Montini's Thompson follows Holloway to ND
Diamond Thompson doesn't even need to pick up a basketball to make college coaches drool at her potential.
Athletic 6-foot-4 teenage girls don't grow on trees.
Notre Dame was sold, and offered the Montini junior a scholarship, which she accepted in a Sunday visit. Thompson chose Notre Dame over a list of high Division I pursuers that included Purdue, DePaul, Marquette and Michigan.
"She has a great basketball body for a big," Montini coach Jason Nichols said. "Diamond walks into a gym and people say, 'Wow.' "
Thompson, who will join ex-Montini teammate Whitney Holloway at Notre Dame, is the fourth Bronco to commit to a Big East school in the last three years. Michala Johnson is a sophomore at Connecticut and Courtney Thomas a sophomore at Marquette.
Thompson, the No. 7-ranked post nationally in the Class of 2013 according to ESPNHoopGurlz, averaged 3.3 points and 1.3 rebounds with 39 blocks last season in backing up SIU-Edwardsville recruit Tianna Brown on the Class 3A champions.
She flashed what she is capable of defensively in Montini's two sectional wins, blocking 4 shots against Hampshire and 5 more versus Belvidere North.
"She's grown up a lot the last couple years and matured," Nichols said. "It's slowly but surely coming together for that kid. They love her upside."
Notre Dame advanced to last year's NCAA championship game behind All-America guard Skylar Diggins, and is ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press preseason poll.
The Fighting Irish have done well in recent years mining top talent from Illinois. Holloway is joined by Devereaux Peters (Fenwick) and Kaila Turner (Marian Catholic) on this year's team, Bartlett grad Lindsay Schrader starred in South Bend and Notre Dame has signed Niles West standout Jewell Loyd for next year's freshman class. Thompson would be the tallest player on Notre Dame's current roster.
"Diamond is a true big," Nichols said. "She's a back-to-the-basket low-post player, and that's what made her very attractive."
Coaching milestones:
Three area coaches are about to hit milestone wins.
Naperville Central's Andy Nussbaum, who won his 500th game as Redhawks softball coach last spring, will go for win No. 500 Tuesday night at Hinsdale Central. Neuqua Valley's Mike Williams will get his first crack at win No. 300 Friday when the Wildcats open the season against St. Charles North at the York Holiday Tournament.
And Jason Nichols of Montini, whose team tips off Saturday versus Providence at the Geneva Tournament, is himself 5 wins away from 300.
New beginnings in Elmhurst:
It must be an exhilarating, albeit a little stressful week of new beginnings for York girls basketball coach Jason Reinecke.
On Monday Reinecke's wife, Jennifer, gave birth to their third child, Miles.
Of course the girls basketball season also tips off this week, and for the first time York will host its own Thanksgiving tournament. Neuqua Valley, Wheaton North, Prospect, St. Charles North and Conant round out the six-team field. Round-robin play starts Friday and continues through next Wednesday.
Maybe Reinecke and Wheaton North coach Dave Eaton can get together somewhere and smoke a couple new dad cigars. Eaton and his wife, Stephanie, welcomed their first child, aptly named Cameron considering Eaton's love for Duke basketball, last March.
Injury bug bites early:
The season hasn't tipped yet and a few area teams are already dealing with significant injuries.
Waubonsie Valley lost senior point guard Becky Williford to an ACL tear the first game of summer basketball last June. Williford is expected back by December, perhaps full strength by Christmas. Geneva sophomore Sidney Santos, who missed her entire freshman year with an ACL tear, blew out the knee again and won't play again this season.
And Wheaton Warrenville South junior guard Kelly Langlas, expected to be a key member of the Tigers' athletic rotation either starting or coming off the bench, tore her ACL a month ago playing soccer.
Langlas' injury is the fifth ACL tear on the WW South varsity team the last four seasons. The Tigers do get back this year Sierra Bisso, who blew out her knee the day before tryouts last year.
"Without Kelly the depth comes into play," WW South coach Rob Kroehnke said, "especially if you're going to play at the speed we want to play at."