First of all, what the heck...

...kind of name is Proviso East for a high school?

According to Wikipedia my research staff, Proviso East came into existence in 1958 (the year I was born) when Proviso Township High School was split into two. But that doesn't help with the name "Proviso"; where did that come from? Apparently, the township was organized in 1850 as Taylor, but changed its name shortly afterward to honor the Wilmot Proviso, a contemporary piece of legislation intended to stop the spread of slavery. (That doesn't explain why they didn't call it "Wilmot," but I'll drop the issue for now.)

Anyway, I made my way down to Maywood Friday night for the game after a quick detour to Russell's Barbecue in Elmwood Park. (The ribs are to die for.)

When I arrived at the school I realized it had been several years since I'd been to a high school basketball game. (The last one, I think, was to see Jon Scheyer play for Glenbrook North.) And I think I know why: the quality of high school basketball, unlike football, is just not that high.

(Those of you who didn't just throw your iPads across the room can read on.)

While I'll grant that I'm not a particularly sophisticated basketball fan, the two teams seemed to miss a lot of passes and easy shots. (They all look easy from the bleachers.) The play was sloppy, though; Hinsdale South committed 31 turnovers. Thirty-one! Is that because Proviso East was that good, or because the Hornets were that bad? I suspect it's the latter since the Pirates only won by twelve points, 71-59.

Oh, well; I enjoyed the evening nonetheless. (Even though the lady selling tickets asked me if I was a "senior." What's the matter with people these days? Do they all need glasses or something?) I also ran into an old friend of mine from the Merc (is it possible to go anywhere in the Chicago area without seeing someone from that place?) and he explained some of the finer points of the game to me (such as the one about losing by only twelve points despite committing 31 turnovers). It was a neat old gym (the school was founded in 1911, before my parents were even born) and the band was quite good, if a little too loud for my friend. And I don't think I've ever seen a game -- in any sport -- where two of the starting players on the same team had the first name "Paris." (That must make it hard for the coach. "Hey, Paris, get over here! No, not you -- Paris!" I wonder if Paris Hilton ever ran into that problem when she was in school.)

Anyway, Proviso East won the game handily and remain undefeated. Besides the two Parises -- Lee and Burns -- Keith Carter, Michael Nicholas and Sterling Brown had good games; Jerry Stoltz, Phil George and Brock Benson were the stars for Hinsdale South.

Will I go to another high school basketball game soon? Sure; why not? New Trier plays Evanston next Friday night at Northwestern.