Niles North sets new standard

It all started at the postseason banquet last spring.

That's when the Niles North boys basketball team pushed the bar about as high as it could go.

The Vikings, who had just put the wraps on a 12-15 season, decided that they weren't just going to win more games in 2010-2011; they were determined to also make history.

"We struggled at times last year, but we knew we had a lot of really good juniors and a very talented freshman on the team that would all be back for this year," said Niles North coach Glenn Olson, who was in his first year at the helm last season. "We knew we could be better. We talked at the banquet about how we wanted to be a lot better.

"We talked about wanting to be the best team in the history of the school."

Consider it done.

Even though the Vikings are still climbing, they've already reached unprecedented levels of greatness.

Before Niles North won the New Trier sectional title on Friday, the boys basketball program there had won just one other piece of postseason hardware, a regional title in 2000.

Over 46 seasons of basketball, that was it.

On top of that, the Vikings had registered just two 20-win seasons coming into this year: 1984-85 (22-4) and 1999-2000 (20-9).

But now, at 24-6, Niles North is suddenly a contender for a state championship.

The Vikings are set to face Warren in the Waukegan supersectional (7:30 p.m. Tuesday) for the right to advance to the state finals in Peoria this weekend.

"There's no doubt our program isn't used to being in these situations," Olson said. "But for us, the past is the past. This year's team is just focused on this year's team, and we're excited to still be playing."

The Vikings will play a team in Warren that is their opposite in just about every way.

For starters, Warren's tradition is storied.

The Blue Devils have put together ten 20-win seasons in head coach Chuck Ramsey's 17-year tenure alone. They've also won eight sectional titles and made one run downstate, finishing second in Class AA in 1999.

On the court, the differences continue.

Warren is big and efficient in the halfcourt. Meanwhile, Niles North is small, but quick and a tough full-court pressing team. Of the 15 players on the roster, 14 are listed as guards, and only one is taller than 6-foot-3.

"We're big and if we can execute our offense and get the ball inside, that can be an advantage for us," Ramsey said. "But Niles North is probably the best pressing team we've played against. They're real quick, they're all athletes and all five guys are out there pressing all the time.

"We're going to have to be able to use all of our weapons and we're also going to have to value every possession."

Niles North has been known to press teams into countless turnovers, sometimes 30 per game. Olson says his team will press for the entire 32 minutes.

"And all 84 feet," Olson said. "It's a great defense and a great style, but it's not easy. You've got to be in great shape, and you've got to be committed to work hard all over the floor."

Niles North uses a nine-man rotation to keep legs fresh, but one player who gets little rest time is guard Abdel Nader, a 6-foot-6 senior who is a Division I prospect and had previously committed to New Mexico but has reopened the recruiting process.

"(Nader) is an outstanding scorer because he can score in a lot of ways," Ramsey said. "He can create his own shot, he can post and he has extreme range on his shot. You don't see many players like him. We haven't played against any players like him who are that skilled and that big."

On the flip side, Niles North hasn't seen a team with the size of Warren, which starts three players (6-foot-8 Nathan Boothe, 6-foot-6 Darius Paul and 6-foot-5 Jeremiah Jackson) who are 6-foot-5 or taller.

The Blue Devils used their size advantage against Mundelein in the sectional championship to dominate the boards. Behind Paul, who registered 17 points and 17 rebounds, they scored 10 baskets on putbacks, a season high.

"Warren's size is definitely what jumps out at you," Olson said. "We worry about their rebounding a lot, especially on the offensive end. We've prepared for big teams before, but never this big and never one that rebounds as well as Warren does."

Niles North rebounds well, too - from deficits.

The Vikings were down by as many as 16 points on Friday in their sectional title game against Schaumburg. They clawed their way back into the game and pulled out a 53-52 win.

Olson says that his team has made a habit of making comebacks all season.

"That team isn't fazed when it's behind, and they don't give up," Ramsey said. "Every possession is going to mean a lot (on Tuesday). This should be a really great game, and a great atmosphere."