Young, Montini top first basketball polls of 2014

Benet libero Caroline Wolf was among three Illinois players named to the MaxPreps All-American team.

Here’s how I voted in the first AP Illinois High School Girls Basketball Poll of 2014:

Class 4A

1. Whitney Young 12-1

2. Homewood-Flossmoor 9-2

3. Rolling Meadows 14-2

4. Marian Catholic 12-3

5. Fremd 12-2

6. Wheaton Warrenville South 14-2

7. New Trier 15-0

8. Trinity 13-2

9. Neuqua Valley 12-5

10. Edwardsville 12-0

Class 3A

1. Montini 16-1

2. Joliet Catholic 11-1

3. Morgan Park 9-2

4. Bishop McNamara 11-2

5. Springfield

6. Quincy Notre Dame 11-1

7. Normal University

8. Burlington Central 11-2

9. Carmel 13-2

10. Coal City 14-0

How the pollsters saw it:

Class 4A

1. Whitney Young (6) 12-1 87 3

2. Rolling Meadows 14-2 69 2

3. Edwardsville (2) 12-0 68 5

4. Homewood-Flossmoor 9-2 65 4

5. Marian Catholic (1) 12-3 54 1

6. Wheaton Warrenville South 14-2 42 T6

7. Fremd 12-2 35 NR

8. Bolingbrook 7-2 19 8

9. Naperville Neuqua Valley 12-5 16 T6

10. New Trier 15-0 15 NR

Others receiving votes: Trinity 9, Huntley 5, Rock Island 3, Oak Lawn 3, Oak Park River Forest 2, Moline 2, Hononegah 1.

Class 3A

1. Montini (4) 16-1 120 1

2. Quincy Notre Dame (6) 11-1 105 2

3. Joliet Catholic (2) 11-0 98 4

4. Springfield (1) 15-1 65 NR

5. Morgan Park 9-2 52 NR

6. Bishop McNamara 11-2 47 6

7. Morton 9-1 44 5

8. Washington 9-0 41 10

9. Normal University 11-1 40 7

10. Vernon Hills 11-4 36 3

Others receiving votes: Effingham 19, Burlington Central 11, Richwoods 9, Champaign Centennial 8, Marian Central 6, Massac County 6, Fairbury Prairie Central 2, Bethalto Civic Memorial 2, Carmel 2, Coal City 1, Mendota 1.

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Four Illinois girls – Amarah Coleman of Homewood-Flossmoor, Kortney Dunbar of Edwardsville, Young’s Khaalia Hillsman and Jasmine Lumpkin of Joliet Catholic – were nominated for the McDonald’s All American Game, which will be held Wednesday, April 2 at the United Center.

The final teams will be announced at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 29 on ESPNU.

Players were nominated by high school coaches, athletic directors, principals and members of the McDonald’s All American Games Selection Committee. Nearly 1,000 players were nominated. Ohio led with 121 nominees, Texas had 97 players nominated and Iowa 72.

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The schedule for the 24th Annual McDonald’s Shootout has been released by event organizer Jim O’Boye. All games are played at Willowbrook High School in Villa Park. Tickets for each day are $7 for adults, $5 for students and $3 for seniors. A ticket is good for all games that day.

There is one revision from previous schedules. Marian Catholic, which was originally scheduled to play Vernon Hills at 3 p.m. on Monday, January 20, will instead play Rolling Meadows at 6 p.m. Fenwick, which was slated to play Rolling Meadows at 6 p.m., will instead play Vernon Hills at 3 p.m.

Here is the schedule for the three-day event:

24th Annual McDonald’s Shootout

Friday, January 17

Warren vs. St. Ignatius , 6 p.m.

Andrew vs. Hinsdale Central, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 18

Plainfield East vs. Brooks, 9 a.m.

Bogan vs. Plainfield North, 10:30 a.m.

Wheaton North vs. Hillcrest, 12 p.m.

Oregon-Davis (Hamlet, Ind.) vs. Benet, 1:30 p.m.

St. Thomas More vs. Geneva, 3 p.m.

Pickerington North (Ohio) vs. Maine West, 4:30 p.m.

Prospect vs. Wheaton-Warrenville South, 6 p.m.

Burlington Central vs, Fremd, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, January 20

Providence vs. Willowbrook, 9 a.m.

Kokomo (Ind.) vs. Marist, 10:30 a.m.

Pickerington North (Ohio) vs. Bloom, 12 p.m..

Batavia vs. Joliet Catholic, 1:30 p.m.

Vernon Hills vs. Fenwick, 3 p.m.

Bolingbrook vs. Montini, 4:30 p.m.

Marian Catholic vs. Rolling Meadows, 6 p.m.

Neuqua Valley vs. Trinity, 7:30 p.m.

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It’s hard to understand why Crystal Lake South’s Carly Nolan, Benet’s Rachael Fara and Mother McAuley’s Ryann DeJarld are not on the list, but Prepvolleyball.com’s list of the top 50 impact collegiate recruits in the Class of 2015 only includes two players from Illinois – Lyon’s 5-foot-10 setter Hannah Juley and Nazareth’s 6-3 outside hitter Julia Saunders, both of whom have verbally committed to Wisconsin.

The next 35 included 6-6 rightside Sarah Shafiq of New Trier (California), 6-2 middle blocker Kristen Somerville of St. Ignatius (Connecticut), and 6-3 middle blocker Symone Speech of Oak Park-River Forest (Uncommitted).

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Benet libero Caroline Wolf, Waubonsie Valley setter Rachel Minarick and New Trier setter and Sun-Times Player of the Year Taylor Tashima were named to the MaxPreps All-American team. All three players were second-team selections.