The 10 high school basketball programs that emerged in the 2010s

With the previous decade wrapped up, here’s a different type of look-back list.

Rather than breaking down the best teams of the decade, it’s a list of 10 programs that have arrived on the high school basketball scene over the past 10 years.

The winning programs come in all shapes and sizes and the measure of the individual program’s success differs. Some were recognizable programs that elevated themselves to an elite level, while others were non-existent basketball programs who became relevant.

Benet

Prior to the decade:While it’s true this basketball program was a legitimate power in the 1970s and into the mid-1980s –– Benet reached the Elite Eight in Champaign in 1979, 1982 and 1983 –– it didn’t come close to sustaining that level over the next 20 years. The program went dormant. The arrival of coach Gene Heidkamp and a talented group of players early in the decade helped propel the program to a whole new level.

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Decade success:The Redwings have put together 10 consecutive 20-plus win seasons, averaging an amazing 25 wins a year while playing one of the more competitive schedules in the state. The 2015-2016 team won a school record 31 games. Benet has won six regional titles and four sectional championships with the highlight being two state runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2016.

Underrated decade highlight: While the 2010-2011 team was stunned in the sectional, the team became a fixture as the state’s top-ranked team during the year and nationally ranked before finishing 29-1. Big man Frank Kaminsky went on to a NBA career after an All-American college career at Wisconsin.

Bogan

Prior to the decade:There simply wasn’t a whole lot to talk about when it came to Bogan basketball before the arrival of coach Arthur Goodwin at the start of the decade. There was no postseason success or presence in the city.

Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times

Decade success:With Goodwin taking over the program in 2009, the Bengals have emerged as a perennial power in the Public League and in Class 3A.

There are eight regional titles, two sectional championships and a 2015 city championship on the decade résumé. Then Goodwin’s program broke through last year with its first trip to state where the Bengals lost in the state championship game.

Underrated decade highlight:Bogan won its only city championship in 2015.

Bolingbrook

Prior to the decade:Before the start of the past decade, which is a 35-year history, the Raiders averaged 12 wins a year with three regional titles and one sectional championship.

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Decade success:Coach Rob Brost’s program has churned out Division I players and emerged as a perennial top 25 team in the Chicago area. The Raiders have put together six 20-plus win seasons, including three sectional championships. The highlight of the decade included a pair of Class 4A third-place finishes in 2015 and 2017.

Underrated decade highlight: The amount of basketball players the program has sent on to play in college is eye-opening. In the past decade there have been a dozen Division I players and 51 total players who went on to play college basketball.

Curie

Prior to the decade:It’s not as if Curie came out of nowhere this decade as a name in high school basketball. This was a solid program with promise before the decade began, even winning a few regional titles with several 20-win seasons.

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Decade success: The program took off over the course of the past decade. There were three city title game appearances with a title last year –– and a won but forfeited title in 2014. There was an average of 22 wins a year, a Class 4A state championship in 2016 and a third-place finish last season. In addition, the Condors won four Pontiac Holiday Tournament championships.

Underrated decade highlight: Curie produced a pair of Sun-Times Player of the Year award winners –– Cliff Alexander in 2014 and DaJuan Gordon last season.

Geneva

Prior to the decade:There was some positive history in the early 1960s –– yes, some 40-plus years before the calendar turned to 2010 ––but there were some lean years in Geneva basketball before 2010, including 11 single-digit win totals the previous 25 years.

Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times

Decade success:The program turned the corner at the start of the decade under coach Phil Ralston. The Vikings have averaged 22 wins a year in the decade, including three regional championships and two sectional titles. Geneva finished fourth in the state in 2015.

Underrated decade highlight: Ralston started the decade putting Geneva on the map and coach Scott Hennig finished it off last season with a school record 32 wins and the program’s second sectional title in the past 10 years.

Marian Catholic

Prior to the decade:From a team perspective the historical basketball record book was blank. In the 48 seasons prior to 2010, the Spartans put together a total of two 20-win seasons and had a stretch of 42 years with one regional championship.

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Decade success: There has been a ton. For starters, the five winningest seasons in program history came in the decade. A program that had two 20-win seasons in nearly five decades averaged 20 wins a season this past decade.

The Spartans won five regionals, their first three sectional titles and finished third in the state in Class 3A in 2018.

Underrated decade highlight:At just 5-8, Tyler Ulis emerged as one of the all-time great point guards and most exciting players in state history. Ulis went on to become a star at Kentucky and has played 133 career NBA games.

Morgan Park

Prior to the decade: This was a powerful program in the mid-1970s, including an iconic state championship team in 1976. But aside from the third-place finish in the 2000-2001 season, there hasn’t been much to talk about before the start of the most recent decade.

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Decade success:The Mustangs became one of the premier programs in the state and a dominant Class 3A power with nine regional championships and six sectional titles. Coach Nick Irvin’s program has the second most wins in the decade, averaging 25 wins a season, and won four state championships. There was also a third-place finish.

Underrated decade highlight:There are few programs in the state that can match an All-Decade Team consisting of Charlie Moore, Kyle Davis, Ayo Dosunmu, Wayne Blackshear, Marcus LoVett, Billy Garrett, Jr., Josh Cunningham and Adam Miller.

Niles North

Prior to the decade:Basketball fans probably don’t realize now how dismal Niles North basketball was prior to the start of this past decade and the arrival of coach Glenn Olson.

The school opened in 1964 and the basketball program experienced plenty of losing. The winning consisted of a total of two 20-win seasons and one regional championship in 45 years.

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Decade success:The Vikings didn’t exactly become a household name in prep basketball, but the past decade success compared to the previous four-plus decades is remarkable. Olson took over in 2009 and the Vikings have put together eight 20-win seasons while winning four regional titles and the first-ever sectional championship.

Underrated decade highlight: Abdel Nader, a star who graduated in 2011, went on to a successful college career at Northern Illinois and Iowa State and is currently playing in the NBA.

Orr

Prior to the decade: Had anyone even heard of Orr basketball?

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Decade success:While the school itself has faced its fare share of hardships, including the possibility of closing its doors, the basketball program became a state power. Coach Lou Adams has been the driving force after taking over in 2012, leading the Spartans to seven 20-win seasons and an incredible amount of postseason success in Class 2A.

Orr finished fourth in the state in 2013, third in 2014 and has dominated the class the past three years by winning the past three state championships.

Underrated decade highlight:“Shot in the Dark,” a moving and emotional film following the Orr program for two seasons, became a nationally recognized and must-see documentary in 2018.

Riverside-Brookfield

Prior to the decade: Take a look at 100 years of basketball at R-B and the results show a whole lot of nothing. There were just five 20-win seasons in 10 decades of Bulldogs basketball. In the 70 years prior to 2010 it was a program that suffered through 42 losing seasons.

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Decade success:The decade led to unprecedented program success, including an average of 22 wins a year and the only sectional title in school history. The Bulldogs, who captured four regional championships and nine conference crowns, won a school record 28 wins twice during the decade.

Underrated decade highlight:The Riverside-Brookfield Shootout in the summer established itself as the best offseason event in Illinois over the course of the decade.