Videos

The winningest high school basketball programs of the decade: No. 28 St. Viatoron January 6, 2021 at 4:07 pm

When high school basketball fans think back to the 1980s, programs like Quincy, Providence St. Mel, East St. Louis Lincoln and the arrival of city powers King and Simeon are easy to think back on.

The 1990s brought us memorable basketball giants in Peoria Manual and Thornton, a few steamrolling Proviso East teams and the continued dominance of King.

The first 10 years of the 2000s included Glenbrook North, Peoria High and the beginning of a Simeon juggernaut.

Now, with the calendar inching closer to wrapping up an unforgettable 2020, the end of this month closes out another decade. And it’s another high school basketball time period to look back on.

Earlier this year we broke down the decade’s best teams and best players. Now, with every season of the past decade complete, it’s time to look at the Chicago area programs who won the most.

This list is comprised of the 50 winningest programs over the past 10 years, starting with the 2010-11 season and concluding with the 2019-20 season. Every team in every class throughout the Chicago area will be broken down in a variety of ways. But total wins, with winning percentage used as tie-breaker, determined the rankings.

We present No. 28 St. Viator today and will add one program a day going forward.

28. ST. VIATOR: 206-90

Decade’s biggest storyline: The biggest storyline of the decade was the level of success St. Viator achieved over the past 10 seasons. Overall, the basketball program took a significant step forward under coach Mike Howland and Quin Hayes in terms of success and the talent pool expanding.

The decade was by far the most successful run in program history with seven regional championships and six 20-win seasons. By comparison, St. Viator had just three regional titles and three 20-win seasons in program history prior to the start of the decade.

Underrated highlight: There was a ton of winning throughout the decade but the Cinderella run from an under-.500 team in 2016-17 stands out as an underrated highlight.

St. Viator entered postseason play with just an 11-16 record but won regional and sectional championships. The sectional title was just the second in school history. The dramatic 76-74 sectional title game victory over North Chicago came in overtime and included 28 lead changes. St. Viator lost to Fenwick in the super-sectional.

Player of the Decade: Ore Arogundade (2014)

St. Viator's Ore Arogundade fires a difficult three at the buzzer for a chance to defeat Loyola.
St. Viator’s Ore Arogundade fires a difficult three at the buzzer for a chance to defeat Loyola.
Sun-Times file photo

All-Decade Team: Kevin Walsh (2012), Ore Arogundade (2014), Jeremiah Hernandez (2019), Treyvon Calvin (2019) and Connor Kochera (2020)

Other decade highlights:

-Ore Arogundade certainly left his mark on St. Viator basketball. The 6-2 guard went on to play at Drake after leaving as the school’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

-There have been four conference titles in the history of the program and two came this past decade with unbeaten East Suburban Catholic Conference championships in 2011-12 and 2017-18.

-The 2018-19 team advanced to a sectional championship game, where it fell to DePaul Prep, en route to winning a school record 26 games.

-The past season 22-win St. Viator was still playing when the pandemic ended it all. The Lions won a 53-52 overtime thriller over conference rival St. Patrick in the sectional semifinal and was set to play top-seed Notre Dame in the sectional championship game.

-St. Viator produced 10 different college basketball players throughout the decade, including five Division I players.

-Mike Howland, a St. Viator grad who coached the Lions for three seasons and won three regional titles while compiling a 69-19 record, left for college coaching in 2014. He spent a year at Missouri State, four seasons at Winthrop and is now in his second season as an assistant coach at William & Mary.

-Quin Hayes, who led St. Viator to a 123-58 record in his six seasons, left this past year to take over the Glenbrook North basketball program.

-Michael O’Keefe, a 2007 St. Viator graduate who was the head coach at Wheeling the past five years, takes over the St. Viator program heading into the new decade.

Read More

The winningest high school basketball programs of the decade: No. 28 St. Viatoron January 6, 2021 at 4:07 pm Read More »

Playboy cancels its Playmate of the Month feature! Say what?on January 6, 2021 at 4:02 pm

Candid Candace

Playboy cancels its Playmate of the Month feature! Say what?

Read More

Playboy cancels its Playmate of the Month feature! Say what?on January 6, 2021 at 4:02 pm Read More »

Let’s have a rational discussion about vote reformon January 6, 2021 at 4:46 pm

The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor

Let’s have a rational discussion about vote reform

Read More

Let’s have a rational discussion about vote reformon January 6, 2021 at 4:46 pm Read More »

Between Water and Skyon January 6, 2021 at 3:09 pm

For my money, the view west from the DuSable Bridge at Michigan and Wacker has always been one of the most exciting in Chicago. A century’s worth of tall buildings spring from the banks of the Chicago River along Wacker: the LondonHouse Chicago, with its curved limestone façade; the new towers at Wolf Point; and, in between, a murderers’ row of fine high-rises, including the midcentury icon Marina City. By comparison, the view to the east has always struck me — with the exception of Harry Weese’s silvery, blade-like Swissôtel Chicago — as architecturally meager.

But not anymore.

With major construction now all but complete, Jeanne Gang’s 101-story St. Regis Chicago, at 363 East Wacker Drive, has fundamentally shifted our vaunted skyline’s center of gravity. The undulating profile of the trio of towers — the westernmost one attaining 1,191 feet, making the St. Regis the city’s third-tallest building (and the country’s 10th tallest) — takes on the tones of sky and water in a bewitching play of light and color. Gaze at the building a bit longer, and you’ll notice something else: The central tower is suspended, creating a passage underneath that connects a formerly enclosed park to the river — thus cracking open a whole new way for people to move around this oft-overlooked corner of downtown.

The birthing pains of the hotel-residential complex, formerly called Vista Tower, have been well publicized. The Chinese-owned consortium Wanda Hotel Development Company pulled out last year, spurring the buyers of a handful of the multimillion-dollar condos to try to follow suit. Chicago’s Magellan Development Group bought Wanda’s stake, and this fall it brought in hotelier St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, prompting a name change and, it’s hoped, restoring the development’s momentum.

None of that detracts from the building’s architectural and engineering marvels. The photographs here capture the subtle geometries and innovative techniques Gang deployed in her design. As the 56-year-old architect, whom I’ve known for nearly two decades, described her creation to me, I could sense she was having fun — exuding the same energy I felt looking east from the DuSable Bridge and realizing our skyline will never be the same.

PYRAMIDS …

The fundamental building block of Gang’s design is a geometric form called a frustum, which is a pyramid with its top shaved off. You can see it rendered as a visual motif in the window mullions (above) and, more prominently, in the building’s overall form (top of page). “They get stacked on top of each other to make a tower,” says the architect.

… AND A CUBE

The building’s height may command attention, but one of its most arresting elements is close to the street: a three-story ground-level space that will house a ballroom. (The previous photo was taken from inside it.) “It got nicknamed the Cube,” says Gang. “It’s like in the old hotels, where you would have a very special big room. The idea was to reward someone who comes up closer to the building, and to make it stick out to give great views down the river corridor.”

PROTECTED VIEWS

The St. Regis boasts the highest residential balconies in Chicago — topping out at the 91st floor. This one, which offers unobstructed views north and west, belongs to a duplex, occupying the 71st and 72nd floors, that sold in 2018 for an undisclosed sum (asking price: $18.5 million). From the ground, you can barely tell there are balconies at all. “They’re like ‘innie’ balconies instead of ones that are projecting out,” says Gang. “That was a response to the wind.” (The recessed balconies can be seen running up the length of the tower in the photo at top of page.)

GEOMETRIC RHYTHMS

This view skyward from the ground reveals that the frustums, or truncated pyramids, forming the towers do not line up with each other. “That gives it this dynamic, rhythmic appearance,” Gang says. “But it’s also good for the inside, because you have the benefits of the multiple exposures for the apartments.”

A DRAMATIC PORTAL

This is the view that pedestrians will have if they look straight up before entering the south portal of the passageway under the central tower. The white-paneled curved surface in the foreground swoops upward from the tunnel entrance, reaching the railing of an overlook at the Upper Wacker level.

A SLEEK PASSAGEWAY

The interior of the underpass is clad in polished metal panels and illuminated by recessed lighting, creating an inviting space that encourages pedestrians to flow freely from north to south and vice versa underneath the central tower. “The concept of it is, this will be a nice public connection between Lakeshore East Park and the Riverwalk,” says Gang.

CONTROLLING THE LIGHT

The view up Lake Shore Drive from the south highlights the distinctive reflectivity of the building’s exterior, which is surfaced in six different gradients of custom-coated glass, each designed to keep solar exposure consistent across the building’s undulating facade. As Gang explains it, “When you have the bigger floor plates that are in the center of one of these frustums, you don’t need as much coating on the glass. And then more tint is used as you go toward the narrower part.”

A PHANTOM FLOOR

One of the building’s most visible features is the so-called blow-through floor at the 83rd story, added to minimize swaying caused by high winds. “It’s not a big, fat building that can just overcome [swaying] with stiffness, which is the other tactic you can use,” Gang says. “I’m always in favor of a lighter-touch solution.”

Read More

Between Water and Skyon January 6, 2021 at 3:09 pm Read More »

Chicago Bulls battle through COVID, injuries for 2nd straight winon January 6, 2021 at 2:00 pm

Chicago Bulls (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Chicago Bulls (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bulls battled through some tough issues once again to pull off a gritty win.

Tuesday night, the Chicago Bulls began a 4-game road trip by opening up against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trailblazers. It’s early in the season, but this would turn into one of those season-defining nights for the young Bulls. It began just about as bad as it could.

The Bulls ended the first quarter down by a score of 39-21. This was the perfect example of a game which last year’s team would have lost. But, that’s not how Billy Donovan rolls. That’s not what this team is about. Donovan has these guys believing and competing.

Asked afterwards whether or not they would have won this type of game last year, Zach LaVine simply said:

“No.”

This night was different, though. Late in the game, with just about 10 seconds remaining, the Bulls had the ball and an opportunity to put the game away. LaVine took his opportunity.

LaVine struggled from the field in this one, but that didn’t matter. When his team needed him the most, he came up big. That’s what stars do. Even on rough nights, they are still as confident as ever when taking those monumental shots — and LaVine made it happen. He ended the night with 18 points on 6-for-18 shooting, but also added nine assists, four rebounds and a pair of blocks.

This win was an important one, not only because they battled back after a huge early deficit. But, the Bulls were also without starting forward Lauri Markkanen still, who will hopefully return soon. Markkanen suffered a calf contusion a week ago but is also being held out for COVID-related reasons.

Speaking of which, backup guard Tomas Satoransky tested positive, so the Bulls have been without him for a couple of games and will continue to play without him for a little while, until he fulfills protocol.

Still, Donovan’s brilliance shone through. His rotation is coming together and proved once more that they all play significant roles. The Bulls finished with an impressive seven players in double digits, and that includes rookie Patrick Williams who notched his fourth such game of the year.

Otto Porter continued his strong play with 19 points, but more importantly he added in 13 rebounds. Filling in for the absent Markkanen, Porter has played mostly well and continues to be a bright spot for this team.

Meanwhile, the high scorer for this game was Coby White, who ended the night with 21 points but also grabbed 10 boards to cement a double-double. White also dished out five assists.

Not only did the Bulls have seven players score in double figures, but they had four players with four or more assists and four players with eight or more rebounds. Donovan has done a great job with this roster through eight games, with the Bulls sitting at 4-4 and playing well-balanced basketball.

Again, it’s early. But, the Bulls’ depth is really shining right now and could be a major reason they fight for a playoff spot later in the year.

Read More

Chicago Bulls battle through COVID, injuries for 2nd straight winon January 6, 2021 at 2:00 pm Read More »

Omera — Petraits Rescueon January 6, 2021 at 2:21 pm

Pets in need of homes

Omera — Petraits Rescue

Read More

Omera — Petraits Rescueon January 6, 2021 at 2:21 pm Read More »

PHOTOS: White Sox VP Kenny Williams sells Gold Coast mansion to restaurant magnate R.J. Melman for $4.8 millionon January 6, 2021 at 2:22 pm

ChicagoNow Staff Blog

PHOTOS: White Sox VP Kenny Williams sells Gold Coast mansion to restaurant magnate R.J. Melman for $4.8 million

Read More

PHOTOS: White Sox VP Kenny Williams sells Gold Coast mansion to restaurant magnate R.J. Melman for $4.8 millionon January 6, 2021 at 2:22 pm Read More »

Chicago Bears: Evaluating NFC Wildcard round with predictionson January 6, 2021 at 1:00 pm

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 08: Khalil Mack #52 of the Chicago Bears rushes against Tristan Wirfs #78 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Tom Brady #12 passes at Soldier Field on October 08, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Bucs 20-19. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 08: Khalil Mack #52 of the Chicago Bears rushes against Tristan Wirfs #78 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Tom Brady #12 passes at Soldier Field on October 08, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Bucs 20-19. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Next1 of 3Prev post
Use your (arrows) to browse
Chicago Bears, Robert Quinn

Chicago Bears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bears, deserving or not, are getting ready to take part in the NFC playoffs.

The Chicago Bears have stunningly made it to the playoffs. They are the seventh seed with an 8-8 record after having a roller coaster of a season. There have been issues with basically every facet of the game for this team but they are still getting an opportunity. The NFC is not very deep and that is why the Bears made it. They would have not even sniffed the playoffs if they were in the AFC but that is the way things shook out this year.

In Lovie Smith’s last season as Bears’ head coach, they went 10-6 and missed the playoff so water does level out. That doesn’t mean that they should feel good about their matchup against the New Orleans Saints. The Green Bay Packers have the first-round bye so the Saints, at number two, get the Bears. It is a nice test for the Bears but it doesn’t feel like they have a legit shot to win. You never know what happens but the Saints are better in pretty much every way.

The Green Bay Packers have one of the best records in the NFL as they went 13-3. That record was tied with the Buffalo Bills for the second-best record in the NFL. Only the 14-2 Chiefs had a better record by one game. The Packers drew that first-round bye by defeating the Bears and having one more win than the Saints.

Drew Brees certainly showed his age in 2020 but they have a great defense and a good running game. The game is on Sunday which could have Alvin Kamara clear his COVID-19 protocols and that would be a big problem for the Bears. They need to do as much as they can to keep their offense off the field and score some points themselves.

Even if the Bears somehow sneak past the Saints, the Packers would loom and we know how that would go. It would be the third time the teams meet which would most likely not fare well for the Bears. First, they need to try and deal with Drew Brees and the Saints which won’t be easy at all.

Prediction: New Orleans – 34, Chicago – 14

Next: Washington vs Tampa Bay

Next1 of 3Prev post
Use your (arrows) to browse

Read More

Chicago Bears: Evaluating NFC Wildcard round with predictionson January 6, 2021 at 1:00 pm Read More »

Chicago Bears: Playoff berth clearly defines quarterback options in 2021on January 6, 2021 at 1:00 pm

Chicago Bears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Chicago Bears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Next1 of 4Prev post
Use your (arrows) to browse
Chicago Bears, Mitchell Trubisky

Chicago Bears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Making the playoffs is certainly a positive, but the Chicago Bears put themselves up against a wall for 2021.

Take yourself back about a month and a half. The Chicago Bears were in the middle of a complete breakdown. After beginning the year 5-1, they spun into a fiery wreck, losing six straight. After seeing the Bears fall to 5-7, many fans were already looking ahead to the 2021 offseason.

While it made sense to look ahead then, the Bears somehow managed to win three of their final four games and luck into a playoff spot — the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC, thanks to an Arizona Cardinals loss.

Getting themselves into the postseason is exciting, on one hand, because at this stage, anything can happen. Take a look at what is happening with the Cleveland Browns and their COVID situation. This is an unpredictable season we’ve seen thus far, and it isn’t slowing down.

The Bears could end up lucking into a victory one way or another this Sunday when they take on the New Orleans Saints. From there, they would visit the Green Bay Packers in what will be their third meeting of the season.

Let’s back up a minute, though, because by making the playoffs, the Bears actually did themselves a disservice. Does anyone truly believe this team has a chance to run the table and make a Super Bowl appearance?

By securing a playoff berth, this team did one thing above all else: Defined their quarterback position for the immediate future. The Bears will sooner or later enter the 2021 offseason with a pretty clear picture when it comes to the quarterback, and it’s all due to three specific dominos which will affect one another.

Next: The 1st Domino

Next1 of 4Prev post
Use your (arrows) to browse

Read More

Chicago Bears: Playoff berth clearly defines quarterback options in 2021on January 6, 2021 at 1:00 pm Read More »

1 injured, 7 displaced in South Chicago fireon January 6, 2021 at 8:19 am

A person was injured and seven people were displaced after a fire at a residential building Wednesday morning in South Chicago on the South Side.

The blaze was reported about 12:45 a.m. in a building in the 8400 block of South Escanaba Avenue, according to Chicago police.

A 34-year-old man was taken to Trinity Hospital for smoke inhalation, police said. He is in fair condition.

A total of seven people were displaced from their homes, police said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Read More

1 injured, 7 displaced in South Chicago fireon January 6, 2021 at 8:19 am Read More »