov. 30, a game Larkin led in the third quarter.
The Batavia-Larkin game will be immediately preceded by Elgin against Dundee-Crown (4-3) at 6:30 p.m.
The Chargers are led by senior Jeff Beck, who sports a team-best 10.4 points-per-game average.
"Beck does a great job at point guard," Sitter said. "He's kind of their quarterback on the court. He runs when they want to run and he slows it down when it's time to slow it down. "And (6-6 junior center Charles) Kimbrough inside is really improved since last season. He can get a lot of boards for them.
"They don't have the scorers they've had in the past, so they really have to defend it well. They really have to play more of a half-court style, so it'll be our job to get them out of that."
The Chargers recognize that playing the Maroons on their home court in prime time is a stiff challenge.
"Elgin's pretty good, holy smokes," Dundee-Crown coach Lance Huber said. "It's going to be a tough game, no doubt about it, when you play the host school in their own tournament. But that entire tournament is as good as I've ever seen it."
Wednesday afternoon offers a pair of Mid-Suburban League crossover games. Rolling Meadows (5-3), takes on Hoffman Estates (5-2) at 1:30 p.m. and Buffalo Grove takes on Fremd (2-7) at 5:30 p.m.
Wheaton North has four returning starters back from a 20-win season, led by Hillsdale College signee, John Bagge (6-6) and center Tom Fitzpatrick (6-8). Guards Dave Pilalis and Kristian Rosenberger combined to sink 93 3-pointers last year.
The Falcons will play Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville on Wednesday at noon.
Other first-day matchups include Downers Grove North (5-3) against Highland Park, which was unbeaten at 8-0 through Wednesday, led by five senior captains. That game tips at 10:15 a.m.
Rounding out the action on day one is a 3:15 game between Glenbrook South (2-7) and Rockford Auburn (5-2).