Chicago Sports

The Chicago Bulls are always one of the most polarizing teams in the NBA. It makes sense. At one time, this was a team that was perennially competing for an NBA Championship. However, those days with Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen are long gone, just to name a few of their elite assets from yesteryear. This is a team that needs a jolt in the right direction fast. Here’s why. 

Bulls’ Playoff History Since Their Last NBA Championship (1998)

Since Chicago’s last NBA title back in 1998, which was also the last time they won the Eastern Conference Championship, the Bulls have only won their division twice, which were back in 2011 and 2012.

To make matters worse, the Bulls have only qualified for the postseason 12 times in the past 25 seasons. In those 12 appearances, the Bulls have only won five playoff series. And in the past 10 seasons, the Bulls have only appeared in the postseason four times with one series victory, occurring back in 2015.

Entering the current 2022-2023 season, the Bulls have only made the playoffs one time. The good thing is that it happened last season, showing that they have some talent that can get this team to the next level. 

Can The Bulls Turn It Around In 2023?

The Bulls are currently in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. To qualify for the playoffs this season, they would need to be inside the top eight. The Bulls are currently 1.5 games back from the eighth seed with a long season to go.

The Bulls have played in 47 games, just over the halfway point of their long 82-game campaign. And with the NBA trade deadline and All-Star Weekend rapidly approaching, the Bulls have the decision to make. 

The Bulls can either blow it up and once again try to rebuild a contending roster, or they can make some moves to acquire players to help them win now. 

Chicago is a team with talent. The question is if they have a No. 1 star to ride into glory. The team is centered around four primary players. These players are Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic. 

DeRozan would be considered the stud followed by LaVine, but both can play inconsistent basketball. Vucevic is an aging big but still brings a lot to the table while Ball has a lot of promise but has yet to take the necessary leap into stardom. For Ball, his health is his greatest downfall. 

If the Bulls were to make a move to win now, they have young talent that rebuilding teams would want, including Coby White, Patrick Williams, Ayo Dosunmu, and Dalen Terry. The biggest issue is that this year’s NBA trade market is dull. 

The best players on the market could be Julius Randle and Gordon Hayward. Are they good enough to get the Bulls over the hump? Likely not. The Bulls would have to make a splash and bring in a higher caliber player, and there aren’t many that teams would be willing to part ways with. 

What Is Next For the Chicago Bulls in 2023?

The Bulls were a playoff team last season, which means this roster is not too far off. The primary issue is the absence of Lonzo Ball. Ball is expected to miss the entire 2022-2023 season due to left knee surgery. However, one could make the case that if Ball was available to play, the Bulls would be in the conversation to win the Eastern Conference rather than being on the outside looking in. This roster with Ball has that much pop. 

Although it is a long shot, the Bulls are only 1.5 games back from the eighth seed with a lot of regular season games left to play, which means they are still in the running for the playoffs. If you think the Bulls can get hot and miraculously win the Eastern Conference, you can bet on Bulls Eastern Conference odds with some of the Caesars Promo Codes for sportsbooks. 

That being said, the best thing the Bulls can do is to try their best in 2023, but look ahead to next season when they will have Ball healthy and ready to contribute. But since the upcoming free agent class is just as underwhelming as the players available at the trade deadline, plus, the fact that the Bulls don’t have a ton of cap space, this is a team that may have to get lucky in the NBA Draft. 

To get lucky in the NBA Draft, the Bulls would need to miss the playoffs and hope they hit in the NBA lottery and walk out of the draft with a player who can help this team win immediately. Otherwise, they will remain in NBA purgatory for the unforeseeable future.  

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Gary Peters, the American League Rookie of the Year in 1963 and an All-Star pitcher for the White Sox in 1964 and ’67, has died at 85.

Peters led the AL with a 2.63 ERA while winning 19 games as a rookie and was a 20-game winner with a 2.50 ERA for the Sox in 1964. In 1968, the left-hander posted a league-best 1.98 ERA. He pitched for the Sox from 1959-69 before finishing his career with three seasons for the Red Sox.

Peters ranks eighth among White Sox pitchers with 1,098 strikeouts and owned a 3.25 career ERA and 123-105 won-lost record.

In the 1967 All-Star Game at Anaheim Stadium, Peters pitched three perfect innings, strikeouts Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda and Dick Allen. He also retired Hank Aaron on a groundout.

Peters was also a good hitter for a pitcher, batting .222/.253/.348 with 19 career homers, 31 doubles and seven triples.

The Sox traded Peters to Boston on Dec. 13, 1969, with Don Pavletich for Billy Farmer and Syd O’Brien. Gerry Janeski was later added to the deal.

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The other night, when the Chicago Bulls gave up a 20-point lead to the Indiana Pacers (who were riding a 7-game losing streak, mind you) and lost, that might have been the final straw for this season.

The Bulls have played great basketball at times, this year, and at other times have played down to their competition like in that matchup against the Pacers.

At their best, the Bulls look like a top-four team in the East and have beaten teams like Milwaukee and Boston. But, the truth is, this team is going nowhere and will finish with the eighth seed at best. It might be time to blow it up before it’s too late.

Chicago has some pieces, right now, that could be valuable in a potential trade.

Right now is the best time for the Chicago Bulls to blow it all up and make some trades.

For one, Zach LaVine is in the first year of his max contract and, at times, it’s looked like an enormous overpay. Starting next season, his salary exceeds $40 million and, let’s be honest, he’s simply not worth it.

But, over his last 10 games, LaVine is averaging 27.1 points, 5.5 boards and 4.1 assists. He’s actually shown improvement on the defensive side of the ball, too. Trying to trade LaVine might be worth it, in the long run, for some financial flexibility.

Then, there’s Nikola Vucevic, who is playing at an All Star level. Vucevic is on an expiring contract, and if the Bulls really want to commit to a rebuild, then dealing him for just about anything would make a lot of sense at this point. But, a late first-round pick might just be in the cards.

Trading Vucevic now, before the Bulls risk losing him in free agency, could make some sense.

Finally, it would be a sad day, but dealing DeMar DeRozan could net a huge return. A team like the Memphis Grizzlies, who need a strong veteran presence, could be a great fit.

This Bulls team is not one that’s going to compete for a championship, as much as fans might hate to admit it. If the Bulls could trade one or two of their big three, in exchange for a sum of first-round picks, that would give the front office the ammunition to truly build this thing from the ground-up.

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The Chicago Blackhawks are sitting in last place in the entire National Hockey League. We know what is on their mind this season and there is nothing wrong with that. There are a few more things that they need to accomplish this season before it can be called a success.

Very few teams would ever call finishing in or near last place a success but that is clearly the goal for this team. Obviously, their place in the standings is important because of draft implications. They also need to add some more assets to their rebuild this year in a different way.

The best way they are going to do that (besides the draft) is to make trades. One person that they need to trade is Patrick Kane. Obviously, Jonathan Toews might be close to the same in terms of getting traded but guys like Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou could land them asserts too.

With that said, nobody will garner more attention than Kane. He isn’t having the best production offensively that he’s ever had but the team around him is literally so bad. People are going to be so surprised when he hits a new team and gets back to being the elite superstar that we know.

The Chicago Blackhawks need to trade Patrick Kane as soon as possible.

The Blackhawks should have traded him over the summer to maximize his value but now they will get a little less. Still, they have to make this move. They can get good draft picks, and a prospect, and the team will be worse without him which will increase their lottery chances.

Plenty of contenders would try to do what they can to get Kane. Teams like the Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Vegas Golden Knights, and Colorado Avalanche amongst others would all look significantly better with a player like this coming in.

Kane is one of the greatest players in Chicago Blackhawks history so his trade (if it happens) is going to be a big story in Chicago. The Blackhawks need to do this the right way and get a very nice return for him. Again, the team will be better in the future if they make this move.

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David Montgomery is set to be a free agent this year

There weren’t many positive things to say about Matt Eferblus’ first season in charge of the Chicago Bears. All things considered, though, he did what he could with the hand he was given, which wasn’t exactly the best.

The Bears finished the season with the worst record in the NFL, earning the rights to the first-overall pick in the upcoming Draft. That puts them in a privileged position, as they already have found their franchise quarterback in Justin Fields, so they can now use that pick to build around him for the future.

They need to do whatever it’s in their power to surround fields with the supporting cast he needs to thrive, and that means revamping the offensive line and making sure they don’t lose their most consistent weapon in the running game: David Montgomery.

David Montgomery Had A Great Year

Despite playing in a somewhat pedestrian offense, David Montgomery was able to be a consistent contributor flying under the radar. He had 201 carries for 801 yards (4.0 yards per carry) and five touchdowns, adding 34 receptions for 316 yards and another score.

While those numbers aren’t exactly Hall of Fame worthy, we’re talking about a team that averaged 330.1 total yards (28th in the league) and 19.2 points (23rd). He was the best and leading rusher for the best rushing attack in the NFL, constantly getting the tough yards and also serving as an elite blocker for fields’ scrambles and designed runs. He also logged the fourth-most receiving yards on the team.

Montgomery, as you might be remembered, played college football in Iowa, a state where the Chicago Bears have a huge following (learn more about the most followed NFL teams in Iowa here).

They Cannot Let Him Go

It’s evident that the Bears cannot let their veteran running back go. Even with Khalil Herbert stating that he’s ready to take over, Montgomery has been a consistent workhorse and a three-down kind of back since he took over Matt Forte. Moreover, Montgomery has reaffirmed his desire to say in Chicago, which is more than most players on the roster could say:

“It’s always emotional toward the end of the year, but this one’s just a little bit more emotional just because of the uncertainty that’s next,” Montgomery told The Athletic after the season finale. “I love being here. I feel like I’ve done everything that I could and we just go see what’s next, but I appreciate all the Bears fans and everybody who supported me. Hopefully I’m still here but, yeah, it’s definitely emotional.”

“I definitely think I could’ve done better in areas, but I was pretty consistent every year,” he added. “I felt like I’ve been a hell of a player, but I know that I’m just touching the surface of what I can be and what I’m capable of. It gives me more motivation and excitement going into the offseason knowing that I can get better and I will.”

So, whether it’s in the Windy City or somewhere else, you better believe Montgomery will get paid and have a prominent role in the offense. Unsurprisingly, he’s looking forward to that opportunity:

“It’s the most exciting thing that I’ve ever prepared for in my life,” Montgomery said of free agency. “Anyone in here who has a kid, I mean I’m sure you all know that feeling when you first hold your child. I hear a lot of stories about everybody telling me like, what’s that feeling going to be, and it’s going to change your life. That’s the feeling I can’t wait to have. I’m counting down the days. It’s 12 days as we speak. You know I’ve got a countdown in my phone I look at every chance that I get.”

The Bears have made a lot of mistakes lately, but this one is one they cannot afford, especially with nearly $120 million in cap space for next season.

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White Sox fans have felt so much angst the last three years that they might fear the worst as TV announcers Jason Benetti and Steve Stone remain without contracts.

But industry insiders expect the tandem to return. It’s just a matter of when and on what terms, particularly with Benetti.

The hangup is the number of games Benetti will miss for his other commitments. Last year, Benetti was the lead voice for Peacock’s package of early Sunday games. That came off his calendar when he joined Fox, for whom he has called college football and basketball. He’ll add major-league baseball this season.

On Monday, Benetti debuted as the host of “Throw it Down with Bill Walton,” an alternative NBA game telecast that streams on NBA League Pass. In the last month, he called two NFL games for Fox. Benetti is as versatile – and seemingly as available – as they come.

His last contract with the Sox didn’t specify an exact number of games he could miss. The Sox allowed him to call national games when he also worked for ESPN, but there wasn’t a set amount, only what was deemed reasonable. It left the contract up for interpretation.

Benetti’s next contract figures to include an agreed-upon number of games he can miss, and the Sox and rights holder NBC Sports Chicago don’t want that number to change. It’s a common issue for local announcers who do national work, but Benetti and the Sox have been on the same page.

The Sox have been supportive of Benetti’s efforts to diversify his portfolio, and NBCSCH always has encouraged its talent to appear elsewhere. It raises the profile of the team and the network, but both still want their guy on their games as much as possible.

Stone doesn’t have such conflicts, but he figures to take some time off during the season, as he usually does. Still, expect Benetti and Stone to be in the Sox’ booth more often than not this season.

New Sox cable channel unlikely

NBCSCH’s rights agreement with the Sox, Blackhawks and Bulls expires in October 2024. Sox and Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf has been exploring his options, including starting his own network with the Blackhawks, as the Sun-Times reported in June.

But industry insiders say Reinsdorf isn’t expected to pull the plug on NBCSCH, certainly not in this media environment. Cable subscriptions are diminishing, and though the bundle remains profitable, it’s not as profitable as it used to be.

Despite layoffs on its digital side, NBCSCH’s linear business is strong. It has quality game production and shoulder programming, and it has generated revenue in a trying time in the industry. Granted, outside of games, it offers few worthy content options, but viewers aren’t turning to the channel for those.

NBCSCH also has strong distribution. Not only is it part of Comcast under NBCUniversal, it’s available in market on four live-TV streaming services: DirecTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu and YouTubeTV. The Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network has live-TV streaming agreements with only DirecTV Stream and fuboTV.

The worst-case scenario for a regional sports network is playing out with the Bally Sports RSNs, whose owner, Diamond Sports Group (a subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group), is heading to bankruptcy court, according to Bloomberg. Marquee, which is jointly owned by the Cubs and Sinclair, is unaffected.

Say what you want about how Reinsdorf runs his teams. When he compares his broadcasting options for them, he knows the best place is right where they are.

Remote patrol

Former Cubs TV voice Chip Caray reportedly will return home to St. Louis to call Cardinals games for Bally Sports Midwest. Caray called the Braves for the last 18 seasons. He replaces Dan McLaughlin, whose 24-season run with the Cards ended in December when he resigned after his third arrest for driving while intoxicated.

Harry Caray, Chip’s grandfather, called the Cardinals from 1945 to ’69, then the White Sox from 1971 to ’81 and the Cubs from 1982 to ’97.

Best wishes to Hawks radio announcer John Wiedeman. His voice has been out of commission, so the team gave him this road trip off to rest it. He’s expected back when the Hawks return from the All-Star break Feb. 7. Joe Brand has done a wonderful job filling in.

Amazon announced that “Air,” which chronicles how Nike signed Michael Jordan, will be released in theatres April 5 before arriving on Prime Video. Ben Affleck directed the film and plays Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Matt Damon is Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro.

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Aurora Christian’s game against Chicago Christian earlier this month was a night of celebration. But it was also one that brought a whole lot of emotion.

Just before the game, the school and basketball program recognized the first family of Aurora Christian basketball: the Davidsons.

Aurora Christian basketball coach and athletic director Dan Beebe stood at a podium and introduced Marc Davidson as the first inductee of the newly-formed Aurora Christian Hall of Fame.

Beebe read through the accomplishments of the former all-stater: the stats and records, the leadership and faith, and his courage in battling cancer.

Davidson, who played two years for Lou Henson at Illinois before finishing his career at Trinity International where he was a NAIA All-American and had his number retired, lost his battle with cancer last May at the age of 49.

Beebe highlighted Davidson’s achievements as a player and high school coach, which included eight professional seasons in France out of college and most recently coaching Blackhawk Christian in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to state titles in 2019 and 2021. Just as Beebe concluded his speech a banner was unfurled from the rafters with Marc Davidson’s name and favorite bible verse: Colossians 3:23.

“It was a really powerful moment,” said Matt Davidson, Marc’s older brother and a 1989 Aurora Christian graduate.

Beebe, who said he purposely avoided looking at the Davidson family during his speech to help keep his own emotions in check, said there was an “electrifying atmosphere and buzz in the gym.”

Following a standing ovation, Beebe then announced the inaugural Hall of Fame class would also include Don Davidson, the legendary coach who started the Aurora Christian program, and Matt Davidson, a star player in the late 1980s.

“Don Davidson started athletics at Aurora Christian and both Matt and Marc put Aurora Christian on the map,” Beebe said. “We wanted to honor Marc in a way that is meaningful, with a long-lasting impact on the family. We decided what better way than Marc being our initial Hall of Fame inductee?”

Beebe, who took over the program in 2010, says the impact and affect the Davidson family has had on Aurora Christian “is immeasurable.” The words in describing the influence Don Davidson and his two sons had on Aurora Christian barely do it justice.

“I don’t even know how you would measure it,” Beebe said. “The impact Don Davidson alone has had on the school and the people that have walked those hallways is impossible to quantify.”

Don Davidson, an IBCA Hall of Famer, started up the Aurora Christian basketball program in the late 1970s. Over three decades he turned the program from a start-up to one of the most successful small school programs in the state.

Davidson won 549 games in 31 seasons at Aurora Christian, including two trips to the Elite Eight where the Eagles finished fourth in 1990 and as a state runner-up in 1995. He finished his coaching career, which included stops at Yorkville and Parkview Christian in Yorkville, with 723 career wins.

While he retired from coaching following the 2019-20 season, Don Davidson still teaches at Parkview Christian every day at the age of 77.

As Don Davidson took in everything Friday night, there were a wave of emotions as three decades worth of memories at Aurora Christian came flooding back, including those years coaching his two sons.

“The heaviest emotion came those weeks and that first month after Marc died, but things like this do bring it all back,” Don Davidson said. “It was a very emotional night. So many thoughts were running through my head.

“But as I listened, throughout the ceremony, I just thought about all those days we were all together.”

He also thought about the evolution of the program, building it, sustaining it and all that went into it over three decades.

“I was thinking about those first few years where we didn’t have a whole lot of players or athletes in the school,” Don Davidson said. “Then Matt and Marc, along with their friends and teammates, came along and had success which then inspired other kids in the program. Then there were the younger ones who wanted to be like them and be a part of it and do what they saw them do.”

Matt Davidson, who has been superintendent at Timothy Christian for the past 13 years, said the family has been a part of several ceremonies and memorials honoring his late brother. This one was different.

“First, Dan Beebe did a wonderful job with his speech and capturing all that Marc meant,” Matt Davidson said. “And having so many people back from yesteryear was really neat. But this was probably the best ceremony or memorial — and we’ve been to several since Marc passed — because we were all a part of it and shared in it together.”

Matt said because of that — honoring and recognizing all three Davidsons — there was less crying and sadness during Friday night’s ceremony than previous ones that solely focused on his late brother.

“Those were all about Marc, so there were a lot of tears and a whole lot of getting choked up,” Matt said. “This one brought us all together, with dad and I also a part of the same ceremony. There weren’t as many tears.”

Marc Davidson was dealt a harsh hand. He was diagnosed with renal epithelioid angiomyolipoma, a rare form of cancer, in October of 2020. But his faith was steadfast, unwavering.

He continued to coach while taking on the very aggressive cancer. He rarely ever missed a practice and missed only one game during his cancer fight. And just as he was before the cancer, he was a state championship coach after the diagnosis.

Marc Davidson led Blackhawk Christian to an Indiana state championship in 2019 behind Purdue recruit Caleb Furst. His son, Frank Davidson, one of seven Davidson children of Marc and his wife, Lisa, had a big season and went for 20 points and 12 rebounds in the state championship game.

The pandemic wiped out the 2020 state tournament in Indiana, but Blackhawk Christian and Davidson won their second title in 2021 with two more sons, senior Marcus in the starting lineup and sophomore Jimmy on the bench.

Over the years both Don Davidson and Marc Davidson, with all their successful seasons as coaches, would together remind anyone who asked what success truly looked like and how it was determined.

“What I have said — and I know Marc always said this as a coach when asked how was your season — is we’ll wait 15 or 20 years and see what kind of success we had,” Don said of their joint reflection on success. “We will see what kind of men, husbands and fathers they become and then we will see how successful we were.”

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The Cubs bolstered their catching depth by signing catcher Luis Torrens to a minor-league contract with a spring training invitation, a deal the club announced Thursday.

Torrens’ offensive production slipped this past season, his OPS dropping from .730 in 2021 to .581 last year. The Mariners non-tendered him in November, but their president of baseball operations, Jerry Dipoto, told reporters then that the club would extend Torrens a non-roster invite to spring training if he didn’t sign with another team.

Since then, Torrens has put together a strong showing in the Venezuelan Winter League, slashing .387/.484/.600.

The Cubs already have their regular starting catchers, with Yan Gomes entering the second year of his contract and Tucker Barnhart signing this winter. But the club also knows the importance of depth at the position. Two years ago, the Cubs cycled through eight backup catchers in one season.

Torrens is the most proven of the group behind Gomes and Barnhart. The Cubs also signed Dom Nu?ez to a minor-league deal with a spring training invite earlier this month.

Prospect Miguel Amaya is working back from a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot, which he sustained as he was coming back from Tommy John surgery. But president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said a couple weeks ago that Amaya was on track to be fully cleared by the end of March.

The Cubs lost backup catcher PJ Higgins to free agency after designating him for assignment to make room for Barnhart on the roster in late December. Higgins cleared waivers but rejected his outright assignment to Triple-A Iowa. He signed a minor-league deal with the Diamondbacks last week.

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HAVANA — The White Sox’ Yo?n Moncada and Luis Robert are among the players signed with Major League Baseball organizations and other foreign clubs who will for the first time join domestic stars on the Cuban national team, officials announced Wednesday evening. The team will play in this year’s World Baseball Classic.

The Cuban Baseball Federation long defended the idea of amateurism and punished those who left the island to seek their fortunes in professional baseball.

But that changed when a program on state television announced the roster of 30 players for Cuba’s national team that will play in the international tournament that begins March 8 in Taiwan.

In addition to third baseman Moncada and center fielder Robert, three players from Triple-A rosters were selected: infielder Andy Ib??ez of the Detroit Tigers’ Toledo Mud Hens, right-hander Miguel Romero of the Oakland Athletics’ Las Vegas Aviators and right-hander Ronald Bola?os of the Kansas City Royals’ Omaha Storm Chasers.

Moncada and Robert will be absent from parts of spring training to participate.

“In the end, we all want what’s best for Major League Baseball,” general manager Rick Hahn said this month. “We’ve all seen the excitement and the energy, the attention that brings to baseball from the World Baseball Classic. So we all support it.”

New manager Pedro Grifol views the players’ participation as motivators for them to arrive at camp in good shape and a good experience playing under pressure.

“Selfishly, in a manager’s first year, you don’t love the idea of him having full-time access — or primarily a new coaching staff having full-time access for those six, seven weeks,” Hahn said. “But in the end, the more important thing is the advancement of the game on a global basis, and we will obviously play our part in whatever we need to do to help. It’s a nice testament to the organization that we do have so many players who are participating.”

Eloy Jimenez is playing for the Dominican Republic and Tim Anderson and Lance Lynn for the U.S.

“Only two of [the teams] can go all the way, so we’ll get some guys back over the course of the first few weeks and just meet that challenge accordingly,” Hahn said.

Also on the team will be former New York Mets outfielder Yoenis C?spedes, a 37-year-old two-time All-Star who last played in the major leagues in 2018.

Two Cubans who play in Japan were picked, outfielder Yurisbel Gracial of the Pacific League’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and catcher Ariel Mart?nez of the Central League’s Chunichi Dragons.

To arrange participation of the MLB players, Cuba had to get special permission from the United States because Washington maintains sanctions on Cuba. Under the agreement, those players are barred from coming to Cuba to work with the team.

Baseball is the national sport in Cuba but economic difficulties, the philosophy of restricting the movement of athletes and the temptations of professional contracts abroad has decimated the game on the island.

Contributing: Daryl Van Schouwen

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The rise of the transfer portal in college football has been the bane of many high school prospects’ existence.

Most college coaches, impatient in a win-now world, jump at the chance to fill a roster spot with a proven college player rather than a prep prospect.

That’s bad news for high school players who aren’t four- or five-star prospects — which is obviously most of them.

But there are exceptions such as Glenbrook North long snapper Patrick Mahoney, whose recent commitment to Illinois actually was facilitated by the portal.

“Obviously, being a specialist, everything is kind of weird,” said Mahoney, a 6-2, 205-pound senior. “So I knew everything was going to happen pretty late.”

He was talking to schools anywhere from NCAA Division I to Division III, where he could double as an offensive lineman and long snapper. Then, fate dealt him a winning hand.

Greg Froelich, a special teams analyst at Illinois the past two seasons, left to become special teams coordinator and running backs coach at Charlotte. Going along with him via the portal was Illini long snapper Nico Crawford.

“So that kind of opened it up for me at Illinois and I reconnected with them after their bowl game,” Mahoney said. “It’s funny because the whole time I kind of felt like the transfer portal was gonna hurt me. But it ended up really helping me.”

What makes the scenario even better is Mahoney liked Champaign as a destination no matter what.

“Illinois was a place I wanted to go regardless of football,” he said. “My state school, I really like what their College of Media has to offer. As somebody who wants to be a broadcasting major, I think that their program is really enticing.”

He felt similarly about long snapping after taking over the job during his sophomore year at Glenbrook North when the incumbent was sidelined by injury. He went to a camp at Maine South in the spring of 2021 and had an epiphany: “That’s when I started working really hard towards — ‘I think this is my best option for playing elite level football.'”

Mahoney played basketball, baseball and football growing up. But he really fell in love with the latter sport when his dad Pat was athletic director at Loyola and Patrick was a ball boy for the Ramblers.

That’s also when he first starting long snapping at a camp. His teacher was John Shannon, the Loyola grad who went on to win the 2019 Patrick Mannelly Award as the nation’s top long snapper at Notre Dame.

Now Mahoney gets the chance to be a Power Five long snapper himself. And he owes it all to the portal.

Christian Bentancur picks Clemson

Marian Central tight end Christian Bentancur, the No. 3 junior in Illinois in the 247Sports composite rankings, committed to Clemson earlier this month.The Tigers rarely venture to Chicago to recruit. But Bentancur was too good not to chase, according to Rivals analyst Clint Cosgrove.”At the tight end position there’s so few guys that are of that elite caliber,” Cosgrove said of the 6-5, 240-pounder. “He’s got high level of athleticism and ball skills.”

Offers pile up for Marquise Lightfoot

Recruiting is heating up for Kenwood edge rusher Marquise Lightfoot, the No. 6 Illinois junior. The 6-5, 215-pounder recently added offers from Ohio State, Miami and Wisconsin.Cosgrove sees a high ceiling for Lightfoot as he gets bigger and stronger.”It’s kind of like watching a baby giraffe growing into that body,” Cosgrove said. “Great length, extremely athletic, great kid.”Lightfoot, whose stock rose after he won defensive MVP honors at an elite prospects in Atlanta, has more than 30 offers.”He’s a kid who could wind up being a five-star [prospect],” Cosgrove said.

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