Reviewing the Chicago Elite Classic

A quick review of this past weekend’s Chicago Elite Classic at Wintrust Arena.

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Kenwood coach Justin Bowen at the Chicago Elite Classic.

Kenwood coach Justin Bowen at the Chicago Elite Classic.

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

A quick review of this past weekend’s Chicago Elite Classic at Wintrust Arena. 

How about Evanston?

While Notre Dame has received plenty of preseason hype, Evanston showed up at Wintrust Arena with the look of a team with something to prove. The Wildkits did just that with a 62-53 win over the Dons. 

This Evanston team has a backbone with guards Blake Peters and Jaylin Gibson. They may only be juniors but have played in so many big games in two years for Evanston teams that have been part of high-profile shootouts, the Centralia Holiday Tournament and consecutive trips to Peoria. 

Peters and Gibson responded to the bright lights of the Chicago Elite Classic, scoring 21 and 15 points, respectively. The Wildkits had the added internal incentive to knock off former teammate Louis Lesmond, the highly-regarded prospect who transferred from Evanston to Notre Dame this offseason. 

Plus, Evanston has received a boost from Daeshawn Hemphill, who transferred from Notre Dame to Evanston. In fact, he’s been a bit of a revelation in the early part of the season for the Wildkits. 

Hemphill, who scored 21 points in the championship game of the St. Viator Thanksgiving Tournament, put up 12 points in the win over Notre Dame. He is averaging 13 points a game in Evanston’s 6-0 start to the season. 

There is little to no size for Evanston. But there is endless speed and quickness that really puts pressure on opposing teams. While Gibson and Peters grabbed the headlines, the play of Isaiah Holden didn’t go unnoticed. The cat-quick junior guard made winning plays throughout the game. 

The battle of Oak Park

Fenwick vs. Oak Park has become a Chicago Elite Classic Friday night fixture in recent years. 

Whether the game has been played at the UIC Pavilion or DePaul’s Wintrust Arena, the fans have turned out and provided a fun, early-season atmosphere, fueled by energetic student sections.

As far as the rivalry, it’s one that has included two overtime games the past three years and a whole lot of Fenwick wins in recent years. The Friars have now won six of the last seven early December matchups. 

What’s encouraging for Fenwick is it beat Oak Park without superstar play from its superstar, Bryce Hopkins. The 6-6 Louisville commit did make an impact with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but it’s an emerging sophomore group that makes you think this Fenwick team is only going to get better. 

Sophomore guard Trey Pettigrew is the best of a bunch that includes 6-5 Gabe Madej, 6-4 Kaden Cobb, shooter David Gieser and 6-3 Eian Pugh.

Bloom buzzkill

The Bloom win over Pace out of Georgia was a bit of a buzzkill in the middle of a high-profile event. The Blazing Trojans drilled Pace 84-54 on Saturday afternoon. 

Dante Maddox, who is off to quite a start this season, impressed again with a game-high 30 points, including six three-pointers. This is a physical guard with strength, sneaky athleticism and shooting ability. But he’s also a player who isn’t afraid to get into it opposing players as a pesky, on-the-ball defender. 

Young’s DJ Steward just continues to be DJ Steward.

You could say he’s a more consistent and reserved star than a flat-out dynamic one. The 6-3 guard is so smooth and blends in to what his team needs, whether it be scorer or distributor. While he impacts the game in multiple ways, he also remains a bonafide versatile scorer. He scored 21 points in the loss to Texas powerhouse Duncanville.

But the Dolphins will need to receive more high-level production, particularly down the stretch of big games, in support of its star when it plays the state’s best teams. 

The good news is there is time for that to develop and for a player or two to evolve into that type of threat. 

Simeon/Young disadvantage

While the Chicago Elite Classic is always a circle-the-date high school basketball event, there is no question both Simeon and Young regularly come into the event at a disadvantage the first weekend of every December. 

The routines and practice schedules for both programs are disrupted the week leading up to the program as coach Robert Smith and Tyrone Slaughter are the organizers. 

Simeon and Young always play national teams who typically come in with several games under their belt and minimal early-season rust. Simeon was playing just its second game of the year. St. Frances Academy out of Baltimore, a team ranked in some national polls, was playing its seventh game. That makes a difference. 

Young, meanwhile, did have the Morgan Park showdown to open the season but was playing only its fourth game of the year. This was Duncanville’s ninth game of the season. 

Brandon Weston leads Morgan Park

There is a lot of star power on this Morgan Park team that’s among the state’s elite teams. But make no mistake about it: Brandon Weston has been a monster and coach Nick Irvin’s best player through four games. 

The impressive 6-4 wing scored 25 points in an overtime win over Christian Brothers at the Chicago Elite Classic. That’s on top of his 24 point outing in a loss to Bogan and his 18 points and 11 rebounds in the season-opening win over Young. 

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