The Amused Curmudgeon

Bobby Durkin just keeps betting on himself. And winning.

The recruitment of Durkin and the road to playing Division I basketball has been far from normal or smooth.

But the former Glenbard West star persevered. He bet on himself throughout the past year and the ride is going to end with fulfilling his dream of playing Division I basketball. Just don’t ask him where yet.

Durkin, one of the breakout seniors this past year while helping Glenbard West to a state championship, is suddenly the hottest name in Illinois recruiting.

As an uncommitted graduated senior, Durkin has continued to play on the club basketball circuit this summer. While playing with his Breakaway club team, he’s received double-digit offers in the past week alone — from all levels — and more are on the way.

There are low-major programs that have offered scholarships and are quickly losing hope. There are mid-majors keeping their fingers crossed. And there are even a smattering of high-major programs that have offered or have shown interest. Incredibly, the list grew by the hour over the past weekend.

Georgia Tech, Drake, Illinois State, Rice, Wyoming, Vermont, Loyola-Maryland, SIUE, Towson, and Eastern Michigan have extended offers. The list of schools that have been in contact and are continuing to monitor him for the rest of the month is even longer.

“I can say that I hoped it would all go this way,” Durkin said. “But I can’t imagine that I thought it would work out the way it did. Everything, from the season, to the state title to how it’s worked out recruiting wise, it’s been a tremendous experience.”

He knows there were some risks he took in his decision-making, and he’s appreciative of how it’s all played out.

“Everything that has happened in the past year, when you first make these decisions you hope for the best, but you never really know how it’s going to turn out,” Durkin said. “Things have worked out well for me. But anything could have happened, so there are times now where I think about it all and realize how fortunate I am. I feel very thankful and grateful everything has turned out the way it has.”

Initially, Durkin was barely a blip on the Division I radar. He played last summer with Glenbard West following his transfer from Hinsdale South and then competed with Breakaway. With very little overall interest, Durkin committed to Army in September.

After more thought and some reservations, Durkin opened things back up again in December. He believed he would attract more suitors, even if it extended into the spring club basketball season.

Following a season where he shined on a big platform — the Hilltoppers went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the state while being the talk of the sport — Durkin impressed in April during the NCAA live evaluation period. He again played with Breakaway and looked the part of a Division I player, continuing his shooting prowess while showing an even more versatile game.

The offers and interest picked up.

“After that first live period in April, I started hearing from a decent amount of schools,” Durkin said. “That’s when I knew I would probably have some options and was confident I would find the right place.”

But after receiving a few mid-major offers, Durkin wasn’t able to pull the trigger. The fit simply wasn’t there for him. He says he “wasn’t excited about going to any of the places that offered.” It was going to take a little more time.

Durkin decided to go a different route. He wanted to attract not only new and more options, but he wanted to find the right one. He believed a post-grad year at IMG Academy in Florida would provide that for him.

“Really everything coach [Jimmy] Carr at IMG explained and showed, the connection I had with him and how my game would improve, was a great sell to me,” Durkin said. “IMG is phenomenal. From a strength and conditioning perspective, to the coaching, to the competition level … It all went into the decision to go to IMG.”

However, another big decision could be on the horizon for Durkin.

With offers and interest flying in at a dizzying pace, Durkin may have the option of signing and heading off to college this fall after all. Some programs will take Durkin today as a Class of 2022 recruit, while others have offered him as a Class of 2023 recruit. Some will take him any way they can get him — as a Class of 2022 or Class of 2023 recruit.

Durkin doesn’t have a leader at this point; so many of these schools and the coaching staffs that are recruiting him are unfamiliar to him at this point. There will be a feeling-out process and a lot of homework done by Durkin in the coming weeks.

“My plan is to play out July,” said Durkin, whose Breakaway team will play in the Under Armour circuit in Chicago later this month in front of college coaches. “I will sit down with my family, look at all the options and potential fits and go from there. If the right fit is there and everything seems right with the Class of 2022, then that’s something I would take and look at seriously. And with that, obviously coach Carr would be involved because I made a commitment to him and IMG. He wants the best for me. So that’s where I’m at with everything.”

Durkin’s progression as a player has been immense. He has grown physically and as a player. He put the work in. In addition to sprouting to a legit 6-6 by the time his senior year began — and now pushing close to 6-7 — he also tightened up and toned his body while improving his conditioning over the past year. He made that a point of emphasis.

“I knew last year as a junior that was a weakness in my game,” Durkin said of his physical limitations at the time. “I spent a lot of time and put work in with a speed and agility trainer, with lifting and really just reshaping my body. That became a focus of mine, probably right after the AAU season last year.”

Glenbard West coach Jason Opoka saw Durkin evolve physically over the course of the year. Opoka could tell, early on, that Durkin had not spent a lot of time in the weight room.

But Opoka also instantly knew, just with how competitive Durkin is in everything he did, that once he was around the senior group of Hilltoppers that he would thrive and compete in the weight room with them.

“I think it’s impressive how he committed himself to getting bigger, faster and stronger,” Opoka said. “To become the player he is today is a credit to his dedication and drive.”

Gauging the confidence level of a player isn’t usually tangible. But the off-the-charts confidence level Durkin is playing with this summer is as tangible as it gets. Every shot he takes you expect to go in.

“Having the experience of playing at this level before definitely helps,” Durkin said of repeating his run in AAU. “But over June, especially, I put in a lot of work. Really, I was kind of just by myself, putting work in on the court, in the weight room. Every day. That has helped me translate a level of confidence to the point where I feel I can compete against every player and team we go up against.”

While Durkin is a high-level shooter who is aided by an outstanding touch and an easy shooting stroke, he’s also a crafty player with a high basketball I.Q. The skill level is also present with his ability to handle the ball and pass.

“He is so versatile and skilled and can play so many different spots on the floor,” Opoka pointed out. “He can play on the wing, facilitate an offense and play the stretch 4. He’s a gym rat with a high I.Q. and intelligence.”

But his lights-out shooting over the past week is what finally drove Division I coaches to not just want Durkin but to need him.

Shooting is at an absolute premium in basketball today. Durkin has shown to be about as good as it gets. He has a polished mid-range game and is effective with pull-ups. He hits shots from deep and coming off screens. The squaring of his shoulders, the textbook form, and the improved ability to quicken his release against closeouts resonates with college coaches.

And after this past weekend, a whole lot of them.

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The Blackhawks have made good on their word to keep popular former interim coach Derek King in the organization.

King was named Monday an assistant coach on new head coach Luke Richardson’s staff, a fascinating placement that should nonetheless work smoothly because of King’s complete lack of ego.

Former Bruins assistant Kevin Dean was also hired an assistant, while goalie coach Jimmy Waite and video coach Matt Meacham will officially remain in their existing roles under Richardson.

“Derek has made an impact here on this organization and I’m thrilled to have someone like him on our staff,” Richardson said in a statement. “Kevin’s mind for the game and defensive focus will be an asset for us. It’s great to have the cornerstone of this coaching group finalized and we will continue to add a few pieces.”

King, 55, went 27-33-10 as interim coach last season in a fairly impossible situation, stabilizing a sinking ship and restoring locker-room morale as best he could. General manager Kyle Davidson said last month he’d work with King to find a new role for him –“Derek’s someone we really appreciate and we really value,” Davidson said –and indeed he did.

Dean, 53, played 331 games as a journeyman NHL defenseman in the late 1990s, then rose through the coaching ranks with the Devils’ and Bruins’ AHL affiliates before spending the last five years as an assistant on Bruce Cassidy’s staff with the Bruins.

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Breaking down the narrative of the Blackhawks NHL draft picks at an early stage.

The Chicago Blackhawks have some new faces that have fans excited. After a wild 2022 NHL Draft selection class, and from what has transpired it looks like Chicago were winners by adding much needed speed with skill to an ailing lineup, given the need was to build for the future.

The shift takes forth towards the farm-team and how they will develop the players mentally and physically, with one to say a few who will be suiting up this upcoming season for the Blackhawks, after evaluating the players in the pre-season time frame.

For one, it is time to believe that there is promise and to believe that this will shape up the future of Blackhawks history once again, due to the reason the dynasty that had started in 2010 had taken its time to develop. But with today’s game and good old hockey, the team may develop faster, depending on the developmental team associated with the organization.

Why general manager made these particular moves was because of the need to build now for the purpose of dumping two hefty contracts and making room for the cap space for next year, and providing the team with enough room to make more bold acquisitions to fit the teams needs as well.

The big question is how far along would the new draft picks take them at an early stage?

Given that the defense is the strongest feat of the team at this time, it was wise to go with two defensemen and build on a stable selection that gives the team that much added depth to help with managing the team’s focus on on offense.

Breaking the limit on the defense system in the NHL for Chicago.

Not only does it help with veterans like Seth Jones, who will look to lead the rookies, but also pieces such as Jake McCabe and Eric Gustafsson.

The upside of the forwards and wingers from this past draft is that most of them will play in the farm leagues for at least one more year before being recalled, but the main ideal concern is how far will these youngsters take this team during the season and hopefully come playoffs.

On a positive note however, come this free agency it is evident general manager Kyle Davidson will not be holding back and the offer to moves will be making there way out there.

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Lance Briggs had this to say about the Bears leaving Soldier Field

By the day it is more clear the Chicago Bears will not stay at Soldier Field. Even as the city attempts to offer what it can to keep the Bears, the team doesn’t seem interested. One former Bears player thinks the relationship between the Bears and the city is beyond repair.

Last week, reports came out that Chicago was beefing up their proposal with a dome and other goodies. One of the city’s mock-ups also caused an uproar, as it showed a distasteful play by the Bears. The Bears released a statement a few days ago that the team was not pursuing other deals including renovations to Soldier Field while under contract with the seller of the property in Arlington Heights.

Former Bears linebacker Lance Briggs spoke on “Unfiltered with David Kaplan” recently. The All-Pro athlete answered whether he thought Chicago could persuade the Bears to stay. Here are Briggs quotes per staff at NBC Sports:

Too little, too late,” Briggs said. “There was plenty of time to get this stuff done and now that the wheels are falling off, it’s like, ‘Alright, we’re getting desperate now, it’s really happening. What can we do to keep you?’

“No, you’re supposed to do that beforehand. You’re supposed to take care of business. Take care of the team and make sure that they’re in their foundation for years to come. And that didn’t happen so too little, too late.”

Lance Briggs nailed the dismount

The city of Chicago has had decades to prepare for this to come. Soldier Field wasn’t really updated correctly the last time it was renovated. Most citizens I’ve talked to think the stadium teeters on embarrassment. The stadium looks more like a giant spaceship, a sort of prop for the next Star Trek franchise than an NFL one.

Where has the city’s leadership been in the meantime? It appears as if most of these proposals are coming ad hoc after the Bears were spotted doing a walkthrough with the moving crew. And it sounds, if Lance Briggs is correct in saying it, that city hasn’t taken care of the Bears for a while. The ramifications of taking the Bears for granted are going to sting for years to come.

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According to a report, there’s a lack of leadership in the White Sox clubhouse

It is not the season many fans on the South side have been hoping for. The Chicago White Sox find themselves stuck in third place in mid-July playing below .500 baseball. To put it bluntly the White Sox are a disappointment.

Following a four-game series with the Detroit Tigers that they split, the White Sox are 41-43 and  five games back in the division. That record includes a poor 19-25 record at home. So what exactly is going wrong?

Well MLB writer Bob Nightengale is reporting that he’s hearing whispers that there is unrest and a leadership problem in the clubhouse:

“No one has been more disappointing than the Chicago White Sox, who must take a good hard look at what went wrong if they miss the playoffs. There have been a lot of whispers of unrest, cliques and the lack of player leadership inside the clubhouse tearing this talented team apart,” said the senior baseball writer.

And Nightengale is certainly right, the energy in the locker room has seemed to absolutely disappear.

Twitter user EloyGarcia84 shared a video showing the locker rooms reactions to Tim Anderson being announced as an all-star during 2021 and 2022.

2021 All Star announcement when Tim Anderson was a reserve (didn’t play) vs 2022 All Star announcement when he is announced as a starter. If you watched the whole announcement, you can tell that locker room is dead. #ChangeTheGame pic.twitter.com/Nnj0SGmhBr

— Eloy (@EloyGarcia84) July 9, 2022

The reaction is truly night and day. It seems as if the locker room is dead. It is not entirely clear what caused this but a leading theory circle back to manager Tony La Russa. La Russa has been a hard sell since day one. Hiring a 77-year-old who hadn’t coached in 10 years didn’t make much sense. Considering the promise of this squad a younger manager may have worked better. Most of those doubts were silenced following a strong 2021 campaign. It seems the relationship between players and coach may have soured.

Are the White Sox Struggling because of Tony La Russa?

La Russa still faces troubles stemming from his 2020 Dui arrest in Phoenix and doesn’t seem to be relating well to the players. La Russa has been slow to pull the trigger on pulling pitchers during poor performances and has been subject to “fire La Russa” chants at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Injuries are certainly partly to blame for a poor season but a fractured locker room potentially from La Russa’s doing is not helping. La Russa continues to make poor decisions on the field, leading to costly mistakes. Those mistakes add up when you are playing below .500 ball in July. The AL Central should be a very easily winnable division for the White Sox based off of talent alone but if the team isn’t playing as a team, that’s where the losses pile up.

La Russa’s lax leadership style and a locker room without a clear leader may be what is going wrong for the White Sox. A few players have come to La Russa’s defense but based off of the video and Nightengale’s reporting it seems like the rest won’t be. Missing the playoffs would be a massive disappointment and it may come down on La Russa in the offseason. If this team hopes to salvage anything from 2022 they will have to start playing like a team immediately.

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Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerner is proving he should be a main piece for the future

The Chicago Cubs are heading for another year of being sellers at the deadline. This is something that Cubs fans do not like to hear on their end. Even though this has not been a great year for the Cubs there has been some positives up this point in the season.

Some of those positive moments are Seiya Suzuki making his debut, the arrival of Christopher Morel, glimpses of Keegan Thompson and Justin Steele on the mound, among other moments as well. Another positive that cannot go unnoticed is the success of Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerner this season.

The former 2018 first round pick by the Cubs in Hoerner is having a fantastic year at the plate and in the field.

With the trade deadline fast approaching names like all star catcher Willson Contreras, outfielder Ian Happ, among others in the bullpen who possibly are on their way out the door in the next few weeks.

One player who will not be going anywhere anytime soon is Hoerner. The talented shortstop is under club control through 2025.

The Cubs won four straight series before the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Three out of the four teams in the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, and the Milwaukee Brewers find themselves right in the thick of things for playing well into October.

Hoerner takes a lot of pride in both offense and defense for Cubs

Hoerner had a lot to do with winning those series against teams toward the top of the standings. He comes into play Sunday against the Dodgers hitting .307, an OBP of .342, slugging .430 and an OPS of .757.

It has not only been at the plate where Hoerner has flourished. Hoerner is flashing the leather In the field. Coming into the Dodgers series he has only committed 6 errors in the field, plus a DWAR of 1.3.

In a recent interview with NBC Sports Chicago, Hoerner went on to discuss how much he works on his craft in everything he does in baseball. His quote below from that interview really has shown this season.

“Playing the complete game is something I take a lot of pride in” Hoerner said. “My favorite players growing up always did it.”

Hoerner has had a successful season so far in 2022 because he has been able to stay on the field. Hoerner has played in 71 games this year which is a career high in his short big league career. Hopefully the major injuries are in the past for him and he can continue to stay healthy and remain on the field.

Will Hoerner be Cubs future shortstop?

Where will Hoerner play in the future? That will be seen moving forward as their have been rumors flying that the Cubs will make a play for one of the top free agent shortstops in the upcoming free agent class.

We have seen Hoerner play well at other positions besides shortstops at the major league level for the Cubs. He has played well at second, thurd, and even has some reps under his belt in the outfield. Hoerner was a finalist for the Gold Glove award at second base during the 2020 season. Versatility is very underrated and something that makes Hoerner that much more valuable for the Cubs future plans.

The Cubs are still a year or two from getting back to competing like they were from the 2015 season through the 2020. There is no reason why an organization like the Cubs should be rebuilding twice in the last ten years. One guy that definitely should be here once the Cubs are again in the postseason is Hoerner. Cubs fans are hoping that he is one of the main guys who help bring a championship back to the north side of Chicago.

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