Orr relished winning the Class 2A state title last season, but the rest of the city wasn’t all that impressed.
The Public League also brought home the Class 3A (Morgan Park) and Class 4A (Young) trophies. That took some of the luster off the small school title. The Spartans heard about it all summer.
“Everyone throws the 2A in our face,” Orr senior Dannie Smith said.
The Spartans are still in Class 2A this season, but there is a way to shut up those bigger schools.
“Winning city would show everyone that we can compete with the best,” Smith said. “That is very important to us.”
Orr, the Sun-Times’ preseason No. 1 team, returns nearly everyone from last season and has added several transfers that will strengthen the squad.
“[The city title] is really on our mind heavy,” Orr’s Ty Mosley said. “We think about it every day in practice. We at least have to get to Chicago State. We lost a nail-biter to Curie last season. That was a game we should have won. It’s not going to happen like that this year.”
Mosley, a 6-6 senior, has signed with Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Smith, a 6-5 senior, is one of the state’s best uncommitted players. High-flying athlete Raekwon Drake, sharpshooter Brian Hernandez and underrated swingman Emanuel O’Neal also return.
The biggest new addition is point guard Chase Adams, a transfer from Marian Catholic. The 5-8 senior was a grammar school social media sensation at Ariel. His seventh grade highlight video has more than 13 million views on YouTube.
“I think the world has forgotten about him,” Orr coach Lou Adams said. “He was known in eighth grade, but the city hasn’t really seen him since then. They don’t know how good this kid is. People talk about size, but that doesn’t matter. This guy can really play.”
The Spartans were an incredibly unselfish team last season, it was one of the major keys to their success. Having a true point guard should only help.
“That just makes it a lot easier for me to come in and do what I have to do, when everyone else is unselfish too,” Chase Adams said. “I’m from the city, so the transition has been easy. The west side is a lot different from the south side, that’s for sure. But the team was so welcoming to me. There weren’t any negatives, just a family feel right away. We all clicked. It’s going to flow right into the season.”
Lou Adams says Smith is is one of the three or four best players in the state. The addition of a true point guard could help him make a run at Player of the Year.
“The game changes for me now, Chase makes things easier,” Smith said. “Now we have someone that can slow things down, run the team and make plays.”
Junior Terry Williams transferred in from Simeon and sophomore Demarius Splunge has joined from Clark, where he started all season as a freshman.
“[Splunge] will be a pro,” Lou Adams said. “He’s probably the most talented kid in the state. He’s 6-6, can handle it and shoot it. He has the size, the IQ, he’s got it. He’s ready.”
The Spartans don’t have an easy warmup game to help them ease into the season. They will put the No. 1 ranking on the line against No. 5 Curie on Wednesday at Quest Multisport.
“On paper we look really good,” Lou Adams said. “But let’s see how we look on Wednesday.”
