Chicago Sports

Domination. Pure domination.

The juggernaut known as Glenbard West was the preseason No. 1 team, so the expectations were high. But as they marched through one of the toughest schedules in the state in overpowering fashion, those expectations grew in an almost overwhelming way.

Sold out gyms, endless headlines, beating up Young and blowing out Simeon, and talk of a guaranteed state title by midseason — by others, not within the program — can create an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance in most teenagers.

Yet Glenbard West’s players handled it all flawlessly. The team only grew and became more empowered as the wins piled up for the Hilltoppers.

The only blemish came in a heartbreaking buzzer-beating loss to national power Sierra Canyon out of California. Very few times can a loss ramp up expectations. This one did.

The road to Champaign was a cakewalk. Zero March drama for Glenbard West. The Hilltoppers won every game by 26 or more points in regional, sectional and super-sectional play.

Next up is Bolingbrook in the state semifinals. Can the Raiders pull off a significant upset? What about upstart Barrington? Can Young win a rematch?

Or is a state title simply inevitable?

Today we get a chance to hear what coaches think about how to attack the state’s best team. We want coaches to speak truthfully, so they were given anonymity.

After reaching out to a dozen coaches who have played and lost to Glenbard West, here are their views and thoughts on how to at least try and beat the team no one in the state has been able to this season:

“Honestly, the truth is I am not sure how you beat them. They rebound just about every shot on both ends. They average 18 points a game on breakouts from turnovers. They have shooters. But here is something I would also say: They play the game right. No trash talking. Respectful kids.”

“Try to find a way to speed them up, force them into turnovers, and get them out of their comfort zone in the halfcourt. I’m not sure there is a team left in the tournament that can speed them up.”

“So unselfish and skilled and with multiple shooters who share the ball, they are so efficient. You can’t let them play half court basketball.”

“If you have an open three you have to absolutely take it because it is so difficult to score inside on them and you won’t get many looks.”

“You have to TRY and keep them off balance by giving them different looks defensively. If you can, try to create some turnovers and score before they can set up on defense.”

“If they pressure full court, you want to be able to break that and look for early scoring opportunities because in the half court it’s very difficult to find open opportunities. In the half court I believe you need to screen the zone and use dribble penetration to get into the gaps.”

“Ball pressure might be the only way to give them any sort of trouble when they are on offense.”

“You have to match their confidence early. If you don’t, they will take full advantage of your fear. If you don’t play with confidence early, once you finally realize you can play with them, it’s too late.”

“You first have to absolutely limit turnovers, regardless of the type of team you have. You have to take care of the ball.”

“On defense, it’s my belief you have to take something away. If you have size I would take away the three and make them beat me in the post scoring two-pointers. If you don’t have size you are very limited in ways you can play with them, because their size will negate any pressure you can put on them.”

“Only chance is to hold the ball and limit possessions.”

“They shoot 24 threes a game at roughly 40 percent, based on our prep work of 10 or so games, which accounts for just over 30 points a game. They get these in transition, off turnovers, and off offensive rebounds. You have to take away Warden and Durkin and make Pierce and Huff go score it above their 12-18 points they tend to score on any given outing.”

“They do not have one guy that can break down a defense and go get their own. Gotta make them play one-on-one. They can bully to the rim and score twos which is fine. Let them two you to death in the half court. You cannot bring two to the ball and allow them to get the ball moving to open shooters.”

“If you’re looking to see how to beat the 1-3-1, you need the guard play. Leo and Hillcrest did the best [against it] besides Sierra Canyon.”

“Don’t turn it over because Pierce gets it to the rim in a heartbeat, being he is at the top of the 1-3-1.”

“You cannot turn the ball over into dunks. If you do there is zero chance of beating them.”

“Playing from ahead would be important, I think. Would be so tough to come from behind against them due to how efficient they are offensively and how hard it is to score against them.”

“Limiting turnovers would be the key. Pierce at the top of the 1-3-1 is the biggest issue with his hands and length. They create offense from their defense and are a great defensive rebounding team. If somehow teams can get ‘easier’ field goals by turning them over or getting offensive rebounds, it would take the pressure off of scoring in the half court.”

“What they have now that they didn’t have early in the season is a dominating presence about them. They thought they were good. Now they know they are good. Good luck to those other teams in Champaign.”

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DEAR ABBY: Our house burned down a year ago, and we lost everything. My husband, “Jeff,” tried desperately to get to our 2-year-old daughter, but she perished in the fire. I managed to get our 3-year-old son out while he was trying to save our daughter. Jeff ended up in a burn unit on a ventilator for nine days because he burned his lungs. When he was released from the hospital, things got worse.

We lived with my mom and stepdad for a bit until we found a place, but as soon as Jeff got home, he started hitting me and calling me a cheating slut. We have been together 20 years, and I have been faithful. If I go to the store or to run errands, he gets mad at me for being gone a little too long. If I try to explain what held me up, it’s automatically because I’m cheating, but Jeff feels he can leave and be gone for hours, and it’s OK for him.

I love him, but I can’t take it anymore. When our son acts out and starts being mean to me, Jeff tells him to respect me, but I think to myself, “How can you tell him to respect me when you don’t?” Abby, please help me. — SO LOST IN THE EAST

DEAR SO LOST: The fire and tragic death of your daughter has done more damage to your husband than sear his lungs. It has also taken an emotional toll. It is important that you no longer allow him to take out his anger and frustration with himself on you.

If you have any power at all in your relationship, insist he seek help from a licensed mental health professional. If he refuses, you cannot remain married to him because his physical and emotional abuse may continue to escalate, and seeing it will affect your son.

Have an escape plan in place before you confront him. A safe way to formulate one would be to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The toll-free number is 800-799-7233 and the website is thehotline.org. Do it NOW.

DEAR ABBY: My high school friend returns to our hometown once or twice a year. Her last several visits were exhausting. She talked about herself for hours without asking one question about my life. She objectifies men and calls people weak for expressing their emotions.

Our friendship has been a long one. I went to her wedding and did the flowers for her dad’s funeral. But the more I understand myself, the more I see how toxic she is for me. I have reached the hard realization that I no longer want to be around her. I don’t like who she is or how she makes me feel.

I would like us to simply drift apart, but she can be a bully. When I have tried to be unavailable, she has bullied me into seeing her anyway. My partner says I need to break up with her, but I don’t want to hurt her or have a confrontation. How can I gracefully exit this relationship? — STRESSED IN THE WEST

DEAR STRESSED: There may not be a graceful way to exit from a relationship with a bully. Ask yourself which would be worse: telling her exactly what you have written to me, or allowing yourself to be steamrollered into another exhausting and frustrating encounter with her. Once you have the answer to that question, you will know exactly what to do, which may start with blocking her number.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in “What Every Teen Should Know.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

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During the last two-plus months, Dylan Strome has become the player the Blackhawks thought he wasn’t anymore — and the player he believed he could rediscover.

It can no longer be dismissed as a fluky hot streak or lumped in as further proof of his inconsistency. Strome has proved that he can be an excellent complementary offensive weapon.

No matter what happens between now and the March 21 trade deadline — or whether general manager Kyle Davidson views Strome’s resurgence as a reason to keep him or trade him for a bigger return — Strome can take pride in that.

“I said it . . . early on when I wasn’t in the lineup the first game: ‘It’s a long season,’ ” Strome said Tuesday. “Lots can change in a season, and lots has changed.”

Since Jan. 4, Strome has 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 23 games despite six consecutive pointless games in the middle of that stretch. Those 23 points are one shy of his total from last season and this season before Jan. 4 combined.

At even strength, he ranks second on the Hawks with a 51.9% scoring-chance ratio and first with a 55.9% shot-on-goal ratio. On the power play, he has become a versatile playmaker in the net-front role with eight points.

He has two hat tricks — Jan. 26 in Detroit and Tuesday against the Ducks — and four other multipoint games. And he has nine points in his last four games, as his line with Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat has caught fire.

“He’s just playing with confidence,” interim coach Derek King said. “He’s working when he doesn’t have the puck. That’s the stuff we worked on at the start of the year when I had him in the bottom six, making sure he’s working without the puck and playing the right way, and he has been.”

Of course, that’s what Strome’s ideal role has always been: as a multiplier for star teammates.

Whether because of his poor skating ability, lack of versatility or something else, he’s practically invisible when not in the right role. He can’t create chances on his own. He can’t move to the wing. Bury Strome in those kinds of situations or try to change how he plays, and the results will be disappointing.

That’s what ruined former coach Jeremy Colliton’s impression of Strome — and why he scratched him in five of the Hawks’ first 10 games — and what King took a couple of months to figure out.

. But put Strome around talented wingers such as Kane, DeBrincat and Brandon Hagel, and he’ll make them even more productive. His personality breeds chemistry, his elite hockey sense opens passing lanes and his soft hands facilitate playmaking.

And the argument that anyone can do what Strome is doing in this situation doesn’t hold up when considering how many centers have flunked the playing-with-Kane test over the years.

“He has been fun to play with,” Kane said. “Really noticeable lately is his ability to drive to the net and create even more space for himself or his linemates. He’s finding ways to get open, too, and he’s been finishing. . . . He has been great. It’s good to have him here. Hopefully it stays that way.”

That previous sentence, however, hints at the uncertainty that lingers for Strome.

If Davidson is truly launching a full-scale rebuild, he’d be wise to promptly sell high on Strome, who’s in his prime at 25 and realistically won’t be as good three or five years down the road.

A trade next week, right as he nears the top of the mountain, would be a fitting yet unsatisfying end to Strome’s chaotic four-year stint in Chicago.

On the other hand, it would be equally tempting to hold on to him and see how high his ascent takes him.

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We applaud the city’s proposal to kick in $20 million to help fund a major restoration of Logan Square’s Congress Theater.

But we’re also watching with interest what could be a compelling follow-up act: an effort to bring new life to the South Side’s grand, but long-dormant, Avalon Regal Theater.

The Cook County Land Bank Authority purchased the back taxes on the 95-year-old Moorish Revival theater, 1645 E. 79th St., within the last two weeks, the Sun-Times Editorial Board has learned.

The agency would own the property for the next three years while Chicago officials put together a redevelopment plan for the 2,250-seat theater.

If successful, the redevelopment of the Congress and Avalon Regal theaters would represent a remarkable sea change in Chicago’s attitude toward its classic former movie theaters.

The city built some of the nation’s finest movie theaters between 1910 and 1930 — then callously wrecked almost all of them when the venues began falling into disuse in the closing decades of the 20th Century.

A storied history

The Avalon Regal Theater, built in 1927, was designed by architect John Eberson, who gave the building Middle Eastern architectural details — inside and out — inspired by an intricate metal Persian incense burner he found in a Royal Street antique store in New Orleans’s French Quarter.

The theater hosted movies and live shows before closing and being converted into a church in the 1970s.

But in 1985, the theater was bought by Soft Sheen hair care products founder Ed Gardner and his wife Bettiann.

With help from Mayor Harold Washington’s administration, the couple restored the theater, located on the border of the South Shore and Avalon Park neighborhoods, and re-opened it as the New Regal in 1987.

The new name honored the legendary Regal Theater at 47th Street and King Drive that was demolished in 1973. And for the next decade, the upstart theater drew major R&B acts such as Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight and Phyllis Hyman, and drew hip-hop performers as well.

The theater went though a series of owners after the Gardners, the last being entrepreneur Jerald Gary, who rebranded the venue as the Avalon Regal and admirably kept the unused building in the public eye for a decade.

Gary fought to reopen the theater while struggling with the crumbling venue’s near-monumental maintenance — but falling behind on its real estate taxes, which allowed the Cook County Land Bank Authority to seek ownership.

Gary can still pay the back taxes within six months and win back ownership of the building, however.

If that fails, and the lights return to the Avalon Regal, Gary deserves to take a few bows, and perhaps have a role in the theater’s new incarnation.

The right move

According to a source, city and Land Bank officials are concerned about the building’s condition, especially its roof, parapet, minaret, and facade.

The officials are looking to do a walkthrough to see how much of its still-stunning interior and auditorium might need repair.

The Land Bank also acquired nearby lots that can be used for event parking, something the venue largely lacked under previous owners.

And let’s not kid ourselves: Putting the Avalon Regal back into use will be an expensive proposition.

At the Congress Theater, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave., the city’s $20 million would help developers Baum Revision cover the $70.4 million cost of rehabbing the building’s 2,900-seat auditorium, plus constructing 20 residential units in the building that houses the theater.

But the city is right to kickstart these efforts, particular out in the neighborhoods, which have been deprived of resources — public and private — for decades.

“The [Avalon Regal] theater is a strategic part of a broad, community-based vision to revitalize the 79th Street commercial corridor through Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s INVEST South/West initiative,” city Department of Planning Commissioner Maurice Cox said.

When downtown theaters such as the United Artist’s, the McVickers, the Clark and others began falling in the 1970s and 1980s, the equally-doomed Chicago Theater was spared — with city help — and is a jewel of the Loop.

The city’s few remaining neighborhood theater buildings such as the Avalon Regal, the Congress, the Ramova — not to mention North Lawndale’s Central Park, which was listed Wednesday on Preservation Chicago’s annual most-endangered buildings list — deserve the same positive ending.

Send letters to [email protected].

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DeMar DeRozan asked the first question in the post-game news conference.

He earned that right.

“Anyone got a scoresheet?” the Bulls veteran yelled out as he sat down.

He examined it briefly and nodded, as the media questions started coming.

Yep, it was just as he thought. Desperate times led to some desperate measures.

Thanks to DeRozan putting in over 41 minutes of work and scoring 36 points, including 16 in the fourth-quarter comeback, the Bulls ended an embarrassing five-game losing streak, beating the 18-win Detroit Pistons 114-108 on Wednesday.

“We needed it very bad,” DeRozan said. “[Wednesday] was definitely a desperate night for us to get a win. We were sluggish here and there, we all kind of got on each other in that third quarter to pick it up, and we did.”

Ah yes, those third-quarter huddles in timeouts. Some towel throwing, some yelling by the likes of Tristan Thompson and DeRozan, and all of it much needed.

“Things that I can’t repeat,” DeRozan replied, when asked what was said. “But it got everybody going where we needed to go.”

Because where they needed to go was to the win column.

At 40-26, the Bulls were barely hanging onto the No. 4 seed with a streaking Boston team winning a fourth straight and still just a half-game behind them. And the team is very aware that they still have one of the toughest schedules left in the Eastern Conference.

“I didn’t want to lose another game, I didn’t care who we were playing,” DeRozan said. “That was just my mentality. At this point of the season everything matters. Whether I play 48 [minutes], willing to play 48, because everything matters. There’s no time for rest.”

Not that the Pistons didn’t make it hard on the visiting team most of the night, especially after the Bulls came in and flexed early on the young up-and-comers. With 5:30 left in the first quarter, an Ayo Dosunmu layup put the Bulls up eight, and it appeared to be another blowout in the making for the two division rivals.

As coach Billy Donovan pointed out before the game, however, this wasn’t the same Detroit roster that the Bulls embarrassed back in January, beating them 133-87.

That became evident.

By the end of that first quarter, the Pistons were up 26-25, as the defense started leaking. By the half, Detroit’s lead was up to three.

Surely there would be some urgency in the locker room at halftime from the better team on paper. Nope. The Bulls were down seven going into the fourth quarter. Which means it was time to summon DeRozan. Like it has most of the season, the veteran delivered, and delivered big.

Death, taxes, DeRozan.

It didn’t hurt that the defense finally showed up, holding the Pistons to 17 fourth-quarter points, and getting seven points off five turnovers.

“We’ve got to play like that from out of the gate,” DeRozan said. “We’ve shown spurts of doing it, but we’ve got to stop putting ourselves in a hole and working that much harder to get back in games, to win games.”

Besides DeRozan’s scoring frenzy, the Bulls also got 25 points from Zach LaVine, and a surprising 21 points from Nikola Vucevic, who was a game-time decision with a strained right hamstring.

But DeRozan was once again the story.

“It’s impressive the way he’s able to take over in the fourth,” Vucevic said. “He just does it with so much poise, nothing is rushed. When you see it, his IQ in those moments, his skillset … it’s very hard to stop.”

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MESA, Ariz. – The day before the last Collective Bargaining Agreement expired, Cubs third baseman Patrick Wisdom got on a Zoom call with new hitting coach Greg Brown.

They’d exchanged texts and calls before, but this was their last chance to talk mechanics before the expected lockout cut off their communication.

“It’s tough,” Wisdom said this week, “because we’re trying to fix a little mechanical thing. And so when [hitting coaches are] presenting you with something, you’re like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna work on it.’ But now, I can’t talk to them or say, ‘Hey, are we still on the right path here? Am I doing the right thing?'”

On Wednesday, Major League Baseball and its players association again did not reach a CBA deal by an owner-imposed deadline. The league announced it was removing two more series from the regular season schedule, pushing back Opening Day to at least April 14.

That also guaranteed more time without contact between major-league players and their coaches. MLB instructed team personnel, including coaches, not to contact players on 40-man rosters during the lockout.

The restriction makes things especially complicated for players making injury decisions during the lockout, like Cubs reliever Codi Heuer, who underwent Tommy John surgery this week.

The right-hander’s velocity waned late last season. But it wasn’t clear that he’d sustained structural damage to his elbow until he started ramping up again this offseason, according to a source. Tommy John surgery usually requires about a year-long recovery. But as long as Heuer’s rehab goes well, Opening Day 2023 could be a realistic target for his return.

In a normal year, Heuer would be in constant contact with the Cubs medical staff and pitching coaches. This year, that’s prohibited.

Heuer’s injury made headlines, but coaches may not learn about less serious ailments until big-league players report to camp. Even for those without injuries, coaches will have to dedicate time early in spring training to catch up on players’ offseason progress, something coaches would have kept tabs on in a normal winter.

“I feel bad,” Cubs veteran pitcher Kyle Hendricks said this week, with a wry smile. “When I finally see [pitching coach Tommy Hottovy,] it’s months [gone by]. I’m not used to this.”

Before the lockout began, Cubs coaches gave their players strength, hitting and/or pitching programs – whatever was applicable – up to spring training. Or at least, when spring training was supposed to begin. Since then, Cubs players have had to go by experience and feel.

Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner is coming off a season marred by injuries. Health was a top priority for him over the winter. With access to the team cut off, he made due.

“Definitely interesting finding some new resources, whether it’s through connections through other players I trust or through my agency, or whatever it may be,” he told the Sun-Times. “I really appreciate the Cubs staff, and all the effort they put in with me last year, but also nice to meet some new people along the way.”

Hoerner only got in one call with Brown before the lockout. The Cubs hired Brown in November, so Cubs hitters were just getting to know him before the MLB owners initiated the lockout on Dec. 2. The Cubs announced they’d hired assistant hitting coach Johnny Washington two weeks later.

Brown and Washington will have to wait until the lockout ends to make real connections with their players. And in the meantime, Wisdom will be trying to make a mechanical tweak to his swing without the input of the coach who presented the adjustment to him.

Last year, Wisdom finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting and led the Cubs with 28 home runs. But he also went through a late-season slump.

“It’s more like mental stuff that led to physical, mechanical changes that I wasn’t aware of, because you’re so far from yourself because you’re trying to fix something,” he said.

In addition to honing the mental side of his offensive game, making sure he isn’t pressing, this offseason Wisdom’s working on softening his back elbow.

He’s been hitting home runs in batting practice at the MLBPA’s Arizona training site. But he won’t get feedback from Brown until the lockout ends.

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There are plenty of people saying Yorkville Christian can’t be beat in Class 1A.

But there is one person reminding the Mustangs each day in practice of just how a team can beat them: Yorkville Christian coach Aaron Sovern.

“Every day in practice I play the opposing coach and what I would do to beat us,” said Sovern. “We remind them daily, especially at this point because one slip up and it’s over.”

But can anyone in Class 1A beat Yorkville Christian?

The scores are almost embarrassing — at least when you consider these are championship games won in a regional, sectional and supersectional play we’re talking about.

The closest game the Mustangs have had this postseason came in a 81-47 win over Putnam County in the sectional title game. The winning margins in six tournament victories have been 62, 46, 40, 44, 34 and 38 points. That’s an average victory margin of 44 points a game.

Yorkville Christian has made a mockery of things so far en route to its first appearance in the IHSA State Finals.

If this trend keeps up over the next two games in Champaign it will be something we’ve never seen before in state tournament history.

Providence St. Mel, circa 1985, is the gold standard for small school dominance. And that was impressively done back when the state had a two-class system.

St. Mel, led by the great Lowell Hamilton and guard Fernando Bunch, was a traveling road show and was as dominating of a force as we’ve seen in small school basketball.

St. Mel won the state championship by 32 points, defeating Chrisman 95-63. The Knights beat Dwight 117-69 in the super-sectional and knocked off Princeville 89-56 in the state quarterfinals.

The only competitive game St. Mel had throughout the postseason was an 83-72 win over Hoopeston in the state semifinals.

As for big school domination, the 1981 Quincy team and the 1993 King come to mind, cruising to titles with whopping scoring margins.

But for Yorkville Christian the competition does step up in comparison to a friendly tournament road the state’s top team was marching through the past two weeks.

Every Class 1A semifinalist in Champaign was a No. 1 seed, including Scales Mound, a fun story out of the northwest part of the state.

Scales Mound is a tiny Class 1A school with an enrollment of 70 students. This is a program that just won its sixth regional title in school history — and first-ever sectional championship.

After being ranked in the top two all season in the statewide Class 1A AP poll, Scales Mound has made it to the big stage.

Nonetheless, there is no one who believes Yorkville Christian will be challenged in either of the State Finals games in Champaign.

Why Yorkville Christian is so different

This is clearly a dominating force for small school basketball, even with the worst record of the four state qualifiers, and there are several reasons why.

First, it’s extremely rare for a Class 1A school to boast a high-major recruit like Jaden Schutt, one of the top seniors in the state who is headed to Duke next year.

The 6-5 senior guard is a next-level player and then some when you consider he’s now playing solely against Class 1A competition.

While Schutt is the star attraction, Yorkville Christian has a plethora of shot-making perimeter players. It’s far from being a one-man show.

Yes, Schutt has drilled 109 three-pointers on the year and is averaging 25.3 points a game, but seniors Tyler Burrows (11.1 ppg) and KJ Vasser (16.4 ppg) must be accounted for on the perimeter as offensive weapons.

Plus, junior Brayden Long has battled back from injury and sophomore David Douglas is an up-and-coming talent. Both are added threats.

Vasser has connected on a whopping 115 three-pointers while Long, Douglas and Burrows have combined for 102 more three-pointers. With Schutt’s 100-plus threes that’s close to a mind-boggling 350 three-pointers on the season.

Liberty, Scales Mound and Steeleville have not faced the likes of a team with a high-major recruit who is surrounded by so many offensive weapons.

But despite 1A dominance over the past two-plus weeks, Yorkville Christian has felt defeat — 13 times this season — and faced nearly every situation a team could in a season with the schedule it played.

Yorkville Christian has played by far the strongest schedule any Class 1A school has faced since the four-class system began in 2008.

The Mustangs have played 10 Class 3A and Class 4A teams that reached sectional championship games, including four sectional champs. Throughout the season Yorkville Christian played highly-ranked big schools such as top-ranked Glenbard West, New Trier, Kenwood, Glenbrook South, Oswego East, St. Ignatius, St. Rita and Hyde Park.

“They know how losing feels,” said Sovern of his players. “With the teams that we have played, our players know the formula that has hurt us. So that overconfidence can’t set in. We’ve been hammered a few times.”

Sovern admits the schedule has been a huge asset for his team, however, even more so as the postseason has played out.

“It has definitely felt like a different speed for our kids, the game has slowed down for them,” Sovern said of the difference between the regular season and the past three weeks in postseason play.

Sovern, though, knows two things as his team makes the trek to Champaign. He knows anything can happen in high school basketball and is impressed with Steeleville, Yorkville Christian’s semifinal opponent.

“That is a good team we are playing that plays physical, deliberate and runs a lot of different sets,” said Sovern of a Steeleville team that has held 10 of its 11 opponents to 40 or fewer points.

But make no mistake about it, the odds are long any of the three other remaining Class 1A teams can make a serious run at Yorkville Christian this weekend.

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The Local School Council at Jones College Preparatory High School voted early Wednesday to recommend its principal be fired after a few members of the committee levied accusations of policy violations against the school leader.

The nearly seven-hour meeting started Tuesday evening and ran past midnight after extensive comments from the school community. The controversial vote pushed the LSC’s broken relationship with Principal Joseph Powers into further turmoil and threatened to divide one of Chicago’s highest-rated high schools.

Three LSC parent representatives, including the chair, wrote a letter to Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez last month alleging Powers has violated the district’s residency requirement by maintaining a primary home in Missouri, failed to properly handle teacher misconduct complaints and fostered an unwelcoming environment for students and staff of color and transgender and gender nonconforming students.

The trio took its disapproval a step further Tuesday, putting the concerns for a vote before the entire 13-member LSC that would call on Martinez to approve administrative charges against Powers and begin dismissal proceedings. Under state law, the CEO would have 45 days to either approve or reject the request.

The measure passed 8-2, with the three student representatives ineligible to vote on personnel matters. The two dissenting members were Troy Hilbrands, the school’s director of development, and Kimberly Bowman, a math teacher. Bowman and the other teacher representative, Ellen Martinsek, said they had surveyed staff and their split vote represented the views of all Jones teachers, not their own.

CPS spokeswoman Mary Fergus said officials will follow state law in responding to the LSC’s charges, but that the district won’t comment further on a personnel matter.

In the days since Powers revealed the tension with the LSC and that he was considering retirement in a stunning letter to the school community, some parents, staff and even student members of the LSC came to his defense — or at least criticized the process by which the three LSC members aired their concerns.

Sarah Kaiser, whose daughter is a senior at Jones, said she wished there was more parent and student input before the LSC representatives wrote their letter because “so many people in this situation were just completely blindsided by this happening.”

“If these allegations are found to be true and there are serious issues, then I hope it’s addressed,” Kaiser said. “I don’t think it was gone about in the way it should have been.”

Kaiser said she has appreciated Powers’ leadership, calling him a “well-loved principal,” and felt he has been transparent and appropriately handled problems at the school. Addressing the complaint that Powers hasn’t welcomed LGBTQ students, Kaiser said her daughter, who is gay, has had a fulfilling experience in the school’s Pride Club and appreciated the school’s attention to students’ pronouns and bathroom signs.

Cassie Creswell, the LSC chair and a frequent critic of CPS officials, had maintained that the concerns are widespread. “The need to remove the principal is about student safety, both accountability for past harm and preventing future harm to students, staff and families,” she said this week.

CPS general counsel Joseph Moriarty told Creswell and the other two LSC members who wrote the letter that the district sees no reason to remove Powers while it investigates the allegations. “At this time, the investigative bodies have not indicated that circumstances exist to justify the removal of Dr. Powers,” he said in his response letter last week.

The public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting was contentious, with spats breaking out over changing time limits for public comment and bylaws of the council’s code. Parents and students had differing views of the school and its principal.

“I have no personal experience with Dr. Powers, but that’s precisely the problem,” said Maya Smith-Munyi, a sophomore at the school. “He doesn’t feel like a principal the same way that Jones doesn’t feel like a school, so there’s a severe lack of school spirit, school pride, culture participation on the part of the students, as well as Dr. Powers himself.”

Current and former students spoke of racial barriers they faced at the school, like a lack of outreach toward parents who didn’t speak English as a native language.

“I think a lot of parents here are wearing rose-colored glasses, and saying, you know, ‘Jones is not perfect, but it’s a great place.’ It’s a great place for who? I really enjoy Jones. I got into college here at Jones. I love this school,” said Daniel Andrade, a student and member of the LSC. “But there are systemic changes that need to be made to uplift lessons of color, which I just don’t see. And student testimonies from today have shown that students of color are not really being supported.”

After the vote, Violeta Cerna-Prado, a community member of the LSC who voted in favor of bringing administrative charges against Powers, said she always tries to prioritize marginalized groups in her role.

“I do know that a lot of these issues are very systemic, but they can also be perpetuated by school leaders,” she said. “I hope to see one day a school leadership that reflects accountability and embraces it, especially in moments of discomfort.”

Max Stein, the parent of a freshman at the school, said he knows “there’s room for improvement on any number of important issues,” but he didn’t appreciate the way by which the LSC had gone about addressing them.

“Those tactics … seemed to me to have lost sight of the ways in which Jones is succeeding and how those actions might peril those successes. At the same time. I am worried that the continued use of these tactics by the LSC will further harm the Jones community.”

K.K. Cleland, a parent of three Jones students, said Powers changed the school for the better.

“He was insistent that students be known and feel welcome. And I want to reassure the families who are listening: Hang in there. This LSC too shall pass, and whatever happens tonight, it’s not the end.”

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Next week’s trip to the West Coast just got a lot more interesting.

Not just because of who the Bulls play, but who they might be adding.

After the Wednesday shootaround, coach Billy Donovan told reporters that guard Alex Caruso (wrist surgery) was cleared to practice with the team with no restrictions when the group reconvenes at the Advocate Center on Friday, and second-year forward Patrick Williams (wrist surgery) was cleared for limited contact.

Caruso, who underwent surgery on Jan. 24 after suffering the injury at the hands of a Grayson Allen flagrant-2, was the heart and soul of a Bulls defense that was top five when he played, as opposed to slipping to near the bottom without him.

The good news on Caruso was as long as he gets through individual workouts leading into Friday, as well as the practices, it won’t be a long wait to see him in games. He’s been conditioning throughout the rehab process, he’s been with the team on most road trips so was well aware of any new wrinkles added, and he’s not being counted on to come in and test that wrist by being a scorer.

The Bulls were scheduled to practice on Friday, host the Cavs on Saturday, possibly practice before flying to Sacramento on Sunday, and have practices scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday on the road trip.

Caruso might only need a few hard practices and a shootaround to be ready, so Monday or Wednesday of next week would not be far-fetched landing spots for his return.

As for Williams, who was knocked out of the fifth game of the season with the wrist injury, the west coast will be big for him as he ramps up his practice time and gets a better feel of when his return timetable is more realistic.

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Nick Martinelli and Glenbrook South’s Champaign dreams fell short. The Titans were upset by Barrington in the supersectional on Monday and the season Martinelli hoped to extend as long as possible ended.

“I love going to practice every day with those guys,” Martinelli said after knocking off New Trier in the sectional title game on Friday. “And every day we keep fighting and we keep winning I can go to another day of practice with my teammates. That means so much to me. I’ve been best friends with them forever.”

So many kids felt the same way as Martinelli over the past few weeks, desperate to keep the season alive to hang out with their teammates as long as possible. Only 16 teams are still alive in the tournament, so most of those dreams are over.

But that doesn’t take away from a tremendous individual season. Advancing to Champaign certainly helps a player’s chances to make the All-State team, but consistent excellence throughout the 31-game regular season is the most important factor.

Martinelli, an Elon recruit, was the most unstoppable offensive force in the state this season. The 6-7 senior averaged 22.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists for Glenbrook South. He shot 66.4 percent from the field and 33% from three.

Martinelli is joined on the First Team by Sun-Times Player of the Year Braden Huff, Young’s AJ Casey, New Trier’s Jackson Munro and Kenwood junior Darrin “Dai Dai” Ames.

All-Area selections Robbie Avila, Ty Rodgers and Asa Thomas compose the Class 3A First Team along with Rock Island’s Amarion Nimmers and East St. Louis junior Macaleab Rich.

Nimmers, who fell just short of the school record for points in a season, averaged 23.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He shot 57 percent from the field and finished his career second to Chasson Randle on the school’s all-time scoring list.

Rich was an all-around threat, averaging 19.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.1 assists for the Flyers.

CLASS 4A
First Team
Player, School, Height, Position, Year

Darrin Ames, Kenwood, G, 6-0, Jr.

AJ Casey, Young, 6-8, F, Sr.

Braden Huff, Glenbard West, 6-11, F, Sr.

Nick Martinelli, Glenbrook South, 6-7, F, Sr.

Jackson Munro, New Trier, 6-8, C, Sr.

Second Team

Xavier Amos, Young, 6-8, F, Sr.

Zach Cleveland, Normal, 6-7, F, Sr.

Brock Harding, Moline, 6-9, F, Jr.

Jeremiah Talton, Quincy, 6-6, G, Sr.

Damari Wheeler-Thomas, Larkin, 6-0, G, Sr.

CLASS 3A
First Team

Robbie Avila, Oak Forest, 6-9, C, Sr.

Amarion Nimmers, Rock Island, 6-3, G, Sr.

Ty Rodgers, Thornton, 6-6, F, Sr.

Macaleab Rich, East St. Louis, 6-6, F, Jr.

Asa Thomas, Lake Forest, 6-7, G, Jr.

Second Team

NJ Benson, Mt. Vernon, 6-8, C, Sr.

DeAndre Craig, Mount Carmel, 6-1, G, Jr.

Jaylen Drane, Simeon, 6-3, G, Sr.

Davontae Hall, Hyde Park, 6-2, G, Sr.

Nojus Indrusaitis, Lemont, 6-5, G, So.

CLASS 2A
First Team

Dylan Arnett, DePaul Prep, F, 6-10, Sr.

JaKeem Cole, Leo, G, 6-0, Jr.

Nate Henry, Rockridge, G, 6-4, Sr.

Ty Pence, St. Joseph-Ogden, G, 6-6, Jr.

Ben VanderWal, Timothy Christian, G, 6-7, Sr.

Second Team

Saxton Hoepker, Nashville, F, 6-7, Sr.

Mikell Jones, Clark, F, 6-4, Sr.

Terrance Jones, Longwood, G, 6-3, Sr.

Cam Lawin, Orr, G, 6-2, Sr.

Matthew Volkening, Marengo, G, 6-6, Sr.

CLASS 1A
First Team

Jalen Quinn, Tuscola, G, 6-3, Sr.

Jaden Schutt, Yorkville Christian, 6-6, G, Sr.

Danny Stephens, Augusta Southeastern, G, 6-7, Jr.

Lonell Strickland, Fenger, G, 6-4, Sr.

Benjamin Vandigo, Scales Mound, G, 6-4, Sr.

Second Team

Kellen Henze, Lanark Eastland, 6-2, G, Sr.

Wes Hunt, Peoria Christian, 6-7, F, Sr.

Elliot Lowndes, Cobden, 6-11, C, Sr.

Darryl Smith, Marshall, 5-10, G, Sr.

KJ Vasser, Yorkville Christian, 6-2, G, Sr.

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