Stories By Tony Bleill
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HS Girls
/ 11 years ago2013 ChiTown Showdown
CHICAGO – There were few moments during the second half of Saturday’s matchup between Palatine (Ill.) Fremd and state powerhouse Marian...
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HS Girls
/ 11 years agoSt. Thomas More Takes 7th Annual Country Classic
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No team in November is a finished product, and that even applies to Illinois’ top-ranked squad in Class...
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Travel
/ 11 years agoElite Oktoberfest / Battle of the Programs
PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. – Few players offer the versatility that 2014 guard/forward Taylor Brame can display. Brame, a member of the...
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Travel
/ 11 years agoBattle of the Programs 2013
PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. – Competition during the fall evaluation period always brings interesting challenges. Teams often must make adjustments due to...
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Team
/ 11 years agoSpotlight On: Michigan Monarchs
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the Michigan Monarchs basketball program has nothing to do with basketball at all. David LaGrande,...
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Team
/ 11 years agoSpotlight On – The Midwest Elite
If there is a club that takes its name seriously, it would be the Midwest Elite. The Illinois-based club, headed by...
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Travel
/ 11 years agoUSJN Summer Final Wrap Up
WAUKEGAN, Ill. – Faith Suggs called her participation in USA Basketball’s U16 National team tryouts in May “pretty much the coolest...
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Travel
/ 11 years agoUSJN Summer Final
WAUKEGAN, Ill. – Bob Bestgen’s goal is to make his opponent’s life miserable for 40 minutes. The coach of the Northwest...
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Travel
/ 11 years agoUSJN – 7th Annual Great American Showcase
What coach Travis Wallace dubbed his “three-headed monster” came through in a big way Sunday at USJN’s seventh annual Great America...
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Travel
/ 11 years agoStars Are Earning Their Stripes
WAUKEGAN, Ill. – When coaches say that summer games are about “playing good competition,” it’s not just lip service. Damon Bailey...
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Team
/ 11 years agoSpotlight On: The Wisconsin Playground Elite
Jeffery Smith, executive director of the Wisconsin Playground Elite, has a simple and direct philosophy regarding the development of his players....
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Challenges
/ 11 years agoUSJN Mid America Challenge – One More Look
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Six players? No problem. The Spiece Indy Gym Rats’ 17 Silver team showed that quality trumps quantity at...
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Challenges
/ 11 years agoUSJN Mid America Challenge
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Jasmine Lumpkin of the Mac Irvin Fire 17U Godfather team had an eventful week. The highlight was making...
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Travel
/ 12 years agoUSJN Windy City II
WAUKEGAN, Ill. – The Cornhusker Shooting Stars Bison and Missouri Valley Eclipse 17U Red hardly are strangers on the tournament scene,...
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Travel
/ 12 years ago8th Annual: USJN’s Windy City Classic
PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. – The realization of Sunday’s showdown reached Ralph Gesualdo long before Saturday’s sundown. Gesualdo, coach of the Midwest...
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HS Girls
/ 12 years agoSabers Take Mennig For A Ride
NORMAL, Ill. – The St. Thomas More girls’ basketball team of Champaign, Ill., tore through the postseason with the force and...