Chicago Sports

WASHINGTON, ILL-St. Rita junior Morez Johnson, an Illinois recruit, threw down a devastating turnaround dunk midway through the third quarter on Wednesday against Joliet West. It put the Mustangs up by 10 points, crushed the spirits of the Tigers’ student section and seemed to suck the life out of a gym full of neutrals hoping for an exciting, close finish.

The Mustangs led by 14 early in the fourth quarter and seemed to be putting the finishing touches on a victory against a Joliet West team that was just too small to match up with the 6-9 Johnson, 6-10 James Brown and 6-6 Nojus Indrusaitis (the three top juniors in the state). St. Rita pulled down an astonishing 31 rebounds in just the first half.

That would have been the end of it against most teams. But Michigan State recruit Jeremy Fears Jr. transferred home to Joliet this season and everything has changed.

Fears’ confidence, calm and ability spearheaded a Joliet West comeback led by defense and free-throw shooting. The Tigers forced key turnovers and made 19 consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter to beat St. Rita 64-56 at the Kevin Brown Memorial Tournament of Champions.

“[Joliet West coach Jeremy Kreiger] told us if we can get it under ten with five minutes left that we are gonna win the game,” Fears said. “He asked everybody on the bench down the line, ‘Do you believe we can win the game?’

“We looked him in his face and said yes and did what we needed to do one possession at a time to get the win.”

Fears’ experience at La Lumiere the last two seasons and with USA basketball gives him a rare, Jalen Brunson-esque confidence.

“[Fears] moniker is ‘The Floor General,'” Kreiger said. “And that’s his job. He’s an extension of us as a coaching staff. When they see that he believes we all believe. We knew it was going to be a battle because of the inside force that they have but our four guards are going to be the difference in this season.”

Fears finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. His brother, sophomore Jeremiah Fears, added 17 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Junior Justus McNair contributed 17 points. The Tigers were 25 for 27 from the free-throw line.

“We let them control most of the game and play at their pace,” Fears said. “But then we started to speed them up and we got a few turnovers and few buckets and the momentum was on our side.”

Joliet West (2-0) didn’t allow St. Rita (0-1) to score a bucket for the final 4:13 of the game.

The Tigers were outrebounded 31-14 in the first half but the boards were an even 18-18 in the second half. Joliet West bigs Matthew Moore and Drew King blocked shots and made St. Rita’s talented juniors work for everything and 6-3 Jayden Martin kept a body on Brown whenever possible.

“We knew that everything was on their side and we couldn’t let our heads drop,” Moore said. “We had to keep fighting. After we got it down to nine points I knew we were going to win.”

Johnson led St. Rita with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Brown added 13 points and 13 rebounds and Nojus Indrusaitis finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.

“The first game I’ve seen for every team I’ve watched has been sloppy,” Mustangs coach Roshawn Russell said. “It’s early in the season and we will learn from this.”

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WASHINGTON, ILL–Jeremy Fears Jr.’s final act of the night was his easiest play of the game. He lobbed the ball in the air and Matthew Moore slammed it home at the buzzer, setting off a celebration on the Joliet West bench and across the court in the student section.

It’s one thing to look at a roster and see the potential. It’s another to see the group deal with adversity head on and come out winners. The Tigers did that twice in two days. They were their own worst enemy and had to overcome silly technical fouls to beat St. Louis Cardinal Ritter on Tuesday.

On Wednesday Joliet West, which was expected to be undersized, matched up against St. Rita’s twin towers of 6-10 James Brown and 6-9 Morez Johnson and 6-6 scorer Nojus Indrusaitis. The Tigers got destroyed on the boards in the first half but found a way to win late in the game. Matthew Moore, a 6-9 senior, and 6-8 junior Drew King couldn’t match St. Rita on the boards or offensively, but they blocked shots and protected the rim enough to make a major impact.

It’s obviously super early in the season. But a win like tonight’s makes me ask the question. Should Joliet West be the No. 1 team in the Super 25?

Tigers coach Jeremy Kreiger: “I believe sir, that you make the rankings. But we’re not about rankings. We’re the number one team in Joliet and that’s all we are fighting for.”

Fears: “Definitely we should be number one. In my opinion we are No. 1.”

Joliet West has a few more games in Washington this week and will face No. 3 Kenwood at the Chicago Elite Classic a week from Saturday.

Wednesday’s top games (abbreviated version because I have to drive home to Chicago). Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

New Trier 43, Loyola 35: Jake Fiegen led the Trevians with 11 and Logan Feller scored nine in the rivalry win. Miles Boland had 17 for the Ramblers, who are missing a good chunk of players still with the football team.

Young 77, Rockford Auburn 65: Dalen Davis and Daniel Johnson each scored 15 points and two freshmen made contributions. Marquis Clark scored nine and Nasir Rankin added eight points for the Dolphins.

Joliet Central 66, Minooka 59: Didn’t see any stats from the Steelmen but this is a good sign for a team that only had three wins last season. Nick Andreano had a nice game for Minooka with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Phillips 81, East Peoria 68: Breakout game in a major shootout for senior Jaheim Savage, who has been a force in the city the past three seasons. He had 31 points and 11 rebounds.

St. Paul, Cal. 53, Lincoln Park 52 OT: The Lions battled hard but couldn’t pull out the win in Washington. Myan Whitfield scored 21.

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WASHINGTON, ILL–Jeremy Fears Jr.’s final act of the night was his easiest play of the game. He lobbed the ball in the air and Matthew Moore slammed it home at the buzzer, setting off a celebration on the Joliet West bench and across the court in the student section.

It’s one thing to look at a roster and see the potential. It’s another to see the group deal with adversity head on and come out winners. The Tigers did that twice in two days. They were their own worst enemy and had to overcome silly technical fouls to beat St. Louis Cardinal Ritter on Tuesday.

On Wednesday Joliet West, which was expected to be undersized, matched up against St. Rita’s twin towers of 6-10 James Brown and 6-9 Morez Johnson and 6-6 scorer Nojus Indrusaitis. The Tigers got destroyed on the boards in the first half but found a way to win late in the game. Matthew Moore, a 6-9 senior, and 6-8 junior Drew King couldn’t match St. Rita on the boards or offensively, but they blocked shots and protected the rim enough to make a major impact.

It’s obviously super early in the season. But a win like tonight’s makes me ask the question. Should Joliet West be the No. 1 team in the Super 25?

Tigers coach Jeremy Kreiger: “I believe sir, that you make the rankings. But we’re not about rankings. We’re the number one team in Joliet and that’s all we are fighting for.”

Fears: “Definitely we should be number one. In my opinion we are No. 1.”

Joliet West has a few more games in Washington this week and will face No. 3 Kenwood at the Chicago Elite Classic a week from Saturday.

Wednesday’s top games (abbreviated version because I have to drive home to Chicago). Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

New Trier 43, Loyola 35: Jake Fiegen led the Trevians with 11 and Logan Feller scored nine in the rivalry win. Miles Boland had 17 for the Ramblers, who are missing a good chunk of players still with the football team.

Young 77, Rockford Auburn 65: Dalen Davis and Daniel Johnson each scored 15 points and two freshmen made contributions. Marquis Clark scored nine and Nasir Rankin added eight points for the Dolphins.

Joliet Central 66, Minooka 59: Didn’t see any stats from the Steelmen but this is a good sign for a team that only had three wins last season. Nick Andreano had a nice game for Minooka with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Phillips 81, East Peoria 68: Breakout game in a major shootout for senior Jaheim Savage, who has been a force in the city the past three seasons. He had 31 points and 11 rebounds.

St. Paul, Cal. 53, Lincoln Park 52 OT: The Lions battled hard but couldn’t pull out the win in Washington. Myan Whitfield scored 21.

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DALLAS — The Blackhawks have recently tried a five-forward arrangement on their top power-play unit for the first time in recent memory.

The approach eschews defensemen altogether to make forward Philipp Kurashev the fifth man in the group, accompanying Patrick Kane, Max Domi, Jonathan Toews and Taylor Raddysh. Kurashev may be slightly more defensively responsible than the other four, but he’s nonetheless primarily there to boost the offensive threat level.

“Early in the power plays, if we’re making strong plays at the top and not being risky [by attempting seam passes] too much…we don’t have to worry about it,” coach Luke Richardson said.

The idea is that five forwards are more interchangeable from position to position, allowing the Hawks to establish more continuous player movement — in addition to puck movement — that will eventually spread apart and open up opposing penalty kills. There’s an obvious risk factor if the ‘PK’ produces a counterattack, though.

“Sometimes you have to be a little more conscious before they have the puck,” he said. “If Kane’s in the corner and he looks like he’s cornered and there’s no out, the other guy — Kurashev or Domi — may have to take a step back out of the blue line, just in case. We discuss that stuff, just to be aware.”

Richardson only intends to use the five-forward setup during the first minute of each power play, opting to deploy not one but two defensemen on the second ‘PP’ unit. Seth Jones easing back to full strength might end the experiment soon anyway.

Entering Wednesday, the Hawks’ power play had regressed toward the middle of the pack with a 21.4% conversion rate — ranking 14th in the NHL — after going 3-for-23 over their last eight games. They ranked a lowly 28th in scoring chances per minute.

Comfortable Khaira

Forward Jujhar Khaira has been a bright spot lately. He entered Wednesday having recorded points in two of his last three games — including a goal Sunday against the Penguins — after tallying just four points in his first 39 games as a Hawk. He has been bumped up to the third line next to Jason Dickinson.

He said this is the best he has felt, confidence-wise, since his major concussion last December.

“It’s trending up,” he said. “I’m feeling more comfortable out there skating the puck and trying to create more offense.”

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The Chicago Bulls will look to build off of Monday night’s win, as they head to Milwaukee for a showdown with Giannis and the Bucks as betting underdogs.

The Chicago Bulls will face the Milwaukee Bucks for the first time this season following last year’s playoff defeat in the first round of the postseason. After opening the season with nine straight wins, the Bucks now find themselves in the midst of a 3-4 stretch, standing at 12-4, one half game behind the Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference.

On Monday night, the Chicago Bulls snapped a four-game losing streak, beating the aforementioned Celtics in Boston 121-107 led by a combined 50 points from Demar Derozan and Zach LaVine. While that win stopped the bleeding, another one in the win column against another top end opponent could really go a long way to putting this season back on a successful track and could be a huge boost to the confidence of this basketball team.

The injury report for this game is short, but it will see Goran Dragic absent from tonight’s game off of the bench, and will most likely increase the overall minutes of Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso and Coby White.

Monday night was kind to our bankroll as well as the Bulls win column, as Patrick Williams notched 17 points, a season high to coast over the over 9.5 point total. I called for more three point opportunities for Williams, and at least in the first half the Bulls listened as the kid went 3-4 from three point land, boosting his season average to 42% from behind the arc.

Call me crazy, but with the increased confidence and consistent role, I am going back to the well for the second night in a row, and potentially until the oddsmakers adjust his point totals to reflect his role and output. Let’s get a Bulls victory and another strong showing from Williams tonight. Best of luck, happy Thanksgiving, and GO BULLS!!

2022 Bulls Best Bet Record: 8-9 (1W Streak)

Patrick Williams Over 9.5 Points (Sportsbook Odds May Vary)

As mentioned, I am going back to the well with Williams until his point totals are adjusted to his role and output. The opening games of the season were ugly, and rightfully so, it turned a large portion of the fan base off of Williams. However, over the past few weeks, Williams has elevated his confidence all over the floor and is beginning to cause a direct impact to the game.

Over his past seven outings, Williams has scored in double figures five times, shooting at least 50% from behind the three-point line in six of those seven games. Some may expect the shooting percentages to regress a bit, but as I called for on Monday, going forward I am begging the Bulls to give Williams more opportunities from behind the arc.

The Chicago Bulls rank 28th in the NBA in three pointers made per game, and at the clip that Williams is shooting, in addition to a shot release that is really difficult to defend, the Bulls need to instill more and more confidence in Williams to shoot the ball.

Time on the floor for Williams was a bit sporadic to open the season, but as we are progressing, his role is becoming more concrete, and in tonight’s case, his defensive efforts will be paramount in slowing down Giannis, causing me to expect his minutes could land north of 30 tonight. If you’re giving me that type of playing time, I will happily take a swing at Williams hitting double figures.

I’ll give the Bulls a fighting chance in tonight’s game, but it’s certainly going to take a full 48-minute effort from just about every able body. Let’s get the Bulls to 8-10 and let’s get this blog back to an even 9-9 with a double digit effort from Patrick Williams. Happy Thanksgiving, thank you for following along, and GO BULLS!!

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The Bears’ two top draft picks this season missed Wednesday’s walk-through while in concussion protocol.

Cornerback Kyler Gordon went to the locker room during Sunday’s 27-24 loss to the Falcons because of a concussion. Safety Jaquan Brisker, a fellow second-round rookie, finished the game.

Brisker has been one of the Bears’ best defensive players this season. The Penn State alum is one of three defensive backs in the NFL with at least three sacks and an interception this year. Amazingly, he leads the Bears in sacks, with three.

Defensive backs coach James Rowe said the two were “very limited” in what they can do in game prep this week. He said the Bears will simplify their game plan to make it easier for them if they’re able to return for Sunday’s game.

“We’re trying to navigate our best way through it, even if it comes to limiting some of the calls,” he said. “That way, if they’re able to play, it’s nothing that we’re springing on them.”

DeAndre Houston-Carson would likely take Brisker’s place were he unable to play. Jaylon Jones replaced Gordon on Sunday.

“It’s the NFL,” linebacker Nick Morrow said. “Guys have to be ready. Whether it’s backups or starters, you have to be prepared.”

This and that

o Right guard Teven Jenkins, who warmed up Sunday and then told the coaching staff he was only able to be a backup, would have been a full participant had the team practiced. That seems to open the door for him to start Sunday.

Putting a hampered Jenkins on the active roster instead of a healthy Alex Leatherwood was “the best thing for our football team at the time,” head coach Matt Eberflus said.

o Linebacker Sterling Weatherford missed the walk-through with a concussion.

o Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (elbow) and tight end Kenny Yeboah (calf) did not practice.

o Backup tight end Ryan Griffin, who played for the Jets from 2019-21, will be the Bears’ honorary captain Sunday.

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DALLAS — Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson recently sat down struggling defenseman Caleb Jones to show him a specific video clip.

In it, Lightning star Mikhail Sergachev — analytically one of top-performing defensemen in the NHL so far this season — casually skated out from behind his net, then accidentally lost the puck right in the slot. Stars forward Radek Faksa jumped on the puck and immediately scored a game-tying goal with less than five minutes left.

Richardson’s message? Over the course of thousands of shifts over 82 games, mistakes are inevitable. Even the best players make them. And they’re not worth beating oneself up about.

“That can happen,” Caleb Jones said. “It’s just bad ‘puck luck.’ It’s a long season, and that happens to everyone. [You have to] keep your confidence and keep pushing and getting better. It was a good conversation.”

Jones knows he has struggled lately. That’s no secret. His nightmarish stretch started last week against the Hurricanes, when he caused a goal against with a disastrous pass from behind his own net in similar fashion to Sergachev.

It continued against the Blues, when all five goals the Hawks allowed came with him on the ice. And after being healthy-scratched against the Bruins in order to reset mentally, it culminated against the Penguins, when Sidney Crosby beat him to score the game-winning goal and spoil the Hawks’ comeback.

The Hawks’ scoring-chance ratio during Jones’ five-on-five ice time this season had fallen to 37.8% — which ranked 203rd among 211 defensemen league-wide — entering Wednesday’s game against the Stars. Over the last six games, his ratio was 31.4%. (To be fair, every Hawks defenseman currently sits in the bottom half of the league.)

After morning skate Wednesday, Jones could only chuckle about it the minus-five night; he’d never experienced anything like that before in his hockey-playing life. But as he has throughout his Chicago tenure, he still took accountability for his struggles.

“The last three or four [games], there have been a couple mishaps,” Jones said. “I have to find a way personally, when those games happen, to bounce back better and make sure they don’t last. That’s just a learning process for me. Overall this year, I started out really good, but the last three or four games have been a little down. So I just have to stay confident and work my way through it. It’s just a little slump. I’ll be alright.”

Jones has become a lightning rod for criticism from a portion of the fan base that desperately wants him benched.

On one hand, the Hawks indeed do suddenly have a defensive personnel conundrum. Ian Mitchell and Filip Roos were both healthy scratches Wednesday with Seth Jones returning from injury. Two young players missing out on development opportunities while two veteran journeymen (Jarred Tinordi and Jack Johnson) and one slumping player (Caleb Jones) remain in the lineup doesn’t make the most sense.

On the other hand, Jones enjoyed a very good stretch of hockey before this recent downturn. From Oct. 25 through Nov. 3, he tallied six assists in six games and was relatively clean with the puck. He is an excellent skater who has often shown flashes of top-four potential, only to be held back by his inconsistency.

Richardson, for the record, has stood firmly behind Jones at every turn, continually offering votes of confidence.

“He has done really well,” Richardson said Wednesday. “There have been a couple games where he’s been on the ice for goals against, but he’s not the only one. He seems like he’s matured and grown. He has taken a big leap in this opportunity and ran with it. Getting back to a normal role, which is a little bit less [demanding], he’s going to be confident in that — and he should be.”

Richardson’s support has allowed Jones to keep spirits high in spite of the adversity.

That’s reflected in Jones’ optimism moving forward, as he — and the Hawks’ coaching staff — believes his brother’s return will have a positive ripple effect on the rest of the defensive corps. The two of them enjoyed a family dinner Tuesday in Dallas and expected a “decent-sized” group of family, friends and advisors at American Airlines Center for the game.

“We’re all excited to have [Seth] back,” Caleb Jones said. “When you lose a guy like that, you all have to take on a little more. Over the last couple weeks, we did a good job of it, but it can start to catch up to you a little bit. Guys are doing things that they’ve never done. Getting him back will take that load off and let us all get back to playing…how we were at the start of the year.”

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The Bears’ two top draft picks this season missed Wednesday’s walk-through while in concussion protocol.

Cornerback Kyler Gordon went to the locker room during Sunday’s 27-24 loss to the Falcons because of a concussion. Safety Jaquan Brisker, a fellow second-round rookie, finished the game.

Brisker has been one of the Bears’ best defensive players this season. The Penn State alum is one of three defensive backs in the NFL with at least three sacks and an interception this year. Amazingly, he leads the Bears in sacks, with three.

Defensive backs coach James Rowe said the two were “very limited” in what they can do in game prep this week. He said the Bears will simplify their game plan to make it easier for them if they’re able to return for Sunday’s game.

“We’re trying to navigate our best way through it, even if it comes to limiting some of the calls,” he said. “That way, if they’re able to play, it’s nothing that we’re springing on them.”

DeAndre Houston-Carson would likely take Brisker’s place were he unable to play. Jaylon Jones replaced Gordon on Sunday.

“It’s the NFL,” linebacker Nick Morrow said. “Guys have to be ready. Whether it’s backups or starters, you have to be prepared.”

This and that

o Right guard Teven Jenkins, who warmed up Sunday and then told the coaching staff he was only able to be a backup, would have been a full participant had the team practiced. That seems to open the door for him to start Sunday.

Putting a hampered Jenkins on the active roster instead of a healthy Alex Leatherwood was “the best thing for our football team at the time,” head coach Matt Eberflus said.

o Linebacker Sterling Weatherford missed the walk-through with a concussion.

o Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (elbow) and tight end Kenny Yeboah (calf) did not practice.

o Backup tight end Ryan Griffin, who played for the Jets from 2019-21, will be the Bears’ honorary captain Sunday.

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DALLAS — Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson recently sat down struggling defenseman Caleb Jones to show him a specific video clip.

In it, Lightning star Mikhail Sergachev — analytically one of top-performing defensemen in the NHL so far this season — casually skated out from behind his net, then accidentally lost the puck right in the slot. Stars forward Radek Faksa jumped on the puck and immediately scored a game-tying goal with less than five minutes left.

Richardson’s message? Over the course of thousands of shifts over 82 games, mistakes are inevitable. Even the best players make them. And they’re not worth beating oneself up about.

“That can happen,” Caleb Jones said. “It’s just bad ‘puck luck.’ It’s a long season, and that happens to everyone. [You have to] keep your confidence and keep pushing and getting better. It was a good conversation.”

Jones knows he has struggled lately. That’s no secret. His nightmarish stretch started last week against the Hurricanes, when he caused a goal against with a disastrous pass from behind his own net in similar fashion to Sergachev.

It continued against the Blues, when all five goals the Hawks allowed came with him on the ice. And after being healthy-scratched against the Bruins in order to reset mentally, it culminated against the Penguins, when Sidney Crosby beat him to score the game-winning goal and spoil the Hawks’ comeback.

The Hawks’ scoring-chance ratio during Jones’ five-on-five ice time this season had fallen to 37.8% — which ranked 203rd among 211 defensemen league-wide — entering Wednesday’s game against the Stars. Over the last six games, his ratio was 31.4%. (To be fair, every Hawks defenseman currently sits in the bottom half of the league.)

After morning skate Wednesday, Jones could only chuckle about it the minus-five night; he’d never experienced anything like that before in his hockey-playing life. But as he has throughout his Chicago tenure, he still took accountability for his struggles.

“The last three or four [games], there have been a couple mishaps,” Jones said. “I have to find a way personally, when those games happen, to bounce back better and make sure they don’t last. That’s just a learning process for me. Overall this year, I started out really good, but the last three or four games have been a little down. So I just have to stay confident and work my way through it. It’s just a little slump. I’ll be alright.”

Jones has become a lightning rod for criticism from a portion of the fan base that desperately wants him benched.

On one hand, the Hawks indeed do suddenly have a defensive personnel conundrum. Ian Mitchell and Filip Roos were both healthy scratches Wednesday with Seth Jones returning from injury. Two young players missing out on development opportunities while two veteran journeymen (Jarred Tinordi and Jack Johnson) and one slumping player (Caleb Jones) remain in the lineup doesn’t make the most sense.

On the other hand, Jones enjoyed a very good stretch of hockey before this recent downturn. From Oct. 25 through Nov. 3, he tallied six assists in six games and was relatively clean with the puck. He is an excellent skater who has often shown flashes of top-four potential, only to be held back by his inconsistency.

Richardson, for the record, has stood firmly behind Jones at every turn, continually offering votes of confidence.

“He has done really well,” Richardson said Wednesday. “There have been a couple games where he’s been on the ice for goals against, but he’s not the only one. He seems like he’s matured and grown. He has taken a big leap in this opportunity and ran with it. Getting back to a normal role, which is a little bit less [demanding], he’s going to be confident in that — and he should be.”

Richardson’s support has allowed Jones to keep spirits high in spite of the adversity.

That’s reflected in Jones’ optimism moving forward, as he — and the Hawks’ coaching staff — believes his brother’s return will have a positive ripple effect on the rest of the defensive corps. The two of them enjoyed a family dinner Tuesday in Dallas and expected a “decent-sized” group of family, friends and advisors at American Airlines Center for the game.

“We’re all excited to have [Seth] back,” Caleb Jones said. “When you lose a guy like that, you all have to take on a little more. Over the last couple weeks, we did a good job of it, but it can start to catch up to you a little bit. Guys are doing things that they’ve never done. Getting him back will take that load off and let us all get back to playing…how we were at the start of the year.”

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