By Bobby Narang
Everett Stubblefield III is putting together a season to remember.
The Willowbrook High School senior is a two-sport, star athlete, who dominates on the football field and then makes a transition to be a high-volume scorer on the basketball court.
In the Fall, as a wide receiver, Stubblefield’s big-play ability helped guide Willowbrook to within one game of the Class 7A State finals. He caught 58 passes for 1,145 yards and 13 touchdowns to earn co-offensive player of the year honors in the West Suburban Gold.
This Winter, Stubblefield recently exceeded the 1,000-point basketball mark in his career. He’s been putting up big numbers, despite limited preparation time after another long football season.
“It’s a transition, from football to basketball,” he said. “It’s kind of tough, but once I get into a rhythm and put in the work, it become easier. I came in a couple of times during football season and put in some shots, but once the football season was over, we had a game the next day. It was kind of rough the first week of basketball, but once we started getting in some practices together, I got better and started hitting some shots.”
The 5-10 Stubblefield, a guard, said he’s weighing his options regarding his athletic future. He’s not sure which sport to play in college, but he has three offers for basketball. Willowbrook basketball head coach Chris Perkins said Stubblefield has a bright future.
“He’s a great athlete,” Perkins said. “He’s a big-time game player. He’s had some very explosive games and sets the tone.”
Willowbrook through Monday was 9-14 overall and 3-4 in the West Suburban Gold.
Aurora Christian falls to Glenbard East
In the first of four games at the “When Sides Collide” shootout at Glenbard East Saturday, Aurora Christian dropped a 59-46 decision to the host Rams. Taaj Davis of Aurora Christian was billed as one of the highlight performers in the shootout that included Bloom, Evanston, Rolling Meadows, Fenwick, Notre Dame, and Simeon.
Davis, who had scoring games of 44, 54, and 56 points this season, finished with 24 points in the loss. Glenbard East broke open the game with a 20-1 run.
“The second half they came out hard and we played soft,” Davis said. “It happens.”
Aurora Christian through Monday was 13-4 overall and 5-1 in the Metro Suburban Blue