Stars come out for Stevenson's big win

It was a big-time win, arguably the biggest in Lake County so far this season.

And, coincidentally, it was seen by some big-time fans. Perhaps the biggest who have ever graced Stevenson's fieldhouse for a boys basketball game.

When the Patriots up-ended defending Class 4A state runner-up Warren 44-43 on Tuesday, moms and dads and classmates were in the stands as usual - but so were four members of the Chicago Bulls.

Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Ronnie Brewer and Keith Bogans were in the house to cheer on a member of their extended family.

Stevenson freshman Jalen Brunson is the son of Rick Brunson, a former player and now a popular assistant coach for the Bulls.

Deng, Noah, Brewer and Bogans have gotten to know the younger Brunson and wanted to support the blossoming rookie in his biggest game to date.

"For those guys to come out and watch Jalen was pretty neat," Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said. "I know he means a lot to them. Those guys really like Jalen's dad and I'm sure they wanted to come out with him and support Jalen."

The presence of some of the Bulls' best players certainly added to the pomp, circumstance and magic of the night for the Patriots, who dealt Warren its first North Suburban Conference Lake Division loss in 19 games, or almost a season and a half.

The Blue Devils won their last six league games two years ago and cruised through the Lake with a 12-0 record last season to further cement their standing as the king of the hill of Lake County boys basketball.

"To beat a team like Warren was really a step in the right direction for our team. It gives us a lot of confidence," said Ambrose, whose team was 5-1 heading into Thursday's nonconference tilt against Dundee-Crown. "We did all the right things at the right times. And our kids did a good job of compartmentalizing. It was a big game with a lot of distractions, not only with the crowd but with the fact that it was Warren coming in with all of their (history) and everything. They were able to block out what they needed to and focus on what they needed to."

Even Brunson, who should have been the most side-tracked, played with razor-sharp precision. He gave his NBA buddies their money's worth, scoring 14 points and making play after crowd-pleasing play.

"Jalen had another really good game," Ambrose said of his young star. "He is such a valuable piece of our team."

Freshman first: Freshman guard Jalen Brunson might be the first player in Stevenson history to sit four professional basketball players in his personal cheering section all at once.

But more notably, he's definitely the first freshman at Stevenson in nearly 15 years, and likely longer, to start games right out of the box.

"I know it's never happened since I've been here," said Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose, who is in his 13th season with the Patriots. "We've had freshmen play for us, but never start, and start right away like Jalen has."

There's a reason for that.

Ambrose says he rarely sees freshmen who are as ready and well-prepared for varsity ball as Brunson was. Both physically and mentally.

"The biggest things I saw were his demeanor and his maturity," Ambrose said. "He's a very good player, yes. He 's a great ball-handler and he can score and play defense. But, mostly, it's just the way Jalen handles himself, that's the biggest thing that made me believe he could handle varsity. He just has the right attitude and he handles even tough situations with such maturity."

Name game: The name "Simon" should be familiar to long-time Stevenson fans.

It's been more than a decade since David Simon called the Stevenson fieldhouse home, but the late-blooming center certainly is tough to forget.

He put together one of the best senior seasons in program history, shooting up to 6-foot-9 after beginning his career as a 6-footer who was cut as a freshman and barely made the team as a sophomore and junior.

Simon went on to play college basketball in Indiana at IUPUFW and was a two-time all-American before earning tryouts with multiple NBA teams.

Simon is currently playing overseas in Serbia but always comes home in the summer to donate his time to his high school alma mater and to help his step-brother, Chandler.

Chandler Simon is a 6-foot-5 senior forward for the Patriots who is a different type of player than David, but who is following a similar path.

Chandler is also somewhat of a late-bloomer.

"Chandler was our biggest surprise of the summer," Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said. "He hasn't really played a lot in the past so he has a lot of untapped potential and we're starting to see that now.

"It's been nice because when David comes back in the summer to give back to our program, I think he's helped to motivate Chandler."

Simon had just 2 points in Stevenson's win over Warren on Tuesday, but provided tough defense in the paint and was strong on the boards.

"I thought Chandler gave us some really good time," Ambrose said. "He's not as big as David and David could do some different things. But like David, Chandler is a heady, strong player who will help us a lot in the post."