Spring training in Major League Baseball (MLB) is ready. Spring sports are starting to sizzle. Basketball is in a crossroads in the professional ranks. High school basketball in Illinois reached its pinnacle with favored and efficient Glenbard West capturing its first school basketball State championship (see https://thevoice.us/glenbard-west-completes-state-tournament-quest/). Hockey and other Winter sports are close to determining champions. College basketball in men’s and women’s and in all divisions are close to living up the marketing magic of March Madness. March is a special time in sports to many for many reasons. What more is required to enjoy American sports topics and times? Likely a little less official gambling might be good for starters. Gambling takes the joy out of sports and makes it a devoted business.
• Baseball wisely terminated the lockout which derives little benefit to fans and even less to the sport and the business of baseball. Play ball! It’s best for all. Spring training sites boost tourist activities in Florida and Arizona. Thirty teams allow businesses in those states to earn a living and the teams keep a joyful approach to sports. Win-win. Less Spring training still will allow observers and fans to get a feel for teams’ prospects this season. The one week delay in starting the regular season will bring the first pitch to April 7, not all bad when baseball is played better in good weather.
• March Madness high school style: The Original March Madness term was started in 1943 in Illinois with a poem offering tribute the reactions of communities to the one-and-done approach of tournament basketball. Packed stands and empty towns were the norm and the community base often stood in pride of the efforts of the school teams. In a sense that ambiance has shifted to college basketball in Divisions I, II, III, NAIA, and junior college. The Division I basketball is the big time where the elite player will continue their crafts in the professional ranks.
• High school excellence was reflected in the Glenbard West march to a State championship following its No. 1 rating in polls from the start of the season through Saturday evening’s conclusive 56-34 victory against traditionally-powerful and five-time State champion Whitney Young of Chicago. The key factoid in The Voice piece by Bobby Narang on page 12: Glenbard West, 37-1, and undefeated against Illinois teams, won 30 of 38 games by double-digit margins. The Hilltoppers were balanced, tall, long-armed, hard-working, unselfish, understood the benefits of consistent (1-3-1 zone) defense, mature, cohesive for more than their high school experiences starting in junior high for nearly all of the players. Add talent, good shooting, and well-coached. Among the savory items is the players expectations were to play the right way with dependence on themselves and the school never had won a State championship. The former basketball coach many years combined at Glenbard West, Wheaton Central and Naperville North, Don McGee, comes to mind. Last report was that he is in retirement and living in Paris. Paris, Ill. that is in the east-central part of the State.
• There are a few players who will carry themselves well next season following this season’s experience and will understand they will have targets on their backs because of success this season. That’s just the way sports works. Joe Kain, assistant principal for athletics at Glenbard West, was kind enough to take time and assess the players and team he saw on a frequent basis: “The team is an amazing group of talented athletes, but, they are better people who exhibited the very best throughout the year. They have brought a tremendous amount of joy to so many in these difficult times and have always done it the right way. The amount of positive relationships that will last for a long time as a result of this team are extremely impressive and a perfect example is the bond they created with Scales Mound, a Class 1A team that was downstate in the tournament.”
• What is next for the starters, seniors, and Division I college players from Glenbard West?
Here are the five, their heights, and likely next step in college: Brandon Huff, 6-11 with agility and mobility who handles the ball well and is a team leader, he has a scholarship commitment to go to Gonzaga University in eastern Washington, which is rated No. 1 in the last poll and seeded No. 1 in the Division I tournament; Caden Pierce, 6-6 perimeter player, will play at Princeton (N.J.) in the Ivy League; Ryan Renfro, 6-8 forward, will go to West Point (Army); Paxton Warden, 6-4 perimeter player, will be a walk-on at the University of Illinois; Bobby Durkin, 6-7 forward, has numerous Division I offers following his decommitment from Army. Their college careers will be followed and they have built expectations. The communities in the Glenbard West school district will retain many cherished memories.
• The University of Illinois, Chicago Loyola, Notre Dame, are among the teams which started in the field of 68 this tournament. Nine Big Ten teams proved solid, if not spectacular, with balance in the conference.
• Division III will reach the Final Four Friday and play Saturday. It includes Elmhurst College which finished in third place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) behind Illinois Wesleyan University and North Central College, however, won four tournament games to reach Friday’s semifinal against Wabash College in Ft. Wayne, Ind..