We will all have to just wait and see to figure out how good and dominating Glenbard West really is.
The Hilltoppers are running roughshod over opponents. Yes, they are all West Suburban Conference foes, but they’re dismantling every opponent they face. Second-year head coach Jason Opoka’s team is 8-0 with a whopping average victory margin of 27 points a game. They could very well run the table in their 13-game schedule.
Glenbard West, however, won’t be able to measure itself up against some of the Chicago area’s best teams. That’s because the West Suburban Conference made the decision no team will play outside its league this season.
Opoka will welcome back four of his top six players next season when the Hilltoppers will inevitably be one of the top teams in the state –– and have a chance to bulk up its schedule. They are already locked in to play in the annual When Sides Collide Shootout next season which will pit them against a highly-ranked foe.
There will still be a couple of tests down the stretch in coming weeks, including a season finale against Downers Grove North that could decide the West Suburban Silver. But it’s still too bad we don’t get to see this Glenbard West team against another top-notch, ranked team this season, because the Hilltoppers look the part.
That starts with a pair of Division I prospects in juniors Braden Huff, a super intriguing 6-9 threat with high-major offers, and versatile 6-5 junior Cade Pierce. But it continues with a group that is enormous in size, including wiry 6-8 Troy Glover, 6-6 shooter Aidan Murphy, 6-7 junior Ryan Renfro, 6-7 Danny Mulcare and 6-3 junior guard Paxton Warden.
The upside of the junior class is real. This group has a chance to be the best team in program history and be playing in Champaign in 2022.
Is the state’s best backcourt at DePaul Prep?
From an impact standpoint, the best backcourt in the state may belong to DePaul. Maybe more than any other outstanding guard duo, TY Johnson and Rasheed Bello impact the game at both ends of the floor.
Johnson, the 6-3 guard headed to Loyola, has been well regarded as a bonafide shot-making scorer on the perimeter. He’s a threat from the three-point line and has a deadly pull-up jumper in his repertoire. Johnson uses his sneaky and underrated athleticism to get to the basket off the dribble to create additional scoring opportunities.
Bello is a nice complement to Johnson. The 5-11 senior uses his speed in the open court, gets to the rim, finishes and will fill a stat sheet. But he especially shines on the defensive end where he’s an absolute menace.
Johnson and Bello really set the tone for coach Tom Kleinschmidt’s team, particularly when using their speed, athleticism and length in applying ball pressure, getting in passing lanes and turning defense into offense for the Rams.
The Christie brothers take top honors
There have been some tremendous basketball-playing sibling combinations, including Dominique and Gerald Wilkins, Pau and Marc Gasol and Reggie and Cheryl Miller.
But the Rolling Meadows brother tandem of senior Max Christie and sophomore Cameron Christie is the best basketball blood tandem this state has ever seen play together on the same team.
Yes, the Christie brothers have surpassed Quincy’s Bruce and Dennis Douglas.
That obviously starts with Max Christie, the smooth Michigan State-bound guard who is closing in on 6-7 and is the No. 1 ranked prospect in the state. One brother ranked among the top 20 players in the country is quite the starting point in the “best brother tandem” conversation.
Max Christie has been a star since the day he entered high school. He’s lived up to the hype and is off to a terrific start this season, leading his team to a 8-0 start while averaging 26 points and 10 rebounds a game.
Cameron Christie is a still maturing scoring guard –– both physically and in his game –– while the production has taken a leap forward as a sophomore; Christie is averaging 15 points a game. He’s grown to 6-4 and is a top five player in the Class of 2023 in Illinois with high-major interest and offers.
