The first game was the Public League City Championship, played on Friday night at Chicago State University on the South Side. (What a nice venue for a game!) No. 1 Simeon defeated No. 3 Curie, 53-49, in a contest that really wasn't as close as the final score would indicate. Simeon's star player, Jabari Parker (number 22, above) got into foul trouble early and sat out most of the first half. Also, the Wolverines seemed to go into a bit of a stall with about two and a half minutes remaining, allowing the Condors the chance to make it closer than necessary. Parker ended up with 11 points and five rebounds, Kendrick Nunn led the game with 15 points, and my choice for player of the game, Steve Taylor (number 15, above), added 11 points and 11 rebounds. Devin Foster scored 19 points for Curie.
On Saturday, New Trier defeated St. Rita, 59-42, in the opener of the City-Suburban Showdown at Proviso West High School in Hillside. (It was my first experience traveling through a metal detector to see a game.) Connor Boehm had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Trevians; Dominique Matthews led the Mustangs with 12 points.
In the best game of the day, Proviso East outlasted Warren, 73-66. (The guys around me were Proviso East fans and they got a bit of a scare going down the stretch.) Keith Carter and Paris Burns each scored 17 points for the Pirates, while Darius Paul led the Blue Devils with 19. (Expect to see Warren go deep in the postseason.)
And in the day's finale, Simeon held off a young De La Salle team, 59-51. Parker, whom many are calling the most sought after junior in the nation, put on a show, with 23 points and 14 rebounds. (Watch for the Meteors next year.)
It was a fun weekend and I'm looking forward to the playoffs.
And now for the negative news. Although I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most sophisticated basketball fan in the world (I'm not even all that knowledgeable about football), I have to say that I wasn't all that impressed with the quality of play. Simeon's Jabari Parker is the best player in the nation? Really? I'd be surprised if he was the best player in Chicago. (I'd say his teammate, Steve Taylor, is the best player on the Wolverines.) If this guy is only two years or so from playing in the NBA, shouldn't he be just dominating his opponents? I'm sorry, but I didn't see it.
When I go to a high school football game, on the other hand (and I went to over twenty this past season), and I see someone like Bolingbrook's Aaron Bailey (who's only a junior) or Nebraska-bound Jordan Westerkamp or Joliet Catholic's Ty Isaac (who has an offer from USC), I come home and tell my brother or my son, "You gotta see this guy! He's amazing!"
So why don't I do that with kids like Jabari Parker? Is it because I just don't understand basketball that well? Probably. Or, maybe the quality of high school basketball just isn't as good as football. Is that possible?
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