Cary-Grove among five basketball teams ready to thrive

Coach Adam McCloud is the first to admit it was the right place at the right time when he took over the Cary-Grove basketball program in 2016.

“I heard a buzz about the kids that would be coming through,” says McCloud of a group of young players who would be entering high school in the fall of 2016.

Any kind of buzz surrounding Cary-Grove basketball would be welcomed, considering the program has one regional title and four 20-win seasons in school history.

Sharp-shooting guard Beau Frericks and 6-8 Frank Jakubicek are part of a senior-dominated team with big expectations after winning 21 games a year ago. Jakubicek and Frericks, two scholarship players headed to Belmont and Division II Lewis, respectively, will get ample support from seniors Clark Cunningham, Drew Szydlo and Dan Sowa, along with junior Ryan Weaver.

Also part of that young group four years ago were the Ambrose brothers, Matthew and Evan, who were in the Cary-Grove district before moving to play for their dad, Pat Ambrose, at highly-ranked Stevenson.

Despite the lack of basketball history, Cary-Grove embarks on a season where expectations have been raised. McCloud says “he is an awe” of the time his leaders have put in over the past few years in getting to this point.

McCloud, a 2002 Cary-Grove graduate, adds his players are well aware of both the history and the opportunity ahead of them.

“They know what’s at stake and what can be accomplished,” McCloud said. “There is a chance to leave a legacy, to compete deeper in the playoffs. But we want to worry about reaching our potential rather than what hasn’t been done here.”

So McCloud says his team has turned to “trying to win each day.” He admits it’s a bit of a cliché, but it’s the best way for this team to avoid some of the pressure.

“We’ll continue to focus on the process rather than the end result,” McCloud said. “If we can do that the goals will take care of themselves.”

Last year McCloud believes his team had too big of a focus on the goals. They still managed to scratch out just the fourth 20-win season in program history. But McCould says his players know what they left out there.

“I think there is a chip on their shoulder with the games that we didn’t close out last year,” McCloud said.

Last year’s team finished a game out of first in the Fox Valley Conference and then lost 66-60 to South Elgin in the regional championship.

“Now we will see how we react, see what happens in that hyper-competitive opportunities,” McCloud said. “We fell short last year. There are no more excuses.”

There are several other teams without the basketball pedigree or history who, like Cary-Grove, enter the season with either more energy, excitement, expectations or a mixture of all three.

Oak Lawn

There are big expectations for a team that was .500 last season and a program that hasn’t surpassed 20 wins since 1980. With the return of Sami Osmani and his 22 points a game, along with the backcourt of Trey Ward and David Reyes, the Spartans have landed in the Sun-Times’ preseason Super 25.

Oak Forest

Some may say last year’s 23-win season was the coming-out party for this team. But the Bengals, led by 6-5 Jayson Kent, a Division I prospect with size on the perimeter and terrific shooting ability, 6-8 sophomore Robbie Avila and senior Juan Avila, are in search of their first regional championship in over 30 years. Can they make a run at Hillcrest in the South Suburban Blue?

Eisenhower

Quietly, Eisenhower won 17 games a year ago and will be better this season. Unheralded 6-3 scoring combo guard Jemel Jones is fresh off a season in which he put up 17 points, six rebounds and five assists a game. He is one of four key players back while 6-5 Tajon Barry is an up-and-coming junior.

Tinley Park

This isn’t a team that’s going to threaten top 25 teams, win a conference title or make a deep postseason run this season. But it’s a program worth talking about now. The arrival of 6-8 AJ Casey, a transfer from Simeon who is the top-ranked prospect in the Class of 2023, has created a buzz.

Casey is one of several young players who will learn on the fly and build towards the future, including sophomores Keon Richardson, AaReyon Munir-Jones and Malachi Haythorne, along with 6-6 freshman Amarion Johnson.

Evergreen Park

The regional drought is in the midst of its fourth decade, and there have been just three 20-win seasons in school history. But building off last year’s 12-win season and clawing close to a 20-win season is attainable.

Coach Pat Flannigan has five senior starters, including 6-2 guard Rasheed Dyson, the team’s returning leading scorer. Dyson is one of a host of players who can shoot the three as Dyson, Jake Sliter and Michael Shulte combined to knock down 197 three-pointers last season.