Hyde Park’s Davontae Hall, right, dribbles around Homewood-Flossmoor’s Luis Acevedo. | Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

The No. 24 Thunderbirds beat the Vikings 77-68 in the Chicago Heights Classic at Marian Catholic.

Hyde Park senior Davontae Hall was all flash, style and speed as a young high school player. His talent was undeniable, but so many kids never find a way to evolve into a mature, focused and truly effective player.

Hall’s debut as a senior Monday was memorable. All the danger has left his game. He’s poised and unselfish, and his teammates have followed his lead.

The No. 24 Thunderbirds beat Homewood-Flossmoor 77-68 in the Chicago Heights Classic at Marian Catholic.

”I’ve just been staying in the gym,” Hall said. ”There’s no secret to what happened. It’s just working. I wanted to become a better teammate and a better leader.”

Jamere Dismukes, a Rich East graduate, took over as Hyde Park’s coach last season.

”I’ve been trying to point [Hall] in the right direction of what a point guard needs to be,” Dismukes said. ”He has aspirations to play high-major basketball. I broke down to him what he needed to do to achieve that dream. He’s doing a great job of it. His game has completely changed.”

Hyde Park junior Damarion Morris made his first five shots and his first four three-pointers. The early hot shooting helped the Thunderbirds build a 42-27 halftime lead.

”It felt good playing my first game after the COVID season,” Morris said. ”I just wanted to do what I had to do for us to get a win.”

Morris scored a game-high 24 points and Hall 19. Malik Jenkins, a 6-6 senior, added 15 points, and junior guard Camron Williford scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds.

Homewood-Flossmoor switched to a full-court press in the second half. It forced the Thunderbirds into turnovers and cut their lead to 56-50 near the end of the third quarter.

But Hyde Park showed its backbone in the fourth quarter, adjusting to the press and making 8 of 9 free throws to regain a double-digit lead.

”Morris is very underrated,” Dismukes said. ”He does everything. He can shoot it, he can finish around the rim and rebound and make plays for others and he guards 94 feet the entire game. That’s an impressive game against a really good H-F team that always guards.”

Vikings senior Christian Meeks dominated inside, finishing with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Homewood-Flossmoor’s guards are talented but inexperienced. There’s plenty for Vikings coach Marc Condotti to work with during the next few months.

”Hyde Park played really good,” Condotti said. ”They shot the ball well and made free throws and did everything they were supposed to do to win the game. We don’t have a ton of experience, so it’s no easy task to open up against them.”

Sophomore Lee Marks added 13 points and five rebounds, senior Robert Brazelton chipped in 11 points off the bench and senior Luis Acevedo had nine points and nine rebounds for the Vikings.

”We got the answers to our questions right away about what we need to work on,” Condotti said. ”We’ll be a different team, hopefully, in March. We just have to get some experience. We could be pretty good.”

The Thunderbirds have a chance to be the first Public League team to win the 17-year-old Chicago Heights Classic. And they have even bigger goals than that for their season.

”We have a chip on our shoulder,” Morris said. ”We are the hunted now. We want to win every game we can and get to that No. 1 spot.”

Watch the final minute of Hyde Park vs. Homewood-Flossmoor:

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The Bulls hope that the injury isn’t significant and that Caruso won’t miss too much time.

Missing guard Alex Caruso’s ability to force the opposition into turnovers is one thing.

But what the Bulls really missed in Caruso’s absence Monday against the Pacers was the chaotic energy he brings to the defensive side of the floor.

That’s why coach Billy Donovan wasn’t thrilled with the news he received minutes before his pregame media session: The medical staff ruled Caruso out with a bruised left wrist.

Because the game against the Pacers was the second of a back-to-back, there was no shootaround for Caruso to test the injury. So he arrived at the United Center for the pregame walkthrough and did all he could to try to get the wrist ready. He failed.

”I don’t think so,” Donovan said when he was asked if the injury was thought to be significant. ”It’s basically a bruised wrist right now, and I think just his mobility — him being able to do things — has really been difficult for him. But right now it doesn’t look like something that’s long-term. I haven’t talked to the medical [staff], but they didn’t feel like it was going to be long-term. They’ll do X-rays, MRIs, all those things on him.”

Caruso moved into the starting lineup on the Bulls’ recent West Coast trip, with the team short-handed after losing forward Patrick Williams (wrist surgery) for the season and center Nikola Vucevic to a positive coronavirus test. That’s when he first injured the wrist.

Caruso tried to play through it, then reinjured it Sunday against the Knicks.

”It was something that was lingering, and I think [Sunday] caused more problems for him,” Donovan said.

With Caruso out, everyone in the rotation moved up a spot. Coby White entered the starting lineup, and Troy Brown Jr. made his way back into the rotation.

Not only is Caruso leading the Bulls in steals with 2.2 per game, but he entered play Monday third in the NBA in that category. He also ranked second in the league in deflections with 4.1 per game.

Then there’s Caruso’s bulldog mentality to guard any player he’s asked to. That included going against Knicks power forward Julius Randle on Sunday.

”I’m a little naive when it comes to basketball and what I’m capable of doing,” Caruso said. ”Every time I get a matchup with a guy, it just adds to the amount of reps I get guarding them, the amount of times I’ve seen them get to what they like to do. It’s just me adding stuff to the memory bank, adding to how I can guard them better.”

Moving forward

There’s still no definitive timetable for Vucevic’s return, but he was at the United Center for the game against the Pacers and had started the cardiovascular scanning protocols earlier in the day. He has missed the Bulls’ last seven games.

”He’s doing great,” Donovan said. ”It was great to catch up with him. He was in the locker room at halftime [Sunday] and then after the game. He was doing [the cardiovascular scans] and was in the gym [Monday] morning doing some stuff. But, again, it’s got to all be cleared by medical.

”Obviously, being away for 10 or 11 days and feeling not great, it will probably take him a little bit of time to not only get his wind back but get his rhythm back, as well.”

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Holiday decorations frame a police officer in downtown Waukesha, Wis., after a vehicle plowed into a parade of Christmas marchers, killing multiple people Sunday. | Jeffrey Phelps/AP

“It was probably just self-defense,” Mary Lemanski tweeted Sunday, comparing the driver who plowed into a Christmas parade outside Milwaukee to Kyle Rittenhouse.

DuPage County Democrats fired their social media director following “callous and reprehensible” posts likening the driver who plowed into a Christmas parade Sunday outside Milwaukee — killing five and wounding 40 — to Kyle Rittenhouse.

“It was probably just self-defense,” Mary Lemanski tweeted Sunday on her personal Twitter account, according to posts republished by Fox News.

“Living in Wisconsin, he probably felt threatened,” Lemanski tweeted about the SUV driver.

The tweets, which have since been deleted, were a mocking reference to the defense strategy used by Rittenhouse, who was acquitted Friday of homicide after killing two men and wounding a third during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha last year.

In later posts Lemanski expressed sorrow over Sunday’s tragedy in Waukesha, Wis.

“I’m sad,” she said. “I’m sad anytime anyone dies.”

“I just believe in Karma and this came around quick on the citizens of Wisconsin.’

She also tweeted: “You reap what you sow, Wisconsin.”

Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
Police canvas debris left following a driver plowing into the Christmas parade on Main Street in downtown Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Lemanski couldn’t be reached for comment.

On Monday, Democratic Party of DuPage County Chair Ken Mejia-Beal said in an e-mailed statement: “The Democratic Party of DuPage County immediately severed all ties with Mary Lemanski once [it] became aware of her callous and reprehensible posts,”

Mejia-Beal went on: “She does not speak for us and we unequivocally reject her statements about the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Waukesha. We as a party denounce violence of any kind. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families impacted by this heinous act, which shocked and saddened us all.”

Screen image.
Ken Mejia-Beal participates in a Sun-Times endorsement interview last September during his unsuccessful campaign for a state House seat.

DuPage County Republican Chairman Jim Zay said in a statement: “I am shocked and outraged that a spokesperson for the DuPage County Democratic Party would make light of the tragic loss of life in Waukesha.”

In a phone interview with the Sun-Times, Mejia-Beal said Lemanski had worked part time as a head of social media for several years.

Mejia-Beal said he spoke with Lemanski Monday morning.

“There really wasn’t a lot said. … She really didn’t explain very much to me at all. There’s not really much to explain,” said Mejia-Beal, who just took over as head of DuPage County’s Democratic Party Nov. 1.

“We 100% do not agree with the words that she used and it was better for her not to be a part of this organization,” he said.

Lemanski, in a now-deleted post to the DuPage Democratic Party’s Facebook page, expressed regret for her remarks that were “not in good taste” and said she resigned.

It’s not the first time Mejia-Beal has called someone out for inappropriate language.

Last year, Mejia-Beal, who is Black and gay, called out Republican state Rep. Amy Grant, who he was trying to unseat at the time, for comments she made in a secretly recorded phone conversation.

Screen image.
State Rep. Amy Grant, R-Wheaton, participates in a Sun-Times endorsement interview last year.

Democrats held a news conference at the time to play portions of her comments.

In one clip, Grant said Mejia-Beal is “just another one of the Cook County people.”

“The only thing we need is another person on the Black Caucus,” Grant said in one clip.

Grant issued an apology.

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Rory Dames led the Red Stars to six consecutive playoff appearances (2015-2019, 2021) and three straight title matches. | Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

Less than 24 hours after Rory Dames’ sudden resignation as Red Stars coach, the Washington Post published a report Monday detailing claims of Dames’ verbal and emotional abuse of his players.

Less than 24 hours after Rory Dames’ sudden resignation as Red Stars coach, the Washington Post published a report Monday detailing claims of Dames’ verbal and emotional abuse of his players.

According to the Post, the mistreatment led some players to request a trade. Dames, who joined the Red Stars in 2011 and was the longest-tenured coach in the NWSL, also was accused of crossing the line of a standard player/coach relationship.

The Red Stars announced Dames’ resignation late Sunday, one day after they lost the league title game against the Washington Spirit 2-1 in extra time. Dames led the Red Stars to six consecutive playoff appearances (2015-2019, 2021) and three straight title matches.

In a statement, Dames said in part, “Effective [Sunday], I’m refocusing my attention to my family and future endeavors, and I am resigning as coach of the Chicago Red Stars.”

In notes gathered for a formal complaint about Dames and reviewed by the Post, Christen Press shared her experience playing for the Red Stars. She first expressed concerns in 2014.

“I think Rory emotionally abuses players,” Press wrote. “He doesn’t have a safe distance between himself and his players. He uses his power and status as the coach to manipulate players and get close to them.”

The allegations include Dames questioning a player’s ability as a mother and mocking players’ intelligence and personal lives.

With the Post’s report, Dames became the fifth male coach accused of misconduct in a year of turmoil for the young soccer league.

All year, players have demanded that the league prioritize their safety. In October, the NWSL Players Association created a list of eight demands after a report by The Athletic in which former players accused former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley of sexual coercion.

One of the demands was that every coach, general manager, Board of Governors representative and owner submit to an independent investigation into abusive conduct.

The demands came after U.S. Soccer announced its own investigation into the NWSL led by former Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates.

“The most important thing at the end of the day is that players feel safe,” Dames told the Sun-Times before the Red Stars’ playoff match against Gotham FC on Nov. 7. “As coaches, we’ve followed their lead as the players. They’ve been really good at when it’s time to go onto the field and train, play at being able to put their attention and focus there.”

Dames is still president of Eclipse Select Soccer Club.

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Holiday decorations frame a police officer in downtown Waukesha, Wis., after a vehicle plowed into a parade of Christmas marchers, killing multiple people Sunday. | Jeffrey Phelps/AP

“It was probably just self-defense,” Mary Lemanski tweeted Sunday, comparing the driver who plowed into a Christmas parade outside Milwaukee to Kyle Rittenhouse.

DuPage County Democrats fired their social media director following “callous and reprehensible” posts likening the driver who plowed into a Christmas parade Sunday outside Milwaukee — killing five and wounding 40 — to Kyle Rittenhouse.

“It was probably just self-defense,” Mary Lemanski tweeted Sunday on her personal Twitter account, according to posts republished by Fox News.

“Living in Wisconsin, he probably felt threatened,” Lemanski tweeted about the SUV driver.

The tweets, which have since been deleted, were a mocking reference to the defense strategy used by Rittenhouse, who was acquitted Friday of homicide after killing two men and wounding a third during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha last year.

In later posts Lemanski expressed sorrow over Sunday’s tragedy in Waukesha, Wis.

“I’m sad,” she said. “I’m sad anytime anyone dies.”

“I just believe in Karma and this came around quick on the citizens of Wisconsin.’

She also tweeted: “You reap what you sow, Wisconsin.”

Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
Police canvas debris left following a driver plowing into the Christmas parade on Main Street in downtown Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Lemanski couldn’t be reached for comment.

On Monday, Democratic Party of DuPage County Chair Ken Mejia-Beal said in an e-mailed statement: “The Democratic Party of DuPage County immediately severed all ties with Mary Lemanski once [it] became aware of her callous and reprehensible posts,”

Mejia-Beal went on: “She does not speak for us and we unequivocally reject her statements about the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Waukesha. We as a party denounce violence of any kind. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families impacted by this heinous act, which shocked and saddened us all.”

Screen image.
Ken Mejia-Beal participates in a Sun-Times endorsement interview last September during his unsuccessful campaign for a state House seat.

DuPage County Republican Chairman Jim Zay said in a statement: “I am shocked and outraged that a spokesperson for the DuPage County Democratic Party would make light of the tragic loss of life in Waukesha.”

In a phone interview with the Sun-Times, Mejia-Beal said Lemanski had worked part time as a head of social media for several years.

Mejia-Beal said he spoke with Lemanski Monday morning.

“There really wasn’t a lot said. … She really didn’t explain very much to me at all. There’s not really much to explain,” said Mejia-Beal, who just took over as head of DuPage County’s Democratic Party Nov. 1.

“We 100% do not agree with the words that she used and it was better for her not to be a part of this organization,” he said.

Lemanski, in a now-deleted post to the DuPage Democratic Party’s Facebook page, expressed regret for her remarks that were “not in good taste” and said she resigned.

It’s not the first time Mejia-Beal has called someone out for inappropriate language.

Last year, Mejia-Beal, who is Black and gay, called out Republican state Rep. Amy Grant, who he was trying to unseat at the time, for comments she made in a secretly recorded phone conversation.

Screen image.
State Rep. Amy Grant, R-Wheaton, participates in a Sun-Times endorsement interview last year.

Democrats held a news conference at the time to play portions of her comments.

In one clip, Grant said Mejia-Beal is “just another one of the Cook County people.”

“The only thing we need is another person on the Black Caucus,” Grant said in one clip.

Grant issued an apology.

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The Chicago Cubs have already been active so far this offseason. They picked up Wade Miley off of waivers from the Cincinnati Reds who will be a great addition to their staff. They also acquired Harold Ramirez from the Cleveland Guardians earlier on Monday to bolster their outfield and offensive depth. Now, they are reportedly interested […] Chicago Cubs Rumors: Among the teams interested in Steven Matz – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & MoreRead More

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Holiday decorations frame a police officer in downtown Waukesha, Wis., after a vehicle plowed into a parade of Christmas marchers, killing multiple people Sunday. | Jeffrey Phelps/AP

“It was probably just self-defense,” Mary Lemanski tweeted Sunday, comparing the driver who plowed into a Christmas parade outside Milwaukee to Kyle Rittenhouse.

DuPage County Democrats fired their social media director following “callous and reprehensible” posts likening the driver who plowed into a Christmas parade Sunday outside Milwaukee — killing five and wounding 40 — to Kyle Rittenhouse.

“It was probably just self-defense,” Mary Lemanski tweeted Sunday on her personal Twitter account, according to posts republished by Fox News.

“Living in Wisconsin, he probably felt threatened,” Lemanski tweeted about the SUV driver.

The tweets, which have since been deleted, were a mocking reference to the defense strategy used by Rittenhouse, who was acquitted Friday of homicide after killing two men and wounding a third during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha.

In later posts Lemanski expressed sorrow over the tragedy.

“I’m sad,” she said. “I’m sad anytime anyone dies.”

“I just believe in Karma and this came around quick on the citizens of Wisconsin.’

She also tweeted: “You reap what you sow, Wisconsin.”

Lemanski couldn’t be reached for comment.

Democratic Party of DuPage County Chair Ken Mejia-Beal said in an e-mailed statement: “The Democratic Party of DuPage County immediately severed all ties with Mary Lemanski once [it] became aware of her callous and reprehensible posts,”

Mejia-Beal went on: “She does not speak for us and we unequivocally reject her statements about the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Waukesha. We as a party denounce violence of any kind. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families impacted by this heinous act, which shocked and saddened us all.”

Screen image.
Ken Mejia-Beal participates in a Sun-Times endorsement interview last September during his unsuccessful campaign for a state House seat.

DuPage County Republican Chairman Jim Zay said in a statement: “I am shocked and outraged that a spokesperson for the DuPage County Democratic Party would make light of the tragic loss of life in Waukesha.”

In a phone interview with the Sun-Times, Mejia-Beal said Lemanski had worked part time as a head of social media for several years.

Mejia-Beal said he spoke with Lemanski Monday morning.

“There really wasn’t a lot said. … She really didn’t explain very much to me at all. There’s not really much to explain,” said Mejia-Beal, who just took over as head of DuPage County’s Democratic Party Nov. 1.

“We 100% do not agree with the words that she used and it was better for her not to be a part of this organization,” he said.

Lemanski, in a now-deleted post to the DuPage Democratic Party’s Facebook page, expressed regret for her remarks that were “not in good taste” and said she resigned.

It’s not the first time Mejia-Beal has called someone out for inappropriate language.

Last year, Mejia-Beal, who is Black and gay, called out Republican state Rep. Amy Grant, who he was trying to unseat at the time, for comments she made in a secretly recorded phone conversation.

Democrats held a news conference at the time to play portions of her comments.

In one clip, Grant said Mejia-Beal is “just another one of the Cook County people.”

“The only thing we need is another person on the Black Caucus,” Grant said in one clip.

Grant issued an apology.

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Marine Leadership Academy in Logan Square. | Google Maps.

When it comes to protecting children from abuse, there is no room for anything but complete transparency that holds adults fully accountable.

It didn’t take long to find out that Chicago Public Schools officials apparently knew far more than the public initially was told about the sexual abuse scandal at a Northwest Side high school.

Last Friday, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez announced that the district’s inspector general had substantiated sexual misconduct and cover-up allegations against 13 adults at Marine Leadership Academy. Ten of the 13 have been fired.

We can’t say this any better than Martinez: “The behavior uncovered by this investigation represents a stunning betrayal of trust and colossal failure of judgment and character on the part of far too many individuals.”

But after the latest reporting by WBEZ Chicago’s Sarah Karp and the Sun-Times’ Nader Issa, we have more questions: Who, at the top levels of CPS, knew details about the allegations soon after they first surfaced in 2019? And most importantly, what did they do about it in the following two years?

It should go without saying that parents, and the public, deserve the full story about allegations of sexual abuse of students.

Yet CPS attorneys and leaders long had knowledge of an investigation into sexual misconduct and failure to report it, despite claiming otherwise, as Karp and Issa reported.

Marine Leadership’s principal since 2015, Erin Galfer, was even promoted just months before she was among those fired for allegedly failing to report misconduct. Galfer is now fighting her firing and says it was CPS leadership, not her, who ignored abuse reports.

Meanwhile, Inspector General Will Fletcher said his office alerted CPS in April of 2019 about three allegations and listed the principal as one of those being accused of failing to report some of the situations. The IG said it consistently updated CPS about the investigation as it unfolded.

So exactly what happened between April 2019 and now?

Finding out is just the first step, followed by tougher reforms, if needed, beyond those CPS instituted in 2019 after a Chicago Tribune investigation uncovered widespread mishandling of sexual abuse cases.

Martinez, who is new to CPS and could not have known the details before being briefed in late October, has already taken aggressive steps. Staff who fail to report abuse — not just those who are perpetrators — will be removed from their jobs. He also plans to lobby Illinois lawmakers to make it illegal for school employees to have sex with students, no matter their age.

The district has added more staff to the IG’s office, and that should help speed up the pace of investigations.

When it comes to protecting children from predators, there is no room for anything but complete transparency that holds adults fully accountable.

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