20 questions and answers on the Chicago high school basketball season

Twenty questions and answers on the upcoming season.

1. Who is the best player in the Chicago area?

Young’s DJ Steward is a Duke recruit and has the highest national ranking, but the jury is still out. Morgan Park’s Adam Miller was just as good as Steward last season and the two seniors will be battling for Player of the Year honors the next several months.

2. Which players are on the preseason All-State team?

Steward, Miller, Rolling Meadows junior Max Christie, Curie’s Ramean Hinton and Simeon’s Jeremiah Williams.

3. Which teams are the favorites to win Class 4A?

Bloom, Young, Simeon and Stevenson are the top tier. The Blazing Trojans and Dolphins are the favorites. Both teams are loaded with high-level talent and some size. Simeon is young and could be excellent by March. The Patriots don’t have size or elite talent or a ton of depth, but they play well together and can shoot.

4. Is there a team that could make a Cinderella run?

Marian Catholic. The Spartans have a star in Iowa recruit Ahron Ulis and an athletic, productive group around him including 6-6 Western Illinois recruit Elijah Jones, Yemi Elutilo and Joe Green.

Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times

5. Who are the favorites in Class 3A?

This is the best and deepest field of teams in the history of Class 3A. The IHSA tweaked things and several schools have dropped down from Class 4A. It will be much harder to win a 3A sectional than in past seasons.

Morgan Park is an extremely heavy preseason favorite to win 3A. Notre Dame, Bogan and Hillcrest are the top challengers.

6. What’s the most interesting development for this season?

The south suburbs are loaded. There are seven south suburban teams in the Super 25 and several that just missed the cut. Oak Lawn and Oak Forest will have their best teams in decades. Star sophomore AJ Casey has all of Tinley Park excited about basketball.

7. Which player has improved the most since last season?

Bogan’s Kyndall Davis and St. Viator’s Connor Kochera both earned raves for their play over the spring and summer. Also keep an eye on Louis Lesmond, who transferred from Evanston to Notre Dame.

8. Which players are worth traveling to see?

Steward, Miller and Christie are all clearly worth a trip. But don’t miss the chance to watch Bloom and Stevenson. Both teams display the best of high school basketball. The Patriots and Blazing Trojans’ players grew up together in the same district and matured into terrific teams.

9. Which freshman is a budding superstar?

The early buzz is around Morgan Park’s 6-6 Javonte Taylor. He’s the younger brother of Steve Taylor, who played at Mount Carmel, Simeon, Marquette and Toledo.

10. Who is the most important transfer?

Jeremiah Williams. The do-it-all senior transferred from St. Laurence to Simeon. His presence completely changes the expectations for the Wolverines. Without him they were a young team a year away. With him they are state-title contenders.

11. Who are the most under appreciated players in the area?

Cary-Grove has a pair of stars, Beau Frericks and Frank Jakubicek, that remain unknown generally just due to geography. Payton’s Jabari Chiphe and Westinghouse’s Devin Davis are the city’s two most under appreciated players.

12. Which teams were overlooked in the preseason Super 25?

Expect Loyola, Farragut, North Lawndale, Niles North, Oak Forest, Romeoville and Zion-Benton to all crack the rankings at some point this season.

13. What is the must-see game of the year?

This is weird, but the best regular season game of the season is likely on Monday. No. 2 Morgan Park faces No. 3 Young at Chicago State. The game matches up the two best seniors in the state, Duke recruit DJ Steward and Morgan Park’s Adam Miller.

14. What is the strongest conference in the area?

The Red-North/West takes the title this season. Young, Orr, Lincoln Park and Westinghouse are all ranked and Farragut and North Lawndale just missed the cut. Payton, Marshall and Lane will also be competitive.

15. Who are the top shooters?

Miller, Evanston junior, Blake Peters, Neuqua Valley junior John Poulakidas, Beau Frericks, Stevenson’s Matthew Ambrose.

Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times

16. Who are the top freshmen?

Taylor and Morgan Park teammate Darrin Ames both have offers from Illinois. Young’s Dalen Davis, the younger brother of Devin Davis, and Simeon’s Jaylen Griffin are expected to contribute on varsity. Also keep an eye on two players in the south suburbs, 6-7 Donoven Younger of Bolingbrook and Joliet West’s Jeremy Fears Jr.

17. Which sophomores will emerge as stars?

Sophomores AJ Casey, now at Tinley Park, and Jaylen Drane emerged last season. Expect St. Joseph’s Kyle Thomas, Young’s Xavier Amos, Fenwick’s Trey Pettigrew and Oak Forest’s Robbie Avila to emerge this season. The class is loaded with excellent players.

18. Who are the area’s best big men?

Mitchell, Loyola’s Bennett and Jordan Kwiecinski, St. Charles North’s Connor Linke and Cary-Grove’s Frank Jakubicek and Deerfield’s Brandon Lieb.

19. Who are the top point guards?

Morgan Park’s Marcus Watson, Marian Catholic’s Ahron Ulis, Orr’s Reggie Strong, Jaylen Drane of Simeon and Bloom’s Donovan Newby.

20. Who are the new coaches to watch?

Longtime assistant Bill Riley has the massive task of taking over for Gene Pingatore at St. Joseph. Roshawn Russell has a talented young group at St. Rita and big things are expected from Joliet West and new coach Jeremy Kreiger.