FVC Fox race looks wide open
The Fox hunt is on, and Huntley is one of six evenly matched teams in pursuit.
Huntley coach Marty Manning predicted before Fox Division play within the Fox Valley Conference began last Thursday that the divisional race would be absolutely wide open, a forecast that proved prescient right off the bat.
The team with the best nonconference record going into divisional play, Grayslake Central (12-4), was knocked off at home in the divisional opener by Johnsburg (9-10), a sophomore-laden squad with a new head coach.
"I think people will be raising their eyebrows at certain outcomes," said Manning, whose team, in turn, won 51-46 at Johnsburg Wednesday to improve to 12-6 overall and 2-0 in the Fox.
"I could see a bunch of teams at 6-4, 5-5 and 4-6. There's just no team that's head and shoulders above anyone else and they all play such different styles. It's just going to be a matter of which team is performing better at their style on that given night."
Huntley hosts Prairie Ridge (3-17, 1-1) tonight.
The Wolves had been a tough luck-loser prior to Wednesday, when they snapped an 8-game losing streak by defeating Grayslake North 47-44 in Crystal Lake.
The frustrated Wolves had dropped their previous four contests by a grand total of 14 points combined.
Elgin vs. Larkin date change: The sophomore and varsity boys basketball games between the Maroons and Royals have been moved up a day.
Originally scheduled for next Thursday, Jan. 31, the games have been switched to Wednesday, Jan. 30 at Larkin. The sophomores will play at 5:45 p.m. with the varsity game to follow at 7:15 p.m.
Spell that twice:ŒPlayers from both Streamwood and Bartlett will be getting advice from an assistant coach named Szpejnowski tonight when the Elgin Area School District U-46 teams renew their Upstate Eight Conference rivalry in Bartlett.
Leo Szpejnowski coached boys basketball in the district for 22 years, including six years as the head coach at Streamwood before he became the first varsity boys basketball coach in Bartlett history in 1998.
On the other bench will sit Leo's son, Steve Szpejnowski, who is serving as the varsity assistant coach under first-year Streamwood head coach Tim Jones this season.
Leo Szpejnowski, 54, who stepped down as Bartlett coach in 2003, in part, to spend more time watching Steve play football at Augustana, is assisting first-year Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith's transition. He remains a driver's education and physical education teacher at Bartlett High.
Attaway, Sabres:ŒWhile most suburbanites were snuggled up warm in their beds Sunday morning, safe from the sub-zero temperatures outside, members of the Streamwood boys basketball team rose early and braved the cold to do their part for the community.
The varsity team acted as scorers and timekeepers for the Special Olympics state qualifier at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights.
"It was really, really neat, and they all had a great time," Streamwood coach Tim Jones said. "It might not relate to wins and losses, but there are a lot of positive things going on with this particular group of players. They did a nice job."
New group, new strategy:ŒEvery season basketball coaches are presented with unique challenges based on the attributes of a given year's crop of players.
The challenge this season for Dundee-Crown coach Lance Huber and assistants Bob Sweeney and Brian Johnson has been to mold a young group of starters into a winner, something Huber hasn't attempted since taking over for Bruce Firchau.
Huber's first team in 2003-04 had four senior starters and talented sophomore Sam Lynch.
In 2004-05 he had four seniors and junior Ryan Harris (Lynch did not play due to a suspension).
In 2005-06, the Chargers started four seniors and Paul Mallers.
Last year, Mallers led the list of five senior starters who eventually upset a 26-1 Jacobs team to win a regional.
That's what makes this year's starting five unique: D-C has one senior starter in Jeff Beck while the rest are juniors.
"We teach a lot more in practice," Huber said. But the hardest thing for us as coaches is that each group is different in what they need at practice.
Last year's group, no matter what we did, they'd get after it. This group we need to get on their case a little bit more. They don't understand that each day is important yet. Hopefully, they'll pick that up."
Dundee-Crown lost 57-42 at Cary-Grove Wednesday to fall to 8-8, 1-1 in the Valley Division.
Hoping to play:ŒBurlington Central senior forward Jason Wagner had an MRI done Wednesday on the high-ankle sprain that forced him to miss two games since he suffered the injury in practice last week.
Wagner, who averages 12.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, could be a game-time decision for Burlington Central's rematch against Sycamore on Saturday if cleared by doctors to play.