Gladiator has a new attitude, ready to slay competition
By Jasmine Cannon Christ the King girls basketball team usually leans on its senior class for vocal leadership and to carry the team on the court, but younger Gladiator, Kaylesha Johnson, is making some surprise contributions. [vimeo 158264148 w=474]
Notre Dame ends Evanston’s bid for state basketball title
By Julia Cardi Trying not to cry, Nojel Eastern contorted his face after he missed his second-to-last free throw. With the top-seeded Evanston Wildkits trailing the fourth-seeded Notre Dame Dons by nine points late in the final quarter, the junior point guard knew his team wouldn’t go to the state championship. The Wildkits fell in […]
Becoming an elite basketball player comes at high price
By Aishwarya Kumar Lakshminarayanapuram Whitney Young junior guard Adrienne Truitt and her family have never gone on a family vacation in the last 10 years. Not even on short trips. Adrienne’s father Michael wanted to spend every additional penny he had on his daughter’s basketball career. And it is considerable: An estimated $40,000.
Evanston shortens road to championship with win over Glenbrook South
By Julia Cardi Three-nineteen-sixteen. The Evanston boys basketball team used the three numbers as its battle cry through strenuous conditioning sessions this past offseason, and the Wildkits put 3-19-16 in group text messages and chanted the sequence after practices and games. March 19, 2016 is the date of this year’s state championship. “We have that […]
Parents’ epic road trip following star Wildcat nears last stop
By Michelle R. Martinelli Bruce and Mary Alice Lyon enjoyed their holidays in an unconventional way. They spent Thanksgiving at a basketball tournament in Texas and New Year’s Eve on a nine-hour drive home to Wilmette from Penn State. It’s all been part of a four-year journey following the Northwestern women’s basketball team. The parents […]
Look beyond record with Illinois Tech; made great strides this year
By Grant Miller Don’t be deceived by Illinois Tech’s record. A 4-21 record might make it seem like yet another losing season for the Scarlet Hawks, but that’s not the case. In fact, opposing coaches think they will could be Division III contenders within the next couple seasons. Despite losing to UC Santa Cruz February […]
Christ the King’s season comes to an end (video)
By Jasmine Cannon The buzzer sounded and Christ the King’s dreams of ending their season with a state championship vanished. [vimeo 156763959 w=474] Stalling in sectionals for the third straight season, the Gladiators pulled to within one with 49 seconds remaining in a see-saw game against DePaul College Prep, but did not score again in […]
Evanston coach keeps his eyes on the real prize
Q&A: Wildkits basketball coach Mike Ellis By Julia Cardi Twice in the past decade, Mike Ellis coached teams at Richwoods High School in Peoria to within three points of winning state championships. Now he’s four games away from the title with the Evanston Wildkits. But he’s not asking his players to bring home the trophy for his sake. […]
Sports History 101: How Roosevelt University transformed a parking lot into an athletic program
Q&A with Athletic Director Mike Cassidy By Abbas Haleem Seven years ago, Mike Cassidy walked the perimeter of a parking lot on the southeast corner of Congress and Wabash, wondering how an athletics center could fit there. Roosevelt University had just hired him to bring varsity athletics back after a 20-year hiatus. His charge: to […]
Young and hungry: Wildkits freshmen fight to find their way on varsity
By Julia Cardi After a signal from coach Mike Ellis, Jaheim Holden hopped from the bench with a grin, shed his warmup T-shirt, and knelt on the sideline, poised to run onto the court. His teammates Lance Jones and Ryan Bost joined him, and for four minutes and 21 seconds of play, the three freshmen […]
