Bingo and basketball
Besides a letter, basketball and bingo share little.
Still, Fenton's Gozie Umeadi was among the top-flight senior basketball players joining young patients Monday at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago for a friendly game of bingo. It was part of the pregame package of the Chicago High School Classic all-star game.
Umeadi's on the North squad along with Driscoll's Jake Lindfors and Glenbard West's John Shurna for today's second annual Classic, held at Niles North in Skokie.
The game begins at 7:30 p.m., after a 3-point contest and a dunk contest, with the Daily Herald's Christine Bolin among the judges. See www.chicagohighschoolclassic.com for details.
Along with the local stars, the North squad includes Marshall's Ryan Hare and Simeon's Stan Simpson.
The South offers Richards' Carl Richard and Tommie Thomas and former Timothy Christian player Josh Crittle, now at Hales Franciscan.
"It's always good when you get to play with guys you don't get to play with during the course of the regular season," said Umeadi, one of just six uncommitted players out of the 29 enlisted by Classic founder Kevin Devitt.
Umeadi has visited Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Loyola. He hopes to gain a little more publicity in the dunk contest.
"It should be fun," he said. "Playing with such high-level guys in such a prestigious all-star game, it's so cool when you get to do these things."
The spring Classic
Defending Class AA state champion Neuqua Valley and Wheaton Warrenville South are among the eight baseball teams playing at the eighth annual Schaumburg Flyers High School Baseball Classic at Alexian Field.
The event started Thursday and concludes with the championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Perennial bruisers Lyons Twp., Joliet Catholic and Schaumburg are among the field.
Neuqua Valley faces Schaumburg at 4:30 p.m. today. WW South played Jacobs on Thursday, hoping to advance.
Not so fast, coach
Ask Glenbard North wrestling coach Mark Hahn how he did this past season. He'll probably say, "Aw, we lost to Montini in the quarterfinals…"
Press him. He may add that the Panthers had one of, if not the best, seasons in their history.
Glenbard North went 25-5 in dual meets and tied a DuPage Valley Conference record of 10 straight league titles, along with Glenbard North girls track and Wheaton Warrenville South boys track.
Individually the Panthers had their best finish at state. Jimmy Chase and brothers Vince and Tony Ramos won championships. Joe Gosinski, Danny Monaco and Geno Capezio were all-state.
So it's fitting that Hahn was selected as the 2007 Illinois State Wrestling Coach of the Year by the National Federation Coaches Association.
Obviously, one season rolls into another in this sport. Capezio and Vince Ramos will represent Illinois, along with state 215-pound runner-up Pat Walker of Glenbard East, at the 2008 Iowa vs. Illinois All-Star Meet, Sunday in Bettendorf, Iowa. Montini assistant Israel Martinez is helping coach Team Illinois.
Brainiacs
The Illinois High School Association recently released its 2007-08 All-State Academic Team.
Twenty-six students were chosen from a pool of nearly 500 applicants. The minimum grade-point average was 3.50 on a 4.0 scale.
Two made it from the county -- Neuqua Valley distance-racing phenom Chris Derrick and Hinsdale South badminton ace Deepa Ramaduri.
Honorable-mention selections included a trio of track athletes: Benet's Sarah Clark, Naperville Central's Steve Couch and Waubonsie Valley's Mark Homan.