Chicago Sports

A ticket from Michael Jordan’s debut Chicago Bulls game sold for nearly half a million dollars at an auction Sunday morning.

Thirty-eight years ago, the ticket to the Oct. 26, 1984, game cost $8.50 — today, it made the seller, Michael Cole, $468,000.

Robert Wilonsky from Heritage Auctions, where the ticket sold, said the Jordan ticket nearly beat the record for the priciest ticket ever sold at auction. But, in the same auction, a ticket from Jackie Robinson’s Brooklyn Dodgers debut in 1947 sold for $480,000.

A then-Northwestern student, Cole attended the 1984 game alone after he couldn’t find a friend to join him. With two tickets waiting for him at will call, he used one and kept the other as a keepsake — making it the only known intact ticket from the game today.

With virtual tickets rising in popularity, Wilonsky said the auction house has seen an increase in demand for physical tickets.

“People don’t know what a paper ticket feels like to hold in their hands, to keep in their wallets, to hold on to forever,” Wilonsky said.

The magical thing about the little slips of paper, Wilonsky said, is that they were there — in Chicago Stadium as Jordan took the court for the first time, and in Dodger Stadium during Robinson’s debut.

“People are forgetting the value and nostalgia they had for that sliver of paper,” Wilonsky said.

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The age gap between Ja Morant and Ayo Dosunmu was only five months and seven days.

The talent gap on Saturday? Worlds.

That was on full display in Morant’s takeover, as the Memphis All-Star guard scored a career-high 46 points, while Dosunmu was forced to the bench in favor of Coby White down the stretch.

The first real significant stumble of Dosunmu’s unbelievable rookie campaign, as the former Morgan Park High School standout looked like a 38th overall pick for really the first time in months.

Not only on the defensive end, but registering his first scoreless game since Jan. 14, against Golden State. Dosunmu did register three assists and two steals against the Grizzlies, but like most of the Bulls backcourt, seemed to get caught up in focusing on trying to somehow slow down the Steven Adams-Morant pick-and-roll game that swallowed up defensive stance after defensive stance.

Billy Donovan said after that he just felt like White did a better job fighting through the screens and trying to stay in front of Morant, but it was more like White was just the lesser of two evils.

The good news for the Bulls?

Dosunmu seldom puts together back-to-back bad games.

In the loss to Phoenix earlier this month, Dosunmu went just 1-for-7 for two points, having his hands full with future Hall of Famer Chris Paul. He then came back a game later against Minnesota and scored 14 points while handing out 10 assists in a blowout win.

After that loss to the Warriors, Dosunmu came back for the backend of the back-to-back against Boston, and while it was a loss, the rookie shot 9-for-10 from the field for 21 points, as well as registering 10 assists.

That mentality has not only been appreciated by Donovan, but will be needed.

“I think sometimes people view competition as a threat and sometimes people view competition as an opportunity to grow,” Donovan said. “That’s the way [Dosunmu] views it. He views it as he’s going to learn something and it’s going to make him better. He leans into those situations.”

He definitely did in Thursday’s win over Atlanta, giving All-Star point guard Trae Young headaches all night long with his defense. Young finished 3-for-17 from the field, including 0-for-5 from three-point range.

It was the first time the two squared off as starters this season, and it won’t be the last.

That’s why the Bulls need Dosunmu to bounce back, and do so quickly.

Monday, he’ll face off against Kyle Lowry on South Beach, Thursday it’s the rematch with Young, and then on Friday, Milwaukee comes to town and that means championship point guard Jrue Holiday.

Lonzo Ball (knee surgery) has picked up his rehab schedule the last week, but there is still no timetable for his return besides the very generic mid-to-late March.

That means Dosunmu will still likely have to deal with James Harden, Cade Cunningham, Darius Garland and De’Aaron Fox, who scored 33 points in their first showdown two weeks ago.

“I always thought as a player you can never really grow unless you go through really intense situations or a significant amount of adversity,” Donovan said of Dosunmu. “Even guarding Trae Young, as he’s guarding him he learns more about that player. You kind of get tendencies and things he’s trying to do, how he sets things up, where he’s trying to get on the floor.”

Fortunately for Dosunmu, the Bulls are done with Memphis this season.

That will give him plenty of time to prepare for Morant the next time they see each other. He’ll need it.

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The complete Illinois High School Association boys state basketball tournament schedule. Sectionals are in bracket order.

Class 4A Sectionals

PROVISO WEST

Young vs. Riverside Brookfield, Tue 7

Curie vs. Lyons, Wed 7

THORNWOOD

Kenwood vs. Bloom, Tue 7

Homewood-Flossmoor vs. St. Rita, Wed 7

BARRINGTON

Barrington vs. Fremd, Tue 7

Libertyville vs. Stevenson, Wed 7

GLENBROOK SOUTH

Glenbrook South vs. Evanston, Tue 7

New Trier vs. Rolling Meadwos, Wed 7

COLLINSVILLE

Collinsville vs. Quincy, Tue 7

Normal vs. Moline at Pekin, Tue 7

OSWEGO

Oswego East vs. Neuqua Valley, Tue 7

Bolingbrook vs. Andrew, Wed 7

BARTLETT

Glenbard West vs. Naperville North, Tue 7

Wheaton Warrenville South vs. Benet, Wed 7

HUNTLEY

Larkin vs. Rockford East, Tue 7

Auburn vs. DeKalb, Wed 7

Class 3A Sectionals

DANVILLE

Sacred Heart-Griffin vs. Centennial, Tue 7

Mahomet-Seymour vs. MacArthur, Wed 7

HIGHLAND

Centralia vs. Glenwood, Tue 7

East St. Louis vs. Richland County/Marion, Wed 7

KING

St. Ignatius vs. Fenwick, Tue 7

Westinghouse vs. De La Salle, Wed 7

NORTH CHICAGO

Lake Forest vs. Grayslake Central, Tue 7

St. Patrick vs. Carmel, Wed 7

MARIAN CATHOLIC

Hillcrest vs. Lemont, Tue 7

Thornton vs. Kankakee, Wed 7

HINSDALE SOUTH

Simeon vs. Nazareth, Tue 7

Mount Carmel vs. Hyde Park, Wed 7

CRYSTAL LAKE SOUTH

Burlington Central vs. Boylan, Tue 6

Wauconda vs. St. Francis, Tue 7:30

BRADLEY UNIVERSITY

Metamora vs. Rochelle, Tue 7

Rock Island vs. Manual, Wed 7

Class 2A Sectionals

MARENGO

Northridge vs. Rockford Christian, Tue 7

Rockford Lutheran vs. Montini, Wed 7

MENDOTA

Farmington vs. Princeton, Tue 7

Eureka vs. Rockridge, Wed 7

CLIFTON CENTRAL

Monticello vs. Herscher, Tue 7

El Paso-Gridley vs. St. Joseph-Ogden, Wed 7

OLYMPIA

Auburn vs. Bloomington Central Catholic, Tue 7

Maroa-Forsyth vs. Quincy Notre Dame, Wed 7

JULIAN

Phillips vs. Longwood, Tue 7

Leo vs. U-High, Wed 7

NORTH LAWNDALE

DePaul Prep vs. Orr, Tue 7

Clark vs. Wells, Wed 7

CARTERVILLE

Breese Central vs. Massac County, Tue 7

Murphysboro vs. Nashville, Wed 7

FLORA

Teutopolis vs. Alton Marquette, Tue 7

Pana vs. Mt. Carmel, IL, Wed 7

Class 1A Sectionals

ST. ANTHONY

Tuscola vs. St. Anthony, Tue 7

South Central vs. Meridian, Wed 7

OKAWVILLE

Steelville vs. Goreville, Tue 7

Norris City-Omaha-Enfield vs. Christopher, Wed 7

WOODLAND

Yorkville Christian vs. Ellison, Tue 7

Fenger vs. Putnam County, Wed 7

WATSEKA

Lexington vs. Decatur Lutheran, Tue 7

St. Teresa vs. Milford, Wed 7

ABINGDON-AVON

Peoria Christian vs. Lewistown, Tue 7

Southeastern vs. Monmouth United, Wed 7

NORTH GREENE

Liberty vs. Gibault Catholic, Tue 7

Metro-East Lutheran vs. Routt, Wed 7

MARSHALL

North Shore vs. Austin, Tue 7

Marshall vs. Harvest Christian, Wed 7

PECATONICA

Scales Mound vs. Pecatonica, Tue 7

South Beloit vs. Newman Central, Wed 7

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The Player of the Year race began in November with four main contenders: Yorkville Christian’s Jaden Schutt, Glenbard West’s Braden Huff, Thornton’s Ty Rodgers, and Glenbrook South’s Nick Martinelli.

Nearly four months later, things are the same. All four players lived up to the preseason hype and delivered seasons worthy of POY status. They’ve done it in different ways, but any of the four would be a worthy winner.

Here’s a look at each contender, just a few days before the winner is revealed.

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

Season averages: 16.8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks

The Gonzaga recruit is the best player and leader of the state’s top-ranked team. The Hilltoppers haven’t lost to any team in the state this season and are heavy favorites to win the Class 4A state title.

Huff’s numbers are below the usual Player of the Year standards. There are multiple reasons for that.

Glenbard West has dominated most teams this year, so Huff hasn’t played many full games. The Hilltoppers are also incredibly balanced, which is why they have been so difficult to defeat.

Huff is shooting 61% from the field and 40% from three. He’s also stepped up and delivered at crunch time in Glenbard West’s toughest games.

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

Season averages: 22.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists

Martinelli’s fantastic season was expected, but his team has outperformed even the boldest preseason predictions. The Titans beat Niles North 67-64 to win a Class 4A regional on Friday. They defeated Simeon and New Trier during the season and gave Glenbard West its toughest test of the season.

The Elon recruit is shooting 67% from the field and 35% from three.

Ty Rodgers, Thornton, 6-6, Sr.

Season averages: 17.3 points, 15.4 rebounds, 8 assists, 3.3 steals, 3 blocks

It’s difficult to explain how physically dominant Rodgers is on a high school basketball court. He’s simply, bigger, stronger, faster, and more athletic than anyone in the state.

The Illinois recruit’s numbers are all-around outstanding, and that’s with him not looking to score very much in the first part of the season. The Michigan transfer wisely deferred to his new teammates in the early going, showing his maturity and smarts. That’s how you build chemistry on a team that will need to be more than the sum of its parts to succeed.

That’s exactly what happened. Thornton has improved tremendously throughout the season. The Wildcats went to Kenwood and won on the final day of the regular season, firmly establishing themselves as a state title contender in Class 3A.

Rodgers missed a few games over the holidays and Thornton failed to win the Big Dipper. The Wildcats didn’t win their conference either, finishing second to Bloom in the Southland.

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

Season averages: 27 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists

The Duke recruit has lived up to every expectation this season. He’s the most dominant scorer in the area and an excellent shooter, 65% from the field and 40% from three-point range.

Schutt has also led his Class 1A team to big wins against Kenwood, Hyde Park, Orr, and St. Ignatius.

Super 25 for Feb. 27, 2022

With record and last week’s ranking

1. Glenbard West (32-1) 1

4A: Tue. vs. Naperville North

2. Glenbrook South (31-2) 2

4A: Wed. vs. Evanston

3. Young (22-9) 2

4A: Tue. vs. Riverside-Brookfield

4. Simeon (23-5) 4

3A: Tue. vs. Nazareth

5. Thornton (20-5) 5

3A: Wed. vs. Kankakee

6. Curie (26-6) 6

4A: Wed. vs. No. 21 Lyons

7. Kenwood (24-8) 7

4A: Tue. vs. No. 20 Bloom

8. Hillcrest (26-4) 8

3A: Tue. vs. Lemont

9. New Trier (29-3) 9

4A: Wed. vs. No. 14 Rolling Meadows

10. Wheaton Warrenville South (31-2) 10

4A: Wed. vs. Benet

11. Oswego East (32-1) 11

4A: Tue. vs. Neuqua Valley

12. Hyde Park (22-7) 12

3A: Wed. vs. 19 Mount Carmel

13. Leo (23-4) 12

2A: Wed. vs. U-High

14. Rolling Meadows (28-5) 14

4A: Wed. vs. No. 9 New Trier

15. Bolingbrook (27-6) 15

4A: Wed. vs. Andrew

16. Homewood-Flossmoor (21-7) 16

4A: Wed. vs. No. 25 St. Rita

17. Larkin (29-3) 17

4A: Tue. vs. Rockford East

18. Clark (22-4) 18

2A: Wednesday vs. Wells

19. Mount Carmel (28-4) 19

3A: Wed. vs. No. 12 Hyde Park

20. Bloom (22-5) NR

4A: Tue vs. No. 7 Kenwood

21. Lyons (25-5) 21

4A: Wed. vs. No. 6 Curie

22. DePaul Prep (23-5) 22

2A: Tue. vs. Orr

23. Burlington Central (30-3) 23

3A: Tues vs. Boylan

24. Yorkville Christian (20-13) 24

1A: Tue vs. Ellison

25. St. Rita (22-11) NR

4A: Wed. vs. No. 16 H-F

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Since last season, there has been a lot of uncertainty regarding the Chicago Cubs’ starting rotation. By the end of last season, Kyle Hendricks was the only core starting pitcher with a win-loss record greater than .500. It’s been clear that the Cubs need to establish a strong rotation and many will be looking to see improvement this season. So what will the rotation look like in this upcoming season?

Before the lockout fell upon the MLB, the Cubs were able to sign 7-year veteran Marcus Stroman. After spending a short stint with the Mets, Stroman agreed to a 3-year contract with the Cubs worth $71 million.

Stroman comes to Chicago with a respectable 3.63 career ERA. Once Stroman settles in, I expect him to have a strong season. He has battled a few injuries in the past and sat out the shortened 2020 season. What Cubs fans want to see is consistency. Unlike his time with the Mets, Stroman was able to find comfort in Toronto. These, of course, were his most consistent and successful years. Thankfully, Stroman seems to be comfortable and excited to get to work for the North Siders.

Although last season was a disappointing outlier, Cubs fans know how reliable Kyle Hendricks can be. I fully expect 2022 to be a major bounce-back season for Kyle. Although it was a shortened season, Hendricks touted a sub-3 ERA as recently as 2020. His body of work with the Cubs speaks for itself. It’s the main reason why many assume he will be the opening day starter this season. Expect to see the Kyle Hendricks you’re used to seeing in 2022.

Wade Miley signed with the Cubs in November of last year. Miley being waived by the Reds was a shock to many. Especially after his solid year with the Reds. In 28 starts last season, Miley finished with a 3.37 ERA and a 12-7 record. Although Wade Miley has had some up and down seasons over his career, I fully expect him to be a key contributor to the Cubs’ rotation. The 35-year old had quite a successful year with the Reds last season. Notably, he was one of seven starters to pitch a no-hitter. Miley showed few signs of slowing up after this performance. I believe he’s got a lot of momentum heading into this season. 

Adbert Alzolay is going to be a major key to the Cubs having any success this year. The 26-year old had some very impressive outings last season. He also had some that left fans wanting more. Either way, it’s clear that the kid had loads of potential. Adbert has demonstrated a vast and impressive pitch arsenal. I’m optimistic that this is the year Alzolay puts it all together. I expect there to be some rough patches along the way, but I definitely will be looking to see a fair amount of growth from Alzolay this season. After finishing last season with a 4.58 ERA, there is definitely some room for improvement. 

I expect Alec Mills to be the fifth starter this season, at least to begin the season. I’ve always thought Mills was a better fit for long-relief and spot start situations. Mills did not impress last season as he finished with a 5.07 ERA in 32 appearances (20 starts). The Cubs have accumulated a good amount of young arms that I expect to take over this part of the rotation at some point during the season. Some players I could see filling this role could be Justin Steele or Keegan Thompson. Manuel Rodriguez could be another name.

Although, I think he has a much longer road ahead. Steele impressed me in his rookie season. In 20 appearances (9 starts), Steele maintained a 4.26 ERA. I expect Steele to make an impressive jump this season. I can’t help but see him being a reliable arm either as a starter or out of the pen. Keegan Thompson is another name to consider. As a rookie, Thompson seemed to be a relatively steady arm. Especially out of the bullpen. In 6 games as a starter, Thompson was a little bit shakier. Thompson’s first-inning ERA last season shot up to 7.50. Much like Steele, I fully expect Thompson to be a key contributor this season. Although I feel he is better suited as a long reliever, I think he has a good amount of potential.

Hopefully, this can be tapped further into in 2022.

When the MLB lockout ends, things can certainly change. Whether or not the Cubs want to spend more money on starting pitching has yet to be seen. With the current rotation, I think the Cubs can surprise some people. The emergence of Adbert Alzolay (or lack-there-of) will prove to be a major component to the Cubs finding success this season. Oddsmakers have the Cubs’ season win total placed at 72.5 wins.

The team will need this rotation to fire on all cylinders, and the front office will need to spend a little more after the lockout. Given that, I think they could clear this mark with ease.

Check out our Chicago Cubs forum for the latest on the North Siders.

Make sure to check out our Cubs forum for the latest on the team.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Fire and Inter Miami played to a scoreless tie in their Major League Soccer season opener Saturday. It was the Fire’s first game under new coach Ezra Hendrickson.

”I thought first half was really, really good,” Hendrickson said. ”[In the] second half, we got a little gassed toward the end, but the guys put in the effort. It’s a point on the road. We’ll take it. But we know that there’s some stuff we need to work on.”

The Fire had the best scoring chance of either team when Stanislav Ivanov rattled the far post with a shot in the 31st minute. They had another chance right before halftime when Xherdan Shaqiri slipped a ball behind Miami’s back line to Ivanov, whose shot required a kick save by goalkeeper Clement Diop.

The closest Miami came to scoring in the first half was on a header by Leonardo Campana — off a cross from Gonzalo Higuain — that hit the crossbar.

The teams then exchanged chances late in the second half. In the 85th minute, Fire substitute Jhon Duran picked up a ball from 25 yards out and struck a shot that glanced off the outside of the post.

Two minutes later, Miami was on the attack when Ariel Lassiter unleashed a shot to the near post that forced Fire goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina to make a diving save.

”It felt great to be on the field, and I think it’s a positive step for a successful season,” said Slonina, who wore a ”No War in Ukraine” T-shirt under his jersey.

The Fire will play their home opener at 5 p.m. Saturday against Orlando City at Soldier Field.

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It’s becoming a concerning pattern for the Bulls this season.

Too many wilting moments when staring down the NBA’s elite.

That was again on full display in Saturday’s 116-110 loss to Memphis, as the Bulls (39-22) are now a combined 0-7 against the four teams in front of them, and 0-10 if Philadelphia was factored into the equation.

“We take it on as a challenge to play better against the better teams,” Bulls guard Coby White said after. “We fought back, but we just gotta have that same physicality we did in the fourth quarter, the whole entire game.”

Hard to do after digging a 17-point hole, and allowing MVP-candidate Ja Morant to drop a career-high 46 at the United Center.

“He’s a good player, obviously,” White said. “He’s really good at getting downhill. We honestly could have done a better job being more physical with him.”

While Morant had a career game, Bulls veteran DeMar DeRozan, who still finished with 31 points, watched his historic streak of eight-straight games with at least 35 points and 50% shooting from the field come to an end.

The reasons for the shaky night were easy to see for coach Billy Donovan, especially because he warned against them pregame.

First, there was the offensive rebounding.

The Grizzlies specialize on second-chance points, especially with Steven Adams patrolling the paint. And all the big man did in his first eight-plus minutes on the floor was score 13 points, grab 11 rebounds, with six of them being the offensive variety.

By the time the first half ended, the visiting team outscored the Bulls in the paint 38-22, and had 15 second-half points compared to the home team’s seven.

The other concern was the defense, as the Grizzlies entered the night 13th in the league in opponent’s field goal percentage, but was the one team that DeRozan had fits against throughout his career.

That was on full display early on, as DeRozan went 0-for-6 in the first quarter, and didn’t hit a field goal until 8:38 left in the second quarter.

As bad as that first-half execution went, however, the Bulls still went into the locker room down just seven, overcoming a 15-point deficit.

Thank White for that, as well as new-comer Tristan Thompson.

White scored eight points off the bench, while Thompson was again a spark, playing very much like his role model Dennis Rodman.

“The fact I’m able to put on a Chicago Bulls jersey and go out there and try to make Dennis proud … that’s all l’m trying to do,” Thompson said of his role.

All well and good, but Thompson wasn’t stopping the Morant takeover in the third. Heck, Rodman would have had trouble with the Memphis All-Star.

Morant put on a show, not only scoring the 20 points in the stanza, but doing so on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and 7-for-8 from the free throw line.

Finally, the Bulls woke up. It was Zach LaVine early in the fourth and then of course DeRozan late, as a 14-0 run sparked the comeback.

The Bulls cut the deficit to one, but Desmond Bane hit one of the bigger shots of the night, stepping into a three-pointer with 1:21 left to put Memphis up four.

After Nikola Vucevic split a pair of free throws, the Bulls eventually earned the stop, as LaVine made two free throws with 25.5 seconds left. The Bulls were forced to foul, putting Tyus Jones at the line with 14.9 seconds left. The guard made both, putting the Bulls back in hero time.

DeRozan tried to answer that call once again, but tried to split the double-team, got the ball swiped, and eventually tossed with a second technical.

His exit not only all but sealed the game, but ended the six-game winning streak for the Bulls.

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CHICAGO —Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant broke the franchise record for most points in a regular-season game with 46 on Saturday night as he powered his team to a 116-110 victory over the Bulls.

Morant broke Mike Miller‘s previous record (45 points) set in 2007. The third-year guard set the overall record for points in the playoffs last season, when he scored 47 points in a Game 2 loss to the Utah Jazz.

Against Chicago, the Grizzlies hung on after letting a 17-point lead shrink to one to come away with the win after losing two in a row. They also stopped Chicago’s six-game winning streak.

Morant surpassed his previous regular-season career-high of 44 points. He scored 20 points in the third quarter and made 15 of 28 shots.

Steven Adams added 12 points and a season-high 21 rebounds, and the Grizzlies frustrated DeMar DeRozan even though the five-time All-Star scored 31 points.

That gave DeRozan 10 straight 30-point games, the longest such streak by a Bulls player since Michael Jordan did it in 10 straight from Dec. 25, 1990, to Jan. 14, 1991. But he was 10 of 29 from the field, ending his NBA-record run of eight games of scoring at least 35 while shooting 50% or better.

Zach LaVine scored 28 points in his second game back after missing the final three prior to the All-Star break because of his ailing left knee.

Memphis led by 17 in the third, with Morant going off in the quarter. He made 7 of 14 shots, including two 3s and a soaring alley-oop dunk near the end of the period.

It was a 16-point game early in the fourth when the Bulls reeled off a 14-0 run, with DeRozan hitting two free throws to cut it to 101-99 with 4:38 remaining.

Chicago’s Coby White cut it to 106-105 when he nailed a 3 with about 2:30 remaining. Morant then hit two free throws before DeRozan drove for a layup.

Desmond Bane hit a 3 to bump the lead to 111-107. The Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic made a foul shot, and Bane and Morant missed jumpers before LaVine hit two free throws to cut it to 111-110 with 25.5 seconds remaining.

Tyus Jones then hit a pair for Memphis to make it a three-point game. DeRozan argued a no-call after he missed in the lane and picked up his second technical after getting one earlier in the game, earning an ejection.

Morant, who got fouled by LaVine in the scramble, then made the technical free throw and two more foul shots to bump the lead to 116-110 with 5.3 seconds remaining.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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When the White Sox drafted shortstop Colson Montgomery in the first round and third baseman Wes Kath in the second, it wasn’t hard to immediately look ahead and envision both high schoolers, in a few years, holding down the left side of the South Side infield.

With Tim Anderson at shortstop and Yoan Moncada at third under contract control for three and four years respectively, those spots are the last areas of concern for the Sox front office right now.

But time will pass, and new needs arise. Watching Montgomery and Kath — both left-handed hitters who became tight shortly after the draft and are hanging out together during the Sox’ minicamp for prospects last week — climb the ranks in the farm system with the goal of filling those spots will be worth watching.

“To envision having left-handed bats on one side of the of the infield in the future, with the potential to not only hit but have power, that’s very exciting,” Sox assistant general manager and director of player development Chris Getz said.

Montgomery, of Southridge High (Ind.), was taken with the 22nd overall pick and Kath, of Desert Mountain High (Scottsdale, Ariz.), with taken 57th.

“We’ve kind of become best friends, I guess you could say,” Montgomery said on a Zoom call from Arizona last week. “We get along really well. We’re kind of the same player in a lot of ways.”

The Sox were so high on Kath, they might have taken him in the first round had Montgomery been unavailable. Colson turned 20 on Sunday. Kath is still 19, still young enough to rate his homer as a shortstop in a state championship game ahead of his first Rookie League homer on his thrill chart.

Adapting to pro-level velocity is one of the first orders of business for Kath, who was lifting balls over the fence to the opposite field in batting practice last week.

“Just trying to keep my bat in the zone longer,” Kath said. “The biggest thing I realize was just the velocity jump from high school to professional ball. It’s very big, going from 80 to 85 [mph] to 95, 98 consistently. It’s just a big jump.”

A three-sport star, the Indiana male High School Athlete of the Year who could have walked on for basketball at Indiana, the 6-4 Montgomery has a Corey Seager look about him, with “a sweet swing,” Getz said.

“He stays through the baseball. He’s under control in the box,” Getz said.

“We believe based on his foot speed and his ability to see the field and the strong arm that he has, that he’s going to be able to be a shortstop in this game for a long time.”

That’s the plan, anyway. And with major leaguer spring training appearing nowhere close to starting camp as March approaches under the cloud of an increasingly contentious lockout, long range plans might be the best thing for fans to latch on to.

Prospects are the only players the Sox’ major league coaching staff can work with right now in Arizona.

“The major league [coaches] here, they’re kind of just talking to us all, what they see in us, what they like, what we can kind of improve on,” Montgomery said. “It’s kind of just good to pick their brains because they work with the big leaguers, the best of the best guys. It’s just pretty cool having that opportunity to talk to them.”

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The numbers have been well documented.

But there’s a bottom line for the Bulls with a healthy Alex Caruso. When the combo guard was in uniform and his usual disruptive self, the team’s defensive rating was near the top of the league. Without Caruso, the Bulls defense was the second worst.

Very few players around the Association have been that impactful this season.

The problem was Caruso hasn’t been able to play in a game since Jan. 21, when Milwaukee’s Grayson Allen decided to play bouncer and turn a Caruso lay-up attempt into something out of an All-Elite Wrestling pay-per-view.

The hope is that changes next week, as Caruso takes the next big step in his comeback.

“Early this upcoming week, after the weekend, it will be a big to get him on the floor, start that [process],” coach Billy Donovan said on Saturday. “Get him to start doing things with the basketball. He’s really worked hard on his conditioning every day, and he really pushes himself and takes himself to exhaustion. I don’t really worry about his physical fitness. He’s really detailed with that.”

That doesn’t mean Caruso is a sure thing to return in the next few weeks by any means. He’ll still have his basketball activities to build up on, but also a medical evaluation to pass to make sure the surgically repaired wrist was healed correctly.

“The biggest thing will be once he gets a ball in his hand, it’s finding his rhythm, shooting again,” Donovan said. “He hasn’t been able to do any of that stuff. We’re really hopeful that early next week he can get on the floor and start to do those types of things.”

When Caruso is ready to return, he’ll obviously be on a minutes restriction, but as Donovan pointed out, the development of rookie Ayo Dosunmu while Caruso and Lonzo Ball (knee surgery) have been sidelined would benefit both the team and Dosunmu.

Allowing Caruso to ease back into his role as defensive stopper, while Dosunmu continues to do what he’s been doing on that side of the ball was what Donovan was talking about.

The LaVine plan

Before Zach LaVine went to Los Angeles to see a specialist about his left knee soreness two weeks ago, the Bulls were thinking that they would keep an eye on his playing time the rest of the regular season, which included sitting out the back end of back-to-backs.

That’s not necessarily the case now, however.

Donovan said it’s about communication with all the parties involved, and taking it by a game-by-game, day-by-day situation.

“With him it’s always been the next day, so I check in with him the next day,” Donovan said. “[LaVine] felt really, really good [after the Hawks game]. He and I have talked about going forward with the schedule, with back-to-backs, those types of things. It’s going to be something to see how he’s feeling. That’s really the biggest thing. We haven’t mapped out on the calendar games if it’s back-to-back he’s going to play the front of the back of it. It’s all going to come down to how he feels.

“The one thing that’s evident with Zach is he’s a competitive guy and he wants to play. Between the medical people here, the medical people in California, they’re all in close contact, and Zach’s the one that’s giving the feedback of how he’s doing and right now he’s feeling pretty good.”

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