DuPage County girls basketball previews
Private School League
Timothy Christian
Coach: Ryan DeKoekkoek.
Last year: 16-12, 5-3, third in Private School League; lost to Walther Lutheran in Class 2A regional final.
Top players: Shannon McNeil, sr., G; Anneke Stremler, sr., F; Katie Dirkse, sr., G; Meghan Leach, sr., G; Kelsey Kazynski, sr, G; Lauren Couture, so, G/F.
Outlook: Mission No. 1 for DeKoekkoek was to get his players in shape. The first week of practice the Trojans had two-a-days, with morning sessions devoted to conditioning. "That was an initial shock to their system," the second-year coach said. "They're getting in shape now, that's for sure." There's a simple reason for the emphasis on conditioning. "We want to pressure defensively and attack offensively, and we have to be in shape to do that," he said. The coach is adding new things to practice each day, and the girls are picking them up, some more quickly than others. McNeil is the team's go-to player, a four-year varsity starter. "She can do great things on the basketball court. She's strong, she's quick. She's improved a lot with her shot," he said.
Wheaton Academy
Coach: Beth Mitchell.
Last year: 19-10, 5-3, second in Private School League; lost to Hope in Class 3A regional final.
Top players: Alexa Sharkey, jr, G; Kirsten Egebrecht, jr., F; Leah Fortune, sr., G; Meghan Grant, jr., F; Jenn Lee, sr., G; Sydney Sharkey, fr, G.
Outlook: It's a rare treat for a coach to return all of her starters, but that's why Mitchell is happy these days. Actually, Fortune is playing soccer in Brazil and won't be back until early December. Till then freshman Sydney Sharkey will fill in at point guard. "She's doing very well. For a freshman to step into that role, be a quarterback, she's doing well," Mitchell said of the younger Sharkey. "It's kind of throwing her to the fire right away." Sydney will have plenty of support from her big sister Alexa, last year's leading scorer and still just a junior. In fact there are only three seniors on this team.
West Suburban Gold
Addison Trail
Coach: Rob Schader.
Last year: 6-22, 3-9, fifth in West Suburban Gold; lost to Willowbrook in first round of Class 4A regional.
Top players: Jazmine Little, so., G; Mercedes Rallings, sr., G; Katie Kamide, jr., F/C; Nikki Zdrahel, sr., G; Daisy Murillo, jr., G.
Outlook: For a coach coming off a 6-22 season, Schader is very positive. "The sky's the limit for this team," he said, with a qualifier. "We've got a lot to learn and we're kind of taking it day by day so far." Here's what the Blazers know: They have a balanced team, with up to seven girls who can score, starting with Rallings and Little. Schader is especially positive about Little. "She's looking good. She's really gotten a lot tougher. She's become a better leader for us. She's matured." Annie Costabile, a 6-footer, and Marissa Pezzopane, at 5-10, add height. So will the team's improvement show in the league standings? "I'd like to think so," Schader said. "We'd be very disappointed as a coaching staff and as a team if we didn't improve."
Downers Grove South
Coach: Mike McGinnis.
Last year: 13-15, 7-5, third in the West Suburban Gold; lost to Naperville Central in Clas 4A regional semifinal.
Top players: Gianna Pecora, sr., G; Lauren Lisauskas, sr., C; DeeDee Scalzetti, sr., G; Dege Abate, sr., G.
Outlook: The Mustangs' rotating man-to-man defense is their main strength, and its success will carve out the quickest path to success. The parts are interchangeable for the most part, and the team depth will provide an advantage at the end of games. Lisauskas has a soft touch from the post and great hands. Pecora is a great ballhandler who will lead the transition game. "The new defense should give the opposition fewer opportunities to score," McGinnis said.
Hinsdale South
Coach: Steve Cochran.
Last year: 22-9 overall, 10-2; second in the West Suburban Gold; lost to Bolingbrook in the Class 4A Romeoville regional final.
Top players: Kelly Payne, sr., G; Samantha Schimmel, sr., G; Jazmine Harris, sr., G/F; Jaclyn Alyinovich, so., G; Chika Okoro, sr., G/F; Jackie Belmonte, so., G; Ashley Weatherspoon, so., G; Uzo Okoro, fr., F.
Outlook: Things will look different this year at Hinsdale South because long-time coach Brenda Whitesell retired after 27 seasons. But Cochran is no newcomer to West Suburban basketball, having coached 34 years at York. "My system is very complex," Cochran said, "and you don't learn it overnight. I told the girls we're going to look ugly before it looks good, but it will." The Hornets are boosted by the return of Payne, who went down five games into last season with a dislocated left shoulder and torn labrum. Payne, Schimmel and Harris are counted on to lead a young team. Chika Okoro was a state qualifier in the hurdles in track, and Cochran said her little sister Uzo is one to look out for. Belmonte adds a shooter on the perimeter. "I have some good athletes," Cochran said. "If I can mold them into a team we'll be something special."
Willowbrook
Coach: Troy Nelson.
Last year: 13-18, 6-6, fourth in West Suburban Gold; lost to Proviso East in Class 4A regional semifinal.
Top players: Angela Domin, sr., G; Taylor Nelson, jr., G; Danielle Muhlena, jr., C; Mary Flood, jr., G; Nora Cleary, jr., F; Nicole Interrante, jr., F; Katie Seccombe, jr., G/F.
Outlook: Nelson has good reason to feel optimistic about his team. "We've got a lot of kids back from last year. We have a little bit of size finally," he said. "Experience will get us through the season." That starts with veterans Taylor Nelson and Domin, each of whom has been a starter since arriving at Willowbrook and is a very good 3-point shooter. The coach expects to go 9-10 deep this year to take advantage of all that experience. One thing the Warriors lack is speed. "We're going to make up for that with effort," he said. That and height.
West Suburban Silver
Downers Grove North
Coach: Paul Maggiore.
Last year: 11-17, 5-7, fourth in West Suburban Silver; lost to WW South in Class 4A regional semifinal.
Top players: Missy Blazej, sr., F; Niki Sebo, so., G; Katie Castrogiovanni, sr., F; Jackie Burke, jr. C; Ali Schuster, so., C/F; Marissa Koszewski, so., G/F; Amelia Echemann, so. F; Madeline Boltin, so., G/F.
Outlook: 5-4-3-2-1 is not a countdown at Downers North, it's a list of positions that the talented Blazej can play. She'll be the leader of a team filled with sophomores who got their on-the-job training last season. Sebo is a confident point guard who knows the game, and there's good speed throughout the lineup and a number of people who can contribute off the bench. Schuster is a physical rebounder. The raw material is there so the main task facing Maggiore will be to find the best combo and watch the Trojans mature.
Glenbard West
Coach: Mike Hofland.
Last year: 14-15 overall, 7-3, second in West Suburban Silver; lost to Lake Park in Class 4A Willowbrook regional semifinal.
Top players: Kathryn Lux, sr., F; Abbey White, jr., G; Abbie Hastings, jr., F; Molly McBride, sr., G; Abigail McBride, sr., G; Teresa McDonald, sr., F; Bridget Flanagan, so., G.
Outlook: The Hilltoppers bring back a nice nucleus in returning starters Lux, White and Hastings. All three are athletic with decent size and can score. "A bunch of kids that like to compete and get after it," Hofland said. Glenbard West did lose 6-foot-1 Nicole Hazemi, the second-leading scorer from a year ago who transferred to Trinity. That leaves the 6-foot Hastings as the top post player. Lux can play inside or out with a good 3-point shot. White, a good slasher, will play the off guard. The McBride girls are Glenbard West's defensive stoppers, or as Hofland calls them, "our pit bulls." "The girls know what's expected of them," Hofland said. "We have a lot of good leadership on this team."
Hinsdale Central
Coach: Steve Gross.
Last year: 31-2 overall, 12-0; first in the West Suburban Silver; lost to Bolingbrook 43-27 in the Class 4A Neuqua Valley sectional final.
Top players: Toni Kokenis, jr., G; Katie Delaney, sr., F; Madison Whitley, sr., G; Kat Leach, sr., G; Abadelle Ekechukwu, jr., F; Maggie Brennan, so., G; Alex Zimmer, jr., G.
Outlook: The Red Devils' roster is a little thin and guard-heavy. Those guards are good ones, though. None better than Kokenis, all-state as a sophomore averaging 17 points per game. She is already being recruited by Big Ten schools and has visited Stanford twice. "That's her dream school," Gross said. "She has the combination of size, speed, athletic ability and skill that gives her a chance to play at that level." Delaney is a strong rebounder and defender, Whitley a "fill up the stat sheet" type player that can hit the 3-pointer and post up just the same. Both are four-year varsity players. A player to watch is Ekechukwu. Gross said that this group reminds him of his 1997 team that lost to Mother McAuley in supersectionals. "Last year we had some size and margin for error defensively," he said. "(Kokenis) has to control the game for us. The rest of our team are solid high school players."
York
Coach: Frank Kaminsky.
Last year: 15-14, lost in Class 4A regional semifinal.
Top players: Courtney Owens, sr., C/F; Amanda Heuser, sr., F; Stefanie Matsas, sr., G; Meryl Cripe, so., G; Mary Colon, so., F; Danielle Vujovic, so., G;
Outlook: Kaminsky comes from the University of St. Francis and brings an uptempo offensive game and a lot of full-court pressing on defense. It will take this band of high school kids some time to adjust, but by midseason the Dukes should be making some noise in conference. Athletes such as Cripe and Matsas are quick, experienced guards, Owens is the leading returning scorer, and Heuser is a workhorse and a team leader. "If we get better at practice every day, wins and losses will take care of themselves," Kaminsky said.
- Orrin Schwarz, Neil Shalin, Joshua Welge