J.B. Smoove: Actor, comedian, basketball fanatic
By Keith Giagnorio Medill Reports You can learn a lot about J.B. Smoove from watching him portray Leon Black on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the hit HBO comedy series he stars in alongside Larry David. Both Smoove and the fictional Leon share the same high energy, quick-witted, and simply hilarious personality. Both are incredibly engaging and […]
Return trip?: Q&A with Evanston Township High coach Mike Ellis on his love of basketball and getting back to the state finals
By Dan Moberger Medill Reports Tucked away down the hall from Evanston Township High School’s orange and blue gymnasium, Mike Ellis’ office looks like an equipment closet. Ellis, 49, doesn’t have any windows to the outside world — or even a window to the hallway. But that allows the coach more wall space to tack […]
Kobe Bryant’s legacy and presence felt throughout a meaningful NBA All-Star weekend
By Keith Giagnorio Medill Reports Every event of the 2020 NBA All-Star weekend was blanketed with melancholy air. Seemingly every show, contest and person associated with basketball’s most star-studded weekend paid homage to the late Kobe Bryant, as well as his daughter Gianna. “It’s still very fresh in people’s minds and in people’s hearts, so […]
Fans “still taking it in” after death of Kobe Bryant
Zoe Collins Rath Medill Reports In the wake of the deaths of Los Angeles Laker great Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash in California on Jan. 26, people all over the world are sharing their condolences and paying their respects. “We want to pay tribute to a man […]
Athletes with disabilities in it to win it
By Neel Madhavan Medill Reports Rohan Murphy lost his legs at birth and grew up thinking that he wouldn’t ever be able to play sports. However, in eighth grade his physical education teacher introduced him to wrestling and he started to become fully involved with the team in ninth grade. He later went on to […]
They Don’t Make Them Like Blake Peters Anymore
A state championship would have been nice, but it still wouldn’t have been enough for Evanston’s sharp-shooting sophomore. By Casey Bannon Medill Reports Before he stepped onto the Carver Arena floor in Peoria to play for a state championship; before Friday’s semifinal matchup, when he set an IHSA Class 4A shooting record; before any game this […]
Concussions: Living in the Solution
By Chris Cadeau Medill Reports We know about concussion dangers, the arguments that have ensued and the threat it poses to modern sports. But what are concussion survivors doing to ensure the best quality of life possible? Join Medill Newsmakers as we explore a ‘day in the life’ of former NFL running back and Northwestern […]
The pressure for success in Chicago sports
By: Nick Mantas and Aaron Rose Medill Reports The Chicago Bears and Bulls haven’t won a championship in this century. ESPN and Sun Times reporters weigh in on the reasons for what has led to their unsuccessful seasons and what next season could bring for both organizations. During the second segment, we talk about the challenges of […]
Technology Training and Operations Manager by Day Head Basketball Coach by Night
By Nick Mantas Medill Reports Northwestern’s very own Rafie Fields works in the Medill Chicago Newsroom as the Technology Training and Operations Manager. Little do the students there know, his mind for basketball is one of a kind. The graduate of George Westinghouse College Prep High School is the Head Basketball Coach of his alma […]
For some local athletes, road to D1 goes right through junior college
By Elan Kane Loyola guard Tyson Smith had been playing basketball for years, but nothing prepared him for that practice. It was his first at the College of Southern Idaho, one of the top junior college teams in the country, and it was, according to Smith, one of the hardest practices of his life. But […]
