A football town turns to hoops, Glenbard West is the preseason No. 1 team- Socially Keeda

Published:Nov 30, 202303:42
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Glen Ellyn is a soccer metropolis. Glenbard West is doubtless considered one of the state’s premier soccer powerhouses. The workforce calls itself the Hitters as often as a result of it does the Hilltoppers, the school’s exact mascot.

The Hitters play in a grass stadium on the banks of Lake Ellyn. It’s all very idyllic.

However there’s a well being membership merely up the hill and throughout the nook from Duchon Stadium. Glenbard West has produced quite a few great basketball players over the earlier a lot of seasons. John Shurna, Evan Taylor and Justin Pierce all had good success at school.

However this season is utterly completely different. The Hilltoppers don’t merely have a star participant. They’ve a star—Gonazaga recruit Braden Huff—major a workforce that blew the doorways off all its opponents this summer season.

Huff is 6-11 with guard experience. He can shoot, transfer and do all of it. There have been just a few players alongside along with his dimension and talent in Illinois highschool basketball historic previous. That’s an unlimited assertion that Huff shouldn’t have quite a lot of a problem residing as a lot as this season.

“[Player of the Year] is a objective of mine for positive,” Huff said. “However it’s positively workforce first. The large objective we now have circled is a state championship. We’re actually enthusiastic about what we are able to do that season. Particularly since Glenbard West isn’t actually referred to as a basketball college. So to deliver a state title right here, I feel that may be actually cool.”

Caden Pierce, the youthful brother of Justin Pierce and College of Cincinnati intensive receiver Alec Pierce, is a 6-6 senior devoted to Princeton. In some methods he’s a shorter mannequin of Huff, able to have an effect on the sport on the perimeter and inside the submit.

There’s additional dimension with a pair of Military recruits, 6-8 Ryan Renfro and 6-7 Bobby Durkin, who transferred in from Hinsdale South. Paxton Warden, a heady 6-4 senior with curiosity from D2 colleges, rounds out the starting lineup.

All the workforce can shoot, nevertheless the Hilltoppers’ calling card is safety. Glenbard West makes use of all of its cell dimension to devastate opponents with a full-court 1-3-1 safety.

The doorway to Glenbard West’s gymnasium.
Allen Cunningham/For the Solar-Instances

“It’s actually enjoyable to play,” Huff said. “With our size it results in lots of suggestions and deflections so we’ve embraced that. We wish to play quick and the protection results in steals and getting out in transition.”

Seniors Jack Cardwell, Andrew Dauksas and Louie Amabile will contribute off the bench.

“We really feel privileged that we get this chance with this group of seniors,” Glenbard West coach Jason Opoka said. “The objective is to make this season memorable. We scheduled a number of the high tier groups in Illinois and if we take some bumps alongside the way in which it doesn’t matter. The objective is to be at our greatest at playoff time.”

The group of seniors, other than Durkin, have been having fun with collectively since elementary school. That chemistry will give Glenbard West an extra profit on this uncommon season. So many teams barely carried out collectively remaining 12 months due to the pandemic.

It’s fairly unusual for a suburban public school to earn the preseason No. 1 spot.

Bloom was the top-ranked workforce in 2019. The Blazing Trojans didn’t have an unlimited celeb, nevertheless that they'd 4 players headed to Division I colleges. Stevenson, with Jalen Brunson, was No. 1 in 2014 and Glenbrook North, with Jon Scheyer, was the highest workforce in 2005.

“There’s a buzz locally however it’s nonetheless a soccer city,” Opoka said. “Glen Ellyn is a superb place. They’re so supportive. All people goes to be right here. We simply wish to give everybody a chance to have enjoyable. Regular enjoyable. And we’re gonna play as arduous as we probably can.”

The the rest of the preseason Tremendous 25 could be revealed tomorrow. Wish to hear it correct now? Take heed to the latest episode of No Shot Clock:(*1*)

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