{"id":25024,"date":"2016-01-26T11:51:45","date_gmt":"2016-01-26T17:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=25024"},"modified":"2016-01-26T15:18:56","modified_gmt":"2016-01-26T21:18:56","slug":"weakness-not-an-option-for-chicago-guards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/weakness-not-an-option-for-chicago-guards\/","title":{"rendered":"Weakness not an option for Chicago guards"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Grant Miller<\/strong><\/p>\n

Soft is a four-letter word and toughness is the standard in Chicago basketball, especially if you\u2019re a guard from the West Side. That\u2019s why Illinois Institute of Technology’s Anthony Mosley talked trash with the opposing bench during his team\u2019s loss to Oberlin College on Monday.<\/p>\n

Mosley grew up \u00a0on Chicago\u2019s West Side, and he said he refuses to back down from an opponent because in Chicago, you must answer all challenges or risk losing the respect of your peers.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up playing on the playground, when someone calls you out, you have to go at them,\u201d Mosley said. \u201cYou have to defend your name and not let anyone walk over you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Anthony
Anthony Mosley scores on the fast break.(April Wanagas\/IIT)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chicago has earned a reputation for producing gritty guards who seldom shy away from competition, but while toughness is the main ingredient, the South and West Sides serve it in different flavors. The West Side promotes defense while the South Side celebrates offense, but Chicagoans respect resilience.<\/p>\n

Chicago\u2019s tough guard tradition dates back to Isiah Thomas, who grew up in the North Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side and won two NBA Championships with the Detroit \u201cBad Boy\u201d Pistons in 1989 and 1990. The Pistons were known for their physical defense, and Thomas led the charge.<\/p>\n

Gene Pingatore, who has coached St. Joseph High School boys\u2019 basketball in Westchester for 56 years, said Thomas was his best guard because he exceeded his expectations with excellent intangibles, but he always expects greatness from his guards.<\/p>\n

“My point guards need to be defensive stoppers,” Pingatore said. “They need to be able to score when they have to score, they have to run the floor, they need to be my brain on the floor. Just because they can run, jump, and shoot doesn’t mean they’ll be great. The ones who have the intelligence and decision-making will be the greatest.”<\/p>\n

With his philosophy that great guards are necessary for a team to succeed, Thomas was not Pingatore’s only dominant guard. His other top players were Chicago legends Tony Freeman, Tony Freeman Jr., Demetri McCamey, Glen Watson and Evan Turner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always looking for the next Isiah Thomas,\u201d Pingatore said. \u201cTony Freeman came close.\u201d<\/p>\n

St. Joseph has also played against elite Chicago guards who were later drafted into the NBA, and Pingatore said Glen \u201cDoc\u201d Rivers, Dee Brown and Derrick Rose were his team\u2019s toughest opponents. Now Morgan Park\u2019s Charlie Moore joins that list after scoring 25 points on St. Joseph on Dec. 29.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Both
Both the South Side and West Side are basketball factories.(April Wanagas\/IIT)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

IIT coach Todd Kelly, who grew up on the South Side and played guard for St. Martin de Porres Academy against South Side standout Janero Pargo before playing for Milikin University, said a Chicago guard must be a good ball-handler who can finish at the basket with contact.<\/p>\n

Kelly hired two assistant coaches who were Chicago area guards-Roy Ramos who played and coached under Pingatore and Ebenezer Noonoo who played for Loyola Academy- and they all preach grittiness.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t back down,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen guys get told they can\u2019t say they\u2019re from Chicago anymore when they back down.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that competitive nature can have a downside. Kelly said he sees Chicago\u2019s tough culture backfire at times because athletes often seek out challenges instead of waiting to answer them. Many Chicago players like Mosley are proficient in trash-talk, even in organized environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it spills over from the playground to the organized games,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n

\"Jason
Jason Morris protects his space against Maranatha.(April Wanagas\/IIT)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But Mosley prefers to limit his jawing to his opponents, not the officials. IIT guard Jason Morris, who played for Lincoln Park High School, said Mosley plays with the grit of a Chicago guard because he plays through fouls without complaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t expect a call,\u201d Morris said of the toughness standard. \u201cKeep playing until you hear the whistle.\u201d<\/p>\n