No teams are in a league of their own
Last boys basketball season, every DuPage County conference except for the DuPage Valley was decided by a margin of two games or fewer.
With a new crop of teams and some realignment, let's take a look at this season's races.
DuPage Valley: Glenbard East won the league by four games last year, and the Rams again are favored. Don't expect a similar margin, however, and don't be surprised if the Rams led by Northern Illinois-bound Zach Miller and Illinois State-bound Johnny Hill aren't unbeaten. West Aurora, with Juwan Starks and 6-foot-7 Kyle Pilmer, will be much improved. Wheaton Warrenville South's top three players are still competing in football, including All-Area point guard Reilly O'Toole, but the Tigers should have a say in things along with Naperville North and Matt LaCosse.
East Suburban Catholic: Benet amazingly went unbeaten in the league last year to claim its first ESCC title since 1995. With Northwestern-bound point guard Dave Sobolewski and 7-foot center Frank Kaminsky, headed to Wisconsin, the Redwings are expected to repeat especially with perennial power St. Joseph no longer in the conference. Benet coach Gene Heidkamp, though, is already thinking about key early matchups against Quinton Chievous and Notre Dame along with St. Patrick.
Interstate Eight: Seneca took a major tumble last year while Herscher surprisingly went unbeaten and rode a 24-game winning streak before losing in the playoffs. The Tigers and Dwight, with all-IEC returners Jens Kennedy and Cal Vigna, will be in the mix. Expect Seneca to bounce back. This also should be a good season for Lisle, which returns a bunch of experience headed by 6-6 third-year starter Chris Wray.
Metro Suburban: Last year's wrinkle was the addition of Timothy Christian and Illiana Christian to the four-team group. This season the MSC expands to seven schools as Glenbard South joins the mix. Regardless of the changes, though, defending champion Riverside-Brookfield remains the front-runner with senior point guard Ryan Jackson and 6-8 Alex Dziagwa. Glenbard South and Joe Harks should compete immediately while Timothy Christian needs to overcome the graduation losses of Reggie Greenwood and Rob Stein.
Suburban Christian Blue: St. Francis, which returns Ryan Coyle, edged Marian Central last year. They'll be battling again, but keep an eye on Marmion and new coach Ryan Paradise, a former Naperville Central standout.
Suburban Christian Gold: Even without graduated Tim Rusthoven, Wheaton Academy figures to repeat with 6-9 Luke Johnson, 6-6 Luke Thorson and Tate Fritz in addition to a couple of transfers. Immaculate Conception returns one of the division's top players in Demetrius Mobley, who averaged 15 points last year.
Upstate Eight Valley: Neuqua Valley's dominance of the league may be shifting this season, but don't count out the Wildcats. Even with only one returning starter, they'll be competitive. The edge goes to East Aurora and the backcourt of Ryan Boatright, who looks like he's finally settled his college choice on Connecticut, and Snoop Viser. Look for a much better Waubonsie Valley team to make things interesting. Jakobi Johnson, 6-8 Tyler Edmondson and others will add to a competitive Valley Division.
Upstate Eight River: St. Charles North already looked good with Josh Mikes, 6-7 Kyle Nelson and Chris Conrad, but the transfer of Division I-caliber Quinten Payne turns the North Stars into a powerhouse. Geneva's defense will keep them in the hunt.
West Suburban Gold: Proviso East is still favored with its never-ending stream of talent. This year the youthful Pirates are led by highly-recruited juniors Keith Carter and Treshaun Carroll in addition to sophomore Sterling Brown, younger brother of the Lakers' Shannon Brown. Don't count out Downers South, though, as the junior backcourt of Jerron Wilbut and Jamall Millison combines with 6-7 Ziggy Riauka.
West Suburban Silver: Led by Illinois State-bound forward Nick Zeisloft, Lyons Twp. will be in great shape to defend the Silver crown. Oak Park and Proviso West also look like contenders while York may have the league's best player in 6-3 guard Will Sullivan, who's closing in on becoming the program's all-time leading scorer.
kschmit@dailyherald.com