The IHSA basketball state finals begin tomorrow at State Farm Center in Champaign. Check out more then 4,000 words of stories and a preview podcast. All free to read and listen to at the Sun-Times. chicago.suntimes.com/high-school-...

There are certain communities where high school sports are just more important, more a part of the everyday fabric of life. Lockport is one of those places. And younger fans may not realize that at its heart, Lockport is a basketball city. chicago.suntimes.com/high-school-...

JUST IN: Warren's Jaxson Davis is the 2026 Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year. Davis is the 67th POY. The award dates back to 1960. He's the first Lake County winner since Jalen Brunson in 2015.

Curie guard Justin Oliver is a nearly perfect representation of his school’s successful basketball program. Unknown and underrated early, he finished his career at the very top of Chicago basketball. Curie beats Lincoln Park to win the city.

Here's the 2026 Chicago Sun-Times All-City basketball team. The 20 best players in the city of Chicago, along with 10 honorable mention selections.

Some kids were in school this afternoon...Yorkville Christian and Joliet Catholic were playing ball at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Jayden Riley sparkled on the Milwaukee Bucks' home floor.

Riverside-Brookfield dominated for three quarters against Glenbard East and then held on desperately at the end to secure the upset. At every key moment, it was "glue guy" Benjamin Biskupic that found a way to keep the Bulldogs in front.

Today's basketball schedule. I'll be at Evanston for The War on the Shore.

Niles North's conference winning streak lasted 30 games and 1,099 days. It ended tonight on a long, heroic, last-second three-pointer from Maine East sophomore Jayden Dozie. Read all about it and watch the finish.

Niles North's conference winning streak lasted 30 games and 1,099 days. It ended tonight on a long, heroic, last-second three-pointer from Maine East sophomore Jayden Dozie. Read all about it and watch the finish.

Tonight's schedule. I'll be in Skokie for Maine East vs. Niles North.

One of the state’s top 25 basketball prospects plays his games at a park district field house in Pilsen for a team almost no one has heard of. But Cedrick Carter, a 6-8 senior, found exactly what he and his family needed at Intrinsic-Downtown.

JUST IN: The IHSA is considering allowing football practice to start five days earlier. The new playoff/season format may result in practice starting on Aug. 5.

Wednesday's high school basketball scores

Rick Romeli took over a brand new group of inexperienced players this season at Brother Rice. A transition year would have been understandable, but the Crusaders are relevant again much sooner than expected. They upset St. Laurence tonight.

JUST IN: The IHSA threw the book at Simeon and Tim Flowers for bylaw violations on a September trip to Hong Kong “I can't help that Derrick Rose is my friend and opportunities come...if we shouldn't be around one another why can everyone else?” - Flowers

The new Super 25 high school football rankings for Week 8. A tough week with a lot of movement. It's late in the season and time to face the truth about several public school conferences. -Loyola hangs on -Providence and Carmel debut -Fenwick, Montini rise

Bogan didn't have enough players and forfeited Week 1. But they didn't give up. Coach Ernest Bryant recruited the building...and then won the next 6 games. It's been kind of an amazing season for the Bengals. They won a stunner tonight vs. Bowen.

Mount Carmel is living up to the preseason hype, but this is certainly a different group from the last three years. Less swagger, more humbleness. And they sound hungry. That's a dangerous combination. The Caravan beat rival St. Rita last night.

No. 11 St. Rita at No. 1 Mount Carmel kicks off at 7:30. -Rivalry began in 1924. -The Caravan leads with a record of 69-33-3. -St. Rita last won in 2017. -Mount Carmel coach Jordan Lynch is 7-0 vs. St. Rita -The Caravan beat St. Rita in the regular season and playoffs last year.

It's always tough to decide on 25 teams for the preseason rankings. Several of the state's best programs missed the cut. And many other teams impressed Week 1. Here's a look at the 10 best teams that haven't been ranked in the Super 25 yet this season:

The new Super 25 high school football rankings for Week 2: -Maine South and York tumble but stay in -Glenbard West vaults into the top 10 -Lyons, Glenbrook South, Hinsdale Central join -Nazareth cracks the top 5

Downers Grove North and Morgan Park battled it out on defense until the final drive, then Owen Lansu led the Trojans downfield and Baker Glomb was the hero, nailing a game-winning field goal as time expired. No. 5 DGN survives Morgan Park.

How the Super 25 high school football teams fared in Week 1

Lincoln-Way East makes a season-opening statement with a shutout, running-clock win at Maine South

High school football season has arrived. I'll be at Gately tonight for two games: Ag. Science vs. Evergreen Park at 4:15 St. Francis vs. Kenwood at 7:30 Here's the full schedule for Week 1:

The high school football season starts on Thursday. Get ready for all the action with the preseason rankings:

JUST IN: Mount Carmel opens the season as the top-ranked team in the Super 25. On paper, the Caravan is the most talented high school football team the Chicago area has ever seen, with eight Power Five recruits.

No. 2 Loyola will lean on coaching, tradition and talented sophomores in four-peat attempt.

Jonas Williams is nearing multiple state records, but he's focused on a title for No. 3 Lincoln-Way East

Quarterback Jameson Purcell and an experienced defense make No. 4 Maine South a major contender in Class 8A

After being “kicked in the mouth” in the playoffs last season, No. 5 Downers Grove North is refocused on winning a state title. Owen Lansu leads the Trojans’ trio of Big Ten recruits.

Batavia checks in at No. 6 in the preseason Super 25. QB Michael Vander Luitgaren has wowed Dennis Piron in practice. “Our offense this year is going to be explosive. We are going to score points and light up the scoreboard" - Vander Luitgaren.

Can Nazareth win a 4th consecutive state title? The Roadrunners graduated a ton, but a large group of starters return, including Trenton Walker. A new QB from Pennsylvania is fighting for the starting job. Nazareth checks in at No. 7 in the preseason.

No. 8 Brother Rice will lean on Illinois recruit King Liggins' leadership and CJ Gray's experience

No. 9 York crashed the party and is now an established state power. The Dukes have reloaded with an experienced, talented offensive line, 1,000-yard rusher Henry Duda, receiver Simon Kodosky and Princeton recruit Hunter Stepanich, a TE/DE.

For the second consecutive summer, a successful South Side Public League basketball coach is surrounded by drama and out of a job after winning state. Dyett's Jamaal Gill recently resigned and now faces an investigation over an altercation with a student that was caught on video.

Coaching high school football is the new, cool thing? Apparently so. Former NFL players with college and pro coaching options are choosing to stay in the trenches with unpaid teenagers. New St. Pat's coach Tom Zbikowski is the latest to make the switch.

JUST IN: Chicago Public Schools has settled the lawsuit brought by former Phillips basketball coach Paris Martin. Martin, who says he was never paid by CPS in his 2 years at Phillips, led the Wildcats to the state title in 2024 and was fired after suing.

Joliet native Jeremiah Fears was selected No. 7 in the 2025 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. It’s the highest a local player has been picked since Young’s Jahlil Okafor was drafted by Philadelphia with the No. 3 pick in 2015.

The city tournament is a Chicago treasure. It dates back to 1901 and is one of the oldest basketball traditions in the world. For 3 weeks in February it heats up gyms all over the city. Curie upset Simeon Saturday in an intense game with 7 technical fouls.

No Shot Clock is back! It's time for the Stock Report, one of our most popular annual features. @joehoopsreport and I decided to buy, sell or hold stock in each of the Super 25 teams. Then we pick three teams outside the rankings to buy stock in.

The latest Super 25 basketball rankings: -Evanston and Loyola make huge leaps -Fremd, Young return -Kaneland debuts -A proposal for a new (return to the old) format for Public League basketball

Years from now, when these Kenwood and Lincoln Park players are in college or the NBA, observers will say Chicago players are different—tougher, more resilient, and full of a special extra something. A bit of that magic was grown tonight in Lincoln Park.

Thursday's high school basketball scores

Kenwood sophomore Devin Cleveland has a chance to become a Chicago basketball legend. Watching him strive towards that status will be one of the joys of high school hoops over the next 2.5 seasons. Tonight's win vs. Curie was a step in the journey.

Federal authorities are conducting a long-running criminal investigation at an embattled charter school operator on Chicago’s South Side, according to grand jury records obtained by WBEZ and sources with knowledge of the probe. www.wbez.org/education/20...

JUST IN: Former Kenwood basketball coach Mike Irvin helped fraudulently enroll at least 17 players according to the CPS inspector general Investigators found that at least half of the school’s varsity players over 3 years were fraudulently enrolled.

Gorgeous gym here in Plano. It was redone this summer. This is the 61st year of the holiday tournament.

Tonight's schedule/scoreboard. I'll be over at Christ The King for the first time in ages. The Gladiators host Joliet Catholic.