Elgin’s basketball team rolling right along during summer

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Kory Brown (right) is sporting a new hairstyle but continues to be one of the most productive players for Elgin High's basketball team this summer. | Jon Cunningham~For Sun-Times Media

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Updated: October 29, 2011 12:41AM

Smooth sailing is a pretty good way to describe Elgin High’s run through the summer basketball circuit.

For the past month of summer league games and tournaments the Maroons have displayed the same swagger and depth that helped them put together a breakthrough 2010-11 season. So it should come as no surprise that Elgin owns a 22-8 summer record going into this weekend’s Gary Collins Shootout at Crystal Lake South, which includes five other area teams and is one of the final big events on the local summer scene.

Only one player is gone to graduation from the rotation that helped the Maroons put together a 22-7 record and claim Class 4A regional and Upstate Eight Conference River Division titles last winter. With so much talent returning, perhaps the biggest adjustment for Elgin’s players over the summer has been getting used to star player Kory Brown’s new haircut.

All kidding aside, coach Mike Sitter can’t complain about what he’s seen from his players in recent weeks.

“In the summer I don’t like to push the kids a whole lot,” Sitter said. “You want to give them some rope to play on their own and learn on their own. Some of the games we take a little more seriously than others, but a lot of the time we’re just trying to get better and get the guys a lot of minutes.”

For Brown, gone are the braids that he wore while developing into one of the top players around during his sophomore and junior seasons. The reigning 2011 Courier-News Player of the Year now sports a buzz cut that he plans on keeping for his senior campaign.

“It was kind of spur of the moment,” Brown said of the change in styles. “I kind of got tired of taking care of the braids. They’re a little bit more maintenance than having it cut.”

One thing that hasn’t changed is Brown’s outstanding all-around game, and his talents are starting to attract attention from college coaches.

Brown recently received his first scholarship offer from Division-II Lewis University. He also made a visit to Eastern Illinois and attended camps for prospects at Loyola and South Dakota State.

Despite averaging 16.1 points, close to eight rebounds, 2.5 assists and two steals per game last season, Brown is still finding ways to improve after getting suggestions from coaches and scouts during a busy summer that also includes playing with the Illinois Warriors AAU team.

“They kind of want me to work on my handles a little bit more,” Brown said. “They also want me to work on my shooting off the dribble. Most of the time I either get a 3 off a screen, an open shot or I’m getting to the rim. Now I’m more versatile and I can shoot that jump shot off the dribble.”

Brown’s teammates have also been raising their games. Even though the Maroons have yet to field a full team this summer as one player or another has been absent, the wins keep coming.

Like Brown, standout guard Dennis Moore has also been busy, making trips to Drake, Indiana, Northern Illinois and Northwestern for official football visits or camps.

Fellow seniors-to-be Gerardo Mojica, Matt Andres and Devin Gilliam have continued to work on their post games while point guard Arie Williams has worked on his perimeter prowess in anticipation of his junior season.

Incoming junior Eric Sedlack is among the most promising newcomers to the varsity squad, according to Sitter. The 6-foot-5 guard could play a pivotal role creating matchup problems for opponents with his noteworthy size.

Sitter has also been pleased with the development of guard Derek Strohmaier, who will likely be called upon to play the role of 3-point sharpshooter during his senior season this winter.

Last but not least, incoming senior Cortez Scott looks like he’ll move into the starting lineup in place of Jordan Dean, the only graduate from the main eight-man rotation of last year’s team. All signs point to Scott, a 6-foot guard, being an important piece to the puzzle for Elgin as it looks to raise the bar even higher during what promises to be a 2011-12 season filled with lofty expectations.

“Cortez has really stepped up and he’ll probably start for us right now at Jordan’s spot,” Sitter said. “He’s gotten bigger and he’s a lot more confident. Last year was all confidence with him when he’d get a little nervous and defer to other people. This year he’s not deferring to anybody and I bet he’s been our leading scorer in half our summer games.

“Everybody knows who Arie, Dennis and Kory are, so they overplay those guys and Cortez finds himself open. He can finish at the rim, he can hit an open 3 and he’s done a really nice job.”

Hinkle still going strong at Jacobs High School

There were a few phone calls to Jacobs High a few weeks ago when one of the messages on the sign outside the school read “No fear, Hink is still here.” The obvious question was where had longtime Golden Eagles coach Jim Hinkle gone in the first place?

It turns out Hinkle had typed the message on the sign himself as part of a longer message noting that Jacobs will have a new principal, associate principal, assistant principal, athletic director and two new deans starting this fall.

Concern about Hinkle’s future would have been valid considering part of District 300’s new teachers contract calls for coaches to be full-time staff members within the district. Hinkle and Jacobs football coach Bill Mitz are both retired, but Hinkle said a “five-year sunset clause” is expected to be in place for current coaches who don’t hold full-time employment within the district.

So, long story short, plan on seeing Hinkle on the bench this winter for his 16th year at the helm at Jacobs.

“I’m still enjoying it,” Hinkle said. “Every year gets better than the last.”

The Eagles had five seniors in their starting lineup at the end of a 2010-11 season that resulted in a 16-13 record. Despite those losses, Hinkle warns against writing off Jacobs for this year.

Incoming seniors Alex Glover and Jamal Brooks and incoming juniors Will Schwerdtmann and Connor Conzelman are all back, and they’ve been picking up plenty of valuable experience with their new varsity teammates during a busy summer schedule that includes a stop at the Gary Collins Shootout this weekend.

“I’ve said for years ever since the advent of all this summer stuff that we do now, which didn’t exist when I first started, that nobody can say they don’t have any experience,” Hinkle said. “Everybody plays 20 to 40 games every summer. There’s your experience.”

St. Charles East coaching search drawing to close

The rumor mill surrounding the coaching vacancy at St. Charles East is heating up as the search for a new Saints bench boss nears completion. Second interviews recently took place and a new coach could be in place in a matter of days.

One potential snag that could be holding up the process is the fact that there are believed to be a scarcity of teaching positions available at St. Charles East.

Whoever lands the job will inherit a team that includes Purdue recruit Kendall Stephens, a talented guard who is going into his junior season. Starting point guard Charlie Fisher will also be back for his senior season with a Saints squad that finished 14-14 last year.

Interim athletic directors Jim Bloch and Jack Drollinger are handling the search to find a replacement for Brian Clodi, who was ousted from the job in April after eight seasons at the helm.

Everette Stephens, Kendall’s father, also interviewed for the job. The elder Stephens played basketball professionally and was an assistant on Clodi’s staff last year. He also served as the varsity coach at Elgin Academy from 2000-09.