A look at the four Class 2A teams vying for a state title beginning Thursday afternoon at State Farm Center in Champaign. Belleville Althoff plays Christ the King at 2 p.m. in the first semifinal game, followed by Dyett against Peoria Manual at 3:45 p.m.
About the Belleville Althoff Crusaders
➜ Record: 30-5
➜ Enrollment: 288
➜ School colors: Navy blue and gold
➜ Conference: Gateway Metro
Meet the Crusaders
No. Player Ht. Wt. Yr.
0 Logan Thompson G 6-0 Fr.
1 Bryden Gryzmala G 6-0 Sr.
2 Caden Clay G 5-11 So.
4 Steven Brown G 5-11 So.
5 Lorne Green F 6-3 Jr.
10 Luke Smith G 6-2 Jr.
11 Jeremiah Conway G 6-1 Sr.
12 Ash Mager G 5-11 Jr.
13 Loyal Flanders G 5-10 Sr.
14 Kyle Johnson F 6-5 Jr.
21 Mike Roche G 5-10 Jr.
22 Dierre Hill Jr. G 6-1 Sr.
24 Evan Cometa G 6-0 So.
25 Zach Winkeler G 6-1 Sr.
30 Braden Obszanski F 6-3 Fr.
32 Kyle Kantner F 6-4 Sr.
33 Patton Leib F 6-5 Sr.
➜ Their road to Champaign … has seen the Crusdaers ease by their first five foes. A loss in the regular-season finale to Metro East Lutheran must have served as a wake-up call to Althoff, who topped Teutopolis 48-37 on Monday night in a super-sectional game in Carbondale. This was after Althoff defeated Breese Central 56-44 to win a sectional title last Friday night.
➜ Their go-to players are … a trio of senior guards. Including one who Bret Bielema and other Big Ten football coaches will have to stop in the future. Oregon running back recruit Dierre Hill Jr. averages 14.1 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds. Bryden Gryzmala (16.8 points) and Zach Winkeler (13.0 points) also have to be accounted for on the scouting report.
➜ Their coach is … a stablizing presence in the Metro East area. Who also has a state title and state runner-up efforts on his ledger. Greg Leib has collected 494 wins at Althoff since becoming the program’s coach in 1998, with the 2014-15 team finishing 30-4 with a second-place finish in 3A and the 2015-16 team going 30-2 with first-place finish in 3A.
➜ Coach speak: “No Cinderella stuff for us. We’ve been No. 1 in the state for most of the year, and everybody’s been gunning for us. The kids have persevered through that, and it’s really helped them overcome some obstacles they’ll see throughout the course of the game that’s going to be tough on them.”
Belleville Althoff coach Greg Leib
About the Christ the King Gladiators
➜ Record: 26-9
➜ Enrollment: 371
➜ School colors: Maroon and gold
➜ Conference: Chicagoland Christian
Meet the Gladiators
No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.
0 Chris Burton G 6-2 Sr.
1 Omari Hoskins G 5-8 Jr.
2 Christian Buford G 5-10 Sr.
3 Michael Thomas G 6-2 Jr.
4 Malachi Johnson F 6-7 Jr.
5 Aramis Currin G 6-2 Sr.
10 Levante Winfield G 6-2 So.
11 Cameron Pitts G 6-1 Sr.
12 Matthew Harland F 6-4 Sr.
13 Trayvon Brown G 6-2 So.
15 Kamarius Richards F 6-4 Jr.
20 Aaron McClure C 6-7 Sr.
21 Armarion Dates F 6-4 Jr.
22 Darien Green G 6-3 Sr.
23 David Daniels G 6-1 Sr.
24 Damarion Brockman G 6-2 Sr.
25 Kameron Howland G 6-2 So.
➜ Their road to Champaign … is a historic one for the school located off Jackson Boulevard in Chicago. Because it’s the first state tournament trip in school history. And it’s been a relative breeze, too, for the Gladiators. All five of their postseason wins have come by double digits, with a 58-44 victory against Rock Falls on Monday night in a super-sectional game their closest.
➜ Their go-to players are … a senior duo that can put points up in a hurry. Darien Green, a 6-3 senior guard, is averaging 20.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists, while 6-7 senior center Aaron McClure averages 20.4 points and 12.4 rebounds. Fellow senior guard Aramis Currin is also one to watch and is averaging 11.4 points.
➜ Their coach is … a well-traveled coach on the Chicago high school basketball scene. Christ the King is the sixth school for Troy Caldwell since 2007, but he’s helped build the Gladiators to this point where they are bound for Champaign. Since taking over in 2018, Christ the King has averaged 21 wins under Caldwell, including four straight of at least 23 wins.
➜ Coach speak: “It’s really surreal for me. I’m still pinching myself. I woke up (Tuesday) morning like, ‘Man, I’m going to Champaign.’ It’s a great time for our kids, our program, our school and our community of North Lawndale. We’re just really excited and elated to be where we are today.”
Christ the King coach Troy Caldwell
About the Dyett Eagles
➜ Record: 25-7
➜ Enrollment: 554
➜ School colors: Black, gold and white
➜ Conference: Chicago Public
Meet the Eagles
No. Player Pos. Ht. Yr.
0 Amari Brown G 5-10 Fr.
1 Matthew Wilson G 6-0 Sr.
2 Christian Lowe G 5-9 Jr.
3 Ahmari Talor F 5-11 Sr.
4 Ricky Coleman F 6-3 Sr.
5 Jah’mir Brown G 6-0 Jr.
11 Aramis Brown Jr. G 6-2 Sr.
12 Cornell Dunbar F 6-0 Sr.
13 Jaden McKinnon F 6-4 Sr.
14 Mikai Harris G 5-9 Sr.
20 Devon Shelton G 6-1 Sr.
21 Johntae Duncon F 6-5 Jr.
24 Jacob Johnson F 6-5 Jr.
33 Zaire Tobar F 6-3 Sr.
➜ Their road to Champaign … brought out more close wins that went down to the final minutes than easy victories. The only time Dyett won by double digits was a 62-43 victory against Phillips in a regional title game on Feb. 28 on its home court. A 40-36 victory against Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin on Monday night in a Joliet Central super-sectional game followed the postseason trend.
➜ Their go-to players are … an athletic backcourt spotlighting senior guard Aramis Brown Jr. to go along with solid frontcourt pieces in senior forwards Ricky Coleman and Jaden McKinnon. Not to mention a spark off the bench in junior guard Jah’mir Brown, who scored a team-high 13 points for Dyett in Monday night’s victory against BHRA that has the Eagles taking home a state trophy this weekend.
➜ Their coach is … about to make history in Champaign. Because Dyett, led by coach Jamaal Gill, has never gotten to this stage in the postseason, let alone played a state tournament game before Thursday’s late afternoon semifinal tip against perennial power Peoria Manual. A strong regular-season schedule staying competitive against likes of Evanston, Rock Island and Whitney Young have Dyett feeling good.
➜ Coach speak: “When you have experienced players, there’s less teaching late in the game. These guys understand what’s needed. We had some difficulties with guys taking lesser roles as seniors who really wanted that opportunity to showcase their talent, but these guys have really stuck together. We go in a huddle late in a game, and no one seems rattled.”
Dyett coach Jamaal Gill
About the Peoria Manual Rams
➜ Record: 23-12
➜ Enrollment: 593
➜ School colors: Orange and black
➜ Conference: Big 12
Meet the Rams
No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.
1 Daniel Finley Jr. G 5-11 185 Sr.
2 Tahj Tolliver G 5-8 160 So.
5 Reggie Postlewaite G 6-1 175 Jr.
10 Tony Bradford G 6-3 170 Jr.
11 Dietrich Richardson G 6-7 195 Sr.
14 Jaquan Brown F 6-3 180 Jr.
15 Lawrence Alexander G 5-11 145 Fr.
20 Amane Breedlove F 6-0 155 So.
22 Joshua Humbles F 6-2 185 Jr.
24 Terrance Paige F 6-3 185 Sr.
32 Caden Latta F 6-4 185 Sr.
33 Amare Breedlove F 6-4 180 Sr.
35 Jae’mel Shipp C 6-4 205 Jr.
➜ Their road to Champaign … is long overdue. The team of the 1990s in Illinois is back in Champaign for the first time since 1995. Of course, having the state tournament in Peoria from 1996 through 2019 hindered that. A 52-29 rout of Williamsville on Monday night was the fifth straight postseason win by double digits in the last two-plus weeks for the Rams, who endured a seven-game losing streak from mid-January until mid-February.
➜ Their go-to players are … a dynamic senior guard in Bradley signee Dietrich Richardson, along with a steady post presence in senior forward Terrance Paige. Richardson, the nephew of former Illini D.J. Richardson, is a matchup nightmare, averaging 18.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists. Paige averages 11.4 points and 5.1 rebounds to complement Richardson.
➜ Their coach is … a Peoria Manual alum. Marvin Jordan is in third season leading the Rams and has Manual back in the state tournament for the first time since 2019. Jordan, who has a 66-33 record in three seasons at Manual, will try to join Wayne McClain, Dick Van Scyoc and Telfer Mead as state champion winning coaches with the Rams. All told, Manual has five state championships and 16 state trophies entering the weekend.
➜ Coach speak: It’s having the chance to do something special, represent your community and go out on the main stage and show that all the work we’ve put in is paying off. It’s been an end goal for all of us this whole year. By staying to that and continuing to work, we’ve put ourselves in a position to make it happen.”
Peoria Manual coach Marvin Jordan
发表回复