Chicago Sports

Chicago might be getting some new cubs, but they won’t be playing at Wrigley Field.

The Lincoln Park Zoo on Friday announced one of its African lions is due to give birth next month.

After observing behavior consistent with breeding, zoo staff members were able to confirm through hormone tests and an ultrasound that 4-year-old African lion Zari is pregnant.

The zoo could be expecting anywhere between one and five cubs in January, officials said.

“This is a very exciting time for the lion pride at the zoo but also for the entire zoo population,” Mike Murray, the zoo’s curator of mammals and animal behavioral husbandry, said in a statement. “A birth represents preservation of a species that has faced many challenges in the wild.”

African lions are considered a “vulnerable” species, with declining wild populations estimated between 23,000 and 39,000, down from half a million in 1950, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The pregnancy wasn’t entirely unexpected, as the breeding came after recommendations from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ “survival program” for captive African lions. It was suggested the Lincoln Park pair produce cubs after genetic testing was conducted on Zari and her 5-year-old mate, Jabari.

Murray added that the team is “cautiously optimistic” about the potential new additions to the zoo given the same couple have been raising their cub Pilipili since his birth in March. The 9-month-old lion is now showing the beginnings of the “iconic” lion mane and has “fully integrated” with the rest of the pride, according to zoo officials.

Staff at the zoo are also anticipating some benefits for Pilipili with new cubs joining the pride, as he can exhibit “normal cub behaviors” with younger members of the group.

“They get to play and interact in that juvenile way that maybe they can’t do with their adult social members,” said the zoo’s general curator, Dave Bernier, who oversees animal care. “We think that it will be beneficial for him.”

Bernier credits the Pepper Family Wildlife Center, a renovated addition to the zoo’s Lion House finished in fall 2021, which was designed to create a more comfortable environment for the zoo’s big cats.

The 18,000-square-foot facility includes a separate area for Zari to stay near the end of her pregnancy and care for her cubs in the early months after their birth — something that’s instrumental in caring for newborns, according to Bernier.

At the prospect of having five new cubs in his care next month, Bernier said he was excited to see what it would mean for the new facility and for visitors of the zoo.

“It would be a great test for the building and it would work out really well,” Bernier said. “It would be a beautiful sight to see.”

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For Daniel and Katrise Ch?vez, the song and dance started on a bus bound for Pilsen. Strangers then, they began talking, discovered they shared a passion for arts education and, somewhere along the way, began to fall in love.

“It ended up being a really life changing conversation,” Katrise said.

The couple eventually married, founded an organization to bring art and music to students and, on Sunday, will host another in a series of showcases of the programs they support.

For the students, it’s a chance to play alongside professional musicians; for parents, a chance to listen; and for everyone else, an opportunity for people to learn how they can bring arts programming to their community.

A concert put on by their organization, People’s Center for Cultural and Contemporary Arts, is scheduled for Sunday, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the former Holy Trinity Croatian Church, 1850 S. Throop St. in Pilsen.

The show will include performances from students studying electronic music, traditional Mexican dances and traditional ensemble music. There’s also a jam session with professional musicians and students, a performance by Latin band Tem?tica — and free food.

The organization hosts the showcases every other month with funding from the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Started two years ago, the couple’s organization now supports 24 programs at 13 locations between Hermosa on the Northwest Side and Marquette Park on the Far Southwest Side.

The couple started their organization specifically to fill a gap at Chicago Public Schools in arts programming, which they said teaches essential skills, such as problem solving.

“We talk about arts and music as if kids were just playing, but that minimizes the impact of what it does for our young people,” Katrise said.

It brings people together, Daniel said, and shouldn’t be treated as just another extracurricular activity that can be cut when school budgets get tight.

“It’s a shame art is the first thing to go because art is the first thing we can connect over as humans,” Daniel said.

What brought Daniel and Katrise together was salsa music and dance.

The couple met at a downtown bus stop in 2019. When Daniel first saw Katrise, he had a Latin beat playing in his headphones as he watched her shimmy across the street.

“Oh my god, that lady is moving to my music,” he thought, so he asked what she was playing in her headphones. It was salsa too, it turned out.

They began chatting and haven’t stopped ever since.

“We went through a lot in those 30 minutes,” Daniel said, recalling the ride on the No. 60 bus along Blue Island Avenue to the Lower West Side. “We were talking about life and our experiences and, somewhere in there, our educational experiences came up.”

She was a dancer from a military family that moved around the country and had worked as a teacher; he, a musician who grew up in Oregon and studied classical music.

The two new Chicagoans soon found themselves on the same beat.

“By the time we got off the bus, we decided to keep discussing this common theme of accessible arts programming,” Katrise said.

“I wanted to be able to give kids the same opportunities that were given to me,” Daniel said, who learned to play rock and jazz through a similar nonprofit when he was young.

In March, 2020, right before the pandemic and before they were married, they sired the organization, beginning at Dvorak Park, near their home in Pilsen.

Sisters Ana and Olivia Orozco belong to the first Dvorak Park ensemble. Ana, 11, plays alto saxophone; Olivia, 7, plays trumpet; and for the two hard-working Southwest Siders, it’s a moment of respite.

“I like playing music because I get a time to forget about the schoolwork I have,” said Ana, a 6th-grader at James Shields Middle School in Brighton Park.

“At school they focus on grades, on whether you can have a good career. It’s a lot of pressure put on kids sometimes,” she said.

Their mother, Maria Orozco, signed the two up after meeting Katrise and hearing about the program.

“I’m so happy to have them do something together at this age,” she said. “As a mother it’s very special and I’m sure they’ll have memories from it.”

When she attended public schools in Chicago and Michigan, she said, nothing like this was offered. But more than the notes, the people make it special.

“It’s the attention the kids get from professional musicians who can be role models,” she said, referring to Katrise, Daniel and the other instructors.

What’s convinced her they make good role models?

“A smile,” she said. “They have great, positive attitudes.”

Michael Loria is a staff reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times via Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster the paper’s coverage of communities on the South Side and West Side.

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Friday, December 9, 2022

BIG NORTHERN

Oregon at Genoa-Kingston, 7:00

CATHOLIC LEAGUE

De La Salle at Marmion, 7:00

DePaul at Mount Carmel, 7:00

Fenwick at Loyola, 6:30

Providence at Providence-St. Mel, 7:00

St. Ignatius at Leo, 7:00

St. Rita at Brother Rice, 7:00

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – NORTH

Deerfield at Niles North, 7:00

Highland Park at Vernon Hills, 7:00

Maine East at Maine West, 7:00

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – SOUTH

New Trier at Glenbrook South, 7:00

Niles West at Maine South, 7:00

CHICAGO PREP

Ellison at Holy Trinity, 5:00

DU PAGE VALLEY

DeKalb at Naperville North, 7:00

Neuqua Valley at Naperville Central, 7:00

Waubonsie Valley at Metea Valley, 7:00

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

Joliet Catholic at Marian Catholic, 7:00

Nazareth at Benet, 7:00

Notre Dame at Carmel, 7:00

St. Viator at Marist, 7:00

FOX VALLEY

Cary-Grove at McHenry, 7:30

Crystal Lake Central at Dundee-Crown, 7:30

Huntley at Hampshire, 7:30

Jacobs at Crystal Lake South, 7:30

Prairie Ridge at Burlington Central, 7:30

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Coal City at Manteno, 7:00

Lisle at Reed-Custer, 6:45

Peotone at Herscher, 7:00

Wilmington at Streator, 6:45

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

Latin vs. Francis Parker, at De Paul University, 7:30

Morgan Park Academy at Elgin Academy, 6:00

INTERSTATE EIGHT

Plano at Ottawa, 7:00

LAKE SHORE ATHLETIC

Horizon-McKinley at British School, 5:30

Lycee Francais at Wolcott, 6:00

Roycemore at Waldorf, 5:30

LITTLE TEN

DePue at LaMoille, 5:30

Earlville at Indian Creek, 6:45

IMSA at Hiawatha, 7:00

Leland at Somonauk, 7:00

Serena at Newark, 7:00

METRO PREP

Islamic Foundation at CPSA, 6:30

METRO SUBURBAN – BLUE

St. Francis at Aurora Christian, 7:30

Chicago Christian at Riverside-Brookfield, 7:00

METRO SUBURBAN – RED

Westmont at Aurora Central, 7:30

MID-SUBURBAN – EAST

Buffalo Grove at Elk Grove, 7:30

Rolling Meadows at Hersey, 7:30

Wheeling at Prospect, 7:30

MID-SUBURBAN – WEST

Conant at Hoffman Estates, 7:30

Fremd at Barrington, 7:30

Palatine at Schaumburg, 7:30

NIC – 10

Belvidere at Harlem, 7:30

Belvidere North at Auburn, 7:30

Freeport at Guilford, 7:15

Jefferson at Boylan, 7:15

Rockford East at Hononegah, 7:30

NORTHEASTERN ATHLETIC

Christian Life at Mooseheart, 7:00

Schaumburg Christian at Harvest Christian, 7:30

Westminster Christian at Our Lady Sacred Heart, 5:

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY

Lakes at Antioch, 7:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE RED-WEST / NORTH

North Lawndale at Farragut, 5:00

Orr at Lincoln Park, 5:00

Perspectives-MSA at Lane, 5:00

Westinghouse at Prosser, 7:00

Young at Clark, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE WHITE-NORTH

Lake View at Sullivan, 5:00

Mather at Taft, PPD

Northside at Foreman, 5:00

Schurz at Senn, 5:00

Von Steuben at Amundsen, 6:30

PUBLIC LEAGUE WHITE-WEST

Collins at Payton, 5:00

Jones at Crane, 5:00

Legal Prep at Marshall, 5:00

Ogden at Raby, 5:00

Wells at Austin, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-NORTH

Chicago Academy at Disney, 5:00

Chicago Math & Science at Marine, 5:00

North-Grand at Intrinsic-Belmont, 5:00

Rickover at ASPIRA-Bus&Fin, 5:00

Roosevelt at Alcott, 5:00

Steinmetz at Uplift, 5:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE BLUE-WEST

Chicago Collegiate at Little Village, 5:00

Chicago Tech at Juarez, 5:00

Clemente at Manley, 5:00

Douglass at Phoenix, 5:00

Spry at Kelvyn Park, 5:00

RIVER VALLEY

Donovan at Gardner-So. Wilmington, 6:45

Grace Christian at Momence, 7:00

Grant Park at Beecher, 7:00

Illinois Lutheran at Tri-Point, 7:00

St. Anne at Clifton Central, 7:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – RED

Eisenhower at Richards, 6:30

SOUTHLAND

Thornridge at Kankakee, 6:30

Rich at Thornton, 6:30

Thornwood at Crete-Monee, 6:00

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – EAST

Plainfield Central at Romeoville, 6:30

Plainfield South at Plainfield East, 6:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – WEST

Minooka at Yorkville, 6:30

Oswego at Oswego East, 6:30

West Aurora at Plainfield North, 6:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Bolingbrook at Lincoln-Way Central, 6:30

Homewood-Flossmoor at Lincoln-Way West, 6:00

Lincoln-Way East at Bradley-Bourbonnais, 7:00

Lockport at Andrew, 6:00

Sandburg at Stagg, 6:00

TRI-COUNTY

Midland at Dwight, 7:00

Roanoke-Benson at Henry-Senachwine, 7:00

Woodland at Seneca, 7:00

UPSTATE EIGHT

Bartlett at East Aurora, 6:30

Glenbard East at South Elgin, 7:00

Glenbard South at Fenton, 7:00

Larkin at West Chicago, 7:00

Streamwood at Elgin, 7:00

WEST SUBURBAN – SILVER

York at Downers Grove North, 7:30

NON CONFERENCE

Beacon at Golder, 7:00

Bloom at Noll (IN), 6:30

Byron at East Dubuque, 7:30

Christ the King at University High, 6:00

Dixon at Woodstock, 7:00

Elmwood Park at Northridge, 6:00

Goode at Hancock, 5:00

Hinckley-Big Rock at Amboy, 7:00

Kaneland at Marengo, 7:00

Kelly at Mansueto, 5:00

King at Proviso West, 6:30

Rauner at ACERO-Cruz, 5:00

Ridgewood at Madison, 7:30

St. Francis de Sales at Montini, 7:00

St. Laurence at Evergreen Park, 6:00

Yorkville Christian at Notre Dame (Peoria), 7:00

HALL

LaSalle-Peru vs. Rock Falls, 5:00

Marquette vs. Princeton, 6:30

Putnam County vs. Pontiac, 8:00

MARIETTA WHEELER (GA)

Kenwood vs. Knoxville Catholic (TN), 7:30E

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SAN DIEGO – One of the first things Carter Hawkins did when he accepted the job as Cubs general manager a year ago was to delete Twitter, he said this week at the winter meetings.

He has other ways to gauge fan opinion. He can feel Cubs fans’ hunger just walking around Wrigley Field. He said at his kids’ birthday parties he’ll hear grumblings about what “they” did.

“It’s very obvious how much the fans want a winner,” Hawkins said. “And it’s something that we value a ton and factor in a lot as we’re thinking through things. And whether they want to believe it or not, we feel the same way and are doing everything we possibly can to get there.”

The Cubs didn’t necessarily do enough this week to make skeptics believe. But adding a starting pitcher on a long-term contract, and betting on a former MVP centerfielder for a one-year deal, made for a good start to a pivotal offseason in the team’s rebuild.

The waves of judgment – positive or negative – will hit with the most force as the top of the shortstop market resolves, and as spring training approaches.

“I’m really really glad with the two guys that we are able to potentially come to agreement with while we were here,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said of right hander Jameson Taillon and center fielder Cody Bellinger. “And obviously, there’s a lot of offseason left.

“I feel like I’ve been conditioned to think the offseason goes until spring training. Now, maybe this year, that’s not the case. But there’s a lot of time and a lot of good players out there.”

The Cubs have shown interest in both the remaining top free agent shortstops, Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson. But Trea Turner – who signed an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Phillies – and Xander Bogaerts – who landed with the Padres for 11 years and $280 million – set a high bar for the group.

Whether the Cubs are willing to compete in a market willing to commit that many years to free agents at or approaching 30 remains to be seen, as of Friday afternoon. Correa and Swanson, who are both 28, are the youngest of the Big 4 shortstops who hit free agency this winter.

The Cubs technically could get by without adding a shortstop. Nico Hoerner has proven he can be an everyday starter at the position, and they have several internal options at second even without Hoerner sliding over. But signing a top shortstop would be an obvious way for the Cubs to add an impact bat.

They’re also active on the catching market, and the first domino in that area fell with Willson Contreras signing with the Cardinals on a five-year deal reportedly worth $87.5 million.

“That is one of the challenges we have, is that until our farm system really starts producing – which I think it will be in the next couple of years – that leaves you with more holes,” Hoyer said. “We don’t have five or six prospects and are ready to come up and fill spots.”

The Cubs have work to do this offseason on the pitching side, too, even with homegrown hurlers like Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson establishing themselves in the major leagues.

The Cubs could still add to the rotation, but the starter would have to be good enough to push another pitcher into a swingman role or Triple-A for depth.

On the reliever front, the Cubs appear most likely to fill out their bullpen the way they did last year – signing relievers with upside to short-term deals and banking on their pitching infrastructure’s ability to get the most out of them.

Add David Robertson, who reportedly agreed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Mets on Thursday, to the list of relievers for whom the Cubs have been a springboard. Last March, he joined the Cubs for $3.5 million. The Cubs traded him to the Phillies at the trade deadline for right-handed Ben Brown, who is now ranked No. 7 in the Cubs’ farm system by MLB Pipeline.

“There’s a lot of really good free agents on the market,” Hoyer said. “We knew that everyone’s not signing while they’re here. Some deals take more time.”

Read More

SAN DIEGO – One of the first things Carter Hawkins did when he accepted the job as Cubs general manager a year ago was to delete Twitter, he said this week at the winter meetings.

He has other ways to gauge fan opinion. He can feel Cubs fans’ hunger just walking around Wrigley Field. He said at his kids’ birthday parties he’ll hear grumblings about what “they” did.

“It’s very obvious how much the fans want a winner,” Hawkins said. “And it’s something that we value a ton and factor in a lot as we’re thinking through things. And whether they want to believe it or not, we feel the same way and are doing everything we possibly can to get there.”

The Cubs didn’t necessarily do enough this week to make skeptics believe. But adding a starting pitcher on a long-term contract, and betting on a former MVP centerfielder for a one-year deal, made for a good start to a pivotal offseason in the team’s rebuild.

The waves of judgment – positive or negative – will hit with the most force as the top of the shortstop market resolves, and as spring training approaches.

“I’m really really glad with the two guys that we are able to potentially come to agreement with while we were here,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said of right hander Jameson Taillon and center fielder Cody Bellinger. “And obviously, there’s a lot of offseason left.

“I feel like I’ve been conditioned to think the offseason goes until spring training. Now, maybe this year, that’s not the case. But there’s a lot of time and a lot of good players out there.”

The Cubs have shown interest in both the remaining top free agent shortstops, Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson. But Trea Turner – who signed an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Phillies – and Xander Bogaerts – who landed with the Padres for 11 years and $280 million – set a high bar for the group.

Whether the Cubs are willing to compete in a market willing to commit that many years to free agents at or approaching 30 remains to be seen, as of Friday afternoon. Correa and Swanson, who are both 28, are the youngest of the Big 4 shortstops who hit free agency this winter.

The Cubs technically could get by without adding a shortstop. Nico Hoerner has proven he can be an everyday starter at the position, and they have several internal options at second even without Hoerner sliding over. But signing a top shortstop would be an obvious way for the Cubs to add an impact bat.

They’re also active on the catching market, and the first domino in that area fell with Willson Contreras signing with the Cardinals on a five-year deal reportedly worth $87.5 million.

“That is one of the challenges we have, is that until our farm system really starts producing – which I think it will be in the next couple of years – that leaves you with more holes,” Hoyer said. “We don’t have five or six prospects and are ready to come up and fill spots.”

The Cubs have work to do this offseason on the pitching side, too, even with homegrown hurlers like Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson establishing themselves in the major leagues.

The Cubs could still add to the rotation, but the starter would have to be good enough to push another pitcher into a swingman role or Triple-A for depth.

On the reliever front, the Cubs appear most likely to fill out their bullpen the way they did last year – signing relievers with upside to short-term deals and banking on their pitching infrastructure’s ability to get the most out of them.

Add David Robertson, who reportedly agreed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Mets on Thursday, to the list of relievers for whom the Cubs have been a springboard. Last March, he joined the Cubs for $3.5 million. The Cubs traded him to the Phillies at the trade deadline for right-handed Ben Brown, who is now ranked No. 7 in the Cubs’ farm system by MLB Pipeline.

“There’s a lot of really good free agents on the market,” Hoyer said. “We knew that everyone’s not signing while they’re here. Some deals take more time.”

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The New York Knicks could have their eyes on Bulls guard Zach LaVine if he’s available at the trade deadline

It’s still early for the Chicago Bulls to make a decision on where they want the franchise to go here in the 2022-23 season. But eventually, the Bulls will have to make that decision and a player like Zach LaVine could be someone on the trade block.

And an NBA insider has a surprise team that could be interested.

Earlier this week, Adrian Wojnarowski was on NBA Countdown to talk about rumors and mentioned the Knicks not landing Donovan Mitchell. He then brought up the idea that Zach LaVine could be a target of the Knicks at the deadline if he’s available.

Here’s the video:

With LaVine signing a max contract extension this offseason, his contract is a tough one to move for the Bulls. Ideally, they’d want young talent and picks back in a deal to start a ‘rebuild’.

Now, this is all speculation and it goes back to the Bulls making a decision on the future. And it’s something to monitor over the next month or so.

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

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The New York Knicks could have their eyes on Bulls guard Zach LaVine if he’s available at the trade deadline

It’s still early for the Chicago Bulls to make a decision on where they want the franchise to go here in the 2022-23 season. But eventually, the Bulls will have to make that decision and a player like Zach LaVine could be someone on the trade block.

And an NBA insider has a surprise team that could be interested.

Earlier this week, Adrian Wojnarowski was on NBA Countdown to talk about rumors and mentioned the Knicks not landing Donovan Mitchell. He then brought up the idea that Zach LaVine could be a target of the Knicks at the deadline if he’s available.

Here’s the video:

With LaVine signing a max contract extension this offseason, his contract is a tough one to move for the Bulls. Ideally, they’d want young talent and picks back in a deal to start a ‘rebuild’.

Now, this is all speculation and it goes back to the Bulls making a decision on the future. And it’s something to monitor over the next month or so.

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

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Kenwood has long been lauded as a sleeping giant in Public League basketball.

It appears coach Mike Irvin is the one who is set to awaken it — in more ways than one.

Irvin’s first year as a high school coach was the abbreviated Covid season played without a state tournament. He followed that up last year with Kenwood’s first-ever sectional championship last March. The Broncos’ season ended with a loss to Young in the supersectional.

Now Kenwood and its coach have made the biggest and boldest headlines in this young season.

On opening night the Broncos played a high-profile foe in Young and came away with a win. They added another monster victory in last weekend’s Chicago Elite Classic over a highly-ranked and hyped team, beating Joliet West and the Fears brothers.

With the way this team is constructed — there is Division I talent up and down the roster — and with how it has played, the second-ranked Broncos are unbeaten and nipping on the heels of No. 1 Simeon.

And they’re playing without one of their top players, junior star Chris Riddle, a power-packed 6-5 wing who transferred back to Chicago after spending last season at a prep school. Riddle is expected back soon from injury.

On paper, Irvin has arguably the most talented team in the state, one that is capable of playing in Champaign in March and capturing a state championship. But there is still plenty of basketball to be played. There are minutes to manage and a blending of youth and experience. There is a lot more to learn about this Kenwood team.

“With this team, we are not even close to being there yet in terms of what we can be,” Irvin said. “How much better can we get from December to March? I think it will be scary, especially since we are out there now without Chris Riddle.”

The college-level talent and depth, along with the early-season wins and high ranking, have generated a buzz. But so, too, has Irvin. It’s all made Kenwood basketball newsworthy in the high school basketball world.

Irvin’s own headlines and the buzzworthy news and notes he provides are a result of his actions, both in the flamboyant actions on the bench and in the large and loud words he speaks.

When it comes to the roster, the team was immediately built with an influx of incoming freshmen and some transfers. Irvin is quick to note promising players like juniors Chris Riddle and Calvin Robins, highly-regarded sophomore Aleks Alston and current freshman star Noah Mister walked through the doors as freshmen.

But in today’s basketball world where transfers have become the norm, it’s bound to happen. And it’s to be expected to some degree.

Kenwood, after all, was considered a sleeping giant for a reason. The academics are strong and the location of the school is opportunistic; the school and, as a result, the basketball program, are attractive and a draw for players and their parents. In a recent survey conducted among city coaches, both current and retired, Kenwood ranked as the third-best basketball coaching job in the Public League.

Add the fact that Irvin has name recognition — he’s the head of the influential Mac Irvin Fire club program and comes from one of the most familiar basketball families in the city — the players were bound to show up.

But Irvin hasn’t been bashful about who he is as a coach and where he believes his team and program are headed.

Some of Irvin’s greatest hits include stating, “We have the best coach in the city, we have the best players in the city and I’m going to show everybody,” following the win over Young. He also doesn’t hide his emotions, beating his chest at center court following the win.

In the closing seconds of the win over Joliet West at UIC last Saturday night, Irvin screamed repeatedly to anyone who would listen, “There is a new sheriff in town.”

In his postgame comments, Irvin had a few more zingers, stating, “They need to understand that I’m a genius at this. I’ve been putting teams together all my life. … We can compete with anyone and we are ready to win the city and state championship.”

Maybe calling Mike Irvin “the Don King of Illinois high school basketball” is a bit too far. But his brother, former Morgan Park coach Nick Irvin, who won four state championships before heading off to the college coaching world, knows his brother is — and always has been — a performer.

“The thing people don’t understand about Mike is that Mike is an entertainer,” Nick said. “He likes to entertain. If he didn’t have a good heart, I would be like, ‘Ahh, Mike, come on.’ But I know him as a brother and I know him as a coach, and I know he means no harm when he says some of those things. He’s doing it for entertainment and entertainment sells tickets. But he has a good heart and doesn’t mean any harm.”

When I told Mike Irvin he reminds me of his brother, the personable and fun Nick Irvin, but Nick Irvin on steroids, he chuckled.

So did Nick Irvin when told the same thing.

“He took what I did and said and bumped it up another level,” Nick said with a laugh.

Basically, Mike Irvin the AAU coach — and all that comes with it in terms of his personality, bravado and brash confidence — has infiltrated high school basketball. What many have seen and heard for years in the spring and summer months in the AAU world is now on full display for everyone in the winter months.

It will often leave basketball fans to simply shake their collective heads in either amusement or disdain.

Yes, Mike Irvin does it a different way. He knows it, has his reasons for it and truly enjoys all that goes into coaching in a specific way that lights up social media while infuriating some. When I mentioned to him some of his quotes and actions aren’t the norm among high school coaches, he simply replied, “I don’t want to be normal.”

“I didn’t come here to coach and not show my personality,” Irvin said. “Coaching brings out my personality, and I love that. I don’t want to be the coach that just sits there.”

He points to the brazen and sometimes over-the-top personality of Deion Sanders as an example and model for him as a coach.

“I love how he coaches and how he does things and what he says to inspire,” Irvin said of the NFL legend turned college football coach. “He makes coaching fun. I don’t want to show up for work, show up for practice and coach in these games like it’s just another day. I want to make it fun and entertaining. That entertainment leads to exposure.”

And at the end of the day the exposure for his kids, he says, is what it’s all about. Anything that brings people to see his team and offers exposure to them is a good thing.

“I love the show,” he admits. “But I am here to help showcase the kids, so there has to be a show to showcase them. I feel like if we can give people a show, that that’s a good way to help get these kids to go to college for free. And that’s what we are trying to do, get them to college.”

But does he believe or fear his loud words put a target on his team’s back? Does he worry it places more pressure on his players? And is there any concern whether others in the basketball industry, including high school coaches, are rubbed the wrong way by his words?

After all, it’s not as if Irvin takes a less-than-subtle way of reminding everyone how good his team is.

When it comes to his players and team, Irvin doesn’t believe it impacts them. He doesn’t think there is any added pressure when he proclaims he has the best team.

“I think it gives my kids more confidence,” Irvin said. “I am a players’ coach, and it’s all about instilling confidence in the players. They are going to get that confidence from me. They’re going to run through a brick wall. They’re going to think they can jump 15 feet high — and actually think that — if I keep telling them over and over again. That is my strategy as a coach, to give kids confidence.”

He says he learned that from his late father, Mac Irvin, an iconic name in the Chicago basketball community. Irvin says his dad taught him the importance of motivating players and setting the bar high.

“It’s all about motivation,” Irvin reiterated. “If you watch how all of us coach, my dad, my brothers, myself, it’s all about motivation. It’s about giving these players more confidence.

“This is how I feel about you. No one else may think you’re the best, but I think you’re the best.”

The confidence in this team and in these players shows. In the very early going, it appears they are playing with a chip on their shoulder. They play hard and compete. They play an attacking style. It’s very reminiscent of how Nick Irvin’s Morgan Park teams played.

Nick Irvin still follows Chicago basketball closely from 1,700 miles away, where he’s now on Bobby Hurley’s staff at Arizona State. He especially keeps tabs on Kenwood and had a word with his brother following last weekend’s big win.

“I told him yesterday after the Joliet West win, and I said as long as your players know where you’re coming from that’s all that matters,” Irvin said. “At the end of the day he’s in it for the kids and to help them get noticed and get scholarships. He’s also there to help Kenwood. And as long as his players and principal understand it, that’s all that matters.”

Irvin doesn’t intend to tone anything down. He believes what he believes, and he’s going to let people know. How they take it or whether it bothers them is up to the individual. But Irvin doesn’t want to be mistaken, either.

“I don’t want to rub anyone the wrong way,” Irvin said. “I don’t want people to take it as arrogance. I don’t want people to confuse confidence for arrogance. I don’t want to rub people the wrong way and they mistake it for arrogance. No, it’s confidence. And don’t allow my confidence to offend your insecurity. I’m in my purpose.”

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Kenwood has long been lauded as a sleeping giant in Public League basketball.

It appears coach Mike Irvin is the one who is set to awaken it — in more ways than one.

Irvin’s first year as a high school coach was the abbreviated Covid season played without a state tournament. He followed that up last year with Kenwood’s first-ever sectional championship last March. The Broncos’ season ended with a loss to Young in the supersectional.

Now Kenwood and its coach have made the biggest and boldest headlines in this young season.

On opening night the Broncos played a high-profile foe in Young and came away with a win. They added another monster victory in last weekend’s Chicago Elite Classic over a highly-ranked and hyped team, beating Joliet West and the Fears brothers.

With the way this team is constructed — there is Division I talent up and down the roster — and with how it has played, the second-ranked Broncos are unbeaten and nipping on the heels of No. 1 Simeon.

And they’re playing without one of their top players, junior star Chris Riddle, a power-packed 6-5 wing who transferred back to Chicago after spending last season at a prep school. Riddle is expected back soon from injury.

On paper, Irvin has arguably the most talented team in the state, one that is capable of playing in Champaign in March and capturing a state championship. But there is still plenty of basketball to be played. There are minutes to manage and a blending of youth and experience. There is a lot more to learn about this Kenwood team.

“With this team, we are not even close to being there yet in terms of what we can be,” Irvin said. “How much better can we get from December to March? I think it will be scary, especially since we are out there now without Chris Riddle.”

The college-level talent and depth, along with the early-season wins and high ranking, have generated a buzz. But so, too, has Irvin. It’s all made Kenwood basketball newsworthy in the high school basketball world.

Irvin’s own headlines and the buzzworthy news and notes he provides are a result of his actions, both in the flamboyant actions on the bench and in the large and loud words he speaks.

When it comes to the roster, the team was immediately built with an influx of incoming freshmen and some transfers. Irvin is quick to note promising players like juniors Chris Riddle and Calvin Robins, highly-regarded sophomore Aleks Alston and current freshman star Noah Mister walked through the doors as freshmen.

But in today’s basketball world where transfers have become the norm, it’s bound to happen. And it’s to be expected to some degree.

Kenwood, after all, was considered a sleeping giant for a reason. The academics are strong and the location of the school is opportunistic; the school and, as a result, the basketball program, are attractive and a draw for players and their parents. In a recent survey conducted among city coaches, both current and retired, Kenwood ranked as the third-best basketball coaching job in the Public League.

Add the fact that Irvin has name recognition — he’s the head of the influential Mac Irvin Fire club program and comes from one of the most familiar basketball families in the city — the players were bound to show up.

But Irvin hasn’t been bashful about who he is as a coach and where he believes his team and program are headed.

Some of Irvin’s greatest hits include stating, “We have the best coach in the city, we have the best players in the city and I’m going to show everybody,” following the win over Young. He also doesn’t hide his emotions, beating his chest at center court following the win.

In the closing seconds of the win over Joliet West at UIC last Saturday night, Irvin screamed repeatedly to anyone who would listen, “There is a new sheriff in town.”

In his postgame comments, Irvin had a few more zingers, stating, “They need to understand that I’m a genius at this. I’ve been putting teams together all my life. … We can compete with anyone and we are ready to win the city and state championship.”

Maybe calling Mike Irvin “the Don King of Illinois high school basketball” is a bit too far. But his brother, former Morgan Park coach Nick Irvin, who won four state championships before heading off to the college coaching world, knows his brother is — and always has been — a performer.

“The thing people don’t understand about Mike is that Mike is an entertainer,” Nick said. “He likes to entertain. If he didn’t have a good heart, I would be like, ‘Ahh, Mike, come on.’ But I know him as a brother and I know him as a coach, and I know he means no harm when he says some of those things. He’s doing it for entertainment and entertainment sells tickets. But he has a good heart and doesn’t mean any harm.”

When I told Mike Irvin he reminds me of his brother, the personable and fun Nick Irvin, but Nick Irvin on steroids, he chuckled.

So did Nick Irvin when told the same thing.

“He took what I did and said and bumped it up another level,” Nick said with a laugh.

Basically, Mike Irvin the AAU coach — and all that comes with it in terms of his personality, bravado and brash confidence — has infiltrated high school basketball. What many have seen and heard for years in the spring and summer months in the AAU world is now on full display for everyone in the winter months.

It will often leave basketball fans to simply shake their collective heads in either amusement or disdain.

Yes, Mike Irvin does it a different way. He knows it, has his reasons for it and truly enjoys all that goes into coaching in a specific way that lights up social media while infuriating some. When I mentioned to him some of his quotes and actions aren’t the norm among high school coaches, he simply replied, “I don’t want to be normal.”

“I didn’t come here to coach and not show my personality,” Irvin said. “Coaching brings out my personality, and I love that. I don’t want to be the coach that just sits there.”

He points to the brazen and sometimes over-the-top personality of Deion Sanders as an example and model for him as a coach.

“I love how he coaches and how he does things and what he says to inspire,” Irvin said of the NFL legend turned college football coach. “He makes coaching fun. I don’t want to show up for work, show up for practice and coach in these games like it’s just another day. I want to make it fun and entertaining. That entertainment leads to exposure.”

And at the end of the day the exposure for his kids, he says, is what it’s all about. Anything that brings people to see his team and offers exposure to them is a good thing.

“I love the show,” he admits. “But I am here to help showcase the kids, so there has to be a show to showcase them. I feel like if we can give people a show, that that’s a good way to help get these kids to go to college for free. And that’s what we are trying to do, get them to college.”

But does he believe or fear his loud words put a target on his team’s back? Does he worry it places more pressure on his players? And is there any concern whether others in the basketball industry, including high school coaches, are rubbed the wrong way by his words?

After all, it’s not as if Irvin takes a less-than-subtle way of reminding everyone how good his team is.

When it comes to his players and team, Irvin doesn’t believe it impacts them. He doesn’t think there is any added pressure when he proclaims he has the best team.

“I think it gives my kids more confidence,” Irvin said. “I am a players’ coach, and it’s all about instilling confidence in the players. They are going to get that confidence from me. They’re going to run through a brick wall. They’re going to think they can jump 15 feet high — and actually think that — if I keep telling them over and over again. That is my strategy as a coach, to give kids confidence.”

He says he learned that from his late father, Mac Irvin, an iconic name in the Chicago basketball community. Irvin says his dad taught him the importance of motivating players and setting the bar high.

“It’s all about motivation,” Irvin reiterated. “If you watch how all of us coach, my dad, my brothers, myself, it’s all about motivation. It’s about giving these players more confidence.

“This is how I feel about you. No one else may think you’re the best, but I think you’re the best.”

The confidence in this team and in these players shows. In the very early going, it appears they are playing with a chip on their shoulder. They play hard and compete. They play an attacking style. It’s very reminiscent of how Nick Irvin’s Morgan Park teams played.

Nick Irvin still follows Chicago basketball closely from 1,700 miles away, where he’s now on Bobby Hurley’s staff at Arizona State. He especially keeps tabs on Kenwood and had a word with his brother following last weekend’s big win.

“I told him yesterday after the Joliet West win, and I said as long as your players know where you’re coming from that’s all that matters,” Irvin said. “At the end of the day he’s in it for the kids and to help them get noticed and get scholarships. He’s also there to help Kenwood. And as long as his players and principal understand it, that’s all that matters.”

Irvin doesn’t intend to tone anything down. He believes what he believes, and he’s going to let people know. How they take it or whether it bothers them is up to the individual. But Irvin doesn’t want to be mistaken, either.

“I don’t want to rub anyone the wrong way,” Irvin said. “I don’t want people to take it as arrogance. I don’t want people to confuse confidence for arrogance. I don’t want to rub people the wrong way and they mistake it for arrogance. No, it’s confidence. And don’t allow my confidence to offend your insecurity. I’m in my purpose.”

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Even wins aren’t very impressive for the Bulls these days.

Barely beating the Bradley Beal-less Wizards on Wednesday in front of the home crowd, doesn’t exactly scream contender.

What it did was keep the Bulls in the rumor mill crosshairs. That’s where underachieving teams usually reside in mid-December, leaving the fan base and media to decipher fact from fiction.

So while the Lakers might be looking to make an impactful trade and have their eyes on the Bulls roster, the feeling wasn’t mutual. According to a source, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas had no interest in acquiring Russell Westbrook and his expiring contract, even if it meant adding draft picks.

Could that change by the Feb. 9 trade deadline? With Karnisovas, everything is usually on the table. But as of right now, the Bulls were still set on continuing to monitor the rehabilitation of Lonzo Ball and his surgically-repaired knee in hopes of his return giving them a glimpse of what this team will look like whole.

A glimpse that could carry a lot of weight on how much belief they want to keep in this roster.

The issue? Ball still hasn’t even started running, cutting or jumping – all pretty important steps to take in playing in an NBA game.

It’s a time crunch and also a test of patience.

Karnisovas has proven to be very deliberate in the way he handles his business, so playing the waiting game was in his wheelhouse.

If Ball, however, can’t return this season – or at least by the deadline – and the Bulls continue to underachieve, deliberate can become aggressive very quickly.

Karnisovas set the bar at reaching the second round of the playoffs back in the preseason, and there’s no backing down from those expectations now.

The unknown is would that take a tweak or an all-out blockbuster to get done? Here’s some players and teams to monitor:

Jae Crowder – PF – With an expiring $10-million contract and the Suns waiting for the best offer to move the veteran, Crowder would be the perfect mentor for Patrick Williams and the toughness this starting unit has lacked the last two seasons.

The problem was there’s more than a handful of contending teams that will be in on Crowder, and have better assets to give than the Bulls. A package that would include a Coby White wouldn’t move the needle.

Myles Turner – C – The Pacers have been looking to move Turner since last season, but have been very adamant in getting players and draft capital in return. That’s where the Bulls fall very short. Does Nikola Vucevic for Turner work from a money standpoint? Sure, but the Pacers would never send one expiring contract for another, and not have draft picks included.

Like a Crowder deal, there’s just teams with more to offer than the Bulls.

Atlanta – Like the Bulls, the Hawks have been muddling through the first third of the regular season, and have done so with growing issues. Trae Young could be developing into a problem child, while power forward John Collins always seems to be a trade candidate.

Would Karnisovas even entertain a blockbuster package of max contracts, sending Zach LaVine to Atlanta for Young? LaVine and Dejounte Murray do share Seattle roots, while Young would give the Bulls a legit high-volume three-point shooter.

This would seem more fantasy basketball league than reality, however.

New York – The Knicks want to make a splash, have young talent – see Cam Reddish – and draft capital to give. Would a DeMar DeRozan or a LaVine deal play well in the Garden? Absolutely, but that would mean that Karnisovas would have to feel this Bulls roster has hit rock bottom. It’s not even close to that yet.

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