The Winter seasons in high school and college basketball come to a close at the end of March, although, college hockey is still reaching its conclusion. Even though the University of Michigan’s men’s and women’s basketball teams failed in their bids to qualify for the Final Four, the school’s ice hockey men’s team will participate in the Frozen Four, April 7-9. One other Big Ten Conference team in the Frozen Four will be Minnesota. Denver and Minnesota State will seek to capture the national championship.
Regardless, the men’s and women’s bids for college basketball championships will offer drama and fodder for next season, even without Duke University’s retiring head coach, 75-year-old Mike Krzyzewski, who grew up on Chicago’s near northwest side in what is now considered Ukranian Village.
• High school boys basketball all-State honor teams selected by the IBCA (Illinois Basketball Coaches Association) first team, included: K.J. Vasser and Jaden Schutt, both Yorkville Christian in Class 1A, smallest schools; Class 2A, Ben VanderWal, Timothy Christian in Elmhurst and Matthew Volkening, Marengo; Class 4A, two Glenbard West players on the 10-player honor team, Braden Huff and Caden Pierce. How will Huff fit in at Gonzaga University next year?