Chicago Sports

All eyes will be on quarterback Justin Fields as the 3-10 Bears try to finish a rebuilding season with the arrow pointing up heading into the 2023 season.

Fields, perhaps modestly, has fulfilled the most important requirement of the Bears’ first season under general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus. He’s established himself as the quarterback the Bears will build around in 2023. More progress in the passing game over the final four games would be nice. But at this point, if Fields is still standing when it’s over, the Bears will head into the offseason with more hope than doubt. At Halas Hall, that’s progress.

Beyond Fields, there will be other key players to watch as potential foundation pieces:

Can rookie safety Jaquan Brisker and rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon return after missing two games in concussion protocol to build upon promising first seasons and provide hope for a disappointing defense? Is linebacker Jack Sanborn — with 54 tackles in five starts since the Roquan Smith trade — the real deal? Are rookie left tackle Braxton Jones and second-year right guard Teven Jenkins locked in as building blocks on the offensive line? Will former first-round draft pick Alex Leatherwood get a chance to prove he can be a starting tackle on a playoff team — and is four games enough to do that?

But after Fields, wide receiver Chase Claypool stands above the rest as a focal point of the final month of the season. The Bears gave up their own second-round draft pick in 2023 to acquire Claypool from the Steelers in Week 9 — currently No. 34 overall (and really No. 33, because the Dolphins forfeited their first-round pick this season as punishment for tampering).

By giving the Steelers their own second-round pick instead of the one they acquired from the Ravens for Roquan Smith, the Bears currently have dropped 23 spots in the second round to get him — from No. 34 to No. 57.

The benefit is that Claypool is here now. In theory, Claypool is using his nine games with the Bears to get acclimated to Luke Getsy’s offense and develop a rapport with Fields that will allow the pair to hit the ground running in 2023 — instead of the usual learning/chemistry process with a draft pick. (Packers receiver Christian Watson was the 34th overall pick in last year’s draft.)

Claypool’s production so far has been modest — 12 receptions for 111 yards (9.3 average) and no touchdowns in 22 targets in five games (145 snaps). Getsy’s offense isn’t built for even a big and fast receiver like Claypool to make an immediate impact, the Bears say.

“Coming from where he came from, there’s still routes he’s never run before,” Bears wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert said prior to the Packers game. “But he’s a very smart guy and he’s taking coaching — in-between periods when the defense is out there doing some stuff.

“Is he where we want him to be? No. But no one is. No one’s ever where you want them to be. But I like coaching him. He’s a coachable guy. He’s a smart guy. He’s got size and hands. He’s got speed. He can do a lot of things. I think it’s just to continue to build off what he’s done so far and hopefully it’ll turn into some production.”

Tolbert said he expects Claypool having full participation in the offseason program to accelerate that progress.

“Absolutely,” Tolbert said. “Because in the offseason you can work with a guy day-in and day-out; work with the quarterback on-campus and off-campus. He’s coming in in the middle of the season. We’re teaching him the game plan, but not necessarily the genesis of the offense — how it began, this is why we call it this or that. We don’t have time to go through all that part of it. [It’s] ‘This is where you line up. This is what you run.’ Once we get to the offseason, I think it’ll be much better.”

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The Blackhawks aren’t shooting as much as they could or should.

That’s plain for anyone to see. It’s plain for the Hawks themselves to see. It has been talked about on and off inside the locker room, at practice and during video-review sessions for several months.

For some reason, however, the Hawks haven’t been able to translate that observation and instruction into action.

”A lot of times this year, we’ve . . . [had] a lot of good shot opportunities where we try to get even a better shot,” forward Philipp Kurashev said Friday. ”But sometimes you’ve just got to get it on net. You never know if it’ll go in, or maybe there’s going to be a rebound for someone. That’s how we have to do it. We have to be more simple, just putting pucks to the net and trying to get to those little areas where the loose pucks are going to be.”

A third-period power play Tuesday against the Devils nearly offered proof. The Hawks had passed the puck around the perimeter of the offensive zone for a while without taking a shot. Patrick Kane eventually decided he had had enough and ripped a wrist shot from up high.

The shot had a low goal probability and didn’t end up even registering as a shot on goal because Devils defenseman Jonas Seigenthaler blocked it in the crease. But coach Luke Richardson liked what he saw and would like to see a lot more of it.

On closer review, the rebound off Seigenthaler barely bounced over Kurashev’s stick. Had he been able to one-time the puck, it would’ve had a high goal probability. Coincidentally, while watching the Lightning-Predators game Thursday on TV, Richardson saw a similar play unfold in which Lightning forward Corey Perry corraled the rebound and scored.

Richardson also recently showed the Hawks a clip from their loss last Sunday to the Islanders in which the line of Kurashev, Max Domi and Taylor Raddysh brought a steady shooting mentality — at least for a 50-second shift.

”We were skating, so we were the ones retrieving the puck, keeping it in the zone, and then we’d get another chance,” Richardson said. ”It’s not just [about] getting shots on net. It creates more ‘O’-zone time and secondary chances. [We’re] repeating that and showing them that theory does work . . . [so] hopefully they keep that in their minds.”

The Hawks’ season statistics are rather pathetic. During five-on-five play, they’ve taken 924 shots to their opponents’ 1,333. That 40.9% ratio ranks last in the NHL, well below the 31st-place Coyotes at 42.2%. They’ve taken more shots than their opponents in only three of their 26 games. They’re also last in shots-on-goal ratio (40.9%) and scoring-chance ratio (39.7%) and third-to-last in expected-goals ratio (40.5%).

There’s no doubt that imbalanced possession time is contributing to those ugly numbers. The Hawks simply don’t have the puck in the offensive zone nearly as much as their opponents do.

But it seems they have the puck more than 40.9% of the time, even if it’s well below 50%. If they were more aggressive with shooting opportunities, they might close the gap a bit.

Perhaps it’s just a matter of decisiveness. Richardson and Kurashev mentioned a need to ”pull the trigger a little quicker” — before opposing defensemen move their sticks or bodies into the open lanes, that is.

”A lot of times, we are making good plays and [are] just maybe one step too late,” Kurashev said.

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Every NBA team has a few schedule losses in a season.

Whether it’s the back end of a back-to-back or a long flight with an early tip time, there’s just those instances where the schedule stares down at an organization and says, “It’s not happening tonight.”

All the ingredients were in place for Dallas to experience one of those on Saturday.

A late 9 p.m. tip in a home loss to Milwaukee on ESPN Friday, a 4 a.m. arrival into Chicago, and on top of it no Luka Doncic (quad strain) available?

The Bulls, however, had something different in mind. Forget handing the visiting team a schedule loss. This was a full schedule 144-115 beat down.

“We wish this was baseball at spring training so we could have a split squad and send half the squad up to Chicago,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “They got to look at this because this isn’t right. I understand TV comes first. They pay the bills. But we could have played [the Bucks] at 7, 7:30.

“We got a doubleheader. Somebody thought it was a great idea. So that’s why we’re playing it.”

“Playing it” was a bit strong.

They showed up, but the actual playing part seemed to never make it out of baggage claim.

Credit the Bulls (11-14) for that, and credit them for taking care of business right away, rather than sleepwalking into the opening quarter like the starting group had done far too often this season.

If the game plan was to run the lethargic Mavs right from the tip, Billy Donovan’s bunch got that message loud and clear.

After a Dwight Powell alley oop dunk to start the game, the Bulls quickly made it feel like a varsity vs JV scrimmage, thanks to Zach LaVine. Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic each hit threes to start the Bulls scoring, but LaVine then made his presence felt, scoring 11 of the next 22 points, allowing the home team to jump out to a 28-10 lead.

The offense was just getting started.

When the first quarter ended, the Bulls lead was 40-30, and they were just getting warmed up.

Veterans DeMar DeRozan and Andre Drummond then got it going, leading the second unit out to an even bigger margin.

By the time the two teams headed off to the halftime locker rooms, the Bulls held a 29-point lead, and the Mavs could start warming up the bus.

“I think it was important that we just focused on us,” Williams said. “We wanted to come out how we needed to come out.”

Not only was the 82 points the most the franchise had scored in a first half since they put up 81 in an April 14, 2007 game in Milwaukee, but it was a new record for the most points the franchise had ever scored in a first half. The most points the Bulls ever scored in a half was still 86.

And this latest display was well distributed.

DeRozan had 17 points, Nikola Vucevic 16, LaVine 13 and Patrick Williams 12. Even more impressive, the 29-of-44 shooting (65.9%) also came on 21 assists.

A basketball clinic not seen by this core, and done on both ends.

“Clearly they had a tough game against Milwaukee and then a tough time getting here,” Donovan said of the win. “For us, I thought we generated good shots, moved the ball … I think there’s always things you can take from these games.”

When the final horn sounded and the smoke cleared, seven Bulls finished in double figures, led by DeRozan’s 28, and the team hit a season-high in three-pointers with 19, as well as a season-high in assists with 35.

Dallas sending a split-squad might have been a good idea after all.

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Answering the Bears’ biggest questions during the bye week:

What do the Bears need to see from Justin Fields in the last four games?

Take another step forward, especially in the passing game, against the Eagles and/or Bills — two top-10 defenses. And develop a better connection with Chase Claypool. If establishing Fields-Claypool chemistry in 2022 doesn’t matter, the Bears should not have traded a potential top-35 draft pick for him. They just should have waited and drafted a receiver at that spot.

Is Matt Eberflus doing a good job?

I feel the same way about Matt Eberflus as I do about Justin Fields — like the potential, seems to have laid a foundation for future success, but still need to see a lot more to be convinced he’ll take the Bears where previous coaches have not. Even with circumstances considered — rookies, trades, etc. — his defense has under-achieved.

What should the Bears do with a top-three draft pick?

The dream scenario would be to trade with a team desperate for a quarterback, still get a top 10 pick and acquire a 2023 first-round pick that ends up in the top-5. The 4-8 Panthers, currently with the No. 6 pick, could fill that bill.

As for need, Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, according to draft analysts, looks like the best chance for a three-technique with the potential to have a Tommie Harris-like impact on Eberflus’ defense.

I’ll be watching this player the rest of the year …

Left tackle Braxton Jones. By the eye test he has done well as a rookie starter. But at a premium position, Jones can’t just be good for a fifth-round draft pick. He has to actually be good — a consistent Pro Bowl level player — to be a foundation piece. That could be a big decision for Ryan Poles in the offseason.

Which surprise player has earned a 2023 starting job?

Rookie linebacker Jack Sanborn. As much as many of us were clamoring for the Bears to sign Roquan Smith, Sanborn seems like a more cost-efficient replacement in the context of Eberflus’ defense.

Sanborn has 54 tackles in 287 snaps in his five starts — more than Smith had in his final five games with the Bear (47 in 311 snaps). It’s a small sample-size for sure. But tackling is not an impact that generally fluctuates. And it still leaves room for the Bears to draft a player for the Shaquille Leonard play-making linebacker role in Eberflus’ defense.

What has been the biggest disappointment of the season?

The Bears’ defense not only has just 16 sacks (32nd and last in the NFL), but a league-low 34 quarterback hits — every other team has 48 or more. And they have just three takeaways in their last six games. Even with four rookie starters and a house-cleaning, more was expected of Eberflus’ defense.

How many games will the Bears win the rest of the way?

Maybe two, if the 10-2 Vikings are coasting in Week 18.

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Riverside-Brookfield and St. Ignatius are facing off now.

Still to come is Hyde Park vs. Homewood-Flossmoor and Curie vs. Mount Carmel

Lemont 60, Lane 51: Matas and Rokas Castillo absolutely dominated the game. Rokas led the way with 22 points and seven rebounds and Matas added 17 points and six boards. Undefeated Lemont led 54-31 after three quarters and the Champions tightened things up a bit in the fourth quarter but the outcome was never in doubt.

Lane sophomore big Dalton Scantlebury, who opened some eyes with his play last weekend at the Chicago Elite Classic, finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. Junior Shaheed Solebo added 16 points.

St. Laurence 58, Farragut 44: Solid game from the Vikings’ young group. St. Laurence started five sophomores: Jacob Rice, Zerrick Jones, Caleb Lindsey, Emmanuel Mosley and Khalil Jones.

Rice scored 15 and Jones 13. St. Laurence is certainly worth keeping an eye on this season, they’ve been competitive against a tough schedule so far. Freshman Latrell Kelly led the Admirals with 14.

Lincoln-Way East 63, Westinghouse 51: That’s a three-game sweep for suburban teams vs. Red-North/West teams at the Team Rose Shootout. Powerful senior George Bellevue led the way with 24 points and 14 rebound and Tylon Tolliver added 17.

Saturday’s other top games

Hinsdale Central 69, Oak Lawn 64: The Red Devils are always a challenge and I liked the way this group played when I saw them at the Riverside-Brookfield summer shootout. Ben Oosterbaan scored 22 points and Emerson Eck added 17.

Simeon 52, Cornado, CA 46: The Wolverines pick up a big win in Arizona. Sam Lewis had 16 points and seven rebounds and Miles Rubin added 10 points and eight rebounds. Uncommitted senior Jalen Griffith finished with 12 points and four assists.

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A Far South Side man who was apparently enraged by a television news story allegedly opened fire on several family members and neighbors outside his home earlier this week, hitting one man before he was shot by a Chicago police officer, according to prosecutors.

Kevin Singleton, 52, was charged with six counts of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated battery over the encounter that started Wednesday evening, prosecutors said during a bail hearing on Saturday.

Singleton was at the home in the 100 block of West 126th Place when he got upset over the TV news story, called police and then hung up, according to Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Lisa Sterba. He became further agitated when a dispatcher called him back, Sterba said.

Singleton’s mother, who was in the home at the time, called the man’s daughter for help dealing with Singleton, prosecutors said.

As Singleton’s daughter walked up to the home, he allegedly pointed a handgun at her and told her to “get away,” Sterba said. He then fired three shots as she walked back to a vehicle with her boyfriend inside, hitting three passenger-side windows, Sterba said.

After that, Singleton allegedly went back inside and then re-emerged with a shotgun that he fired at the house next door, Sterba said.

That neighbor called her son, who showed up with two friends whom Singleton also fired at, Sterba said. One was hit in the armpit and buttocks.

That man, 47, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. He was expected to survive but remained intubated Saturday, prosecutors said.

Police officers eventually arrived and Singleton tried to fire at them, but his gun apparently malfunctioned, prosecutors said.

As Singleton chased another person on the block, an officer shot him in the finger, prosecutors said. He was hospitalized in good condition and allegedly later acknowledged firing the shotgun.

Singleton didn’t appear in court Saturday, and was instead recovering at the University of Chicago Medical Center, according to police.

His bail was set at $5 million, with his next court date scheduled for Dec. 16.

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Saturday, December 10, 2022

CHICAGO PREP

Rochelle Zell at Ida Crown, 9:00

DU KANE

St. Charles East at Wheaton-Warr. South, 6:00

St. Charles North at Geneva, 6:00

Wheaton North at Lake Park, 6:00

INTERSTATE EIGHT

Rochelle at Sycamore, 6:00

Sandwich at Kaneland, 7:00

METRO SUBURBAN – RED

St. Edward at McNamara, 7:00

NORTH SUBURBAN

Libertyville at Lake Forest, 5:30

Mundelein at Waukegan, 5:30

Warren at Stevenson, 1:30

Zion-Benton at Lake Zurich, 5:30

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY

Grayslake Central at Grayslake North, 7:00

North Chicago at Grant, 7:00

Wauconda at Round Lake, 12:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE WHITE-NORTH

Lake View at Taft, 7:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – EAST

Joliet West at Joliet Central, 12:00

WEST SUBURBAN – GOLD

Leyden at Hinsdale South, 6:00

Morton at Downers Grove South, 4:00

Proviso East at Addison Trail, 6:00

WEST SUBURBAN – SILVER

Lyons at Glenbard West, 6:00

Proviso West at York, 7:30

NON CONFERENCE

Auburn at Yorkville Christian, 7:00

Batavia at Quincy, 7:00

Beecher at Herscher, 4:30

Belvidere North at Woodstock, 1:00

Bradley Tech (WI) at Bowen, 3:00

Bulls Prep at Payton, 11:30

Cary-Grove at Elk Grove, 1:00

Deerfield at Prairie Ridge, 2:30

Dixon at Alleman, 6:30

East Dubuque at Winnebago, 5:00

East Moline at DeKalb, 6:30

Glenbrook North at Highland Park, 5:30

Henry-Senachwine at Wethersfield, 6:30

Hersey at St. Viator, 4:30

Hononegah at Marian Central, 3:00

Kankakee at Rantoul, 6:30

Latin at LaLumiere-Blue (IN), 6:00

Leland at Annawan, 1:00

Lindblom at Christ the King, 6:30

Lisle at IC Catholic, 1:00

Mather at Fasman Yeshiva, 8:00

Mooseheart at IMSA, 6:30

Morris at Wilmington, 1:30

Newark at Parkview Christian, 4:30

Normal West at Plainfield North, 5:00

North Boone at Clinton (WI), 7:00

Northtown at Niles North, 4:30

Oak Park-River Forest at Glenbrook South, 1:30

Ottawa at Streator, 5:30

Richmond-Burton at Elgin, 1:00

Ridgewood at Mascoutah, 4:00

Rockford Lutheran at Northridge, 3:00

St. Anne at Prairie Central, 5:30

St. Patrick at Loyola, 6:30

Stark County at Lowpoint-Washburn, 6:00

Timothy Christian at Marengo, 5:00

UIC Prep at Intrinsic-Downtown, 1:00

Walther Christian at Fenton, 4:30

Wheeling at Crystal Lake Central, 1:30

Williamsfield at Midland, 4:30

Woodland at Indian Creek, 3:15

BARTLETT (TN)

Dunbar vs. Memphis University High (TN), 10:00

HALL

St. Bede vs. Bureau Valley, 12:00

Mendota vs. Hall, 1:30

Fieldcrest vs. Rock Falls, 3:00

Stillman Valley vs. LaSalle-Peru, 4:30

Marquette vs. Putnam County, 6:00

Princeton vs. Pontiac, 7:30

MARIETTA WHEELER (GA)

Kenwood vs. Lovett (GA), 6:00E

MOUNT CARMEL

Lane vs. Lemont, 11:00

Farragut vs. St. Laurence, 12:30

Westinghouse vs. Lincoln-Way East, 2:00

Riverside-Brookfield vs. St. Ignatius, 3:30

Hyde Park vs. Homewood-Flossmoor, 5:00

Curie vs. Mount Carmel, 6:30

SCOTTSDALE CHAPPARAL (AZ)

Simeon vs. Coronado (NV), 11:30M

SOUTH ELGIN

Oak Lawn vs. Hinsdale Central, 2:00

New Trier vs. Rolling Meadows, 4:00

Yorkville vs. South Elgin, 6:00

ST. LOUIS RITENOUR (M0)

Romeoville vs. Life for Life (MO), 2:30

Hillcrest vs. East St. Louis, 7:00

WASHINGTON GONZAGA (DC)

Young vs. Sidwell Friends (DC), 5:00

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Even though Mexican legend Jorge Campos played for the 1998 Fire, it was Zach Thornton who became the team’s first star MLS goalie.

It’s now Thornton’s job to help produce the next one.

Hired Monday as the Fire’s goalkeeper coach to replace Adin Brown after his departure to San Jose, Thornton set the standard for the franchise’s netminders during his playing career. He’s one of three players to have a role in the team’s six trophies and leads the Fire in appearances (215), starts (212) and wins (109) as a goalie.

Thornton began the Fire goalkeeping lineage that includes Jon Busch, Sean Johnson and Gabriel Slonina, something the team hopes will continue with Chris Brady. It’s not lost on Thornton that he’s being tasked with keeping that line going.

“That’s my job, that’s my responsibility to get the goalkeepers to the high level, to maintain a standard that was set in the past,” Thornton said.

To connect with players, Thornton said it’s important to earn their trust and have mutually respectful relationships. He has done that during previous stints as a goalie coach in Houston (2022) and D.C. United (2015-2021).

Something Thornton doesn’t do much with his goalies is talk about his own playing career, regardless of how much he accomplished.

“I rarely speak about my playing days when I’m coaching or teaching,” Thornton said. “It’s all about them and the situation. Yes, I have some experience and have been in those situations, but I would just use that to help convey the message. I won’t say, ‘Oh, when I was playing’ I try to stay away from that.”

As of now, Thornton’s pupils with the Fire will be Brady, 18, and 30-year-old veteran Spencer Richey. Thornton doesn’t want to “pigeonhole” how he’ll coach two players at different stages of their careers and would prefer to see how training goes and adjust from there.

If Slonina doesn’t return on loan and Brady is indeed the starter next year, Brady’s progress will be one of the most important storylines around the 2023 Fire. Thornton is impressed by Brady’s experience level with U.S. youth national teams, his goalkeeping instincts, physical frame, athleticism and eagerness to learn.

“The sky is the limit for [Brady],” said Thornton, who added that he’ll give his input on who should start in net after the preseason but the final decision will go to coach Ezra Hendrickson.

No matter who starts in net, the Fire are hoping to move closer to their successful early years when they were one of the best clubs in U.S. soccer. Thornton is the latest staffer connected to those days, joining first-team assistants CJ Brown and Frank Klopas.

Thornton is hoping to play a part in the Fire returning to that level.

“I would love to give that back,” Thornton said. “I would love to be a part of getting this club to being consistently successful like it has been in the past and to pass that on. That would mean the world to me.”

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The White Sox left the winter meetings in San Diego without a left fielder in tow, but not to worry. Two months remain until pitchers and catchers report to spring training. The angst and concern among those who follow the White Sox is palpable, if social media is any indication. They are worried.

“I 100 percent empathize with it, but there’s no added benefit to acquiring a player, doing a bad deal on December 6 that is a lot worse than doing a good deal on January 6,” general manager Rick Hahn said.

Big names at bigger than ever prices found new teams during the meetings. The Sox, meanwhile, made a pick in the Rule 5 Draft.

“There’s excitement. We feel it,” Hahn said on the last day Wednesday. “We all come out here. Your staff is out here. You’re talking, there’s a bit of a fever pitch, an energy, a focus on the game.”

But the Sox, who made splashes in recent winter meetings, made nary a sprinkle in this one.

“In the end, we’re not going to force it,” Hahn said. “We’re going to wait for the right deals to present themselves and then act accordingly.”

The Sox also need a second baseman, but they don’t plan to exceed their record 2022 payroll and have about $15 million left to spend. Don’t be surprised if they go with minimum salaried Romy Gonzalez at second base and devote their resources to left field. Gonzalez batted .238/.257/.352 with two homers in 32 games in his first season.

“In the end, it’s going to depend upon what’s accessible at [second base and left field],” Hahn said. “If you pool all your resources, does that significantly upgrade your ability at one spot and [make] you feel like the potential difference between the upgrade at the other spot is worth that sacrifice? Or are there equally accessible upgrades so you wind up addressing both?”

With Andrew Vaughn getting moved from the outfield to first base where he’s best suited, and left fielder Eloy Jimenez is pegged at designated hitter, the most significant acquisition for the Sox either by trade or free agency could be left field.

Jimenez excelled at DH on a regular basis during the second half of 2022. Moving him there makes the Sox better defensively and puts Jimenez, perhaps manager Pedro Grifol’s No. 4 hitter, at less risk of getting injured.

Grifol already has bonded with Jimenez having managed him in winter ball, and he knows the DH conversation could be delicate. Jimenez wants to be an outfielder, and could get time there assuming the new left fielder doesn’t play 162 games.

“He’s a huge part of this ball club,” Grifol said. “There are very few guys in this game that just want to be a DH. I don’t expect my conversations with him to be, ‘hey, you’re going to be a DH,’ and it’s like, ‘oh, yeah, great.’ Players want to play, and I’m assuming he’s going to want to do the same thing.”

Grifol said Jimenez will work in left field in spring training and could get some time in left. The same can be said for left-handed hitting Gavin Sheets, who could also back up Vaughn at first.

As for right field, the Sox are hanging their hat on Cuban prospect Oscar Colas, 24, a roll of the dice considering Colas has never played a major league game. How Colas would handle major league pitching and how he mentally handles his first inevitable slump will be unknowns until he encounters those things. On the plus side, Colas will be a faster upgrade defensively to those who patrolled right field last season, and he provides a left-handed bat needed to balance the Sox lineup.

“He’s ready,” said Sox international scouting guru Marco Paddy, a special assistant to Hahn. “He’s prepared to handle that challenge. He’s mature enough and had experience in Japan.

“Oscar is a special kid. A lot of desire. A lot of hunger. He wants to play. He wants to be good.”

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When Julianne Sitch began playing soccer as a little girl, she had to be on an all-boys team. Her role models were male because women’s sports were still lagging well behind in prominence. But then the United States won the 1999 Women’s World Cup, which gave Sitch and other girls famous female athletes to look up to.

Now Sitch has made her own history.

Sitch coached the University of Chicago men’s soccer team to the NCAA Division III championship. Last Saturday in Salem, Virginia, the Maroons beat Williams College 2-0 for the title, and Sitch became the first female coach to lead a men’s soccer team to an NCAA national championship.

“Just having these opportunities and people continuing to hire females in these roles and have this is huge for young women to have something to dream and aspire to,” Sitch said. “As a young girl, if you don’t see it, you might not believe it, you might not be able to dream it. And now I think women have something to aspire to.

“As great as this is for young women, I still think this is great for young boys and young men to have something to aspire to. They can see themselves in a lot of different roles, and it gives them an opportunity to dream big and go out and do the things they want to do, as well.”

An Oswego native who starred at DePaul, Sitch played professionally and had three stints with the Red Stars. Sitch then went into coaching, serving as an assistant on the U. of Chicago women’s team in 2015-17 and 2019. She also spent 2018-19 as an assistant coach on the UIC women’s team.

In 2020, Sitch became an assistant coach with the Red Stars, where she stayed until April, when she was named the men’s coach at Chicago. Sitch was recommended for the job and encouraged to pursue it by former Maroons coach Pat Flinn, who left for Drake in January after guiding the team to the 2021 national semifinals.

If Sitch’s players had any apprehension about their incoming coach, it didn’t last long.

“At first I [thought], ‘OK, this is

new,’ ” said junior midfielder -Robbie Pino, who scored the first goal in the national final and was named the tournament’s most outstanding offensive player. “But then we found out about [Sitch’s] background and how she played pro and she had so much -experience. Really, once we hit the spring practice sessions, we [thought], yeah, she’s a really good coach. And then throughout the season, she was fantastic.”

When Sitch returned to Hyde Park to succeed Flinn, she already knew about the program and the type of student-athletes the school has. There wasn’t any worry about getting the team to buy into her coaching, and Sitch’s focus was just to be herself.

“I had zero pushback from the players, from the university, from the athletic department, and that’s a huge tribute to the culture that’s been built at UChicago,” Sitch said. “These student-athletes are nothing but remarkable, and they’re just incredible humans and from Day 1 they have embraced me, and that I’m very grateful for.”

Pino’s words reflect that sentiment.

“I don’t think there’s really any difference in terms of having a male or female coach,” Pino said. “It’s just whether they’re a good coach or not.”

The Maroons went 22-0-1 and didn’t allow a goal in the tournament semifinal or final. Wearing suits but also their championship hats, the team was feted Monday by the university and school president Paul Alivisatos. Sitch’s name popped up all over sports media and social networks in the days after the title.

Seeing the players relish their success and be toasted by the university made a mark on Sitch.

“They’re proud of each other,” she said. “The coolest thing was just to watch them celebrate together.”

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