By Bobby Narang
The calendar turned to February and the first high school basketball State tournament playoffs in two years looms around the corner. Glenbard West remains the best boys team in the State, even with legitimate challengers.
The Hilltoppers (24-0) are on a collision course for a date in Champaign, the site of the State basketball tournament.
The Hilltoppers, the No. 1 team in the Class 4A poll, defeated Lyons and Downers Grove North recently to remain unbeaten.
“That’s a really good team,” Lyons head coach Tom Sloan said after his team lost to the Hilltoppers for the sixth time.. “They have so many skilled players and play such good defense.”
To beat the Hilltoppers is going to require a Herculean effort, but mainly revolves around solving their 1-3-1 defense. The Hilltoppers’ success can be partly contributed to their unique defense, with their length and energy and movement causing fits for opponents.
Glenbard West head coach Jason Opoka said the defense was designed to fit his players.
“In January of 2019-2020, we struggled for a long stretch in the dog days of the West Suburban Silver and needed to find a spark to rejuvenate our team,” he said. “Our assistant coach at the time, Dan Vashinko, recommended that we try to implement the 1-3-1. Our thought as a staff was that this would be a great way to utilize our length with activity while disrupting opponents and containing dribble penetration.
“Throughout that process we worked with Don Klaas, the 35-year Hall of Fame Coach from College of DuPage and Chaz Taft, the coach of Fenton High School. Their intelligence and willingness to share thoughts have brought us to where we are today. For three years, we have been critiquing and mastering our concepts/rotations to best benefit our personnel.”
The Hilltoppers have not been challenged this season, other than a close victories over Glenbrook South and Lyons, the latter last Friday.
• Other successful teams in The Voice area include, Wheaton Warrenville South (23-2) which plays a disciplined brand of basketball that might be able to challenge the Hilltoppers. Although the Tigers don’t rely on, nor possess high-end athleticism, head coach Mike Healy’s team is disciplined, can shoot from the three-point line, plays a methodical game that makes every possession count and is tough on defense. The Tigers nearly defeated highly ranked Hillcrest (22-6) Sunday.
• Oswego East is have a banner season, and has earned several marquee victories.. The Wolves have the talent to combat Glenbard West’s size and athleticism. The Hilltoppers have five Division I players, led by Gonzaga-bound 6-11 center Braden Huff and senior guard Caden Pierce, a Princeton recruit. Oswego East (24-1) is battle-tested and has the guards, toughness, and shooting to knock off Glenbard West.
“Oswego East is a really good team,” Hinsdale Central head coach Nick LaTorre said. “They have a lot of ways to score on you and can defend well.”
• Bolingbrook suffered a surprise defeat in the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic for its first loss, with the Raiders (19-6) struggling with six losses since dropping a 73-61 decision to Lyons December 30, 2021. But the Raiders, coached by Rob Brost, have the depth and talent to be a contender for the 4A State championship
Either way, the road most likely will have to go through Glenbard West, which is enjoying its best season in program history.
“It’s been a fun ride so far, with all the fans supporting us and cheering us on,” Huff said. “We’re trying to play it one game at a time and not lose sight of our main goal of winning a State championship.”