Student meets teacher in Burlington-Hampshire game
It could be looked at as the old student vs. teacher game, but when the girls basketball teams from Burlington Central and Hampshire meet Saturday at Hampshire's Pack the Place night, the game will have more meaning to first-year Rockets coach Stephanie Smith than just going home.
"It gives me a great opportunity to go back and show the other side of me," Smith said. "Hampshire is a place I represent with a lot of great tradition. It's what I want my program to become. Hampshire is consistent and that's what we want to become. We want to become that program that plays the same way day in and day out. I think we can learn a lot at Hampshire."
Smith is a 2000 Hampshire graduate who scored 1,245 points and had 620 assists in her Whip-Pur career before she went on to play at Northern Illinois University. Hampshire teams Smith played on won 75 of 91 games, and that's what she hopes she can build the Burlington Central program to be - a consistent winner.
"I cheer for Steph and her program every night except the two they play us," said Hampshire coach Sue Ellett, who was part of Milt Awe's staff when Smith played at Hampshire. "I hope she has a long career. She's got a lot of offer kids. I always enjoy the challenge of going up against anybody who is a quality coach and to have it be someone from your own program is special. It's neat to have kids from your own school go on to do what you enjoy. It tells you that while they were in high school they enjoyed what they were doing.
"Stephanie had a great opportunity to get a head coaching job and such a young age. All I really want to know is if she's going to where purple or blue Saturday night."
Smith will likely be clad in Rocket blue, and she'd like nothing better than to give the 15-0 and Class 3A No. 8 ranked Whip-Purs their first loss of the season. BC enters Saturday's Big Northern East contest 12-6 after Thursday's overtime win against Batavia.
"To give Hampshire its first loss would be my greatest coaching memory so far," said Smith, who coaches Hampshire's Chrissy Heine on Team USA in the summer. "I have nothing but respect for Sue Ellett and the Hampshire program. I know it's going to be a good game and a good test for our team."
And while Smith was a great player in high school, so too was Ellett, a member of the 1983 Dundee-Crown Elite Eight squad.
"If I took her left, I think I could hold her to single digits," Ellett laughed.
But Smith, who has about 6 inches on Ellett, is ready for the challenge and knows how she'd counter Ellett's game.
"It's on," Smith lauhged. "Just tell her I'm going to post her up."
A look at the weekend: It's been a light schedule this week with many schools having semester finals, but the weekend kicks things back into gear -well, at least Saturday does. But there are some intriguing matchups tonight in nonconference play as Jacobs (16-6) travels to St. Charles East (11-6). At 5-1, the Saints are in the thick of the hunt in the Upstate Eight Conference. Jacobs, which is off Saturday, will then play West Aurora at 11 a.m. on Monday in the MLK Shootout at Joliet West High School. Also tonight, South Elgin visits Huntley in nonconference action, while Streamwood hosts Lake Park and Bartlett hosts Larkin in Upstate Eight games that start at 6 p.m. as the front end of girls-boys doubleheaders. On Saturday, South Elgin hosts Elgin in Upstate Eight play at 2:30 p.m., and intriguing nonconference matchups of Cary-Grove at Buffalo Grove, and Crystal Lake South at Bartlett are also on tap. St. Edward, which has been off all week for finals, plays a Suburban Christian Gold game at Chicago Christian Saturday afternoon. The Green Wave own two wins over Chicago Christian this season.
Postseason update: Judson University will host a Class 1A supersectional with Westminster Christian as the host high school. The Feb. 22 Elite Eight game will feature sectional winners from Forreston and Mooseheart. Elgin Community College's Events Center will again be the site of a Class 3-4A supersectional doubleheader on March 1. The 3A game will pit sectional winners from DeKalb and St. Viator, and the 4A contest will pit the winners of the Huntley and Libertyville sectionals against each other.
Seeding time: Class 1A and 2A schools will hold their seeding meetings Jan. 21, with Class 3A and 4A schools seeding for the postseason the following week.