Mar. 12 -- Before 16 high school boys' basketball teams from all corners of the state and 16 IHSA state tournament games unfold at State Farm Center in Champaign, Sports Editor Matt Daniels offers up 10 items to know before the action tips off Thursday:
Ronnie Fields is back
Not as the high-flying, athletic-dunking machine he was as a player when he teamed up with Kevin Garnett at Farragut during the 1995 state tournament. But back as the Hope Academy coach. Fields and his Eagles, who took third in Class 1A last season during Fields' first year on the sidelines, will vie for the Chicago school's first state championship when they play St. Anthony at 9:30 a.m. Thursday in a 1A state semifinal game. Watch out for a dynamic talent in Hope Academy point guard Tyjuan Hunter, who plays much bigger than his 5-foot-6 frame.
Nice to see you again, Peoria Manual
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The Rams launched one of the sport's most impressive dynasties in Champaign when they won the 1994 Class AA state title. The first of four consecutive state championships -- two in Champaign and two in Peoria -- won by guys like eventual Illini Sergio McClain, Marcus Griffin and Frank Williams. Manual, which made six state tournament appearances in Peoria when the state tournament was there from 1996 through 2019, arrives back in Champaign for the first time since beating Thornton in the 1995 AA state title game. The Rams tip off against Dyett at 3:45 p.m. Thursday in a 2A state semifinal game.
Speaking of dynasties
Hello, DePaul College Prep. The Rams are back in Champaign for the fourth straight season and hope to take home a third consecutive state championship. DePaul Prep, which placed third in 2A in 2022 before winning a 2A state title in 2023 and a 3A state title in 2024, has won its five postseason games by an average of 35.2 points. Among the lopsided wins? A 68-28 rout of Kaneland on Monday night in Hoffman Estates to set up a 3A state semifinal game against Chatham Glenwood at 8:15 p.m. Thursday.
Pulling off the double?
DePaul Prep and Belleville Althoff already are familiar with hoisting IHSA state hardware this school year. That's because both school's football programs did so this past November, with DePaul Prep winning a Class 4A state championship and Althoff winning a 1A state title. If either DePaul Prep can win a 3A state title or if Althoff, which opens at 2 p.m. Thursday in a 2A state semifinal game against Christ the King, can win a 2A state title on Saturday, they'll pull off a historic double that hasn't happened in some time in Illinois. Maroa-Forsyth is the last school to win both a football and boys' basketball state championship in the same school year when they did so during the 2006-07 school year.
Public or private consideration
The public-private school debate that rages during football season -- seven of the eight state champions last November were private schools -- might pop up again this weekend. Private schools outnumber public schools, just barely, this week in Champaign, with St. Anthony, Hope Academy and Peoria Christian in 1A, Althoff and Christ the King in 2A, Brother Rice, St. Patrick and DePaul Prep in 3A and Benet in 4A carrying the private-school tag. Eastland in 1A, Dyett and Peoria Manual in 2A, Chatham Glenwood in 3A and Evanston, Rich and Warren in 4A will all try to win state titles for the public schools. Since the state tournament returned to Champaign in 2022, public schools have won seven state titles and private schools have won five state titles.
Scheduling tweaks in place
The schedule of the state tournament is different this year than the previous three versions in Champaign. Instead of third-place games taking up prime-time slots on Thursday night and Friday night, those nights are now reserved for state semifinal games involving the two biggest classes: 3A and 4A. Brother Rice and St. Patrick tip off at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in a 3A state semifinal game, followed by DePaul Prep against Chatham Glenwood at 8:15 p.m. On Friday night, Benet and Evanston meet at 6 p.m. in the first 4A state semifinal game, with Rich and Warren squaring off at 7:45 p.m. The four state title games will all take place Saturday, with 1A at 1 p.m., 2A at 3 p.m., 3A at 6 p.m. and 4A at 8 p.m. Third-place games are still a thing -- and have been a staple of the state tournament since its inception in 1907, with 1913 (for some reason) being the lone exception. The 1A third-place game is set for 9:30 a.m. on Friday, with the 2A third-place game at 11:15 a.m. on Friday and the 3A third-place game at 1 p.m. on Friday. The 4A third-place game is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Delay of game
The shot clocks at State Farm Center won't be in use this week. But starting with the 2027 state tournament, players and coaches will have to get used to seeing 35 seconds up above the basket each time a team starts a new possession. The IHSA approved last year the use of shot clocks in high school games beginning with the 2026-27 season. Eastland, which plays Peoria Christian at 11:15 a.m. on Thursday in a 1A state semifinal game, got national attention this past Friday night. The Cougars beat Pecatonica 36-31 in a sectional title game, but held the ball for nearly the entire eight-minute first quarter, with Pecatonica choosing to not come out and guard Eastland. The score at the end of the first quarter? Eastland 1, Pecatonica 0.
Big-school favorite? Watch out for Rich
Rich Township became one high school during the 2020-21 school year after consolidating Rich Central (Flyin' Illini legend Kendall Gill's alma mater), Rich East and Rich South into one school. In a Class 4A field with no overwhelmingly favorite and only one state championship among the four -- Evanston back in 1968 -- keep an eye on the Raptors. Especially because Rich handed Kenwood, the state's top-ranked 4A team for the majority of the season, its only two losses this season. Including a 70-65 overtime thriller on Monday night at a super-sectional on the Illinois-Chicago campus.
Familiar faces on the sidelines
Of the 16 coaches in town, seven have coached at the state tournament before. Rich Township coach Lou Adams is the most accomplished one on the state stage, having led Orr to three straight 2A state titles from 2017 through 2019 along with a fourth-place finish in 3A in 2013 and a third-place finish in 3A in 2014. DePaul Prep coach Tom Kleinschmidt isn't far behind, having led the Rams on back-to-back state championship seasons in 2023 in 2A and 2024 in 3A along with third-place finishes in 2019 and 2022 in 3A. Althoff's Greg Leib coached the Jordan Goodwin-led Crusaders to a 2016 3A state title and a 2015 3A state runner-up. Benet coach Gene Heidkamp has guided the Redwings to three 4A state runner-up showings in 2014, 2016 and 2023, St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker oversaw the Bulldogs winning a 1A state title in 2017 and Fields coached Hope Academy to its third-place 1A status last year. Evanston coach Mike Ellis is coaching in his fifth state tournament, with the Wildkits taking third in 2018 in 4A and second in 2019 in 4A. Before he got the Evanston job, Ellis led Peoria Richwoods to state runner-up efforts in 2006 in AA and 2010 in 3A.
A long time coming for this duo
Of the nine coaches who are about to step onto Lou Henson Court for the first time and lead their respective programs in trying to win a state title, perhaps no one is more deserving than St. Patrick veteran coach Mike Bailey. Bailey has coached the Shamrocks since 1994 and finally has St. Patrick in its first state tournament during his 31st season in charge. He has compiled a 582-292 record at St. Patrick, with 30 straight winning seasons that is culminating this March with a historic postseason run. Another 3A school has a longtime coach making his first trip to state, too. Todd Blakeman, in his second season of his second stint at Chatham Glenwood after he coached the Titans to 270 wins from 2005-21, has Glenwood in its second state tournament and first since 1975.
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