August 2011
1 post
Boot Camp Links
If you’ve missed any of our Boot Camp previews, the links below will take you to CIProud.com, where you can catch up on the schools we’ve been to. Pre-Season Scrimmage Highlights Peoria Central Lions Morton Potters IVC Grey Ghosts Bloomington Purple Raiders Manual Rams & Notre Dame Irish Pekin Dragons & East Peoria Radiers Tremont Turks Dee-Mack Chiefs Normal West...
Aug 18th
June 2011
1 post
The Year of Notre Dame
Memories are defined by moments. The school that kept on piling up memorable moments throughout the high school sports season was Notre Dame High School.  It was no surprise that the Irish soccer team won the Class 2A soccer title. Notre Dame has long been one of the state’s elite soccer programs, but again, the moments of their state championship victory over Ridgewood is what made the...
Jun 8th
April 2011
1 post
A Bullish Confession
It’s time to come out and admit it. I was that guy.  I thought the Bulls had no chance of winning a championship when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all opted for South Beach instead of Chicago.  My expectations were at least realistic. I wasn’t expecting all three to sign with the Bulls, nor did Chicago have the cap space to facilitate such move. I thought to myself,...
Apr 28th
March 2011
4 posts
High School Hoops Breakdown
There’s plenty of great games to choose from on Friday if you’re a basketball junkie and/or a central Illinois hoops fan.  The lineup:  Class 1A - Dee-Mack vs. Newark (state semifinal) 2:00 pm @ Carver Arena Class 3A - Peoria Central vs. Rock Island (sectional championship) 7:30 pm @ Renaissance Coliseum Morton vs. Washington (sectional championship) 7:30 pm @...
Mar 10th
“I’m reluctant to say one of those things over the other. It’s always...”
– Bradley AD Dr. Michael Cross on the search for Bradley’s new basketball coach
Mar 8th
“I want to play for Bradley. There’s no question about it, but at the same...”
– Limestone Senior Donivine Stewart on his future now that Bradley is looking for a new basketball coach.
Mar 7th
Help Wanted at Bradley
Jim Les is out as Bradley’s basketball coach. Who’s in? Who knows? What I do know is that Bradley’s basketball program now possesses all the intangibles to have a successful program that should be in contention for conference championships and NCAA Tournament berths every year.  The Braves currently possess what few mid-major programs in the entire country have: the total...
Mar 7th
February 2011
3 posts
Class 3A & 4A Final Four Picks
I’ll make this quicker than the previous mega-post on the high school hoops postseason. Take these picks for what they are - an educated guess. I haven’t seen every team in the state play this season, so some of this is based off of what I’ve read and heard. Class 3A Final Four Morgan Park Peoria Notre Dame Lincoln Chicago Crane Semifinals: Notre Dame over Morgan Park,...
Feb 28th
9 tags
Breaking Down the Big School Basketball Brackets
Since I moved back to central Illinois in September, I’ve been waiting for this four-week stretch of pure basketball bliss. I grew up in the Springfield-area and was well aware of the deep basketball tradition that Peoria had and now I’m thrilled to be totally engrossed in the action.  I was at Carver Arena in 2004 when the Shaun Livingston led Central team completed a run of...
Feb 28th
19 notes
The Numbers & Bloomington Central Catholic
The Bloomington Central Catholic girls basketball team has been good this season.  Real good.  The Saints stormed through the playoffs, winning by an average margin of 34 points per game, including a 32 point win over Litchfield in Monday’s super-sectional.  That’s how good they’ve been.  BCC, the defending 2A champions, is taking a 41 game winning streak into this...
Feb 23rd
January 2011
1 post
6 tags
March Thoughts in January
Now that high school holiday basketball has been fully digested and the latest AP basketball poll has Peoria Notre Dame as the top team in 3A, let’s take a look at the Irish’s potential path come late February/early March. The IHSA has only released regional and sectional assignments, but it still can paint a picture of what’s ahead.  The Irish are in the Dunlap regional that...
Jan 5th
1 note