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Kenwood’s JJ Taylor is a star in the makingJoe Henricksonon July 21, 2021 at 3:38 pm

When you get into that top 10 conversation, it’s just a different type of prospect.

The hype and expectations surrounding them is different. Their recruitments are different. And, most definitely, they often look and play different. Both the physical attributes and talent level scream one thing: “obvious.”

The state of Illinois had grown accustomed to players ranked among the nation’s best, players who were coveted from coast to coast, national recruits with the early upside which boasted NBA potential.

The start of this century churned out Darius Miles in 2000, Eddy Curry in 2001, Shannon Brown in 2003, Shaun Livingston in 2004, Julian Wright in 2005 and Derrick Rose in 2007 — all consensus top 10 prospects in the country.

Anthony Davis finished as the nation’s top-ranked player in 2011. Jabari Parker was a consensus top five player in 2013. Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander followed that up in 2014 as a pair of top five prospects in their class.

There have been highly-ranked players since, including a few who were consensus top 20 prospects: Tyler Ulis in 2014, Jalen Brunson in 2015 and Max Christie in 2021.

But not since the Class of 2014 has there been a bonafide top 10 player in the country from Illinois.

Kenwood’s JJ Taylor is hoping to end that drought.

The long, wiry, uber-athletic 6-7 sophomore is the highest ranked young player the state has featured since Okafor and Alexander finished ranked No. 1 and No. 4, respectively, seven summers ago.

Rivals has elevated Taylor to No. 4 in its Class of 2023 rankings. ESPN has Taylor No. 6 in the country while 247Sports has him ranked No. 8.

“The shot, the handle, the length and athleticism … with how he’s playing right now, at this age, he’s one of the best all-around talents I’ve ever coached,” said Kenwood coach Mike Irvin.

Taylor is a highlight reel waiting to happen. He can score from all over the floor but needs to polish various parts of his game, just as any star high school talent must do. But he’s an electric athlete who flies to the rim and finishes in impressive fashion while showcasing a jumper out to the three-point line. Taylor is devastating in transition.

Said one high-major assistant coach while watching Taylor play during the June live period, “He’s the type of player you don’t have to worry about bringing your head coach to see him play and wondering if he’s talented enough.”

Irvin has been around a whole lot of highly-ranked players while coaching the Mac Irvin Fire club program. He’s watched his brother Nick Irvin lead a star-studded Morgan Park program for the past decade. He recognizes Taylor’s elite ability, just as he did with so many previous big-named Chicago products. But he also sees a difference.

Irvin believes it’s more than just raw basketball ability. Taylor’s coach is going to add focus and cognitive basketball skills to the mix, along with a work ethic.

“I think what makes him a little different than those other guys is that at this age he studies the game,” said Irvin. “He’s a student of the game who really studies the details of the game. He’s always watching, and he has a work ethic. He’s always in the gym. He’s the first in the gym and the last to leave type of player.”

While Taylor was a big name as soon as he entered Morgan Park as a freshman, it took time to showcase — from a production standpoint — why he was such a hot name and top-ranked player in the class. He didn’t make an impact at the varsity level as a freshman. But he’s taken off since.

Kenwood coach Mike Irvin coaches JJ Taylor (1) during the game against Clemente.
Kenwood coach Mike Irvin coaches JJ Taylor (1) during the game against Clemente.
Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

This past winter in an abbreviated season following the Covid shutdown, Taylor regularly put up 30-plus points a game. He tapped into that world of upside talent, put up numbers and has continued to open eyes all spring and into the summer.

“The jump he made from eighth grade to his freshman year was good,” said Irvin. “But the jump he made from his freshman year to sophomore year was huge.”

Irvin actually credits the Covid shutdown for Taylor turning himself from big-time prospect to productive player as a sophomore. Simply put, with so little to do the coach believes there just wasn’t anything else for his star player to focus on during Covid.

“I think the reason for the jump he showed is that he was training non-stop,” said Irvin. “He was working out two or three times a day. There wasn’t much to do, so he worked in the gym and his training really ramped up. That time was a big benefit for him, and he took advantage of it.”

Taylor himself believes that the layoff may have been the best thing for his game. While the absence of real competition was frustrating and going up and down the court was missed, the ultra-talented player was able to refine his game in workouts, alone, in the gym.

“I took it as an opportunity to get better,” Taylor said of those months without any organized basketball being played. “I was thirsty to get in the gym, so why not make the best of it and take advantage of whatever I could? I felt like it was a blessing, actually, that I was able to get in a gym when so many couldn’t. I went to work.”

He said he worked on his whole arsenal but specifically focused on his mid-range jumper and post-up moves to further diversify his game.

Watching Taylor play, it’s easy to see growth in his game, both in his understanding and with his consistency as he matures as a player.

“The thing he has is he’s hungry,” said Irvin. “He know there is a lot more basketball to be played. He has all the tools.”

He has the tools and the early hype having already established himself as a coveted top 10 prospect. But there is another short list of Chicago and Illinois prospects over the years, one of young players who have been ranked extremely high as freshmen and sophomores and fell considerably by the time they were seniors.

So even though Taylor has the name and recognition as the top prospect in Illinois, this is still a big July for him as he is seen and evaluated in EYBL play. He knows there is a lot at stake and the expectations are high. But he says he welcomes it.

“It’s very important for me to be that player, to live up to it,” Taylor said of his top 10 national status. “It means something. There is some pressure that comes with that, and I know and expect people to come at me. But I am ready for it and want that. I have to keep working to maintain it, live up to it, to represent Chicago. I know I’m being watched.”

Top 10 players from Chicago since 2000

Since the Class of 2000 graduated over two decades ago, the state has produced 11 consensus top 10 prospects in the country. Here is a list of players with the year they graduated and their consensus national ranking at the conclusion of their high school career.

Jahlil Okafor, Young – 2014 (No. 1)

Cliff Alexander, Curie – 2014 (No. 4)

Jabari Parker, Simeon – 2013 (No. 3)

Anthony Davis, Perspectives – 2011 (No. 1)

Derrick Rose, Simeon – 2007 (No. 5)

Julian Wright, Homewood-Flossmoor – 2005 (No. 6)

Shaun Livingston, Peoria Central – 2004 (No. 2)

Shannon Brown, Proviso East – 2003 (No. 3)

Eddy Curry, Thornwood – 2001 (No. 1)

Darius Miles, East St. Louis – 2000 (No. 3)

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Kenwood’s JJ Taylor is a star in the makingJoe Henricksonon July 21, 2021 at 3:38 pm Read More »

City Council poised to approve civilian police oversightFran Spielmanon July 21, 2021 at 3:14 pm

It’s been a long time coming and a rocky road along the way. But, civilian oversight pivotal to restoring public trust between citizens and police is finally coming to Chicago.

The City Council is poised to deliver it on Wednesday, clearing the 34-vote hurdle needed to approve any ordinance involving the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. The ordinance does that by electing three-member councils in each of Chicago’s 22 police districts.

Prior to the final vote, Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara denounced the district councils and the appointed, seven-member oversight board as “useless redundancy” that would further demoralize rank-and-file police officers retiring in droves because they don’t feel the city has their back.

Catanzara noted the FOP has already agreed to a host of accountability measures sought by Mayor Lori Lightfoot as part of a tentative, eight-year contract. The mayor has repeatedly refused to acknowledge that agreement — and she won’t, sources told the Sun-Times, until after the Council vote on civilian oversight.

Noting the new contract includes a four-year, retroactive raise for rank-and-file officers, Catanzara said: “You’re patting ’em on the back while you’re stabbing `em with the other hand.”

Catanzara pointed to the multiple layers of police oversight already provided by the Police Board, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, the Chicago Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division, the federal monitor and the Il. Attorney General’s office.

“Another layer of oversight is just ridiculous. It’s only going to make coppers more pissed off because more oversight means, `You’re doing something wrong. You need to be watched because you’re not doing something right,’ ” he said.

“It’s blaming the police for what’s wrong in this city. … And we know that numbers don’t lie. Police are not the problem in this city. Criminals are the problem in this city and the politicians who defend the criminals.”

Civilian oversight was a pivotal recommendation by the Task Force on Police Accountability co-chaired by Lightfoot in the furor after the court-ordered release of the Laquan McDonald shooting video.

Lightfoot campaigned on a promise to empower a civilian oversight board to hire and fire the police superintendent and be the final arbiter in disputes over police policy and the Chicago Police Department’s budget. She promised to deliver civilian oversight within the first 100 days of her administration.

What she managed to deliver — 26 months into her four-year term — falls far short of that promise.

The final language would empower a seven-member commission to take a vote of no-confidence in the Chicago police superintendent. The commission also could take no-confidence votes for the chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and any Police Board member. Such votes would need the support of at least five of the seven members to pass.

A no-confidence vote by the commission would trigger a vote by the City Council’s Committee on Public Safety within 14 days — and then a full City Council vote at its next monthly meeting. If two-thirds of aldermen agree with the no-confidence vote, the chief administrator of COPA “shall be removed.”

However, no-confidence votes in either the CPD superintendent or Police Board members would not be binding on the mayor. Instead, the mayor “shall respond in writing within 14 days after adoption of the resolution, explaining the actions that the mayor will take in response.”

As for police policy, the commission would be empowered to “initiate a policy either by drafting a policy itself or making a written request” to the Chicago Police Department, COPA or the Police Board.

CPD, COPA or the Police Board would then have 14 days to “accept or decline. If the answer is no, there must be an explanation in writing. If recommendation is accepted, the policy must be drafted within 60 days.

“If the Department, COPA or the Police Board does not respond, declines the request or accepts the request, but fails to draft a policy within sixty calendar days or any extension thereto, the commission may take its request to the mayor, who shall review the parties’ positions and either direct the superintendent, chief administrator or police board president to take appropriate action or explain why in writing the mayor has concluded that no action is warranted,” the ordinance states.

A referendum giving the seven-member commission even more power was stripped out of the compromise ordinance because it would never have attracted the 34 votes needed for passage.

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) introduced a separate referendum ordinance. But it also is unlikely to clear the two-thirds hurdle.

Lightfoot has been under heavy political pressure to deliver civilian oversight, particularly after changing her tune on an elected school board bill approved by the Illinois General Assembly over her strenuous objections.

She can now scratch that off her progressive agenda to-do list, even though the final version doesn’t go nearly as far as she promised. Aldermen have been under similar pressure to do something dramatically different to stop the bloodbath on Chicago streets. They now can claim they have, before the Council’s traditional summer recess.

The complex process established by the ordinance calls for the immediate seating of an interim, seven-member commission. The mayor would chosen from 14 people nominated by the Council’s Rules Committee. The North, South and West Sides of the city would each get four nominees.

The first full slate of permanent commissioners will be seated in 2023. District council members would serve on a nominating commission that would recommend people to serve as permanent commissioners. The mayor would then pick the commissioners from that list.

Three of the seven board members would serve two-year terms. The rest would serve four-years. The North, South and West Sides of the city would each get two seats.

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City Council poised to approve civilian police oversightFran Spielmanon July 21, 2021 at 3:14 pm Read More »

Sue Bird and Eddy Alvarez will carry U.S. flag at Tokyo Olympics opening ceremonyDoug Feinberg | Associated Presson July 21, 2021 at 3:02 pm

Four-time Olympic women’s basketball gold medalist Sue Bird and baseball player Eddy Alvarez were chosen as U.S. flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday night.

Alvarez, who won a silver medal in speedskating at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and Bird were chosen by a vote of fellow U.S. athletes. They are the first duo to share the honor of leading the delegation into the ceremony.

Bird is the second U.S. women’s basketball player to carry the flag, joining current coach Dawn Staley, who did it at the 2004 games. Those were the first that Bird participated in.

“It’s an incredible honor to be selected the flag bearer for Team USA,” Bird said. “I know what that means, because I got to witness Dawn Staley go through it when she was selected in 2004. It’s an honor that is bigger than the moment in that you’ve been selected by your fellow Team USA athletes to represent the entire delegation, and it will last forever.”

Bird will be trying to win an unprecedented fifth gold medal with teammate Diana Taurasi, which would give them the most in golds in women’s basketball history.

Alvarez becomes the first baseball player to carry the flag for the U.S. The sport returned to the Games at the request of Japan after being absent from the previous two Olympics.

He made his major league debut last year with the Miami Marlins, but has been in the minors this year. If the U.S. baseball team were to medal, he’d be the only the third American to medal in both the Winter and Summer Games, joining Eddie Egan (boxing and bobsled) and Lauryn Williams (track and field and bobsled).

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Sue Bird and Eddy Alvarez will carry U.S. flag at Tokyo Olympics opening ceremonyDoug Feinberg | Associated Presson July 21, 2021 at 3:02 pm Read More »

Dr. Fauci Reads the Riot Act to Senator Paulon July 21, 2021 at 3:49 pm

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Dr. Fauci Reads the Riot Act to Senator Paulon July 21, 2021 at 3:49 pm Read More »

Daily Cubs Minors Recap: Schwindel homers in Iowa debut as I-Cubs put up 15 runs; Wick dominates again; Another homer for Aliendoon July 21, 2021 at 3:46 pm

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Daily Cubs Minors Recap: Schwindel homers in Iowa debut as I-Cubs put up 15 runs; Wick dominates again; Another homer for Aliendo

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Daily Cubs Minors Recap: Schwindel homers in Iowa debut as I-Cubs put up 15 runs; Wick dominates again; Another homer for Aliendoon July 21, 2021 at 3:46 pm Read More »

Here’s a lucid look at what drives Trump supporters.on July 21, 2021 at 3:08 pm

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Here’s a lucid look at what drives Trump supporters.

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Why white journalists need to stop focusing on “learning loss”on July 21, 2021 at 3:52 pm

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Why white journalists need to stop focusing on “learning loss”on July 21, 2021 at 3:52 pm Read More »

A brighter shade of optimism gilds Modest Mouse’s The Golden CasketLeor Galilon July 21, 2021 at 1:00 pm

Modest Mouse front man Isaac Brock can perform a breezy, carefree song in a way that suggests you should be concerned for his well-being. And his recent public comments haven’t exactly quieted those worries; in interviews for the band’s new seventh album, The Golden Casket (Epic/Sony), Brock has dabbled in worrisome tinfoil-hat theories (he made references to gang stalking, voice-to-skull technology, silent-war conspiracies, and UFOs in his conversation with Uproxx). I don’t want to psychoanalyze Brock based on edited Q&As, though, because it’s a wonder that Modest Mouse’s new music–made during the dreadfulness of the pandemic–sounds more cheerful than their usual strained optimism. Brock and company gussy up their alternately clamorous and soothing indie rock with electronic flourishes, accentuating its familiar charms with digital blips and curlicues. Modest Mouse’s hard-earned triumphalism gilds the brightest passages on The Golden Casket–the gusty, almost symphonic chorus of “The Sun Hasn’t Left” shines with irrepressible joy. Those moments make it easier to get past the album’s odder bits, such as Brock’s line about “hashtagging, photo bragging” on “Wooden Soldiers”–its awkwardness bothers me like a popcorn kernel stuck between my molars. v

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A brighter shade of optimism gilds Modest Mouse’s The Golden CasketLeor Galilon July 21, 2021 at 1:00 pm Read More »

Brisbane selected as host of the 2032 Summer OlympicsGraham Dunbar | APon July 21, 2021 at 2:47 pm

TOKYO — Brisbane was picked Wednesday to host the 2032 Olympics, the inevitable winner of a one-city race steered by the IOC to avoid rival bids.

The Games will go back to Australia 32 years after the popular 2000 Sydney Olympics. Melbourne hosted in 1956.

“We know what it takes to deliver a successful Games in Australia,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told International Olympic Committee members in an 11-minute live video link from his office.

When the award was later confirmed, with Brisbane winning the vote 72-5, Morrison raised both arms in the air and gave two thumbs up.

The victory led to a fireworks display in Brisbane that was broadcast to IOC members in their five-star hotel in Tokyo.

Brisbane follows 2028 host Los Angeles in getting 11 years to prepare for hosting the Games. Paris will host in 2024.

The 2032 deal looked done months before the formal decision at the IOC meeting, which was held ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games.

The IOC gave Brisbane exclusive negotiating rights in February. That decision left Olympic officials in Qatar, Hungary and Germany looking blindsided with their own stalled bidding plans.

Though the result was expected, a high-level Australian delegation went to Tokyo amid the COVID-19 pandemic to present speeches, films and promises on stage.

The city of Brisbane sent Mayor Adrian Schrinner, the state of Queensland sent Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Australia’s federal government sent sports minister Richard Colbeck to woo Olympic voters.

They were joined by long-time Australian Olympic official John Coates, now an IOC vice president who shaped the fast-track selection process two years ago that now rewarded his Brisbane bid.

The first-time format was designed to cut campaign costs, give the IOC more control in dealing discreetly with preferred candidates and removed the risk of vote-buying.

The project was described by the IOC as “a passion-driven, athlete-centric offer from a sports-loving nation.” Events will be staged across Queensland, including in Gold Coast, which hosted the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Brisbane’s renowned cricket stadium, known as the Gabba, will be upgraded and may host the sport at the Games. Cricket was played once at the Olympics, at the 1900 Paris Games.

The next three Summer Games hosts — starting with Paris in 2024 — are now secured in wealthy and traditional Olympic nations without any of the trio facing a contested vote.

The IOC and its hands-on president, Thomas Bach, have torn up the template of traditional bidding campaigns and hosting votes to lock down preferred cities with the minimum risk.

Paris and LA were competing for 2024 until Bach and Coates oversaw including the 2028 rights in an unprecedented double award four years ago.

The future hosts offer stability for the IOC which was stung by the two previous Summer Games contests being tainted by allegations of vote-buying when multiple cities were on the ballot.

The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics are still under investigation by French prosecutors. They have implicated officials who then lost their place in the IOC family as active or honorary members.

A low-risk future beckons for the IOC following the often-troubled Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Games in February, which will throw scrutiny on China’s human rights record.

Key partners have also been secured through 2032. The IOC’s signature broadcasting deal with NBC and top-tier sponsors Coca-Cola, Visa and Omega are tied down for the decade ahead.

With only major cities staging the Summer Games from Beijing in 2008 through Los Angeles, Brisbane positioned itself as a new kind of project.

“We want to show the world that mid-sized cities and regions can host the Games without financial distress or missed deadlines,” Palaszczuk told voters.

Brisbane said it already has 84% of stadiums and event venues in place to fit the IOC’s modern demand of avoiding excessive spending and potential white-elephant projects.

A new swimming arena is planned and billions of dollars will be spent on transport projects — not because of the Olympics but in time for them, Brisbane officials said.

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Brisbane selected as host of the 2032 Summer OlympicsGraham Dunbar | APon July 21, 2021 at 2:47 pm Read More »

Sweden ends U.S. women’s soccer team’s unbeaten streakAnne M. Peterson | APon July 21, 2021 at 2:34 pm

TOKYO — Sweden didn’t have to bunker down on defense against the Americans this time.

Stina Blackstenius scored a pair of goals and the Swedes stunned the United States at the Olympics with a 3-0 victory Wednesday in the women’s soccer tournament.

The Americans, ranked No. 1 in the world and the favorites to win gold in Tokyo, were riding a 44-match unbeaten streak heading into the match. But Sweden, ranked No. 5, has been the U.S. team’s nemesis of sorts in recent years. The Swedes bounced the Americans from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games in the quarterfinals, the earliest U.S. Olympic exit ever, by making a defensive stand.

This April, Sweden played the United States to a 1-1 draw in Stockholm, which snapped a winning streak dating back to January 2019 when the Americans lost to France in the run-up to the World Cup. It was the U.S. team’s only draw this year.

“Did we expect this result tonight? No,” said U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe, who did not start but came on as a substitute in the 64th minute with the score 2-0. “It’s frustrating, and it’s frustrating that it’s Sweden. They found a lot of space on us. I don’t even know how many goals we have given up this whole year. I don’t remember the last time we gave up a goal. So to give up three is not great.”

Sweden’s offense deserved all the credit. Blackstenius’ header into the far corner off a cross from Sofia Jakobsson in the 26th minute gave the team a first-half lead.

The United States, which came out stale, had its best chance of the opening half in the final moments when Rose Lavelle’s shot hit the post. Coach Vlatko Andonovski made changes for the second half, subbing in Carli Lloyd for Alex Morgan and Julie Ertz for Sam Mewis.

But Blackstenius scored again in the 54th minute, beating goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, as the Americans continued to struggle. Lina Hurtig added the final goal in the 72nd.

Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl acknowledged the win over the favorites was encouraging, but it’s still just the beginning of the tournament. Ahead are group games against Australia and New Zealand.

“I know for a fact that you can go very far in a tournament even if you lose to the USA or whoever you play in the first game,” Lindahl said. “So in the end I don’t know how much it means, but for sure we showed the world and ourselves that we can play well against a team like the U.S. or any team.”

The loss was the first for the United States under Andonovski, who took over when former coach Jill Ellis stepped down following the team’s World Cup victory in France. Late in the match, Andonovski sat expressionless on the bench.

The Swedes were without Magda Eriksson because of injury. The team said she has been training, but because of the compact schedule of the tournament she was held out of the opener.

Tokyo is Sweden’s seventh Olympics. After getting eliminated by Sweden on penalties in the quarterfinals five years ago, U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo famously called the Swedes cowards for their defensive tactics.

Sweden went on to win the silver medal, losing to Germany 2-1 in the final.

The United States has been to all seven Olympics that have included women’s soccer, too, winning four Olympic gold medals, more than any other nation. The team is vying to become the first to win Olympic gold following a World Cup title.

In 2008, the United States also lost its first match, 2-0 to Norway, but went on to win the gold medal.

“I think ultimately as an athlete you go through ups and downs, and this is a hard result but it’s the nature of a tough tournament,” U.S. forward Christen Press said. “It wasn’t going to be easy. We weren’t going to breeze through six games no matter what. So here we are.”

It was just the sixth time that the United States had lost by three or more goals.

Sweden now leads Group G heading into Saturday’s game against Australia in Saitama, while the United States faces New Zealand at the same stadium. The top two teams in the group advance to the knockout round.

“It is what it is,” Rapinoe said. “We got bopped, and we have two more games coming quick and fast. And now we know exactly what we need to do. We need to win these games and eventually get out of the group and go from there.”

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Sweden ends U.S. women’s soccer team’s unbeaten streakAnne M. Peterson | APon July 21, 2021 at 2:34 pm Read More »