Well the 07/08 season is upon us. Looking forward to an exciting season, coach Mart has the boy's poised for a big season. come out and support your mustangs.
they should do well, they played good all summer to
I was happy when I heard they were invited to the Proviso West holiday tournament. That really speaks well of how far the program has come. That is one of the finest high school hoops tournaments in the country. Just to be invited is an honor. Go Mustangs!!
i heard boys varsity won tues. at york tourney, they played hersey dont know what the score was
a blowout victory wed. nite 2-0, fri. vs nequa valley at 6 pm. at york
went to game fri. nite we lost 59-49 close game til last quarter, if we beat york tonite we either win tourrney or tie with nequa valley if they win tonite also
just seen score in trib, morton beat york 61-59, so we tied with nequa valley with 3-1 record for share of york tourney, good start to the new year
huge game fri for 4-1 morton at proviso east, if we win this game, we will get some good recognition
Martinucci was a Berwyn hire right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote from: frankie on December 06, 2007, 08:18:42 AM
huge game fri for 4-1 morton at proviso east, if we win this game, we will get some good recognition
Mustangs won by 19!!
they beat Proviso East. Wow, I'm not sure I would even consider that an upset. Way to go Mustangs. Tony was the good Berwyn hire....
Wow!!!!! Way to go!!!!! I believe this hasn't been done for DECADES! Congrats!
Morton will play the opening game of the Proviso West Tournament December 26th at 9:00am against Evanston.
SESSION ONE:
GAME ONE -- Evanston vs. Morton, 9:00 a.m.;
GAME TWO -- Marshall vs. Proviso West, 10:30 a.m.;
GAME THREE -- Von Steuben vs. Proviso East, 12:15 p.m.;
GAME FOUR -- Homewood-Flossmoor vs. Fenwick, 1:45 p.m.
SESSION TWO:
GAME FIVE -- Saint Patrick vs. Glenbrook North, 3:45 p.m.;
GAME SIX -- Whitney Young vs. T.F. North, 5:15 p.m.;
GAME SEVEN -- Saint Joseph vs. Hillcrest, 7:00 p.m.;
GAME EIGHT -- New Trier vs. Morgan Park, 8:30 p.m.
1st time ever at proviso east, i wasnt there but im proud of this team, its nice to have positive things happen at morton
Quote from: frankie on December 08, 2007, 07:13:03 AM
1st time ever at proviso east, i wasnt there but im proud of this team, its nice to have positive things happen at morton
Frankie lots of positives go on every day at Morton. But as everywhere else in this day and age positives aren't as news worthy as negatives. Last night Mortons wrestling team was down by 3 points to Proviso East with only one match left. Morton needed a pin to win the meet. The Morton wrestler pinned the kid in the second round! Morton won 36 to 33. I also heard the sophomore basketball team was down quite a few last night and had a big rally to come from behind and win!
thats great news, im proud of all the kids and coaches
mustang, believe me i know, i have lived in this area since 1969, alot of good people and good things happen everyday, between cicero, berwyn, and the island, i have met some of the best people i will ever meet, and like you said the bad things get magnified, and the good things are usually taken for granted, this goes on everywere, not just in this area
and unit, without martinucci, this team wouldnt be as good as they are, most of the kids on this team have been playing at the berwyn rec. since they were 7 yrs old. and he and joe belcaster run all the programs there and do a great job, and im pretty sure joe is the sophmore coach, these kids choose morton and not catholic schools because of these coaches
Frankie. Don't get me wrong. I think coach Martinucci is a great coach, I could care less if he came from Mars. The man not only know's the game of basketball, but he also know's kids... If my kid wanted to learn the game of B-ball, I
I need to start again. oops I pressed enter by mistake. as I was saying, If my kid wanted to learn basketball, I would send him to Tony, the guy is good. I just hope word gets around about this team, that gym should be packed every night....
i agree, they should draw some good crowds, 1st home game is tues. the girls have a home game same nite at west, i dont know why they schedule on same nite, makes no sense
my son is a junior at west, he played at rec and knows a few of the players, not only are they good players, but they are nice kids to, ive met a couple of them
Frankie, I've heard alot of good things about that 6'8 Junior, whats the scoop on him, is he that good, whats his name again. I also heard a few division 1 schools are looking at him, I heard De Paul is real interested, same for Bradley.....
his name is luke scarlata, hes one of the kids i met, and vince manno, and joey belcaster, all 3 are juniors, i think macias and raul i dont know his last name, are all juniors, and all have been playing together since the rec
its nice to have a team like this, that you look forward to going to games, like when the soccer team was in state tourney, i think football varsity might win some games next year, sophs and freshman did good
the whole team is good, there a well balanced team, speaking about the b-ball team
Luke Scarlata is the kid to watch. The scouts have been watching him for awhile. Nice kid and nice family.
Went to see The Mustangs tonight for the 1st time this year. They beat Oak Lawn by 16. 70 to 54. Nice team to watch. Especially since they are a young team. Morton also won big at the soph level and both freshman teams.
just saw in sun times, morton beat #10 evanston 40-38
I was told they hit two free throws with 1.8 seconds left. I also heard they showed up at 8:58 for a scheduled 9 am start, they were given 10 minutes to field a team. Someone else said that the bus company made them late. Can anyone confirm this. I think they play Marshall next, GO MUSTANGS.......................
Morton Fans,
The boys beat 7th ranked Evanston in what is the biggest upset of the year for all our athletic programs thus far...Yes, the team was late and had about 12 minutes to warm up. Evanston was bigger and stronger but our young men were much smarter, and our head coach out coached Evanston's coach. Trust me, I have many years of coaching experience. We held the ball for the last shot with 3:30 left on the clock. Evanston refused to pressure our team, and we drove in for a shot and was fouled with 1. seconds left on the clock. The game was tied and our young man hit two free throws. What an amazing experience for the boys and the fans from Morton. We should get some excellent feedback in tomorrow's paper. Evanston didn't play bad, Morton outplayed them. At one time we were down by 10 points. I want to emphasize again the importance of good coaching. Great job by everyone involved with the Boy's Basketball program. We play again tomorrow at 3:45 against the Marshall vs Proviso West winner. Marshal was winning big at half. Marshal is ranked very high in the polls.
Morton Fans,
In today's Tribune there is an excellent article about Coach Martinucci and the Boy's Basketball Program on page 11 in the sports section. We need all the good news possible to offset the bad press we receive. Unfortunately, we do deserve the bad press.
I am hoping for a year free of turmoil at Morton, but most important a year of "knowledge " for every student who wants it...Happy New Year to all posters....Thanks for the enlightening discussions...
its a great article, these coaches and players deserve so much credit for all the dedication they put in to the program, i heard all the boys teams are doing well, if they beat von stueben they could play for 5th place which is a great accomplishment in this tournament
Here is a link to the aforementioned Tribune article:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-temkin28dec28,1,1752189.story?ctrack=2&cset=true
and here is a link to a Sun-Times article dated 12/26/07: (it's a recap of the tourney results, not a feature like the other one)
http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/boys_basketball/713176,122607mortonbbk.article
Morton pulls off another upset! They beat Von Steuben who was ranked 8th at the start of the week. Beat them 71 to 58. That means Morton has defeated the 6th and 8th ranked teams while losing only to the top ranked team. Great tournament! Now maybe they will get the respect they deserve.
My wish came true Mustangs will play St. Joes!! Tomorrow at 3:45 for fifth place in the tournament.
Morton should beat St. Joe. This is a down year for the Chargers. Lost Mc Camey and Turner to the Big Ten. They're all underclassmen and are vey weak under the boards. Scarlata should have a field day.
like the team said in the paper, they know they could compete with any team, these coaches have these kids playing in leagues year round, alot of coaches dont do that, if they play there game today, they should beat st. joe, and i think we could beat lyons to, so now we will be the best team in the area, to bad lyons wasnt in proviso tourney
ALL the premier programs play year round.
Morton is good, but not at the level of HF, Young, Marshall, or Farragut.
Not sure about what you mean best in the area, as Marshall and Faragut and less than 5 miles from Morton, and Young is maybe 6 miles east or so.
Just heard Morton beat St. Joe's. How great is that ?
Thats awsome, thanks for the update. If beating three good programs doesn't get the team ranked, then there is something wrong with the system. And Bob Sack-a-poop from the Tribune need's his head checked. Congrats to coach Martinucci and the team, you have made your school proud.
Now let's hope we start getting more people out to watch the kids play. I heard Mustang will pay for the first 200 people thru the gates.
i was at the game, it was awesome, these kids played great, out played joes whole 1st half, struggled in 3rd quarter, but junior guard joey belcaster was hitting all his shots, and ended up with 22 points
Great news for Morton and their basketball program. When is their next home game? My daughter and I would love to attend - she knows some of the players from the rec league when they were younger. Another kudo for Martinucci and the rec program where many of these kids started.
the next home game isnt til jan 25, but they play at fenwick saturday
i was at the game to, this team has a chance to go far in playoffs, they should be ranked high in both papers, in not, then its as political as dist 201 LOL
Maybe the guy that mkes the rankings is from Cicero, and he just doesn't like all those kids from Berwyn.
silk,when i said area, i meant cicero, berwyn,lyons,westchester, and let me tell you, they arent to far from being as good as farragut, and marshall, and the other teams you mentioned, this team should be ranked 15th or higher in both papers, we know there way better than proviso east and west
its to bad we dont play lyons, maybe we will see them in the playoffs
We would beat Lyons ;D
Quote from: Taylor St. Kid on December 30, 2007, 12:00:48 PM
We would beat Lyons ;D
Maybe not. If we met in sectionals or regionals it would probably be hosted by LT. Home court disadvantage again for us. Morton has lost close games to some of St' Joes best teams at L.T. Now if Morton was allowed to host playoffs like all other schools do we might be able to go further into the payoffs.
Why does Morton not host playoffs, or why are they not allowed to?
Quote from: Berwyn Patsy on December 30, 2007, 12:40:48 PM
Why does Morton not host playoffs, or why are they not allowed to?
The administration said the district cannot afford it. That was decided a few years ago. I'm sure the IHSA allows so much of the gate revenue to the host school for expenses. If in the past Morton over staffed the events thats an administrators fault, so fix the problem and give our kids the advantage others get for a change. Its not fair.
Is this something that might be able to be revisited again? It could be the start of one action plan.
Is there a minimum requirement as far as seating for all sectional games?
Quote from: Berwyn Patsy on December 30, 2007, 01:02:05 PM
Is this something that might be able to be revisited again? It could be the start of one action plan.
Is there a minimum requirement as far as seating for all sectional games?
Patsy Mortons facilities meet all requirements. They were offered playoffs for girls softball last year and in the past. Also conference events. They choose not to do so.
Using lack of money as an excuse. I call it penny wise and dollar short. Tired of hearing the excuses of money and union contracts for short changing our kids.
Thank Dr. No for that. He claims it would cost the district money. Even if it did, I think we owe to those kids to give them every advantage they could get. In my oppinion it would be money well spent. It couldn't cost more then the super's office furniture he bought a few years ago.
All that being said, Mustang and TSK have some great points to bring this subject back to the table.
If someone could bring up the no hosting rule of Morton at one of the next couple of board meetings,
maybe the NEW board members would like to re examine this issue. It might give a push that could start things rolling.
There is only one way to find out and that's to ask for some consideration in this matter. What do you guys think?
Quote from: Berwyn Patsy on December 30, 2007, 02:33:59 PM
All that being said, Mustang and TSK have some great points to bring this subject back to the table.
If someone could bring up the no hosting rule of Morton at one of the next couple of board meetings,
maybe the NEW board members would like to re examine this issue. It might give a push that could start things rolling.
There is only one way to find out and that's to ask for some consideration in this matter. What do you guys think?
It is one of a couple of items I am thinking of bringing up at the next board meeting.
Berwyn Patsy and Mustang54,
Everyone would benefit from once again hosting the regionals and sectionals. Money was the reason for discontinuing the past practice. Having these tournaments at home can give Morton the edge we need to advance deep into the state playoffs. We (the coaches) ask every season if we could be the host and the Athletic Director approaches Dr.No and gets turned down. This is what we have been told. If the parents would also say something maybe we could once again gain the advantage of being the host team. Many of our current teams have been performing well, and we are very proud of the Boy's Basketball accolades. It has been a long time (1986)with the Girls' Softball since our last certified state championship. Hosting the regionals and sectionals could lead our student athletes in this direction very soon. Thanks for all your help
jimbuc,
Morton should be ranked in the top 10. Nonetheless, they're not in the class of the top tier West Side schools, and it showed against Marshall at PW. Nor are they in Young or Farragut's class.
Great wins by Morton, but lets keep in mind that this is a real down year for Joe's (I think they're overrated), Von Stueben is perennialy overrated and benefits (won-loss) from playing in a north side conference. I haven't seen Evanston, so I can't comment on them.
As far as hosting a regional or sectional, keep in mind, St. Joe's never has hosted either, and we all know how succesful they've been.
Also keep in mind that city schools now qualify at large, so its quite possible Morton may face either Marshall, Farragut, or Young in a sectional or supersectional.
Remember last year St. Joe's probably had the second best team in the state yet couldn't make it out of the supersectionals past Simeon.
Could someone with experience and knowledge in the subject please tell me what kind of expenses would be required and approximately how much it would cost the district?
Admittedly, I was never a jock, so I don't know much about the logistics of hosting a tournament, but I find it hard to believe we couldn't pull this off. Enlighten me, please?
Thanks!
I think your all on to something with the idea of bringing up the hosting idea!
If a few of you could get together , bring up a an idea or two or even just question Dr. Nowakowski and the board once
again, who knows, maybe some one this time will listen . Go for it Mustang!!
silk, im just happy to have a team this good, so they lost to marshall, so what, your being to negative, anythings possible in playoffs, if this team stays healthy, you never know what could happen, its just nice to have a competitive team, we still have a long season ahead
Your right Jimbuc in a single game elimination tournament many great team in every sport has gone home early via upset. This team is tailor made to be able to pull an upset because they are very deep, well coached and above all the players know and understand their rolls. I have only seen them twice but they are very smart and disciplined. Each player seems to know that their roll is determined by their strengths and they do not try to do things they are weaker in. They also seem to trust their coaches and their team mates. That alone in this day and age is huge.
Mortonvet i believe the expenses are security people,maintanence people, and those collecting admission, unless the IHSA has their people collect it. IHSA also has budgeted paying the host school for expenses. I don't know what they allow. Regardless to me the only way you could suffer any kind of substantial loss is to over staff the event.
Quote from: Taylor St. Kid on December 30, 2007, 02:05:49 PM
Thank Dr. No for that. He claims it would cost the district money. Even if it did, I think we owe to those kids to give them every advantage they could get. In my oppinion it would be money well spent. It couldn't cost more then the super's office furniture he bought a few years ago.
Please. Actually, you can thank the taxpayers of dist. 201 who voted down a modest tax increase three times. The district does not have enough money for proper textbooks and computers. Dr. 'No' is only echoing the collective 'No' of the community.
Jimbuc,
How am i being negative wehn I predicted the win against joe's and said Morton should be a top ten team?
Fact is, there's a core group of teams (4-5) that are at a level above this year. And unfortunately for us, all but one are geographically in the west, which means ther's a good chance Morton will meet at least one, if not 2 or 3, on the road to champaign.
Quote from: java on December 30, 2007, 09:05:45 PM
Quote from: Taylor St. Kid on December 30, 2007, 02:05:49 PM
Thank Dr. No for that. He claims it would cost the district money. Even if it did, I think we owe to those kids to give them every advantage they could get. In my oppinion it would be money well spent. It couldn't cost more then the super's office furniture he bought a few years ago.
Please. Actually, you can thank the taxpayers of dist. 201 who voted down a modest tax increase three times. The district does not have enough money for proper textbooks and computers. Dr. 'No' is only echoing the collective 'No' of the community.
We are one of the lowest taxed school districts given size. A bad deal. But what about the politically controlled
waste of taxpayer money that should go to the children, and goes to such things as a spokesman for 201.
The biggest obstacle has been the community not seeing any tangible results given
the high rate of $ spent on admin and "deals" and not giving anything to the children amazes everyone.
Perhaps the climate of a political party controlling a school board, and using that influence will end one day.
It only exists here...Imagine that for a moment...All of Land of Lincoln. not ONE school board save CPS
is controlled by a dipstick poltical party.
I would like to see more of us to stop wagging our head and saying "Gosh Darn."
It is time to be more vocal about our situation.
just went online, morton is ranked 8th in state, mentions our 4 starting juniors, luke scarlata, raul guzman, joe belcaster, and oscar macias, and more of a great season ahead
Todays Sun Times ranks Morton 14th. But what was really nice was in the small writeup about the tournament they mentioned a man in his 80's came down from the stands and embraced coach Martinucci after they beat St. Joes. The man said he was on Mortons world championship team of 1945! He has been watching Morton on the internet and decided to drive down from his home in Wisconsin to see the Mustangs!!
Mustang54: Happy New Year. I hope that 2008 is a healthy, happy, and blessed one for you and all of your loved ones. I was very happy to read recently that you had a change of heart, and that you are staying. All the best.
Happy New Year to you Roger and all of you folks. Especially those of you who work at Morton. I think this just might be the year a lot of things that have been broken there get fixed. Also a big thanks and happy new year to Oak Park Spartan. Without you all of us would be in the dark about a lot that goes on in our area.
mustang, happy new year to you and family, tell russ jim buc says hello, used to play ball at clyde when he ran it
Mike North was talking up Morton basketball yesterday on the Score, giving big props to 'em...
He was also shocked MW and ME have a single sports program...
Check out the sports section in todays Sun Times. Taylor Bell put a picture of Coach Martinucci in there with a really nice interview he did with the coach. Nice to finally see the media do a good story about Morton. The players and the staff deserve it.
Here it is
http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/boys_basketball/725544,010308mortonbbk.article
I read the article and am extremely impressed by Morton. How many of these kids are juniors? We will rock this year and next year I predict going down to state - perhaps the only thing that will rejuvenate taxpayers will be GLORY!!!
There are two articles in the latest Morton e-newsletter about the basketball team/coach. Here is a link to "Getting to Know Coach Martinucci". You can subscribe to the e-newsletter through a link on the website to read the others.
http://jsmortonhs.com/sportsnews/contentview.asp?c=205901
Martinucci has figured out exactly what it takes for Morton to be competitive.
1. Don't lose any of your key kids to the private schools (Joe's, fenwick, Nazareth, St. Laurence, St. Ignatius)
2. develop a grammar school feeder program.
3. Make it a year round sport.
Hopefully, the other coaches are watching. The groundwork has to be laid before the kids walk in the doors freshman year.
Bonster.
Do you think Mike North is right? Should we have to seperate programs? Well in my opinion we should not, I know there will be some people who will say that it would give more kids a chance to make the team, but at what cost? I really believe that if we seperate the program we will delute every team. The girls softball would probally be most effected, instead of a super team, you would have to medicore teams, same with baseball and wrestling.
The basketball program would suffer also. The football team would really go down the tubes faster than it takes Bear to swig a beer <LOL>. if we can't field one good team drawing from two school's, how in the hell are we going to put up two good teams. No I say leave it as it is, the kids not being able to make a team should just try harder the next time, it's called life, not everyone can get what they want, sometimes you have to earn it. Heck, Michael Jordan was cut from his sophmore team, did that stop him? I think you know the answer to that one.
Not sure about your girls softball point. Jim Kulawiak won a state title at West in the mid 80's, didn't he?
Quote from: BIG UNIT on January 05, 2008, 02:23:11 PM
Bonster.
Do you think Mike North is right? Should we have to seperate programs?
I don't know. We have more than enough students, right?
Maybe they're just not good enough atheletes...need to practice the old fashioned way - running from the cops.
I say if we're combining sports programs, lets combine the schools. Say, Freshman/Sophomore at East, Junior/Senior at West, like Lake Park.
Quote from: BIG UNIT on January 05, 2008, 02:23:11 PM
The football team would really go down the tubes faster than it takes Bear to swig a beer <LOL>.
LOL. I need to see that You Tube!
Silk.
Your wrong there my friend, 60% of the starters were from Morton East. My ex-girlfriend played on that team. And that team winning was a result of merging the teams. East girls could not have done it with out the West girls and vice versa.
Hey, maybe more schools in the suburbs should follow suit, combining teams to create superpowers and dynasties!
or not.
I may be wrong, it may have been one of the first combined teams, but I DO remember that Dawn Viti from west was the big star. The girls I remember were all from west. I belive the year was '86.
another problem we forget is cost, you have to pay for more coaches, maintenance, and security for the games, im sure thats one of the reasons they combined in the first place, and the teams would all be worse off, right now the boys basketball is doing the best and i think the players are mostly from west, and football would really be bad, but at least someone would win, unless east against west tied LOL
speaking of boys basketball, they lost to fenwick tonight, just saw final on trib website
Quote from: BIG UNIT on January 05, 2008, 02:23:11 PM
... Should we have to seperate programs? Well in my opinion we should not, I know there will be some people who will say that it would give more kids a chance to make the team, but at what cost?
I think there should be separate sports teams for Morton East and Morton West. It's more than about sports. It's about community and identity.
When CARES had a forum with students last spring, this issue came up. The thing that might surprise people most is that the girls on the panel were the most passionate about having separate sports teams. In fact, the one boy on the panel who had been on one of the sports teams didn't seem to care. The issue was not sports, per se. It was more about identity and community.
Same thing happened when we were circulating petitions in summer of 2006 for the school consolidation referendum. I met many women in Berwyn who talked about the Falcons and how it was a shame that Mroton West did not have its own team.
So, it's not just about sports. It's about identity and community. And, even today, there is still a lot of underlying hostility in Berwyn about the fact that the district kept the Morton East name (Mustangs) rather than coming up with a neutral name like Pegasus.
But, I also agree that separate sports teams should not be done unless the money is there to do it and right now the money is not there. I would like to know, however, what the cost would be to have separate sports teams, especially if you use current employees as coaches rather than hiring a whole new set of employees.
Ted
ted, whether there employed already or not, you have to have more coaches, everything doubles, besides the teams, you have cheerleading, poms, and you have to pay advisors, who are paid like coahes
Quote from: jimbuc on January 06, 2008, 08:36:07 AM
ted, whether there employed already or not, you have to have more coaches, everything doubles, besides the teams, you have cheerleading, poms, and you have to pay advisors, who are paid like coahes
Why do you have to have more coaches? Why not existing employees? Why not just split the current coaching staffs in half and double their duties? Why does a football team need 8 to 10 assistant coaches rather than 4 to 5 assistant coaches? Why does the women's water polo team need both a head coach and an assistant coach??
As for cheer leaders and pom poms, again, why can't you just split the existing cheer leading teams in half? Why are you assuming everything needs to be doubled?
That is why I ask what the cost would be, especially if we split coaching teams in half rather than doulbing the number of employees. In looking at all the assistant coaches District 201 has hired in the last 3 years, it seems to me to be a bit ridiculous.
As someone once whispered to me at a District 201 board meeting, why the hell does District 201 need an assistant coach for women's water polo anyway!!
Ted
some sports like water polo you can, but what about security and custodial costs
dont get me wrong, im all for the students, i would like to see more students make these teams, im just being realistic
another thing to consider is practice times, you would have to stagger the times for all theses teams, i coach soccer for berwyn rec, we practice at west and besides teams, they have gym class high school night school, its always busy at these schools from morning til 9 at night, you have to look at alot of things when you consider splitting all these teams
Quote from: Ted on January 06, 2008, 08:20:57 AM
It's more than about sports. It's about community and identity.
I agree. I've talked to teachers, staff, student and parents and almost all of them say that school climate and low morale are big concerns.
I think having an identity and a sense of school pride would have a great positive impact on students, teachers, staff and the whole community, not just the athletes. In fact, I think some would take a losing team that was theirs over a winning team to which they didn't feel attached.
Besides identity and community, we should also consider the positive impact that sports have on individual students (separate teams means at least 2x as many kids have the opportunity to participate). I'm sure there is tons of research out there on the benefiits of hs sports to students such as higher achievement (ONLY 30% of MW students meet or exceed standards), higher graduation rate, attendance, crime, teen pregnancy, self-esteem, etc. We have the shortest school day in the state. Keeping 2x as many kids at school for practice, engaged in learning teamwork skills and hopefully being influenced by some good coaches is a huge benefit. It is about life, BIG UNIT. It is about LIFE SKILLS, not just athletic skills.
Is it about winning? Is it about money? Is it about politics? Is it about employing as many adults as possible as coaches?
It is about KIDS!
Shelley
Quote from: jimbuc on January 06, 2008, 08:57:57 AM
some sports like water polo you can, but what about security and custodial costs
On the other side of that would be a savings by not having buses and bus drivers carting kids from one campus to the other for practice. What is the dollar amount for gas, bus driver salary, insurance and maintenance of those buses?
Shelley makes a good point. In order to participate in sports, students must maintain certain grades. Perhaps if more kids felt they could participate in sports, they might become more invested in school, and as a result, the grades would improve.
The SKYWARD software system that the school has implemented has the means for teachers to indicate students' athletic eligibility with the click of a mouse, so tracking students' class performance would be easy enough.
Also, many students who should be staying after school for extra help or to serve a detention aren't doing so because they have to catch the shuttle to the other campus for practice. By splitting the teams and eliminating the need for travel, coaches could start practice a little later (like 2:45 or even 3:00) and the students could use the time to take care of their responsibilities at their respective schools and then go to practice.
Quote from: jimbuc on January 06, 2008, 09:04:46 AM
another thing to consider is practice times, you would have to stagger the times for all theses teams, i coach soccer for berwyn rec, we practice at west and besides teams, they have gym class high school night school, its always busy at these schools from morning til 9 at night, you have to look at alot of things when you consider splitting all these teams
Why wouldn't the Morton East kids practice at Morton East?? Why would they come to MW to practice?
I have been told that combining the sports saves Morton a million dollars. Do I believe that number, no i do not. Mortonvet brings up a fantastic point that some students keep their grades up to stay eligable to participate in a sport. That is a very true statement.
All the other public districts that have combined their sports programs have suffered with
horrible results. Niles,Joliet and a few more. Its harder to build a program and a team when the kids are spread out at different campuses, more so in football because there are so many more kids than other sports.
Mortons athletic director did cut the number of coaches in some sports in order to find the money to save girls gymnastics. We have the same amount of coaches per sport as every other team in the conference.
Many people say Morton loses alot of athletes to drugs and gangs. From what i have seen they lose most kids to grades or part time jobs.
Ted it would be hard for all the East teams that practice outdoor sports to practice at East because they do not have the land that the West campus does. They have enough gyms for indoor sports but outdoor would be a problem. Especially since football and boys soccer, baseball and girls soccer all play during the same times of year.
'Evanston Fan' doesn't think too highly of the Mustangs... LOL
You have given Morton way too much credit. Sure, they beat Evanston and all those other ranked teams, but they held the ball for the last 3:15 seconds, and the refs made a bad call by calling a foul very far from the basket with 1.5 seconds left. The player did not even try to shoot! I find it apalling how the Tribune has not commented on that major aspect of the game. Sure, it is a good strategy for a coach who looks like he went to a thrift store for his gameplan and his outift. My Prediction: Morton is not going to be in the top 20 by the end of the year. The only thing they had going for them was the element of suprise, which is gone. They are not an athletic team at all, and placing them 8th is an outrage.
Posted by: Evanston Fan | Jan 5, 2008 12:17:43 PM
http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/the_inside_scoop/2007/12/boys-basketba-1.html (http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/the_inside_scoop/2007/12/boys-basketba-1.html)
I'll have to check out a game and judge for myself.
Jimmy Chitwood.
first of all, i didnt know you have to dress like pat riley to coach high school basketball, and what was beating von stueben and st joes pure luck, yes you should go watch this team, because they are for real, it figures theres gotta be some negative bullshit
Poor Evanston fan does not even realize his team was outcoached. Tony M even
expressed amazement that Evanston LET them keep the ball for that long.
Can someone post a schedule? Thanks.
If you want to criticize the way a team plays, fine- but to attack the coach's clothing? Sounds like the words of a desperate man ( or woman)
Look at Donald Trump's hair and Bill Gates' clothes.....and they did just fine for themselves. Life is not a beauty pageant.
I like the response by 'basketball fan':
To Evanston fan,would you like a little cheese with your whine???Boo Hoo,blame the evanston coach for that loss.
Posted by: basketball fan | Jan 6, 2008 5:13:47 PM
http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/the_inside_scoop/2007/12/boys-basketba-1.html (http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/the_inside_scoop/2007/12/boys-basketba-1.html)
jan. 8 @ argo 7pm 17th @ willowbrook, 19th @ downers south both 730pm. 25th home leyden 730pm 26th home proviso east 730pm. feb. 1 at morton west addison trail 730pm pack the place, 5th home R.B. 730pm. 8th @ hinsdale south, 12th @ridgewood, 15th home willowbrook, 22nd home downers south, 25th regionals
last 2 home games 730pm
Quote from: jimbuc on January 06, 2008, 07:16:45 PM
jan. 8 @ argo 7pm 17th @ willowbrook, 19th @ downers south both 730pm. 25th home leyden 730pm 26th home proviso east 730pm. feb. 1 at morton west addison trail 730pm pack the place, 5th home R.B. 730pm. 8th @ hinsdale south, 12th @ridgewood, 15th home willowbrook, 22nd home downers south, 25th regionals
Thanks jimbuc.
Tony and his staff and the boys are doing a great job! Keep up the hard work!
evanston fan must know mike obrien from sun times, he knocked us right out of the top 25, we went from 14th to out of the top 25, this is ridiculous when theres 3 teams we beat still in
don't pay too much attention to the rankings, especially beyond the Top Ten.
Morton is probably as good as any team ou the there except for HF, Farragut, Young, Marshall,and Simeon.
The rest of the rankings outside of that top group are garbage.
Morton had a road game tonight at Argo and beat em 74 to 54.
big game thur. at willowbrook, come support our mustangs, were 4-0 in conference there 3-1, then sat. at downers south
silk, i agree with you about the rankings, sun times makes no sense
The Sun Times rankings are basically one guys opinion. And that opinion can be affected by many things.
big win for morton, 70-60 we had a good crowd there to, now we play at downers south saturday at 730pm
boys rout downers south 66-50, on our way to a conference championship
Just was on the IHSA web page and looked at the Sectional Sites. Morton is in for a very tough sectional. Here are a list of teams that will be in the Proviso East Sectional. #3 Farragut, #4 Whitney Young, #11 De La Salle, #16 Lincoln Park, #17 Fenwick, #18 St. Ignatius, and #19 Oak Park are the ranked teams that will be in the sectional. Followed by St. Pats and Mt. Carmel, Chicago Public Schools: Foreman, Steinmetz, Dunbar, Schurz, Hyde Park, Lane, Clemente, Kelly, and Little Village. Also, both Provisos will be in the tournament as well. This is a very tough sectional but I think with a couple of upsets we can come out of here with a Sectional Plaque.
Morton just beat the pants off of Leyden. 69-44? Not positive about the score, but it was pretty darn close to this. Scarlatta went airborne for two ally-oops fed to him precisely by Belcaster. The timing between these two kids is pretty impeccable. Not just for ally-oops, but all throug out the game. The team really has great rythm. When one player is getting shut down, the others are picking it up. It confuses the heck out of the opponents so that they never really know who to hone in on. All of the positions are very strong.
There wasn't that big of a crowd there tonight to watch a team that will more than likely win the WSG conference. The Mustangs are 7-0 conference and 15-3 overall. The Sat. night game tomorrow at Morton is against Proviso East. They will be out to avenge the loss at the beginning of the season. Come and cheer on the team and show your support for the school and your community. Tip-off is at 7:30. See ya there. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Morton BEAT Proviso East in Maywod earlier this season.
your right vic, these kids play great together, and fan support could be much better, i was there to
Couldnt believe how small the crowd was for a Friday night home game. Especially with a team thats doing so well. Kids played a great second half. Once they picked up the defensive pressure and crashed the boards Leyden had no chance. They really are a fun team to watch. Seems like someone gets a hot hand, and just when the opponent adjusts someone else steps up. Team is well balanced and has great depth. When the coach cleared the bench they actually kept increasing the lead. Thats a sign of a very deep team. Be great to win tonight and sweep Proviso East.
I looked on the website to see where the game was being held, and when I saw it was at East, I thought, "There's no way people are going to go there. There's never anywhere to park!"
Morton should reconsider where they hold their games. East is notorious for its dearth of parking spots. If they want to draw crowds, they need to have ample parking for those crowds. I noticed the upcoming game against Addison Trail will be at West, so hopefully that will draw a bigger crowd. Our guys deserve a good showing!
are you sure you are a vet to morton, if people care they will go to the games, its been a problem for years in this area, most of these parents dont give a fuck what there kids are doing, whether its at east or west, and most of the students could care less about the functions at the school either, its not the parking issues thats a problem
The choice of East or West has never been a factor in whether or not I have attended games...
theres a handful of families that truly care about morton, in about 3 years there will be knowbody at these games, im sorry to think this way, but i am one of these families and the future looks bleak for morton in many ways, not only about sports
exactly bonster, if someone cares about going to a game, it doesnt matter where its at
Actually parking at West looks easier cuz of the big lot but for a crowded game its just as far a walk at West as it is at East because of the location of the gym entrance.
Quote from: jimbuc on January 26, 2008, 04:38:04 PM
are you sure you are a vet to morton, if people care they will go to the games, its been a problem for years in this area, most of these parents dont give a fuck what there kids are doing, whether its at east or west, and most of the students could care less about the functions at the school either, its not the parking issues thats a problem
Yes, I am a vet of Morton, though I will be the first to admit I've never followed athletics there. (nor did I follow my own high school's sports back in my teen years) The reasoning behind my suggestion to hold the game at West stems from my past experience with all-district teacher institute days; they're always held at West because there's more room to park, between the school lots and the student-used lot in back of the plaza. Mustang raised a good point about the proximity to the gym entrance, though I would think they would let people enter through the field house doors on game nights, especially COLD nights!
I am going to try to go to the "pack the place" game, and will encourage other staff members to attend.
another huge victory, the boys beat proviso east by 1 point, had a big lead and proviso came back with a 10-0 run, way to go, hopefully a big turnout friday for pack the place
morton vet, sorry i got a little pissed off, but im a former graduate of morton east and have kids that go to west presently, i just get dissapointed when i see the lack of parent involvement with alot of these students, whether its sports theater or whatever
Do a lot of the kids at Morton attend these games, to support thier team and school?
Has the schools held any pep ralleys, or had announcements, encouraging the support of these great times that
Morton /kids and staff are enjoying?
parents and kids attend, but not enough when you consider the amount of students we have in this district
Quote from: jimbuc on January 27, 2008, 08:03:11 AM
morton vet, sorry i got a little pissed off, but im a former graduate of morton east and have kids that go to west presently, i just get dissapointed when i see the lack of parent involvement with alot of these students, whether its sports theater or whatever
Thanks jimbuc- I appreciate the apology. I feel your frustration, though. I agree with you that there is a lack of support from a lot of parents, and not only in the athletic department. (I'm going to take your word for it in that area, since as I said, I'm not much into sports.) We have a great theatre program, and art shows, speech team, math team, etc..... and though not all of these activities lend themselves to "audience participation", so to speak, I wonder how aware the parents are about these activities. Do they support their children's endeavors? I don't know. Certainly it's a lot easier to gauge support at a sporting event, but from what I keep hearing here, it doesn't seem like parents (and the community in general) are turning out in numbers to do that.
Patsy, to answer your question about whether or not the school is promoting the team, I will say this:
The daily bulletin lists scheduled athletic events, and the daily announcements do report the results of athletic matchups. I don't know how closely those announcements are followed, but- the school does make mention. As for pep rallies, there's always one before homecoming, which is during football season. Last season, when our soccer team was kickin' butt and takin' names, there was a lot of buzz around school. There was a pep rally, and lots of PR over the PA. There was an assembly on the last day before winter break, but that wasn't solely for athletics. In summary, is the district doing something? Yes. Could it do more? Sure.
Parental involvement is crucial to student success. Let's get the word out that there are a lot of things going on at Morton that AREN'T making news and SHOULD!
Parental involvement has become discusting in this day and age. And not just at Morton or around here. I was amazed last night how few people from Proviso came. Years ago it seemed like half of Maywood would come to the games when they came by us. Go past a little league field in the summer and the bleachers are empty compared to years ago.
Youth sports has become a glorified baby sitting service in a lot of areas.
Mortons most successful sport as far as consistent winning has been boys soccer. Their crowds for home games are pathetic. And no matter who they play the visiting crowd is just as bad. Alot of schools are no different than ours.
In my opinion, part of the problem is PR. When I grew up, theater productions, concerts, etc were heavily advertised in the community so that many people who were not parents or family would attend. It is also natural for teenagers to feel more pride when they are given recognition for what they do.(that's Psych-101). It just motivates them to do more and become better at it.
Another problem I see, and I know that this sounds redundant, is that a lot of the kids from MW would prefer to be exclusively MW. They don't like "sharing" with ME.
Even if the schools split, they still would be really large schools. I think they find it difficult to take sole pride in MW when the teams aren't completely MW.
Morton is now ranked 11th in the tribune and 22nd in the Sun-Times.... heres a look at the ranked teams in our sectional...its tough you might wanna close your eyes for this one...
Trib Sun-Times
Farragut #7 #5
Young #4 #3 (Regional Host)
Lincoln Park #22 #17
St. Ignatius #17 NR (Regional Host)
De La Salle #12 #15
Oak Park #23 #19 (Regional Host)
Fenwick #16 #20
Not ranked teams: Foreman, Steinmetz, St. Patrick(Regional Host), Dunbar, Mt. Carmel, Schurz, Hyde Park, Lane Tech, Proviso East, Proviso West, Clemente, Kelly, and Little Village... i think this sectional is absoultely INSANE!! and if we get passed this we should be top 5!!!
PACK THE PLACE IS THIS FRIDAY @ MORTON WEST
4:30: Sophomore Boys (Main Gym)
4:30: Sophomore Girls (Aux Gym)
6:00: Varsity Girls (Main Gym)
7:30: Varsity Boys (Main Gym)
I agree with Berwyn Patsy...they should host a pep rally on friday because of pack the place..and if they dont..once the regionals start they should..by watching them they deserve it! So come out and cheer on the Boys and Girls!!
it would be better if the kids turn out for pack the place, then have a pep rally before they start the regionals
I think they should hold a pep rally somewhere near the end of the school day, I believe that's the way it was done a long time ago. Of course parents still worked, but a lot got off early to join in the excitment. I really
think it increased the awarness of pride.
im sure they will have a pep rally before kids go to regionals, it takes alot of planning for pep rallys now, i think at west they have to have 2 seperate rallys cause students cant all fit in gym at same time, then you have to have a seperate one at east
Quote from: BerwynGuy55 on January 28, 2008, 08:01:14 PM
Morton is now ranked 11th in the tribune and 22nd in the Sun-Times.... heres a look at the ranked teams in our sectional...its tough you might wanna close your eyes for this one...
Trib Sun-Times
Farragut #7 #5
Young #4 #3 (Regional Host)
Lincoln Park #22 #17
St. Ignatius #17 NR (Regional Host)
De La Salle #12 #15
Oak Park #23 #19 (Regional Host)
Fenwick #16 #20
Not ranked teams: Foreman, Steinmetz, St. Patrick(Regional Host), Dunbar, Mt. Carmel, Schurz, Hyde Park, Lane Tech, Proviso East, Proviso West, Clemente, Kelly, and Little Village... i think this sectional is absoultely INSANE!! and if we get passed this we should be top 5!!!
With the new system of four classes for basketball and Morton being in 4A with all the large schools I think the regional will be this tough every year if they keep the system. More reason to start hosting a regional to give our kids a home court advantage.
boys cruise to a 61-41 victory, decent size crowd for pack the place, one win away from conference title, west does have better parking, but it is farther to walk to the gym, i like easts layout better, or maybe im just used to going to the games at east
i was at pack the place to, there should have been more support for pack the place, especially when you have a team as good as the boys soph and varsity, the band took up a 3rd of the balcony
Quote from: poppy on February 03, 2008, 09:39:07 AM
i was at pack the place to, there should have been more support for pack the place, especially when you have a team as good as the boys soph and varsity, the band took up a 3rd of the balcony
I'm sure the weather played a factor. Even though conditions had improved by game time, there are probably a lot of people who thought one of the following:
A) "I'm sure they cancelled the game since so many schools were closed that day."
B) "If the weather was too bad for me/you....." (depending on whether it was a parent or student) "..... to stay home from school today, I/you have no business going there for a game."
C) "I'll go to the next game, when they'll need spectators more."
As for the band, I understand they may have been taking up a lot of room, but personally, I think they deserve as much room as they want. For many years, Morton's marching band was the only bright spot in Morton sports. They have won several trophies over the years and have a terrific parent support organization. They need community recognition and support too!
im not complaining where the band sat the band is awesome, im talking about the crowd
i think that was a perfect spot for the band, since there wasnt many people sitting up there, that was my point
Mortonvet: Are you a teacher? I have read some of your posts here, and the thought of you teaching is a scary thought. At least I hope you don't teach reading comprehension. The comment about the band taking up a third of the balcony was in reffernce to a smaller than expected turnout.
Roger,
Considering how many times you've misread and misinterpreted people's posts, it's really not your place to comment on other people's comprehension.
And while we're at it, why don't you try proofreading your own posts before attacking other people's? For the record, "reference" has only one "f" and four occurrences of the letter "e".
People who live in proverbial glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
Quote from: poppy on February 03, 2008, 09:39:07 AM
i was at pack the place to, there should have been more support for pack the place, especially when you have a team as good as the boys soph and varsity, the band took up a 3rd of the balcony
I'm sorry, Poppy; I took your comment about the band out of context. Mea culpa. Thanks for the praise for the student musicians, btw!
Mortonvet: "People's"??? LMAOAY! West does have some very professional, dedicated educators. Unfortunatley, It is also plagued by pompous, incompetent, egomaniacs like you. You are probably one of the handful who sit in their classroom, hours after school has let out, and because they have no life, sit at their computers and use them for purposes they are not supposed to be used for. I get tired of reading how the students poor academic performance is because their parents do not take an active role, and they have to work after school. What Morton needs is more qualified, dedicated teachers like Ms. Krause and Dr. Bartone, and less like you.
Fans Need To Come Out and support Morton vs. R-B tomorrow at East...the R-B Sophomore team is (19-0) i heard and our team is (16-4)....its going to be a good game on both levels... Morton is still ranked 11th in the Trib and moved up to 19th in the Sun-Times!!!
varsity should have no problem beating RB, sophs will have a tough game because coleman has been playing on varsity last 4 games
boys varsity beat RB 77-66, can clinch conference title friday at hinsdale south, come out and see this awesome team, could be the best team in morton history
I thought they clinched with their win v. Proviso East?
Quote from: poppy on February 06, 2008, 10:23:45 AM
boys varsity beat RB 77-66, can clinch conference title friday at hinsdale south, come out and see this awesome team, could be the best team in morton history
Poppy slow down now, lol. Best in Morton history? If you check back in Morton basketball history you will find a couple of state titles as well as a national title. I've watched this team a few times and they are very good, and are also young and should get better. But as of today they haven't won anything yet. Best team in a long time? I'd say probably,best ever,no way. But like i said they are young, they still have another year together to leave their mark in Morton hoops history.
Well Poppy did say could be the best team in history. That still remains to be seen. I think these boys will certainly leave a mark in the history books of Morton athletics. One more win in conference clinches the WSG title. Three more conference wins gives the kids a perfect conference season of 12 and 0. It was good to see the Mayor at the game on Pack the Place night. I think he and Larry Dominick should be at more games. The kids see that and believe it or not it means something to them. The fan support is getting a little better but there is certainly room for quite a few more fans. I get out to as many games as my job allows me. Come out and support the team. It's really a lot of fun.
yes mustang, i said could be the best team ever, you better go to rosins and get your eyes checked LOL
Just heard that Morton was seeded 8th in the regional. Ahead of Morton are:
Whitney Young,Farragut,DeLasalle,Oak Park,Fenwick,St. Ignatius,and Lincoln Park.
I would guess the loss at Fenwick probably cost being a number 4 or 5 seed.
Poppy i dont think Rosins will help. I think it gets lost between the eyes and the brain! LOL.
Hi, all! If you can't make it to the game on Friday to show our community support for this team, please visit the BerwynCARES blog to post a comment of encouragement to the team. I'll print and get to the coach tomorrow (maybe someone on this board could deliver?) and ask that he pass the good wishes on to the kids! Thanks!
http://berwyncares-blog.blogspot.com/
Friday is a big day for the team. They could possibly sew it up as the WSG champs tonight at Hinsdale South.Come out and cheer them on. It probably will snow and/or rain, so make sure your all season tires are full of air (HA HA). For those of you who subscribe to Comcast Cable TV and really can't make it to the game, at 10:30 on channel 37(Comcast Sportnet?) not only will they feature the highlights of the game tonight versus Hinsdale South, but they also filmed a pretty good segment at the last practice to feature the team. The name of the show is Friday Nite Lites. Be sure to tune in. I will be at the game, but I will be sure to get back in time for the segment.
Quote from: Shelley on February 07, 2008, 03:03:01 PM
Hi, all! If you can't make it to the game on Friday to show our community support for this team, please visit the BerwynCARES blog to post a comment of encouragement to the team. I'll print and get to the coach tomorrow (maybe someone on this board could deliver?) and ask that he pass the good wishes on to the kids! Thanks!
http://berwyncares-blog.blogspot.com/
Ok, I'm too embarrassed to send just 2 messages. The 21 of you who are reading this board right now...take a minute to write a few words of encouragement to this winning team! Click on the following link and then click "post a comment". http://berwyncares-blog.blogspot.com/2008/02/send-message-of-encouragement.html Please. Just a simple "Good Luck!" or "We're proud of you." will do.
Ok, Ok. Do what Shelley says, now.
I did!
"GO MOORTON!!!
RUN 'EM DOWN, THRASH THOSE SISSY SUBURBANITES!
KILL THOSE SONS OF BITCHES!
BASH 'EM, SMASH 'EM, MAKE 'EM BLOODY,
TURN THEIR FACES INTO SILLY PUTTY!
BEAT THEM DOWN IN FRONT OF THEIR PARENTS!"
Think she'll pass it along?
Done.
I think they'd enjoy mine the best...you guys are weak!
shana had a good one:
shana said...
You guys rock! Keep up your incredible winning season by beating South Hindsdale tonight.
BEAT THEIR AAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!
A sampling of the cheers -
- Congratulations on a stellar season...best wishes to continue it on!
- You must be exceptional young people to work together so well.
- Enjoy the moment and each others success.
- Thanks for helping instill pride.
- DIE HINSDALE SOUTH!
Quote from: Bonster on February 08, 2008, 02:23:06 PM
I did!
"GO MOORTON!!!
RUN 'EM DOWN, THRASH THOSE SISSY SUBURBANITES!
KILL THOSE SONS OF BITCHES!
BASH 'EM, SMASH 'EM, MAKE 'EM BLOODY,
TURN THEIR FACES INTO SILLY PUTTY!
BEAT THEM DOWN IN FRONT OF THEIR PARENTS!"
Think she'll pass it along?
Ever see that Seinfeld where Elaine's boyfriend, Puddy, does the facepaint thing and when she asks him not to paint his face for the game, he paints his chest with his buddies to spell something out and goes shirtless? Bonster, I think you need to recruit some BTers for the game tonight using one of those catchy phrases. Actually, I think we've discussed this type of thing before and there was some interesting banter from the girls of the board. I'll pass along your well wishes to the coach and let him decide what to pass along to the kids.
I'll be there.
Just put ROCK N' ROLL OVER HINDSDALE SOUTH TONIGHT - DON'T LET UP NOW BOYS!!!
(blog doesn't allow anonymous posts)
ROCK N' ROLL OVER THOSE HINDSDALE SOUTH SISSIES TONIGHT, DAGNABBIT! HARD FOULS, NO BREAKAWAYS!!!
Quote from: Bonster on February 08, 2008, 02:33:40 PM
I think they'd enjoy mine the best...you guys are weak!
shana had a good one:
shana said...
You guys rock! Keep up your incredible winning season by beating South Hindsdale tonight.
Dammit, I spelled my name wrong.
Today on the PA system, John Lucas (West principal) informed everyone about the boys' game against Hinsdale South. He also mentioned the Comcast program AND.....
he very proudly informed the school that the boys' team had been invited to a shootout this weekend at the Gentile Center (home of the Loyola Ramblers)!
The team must be very proud, as well they should be.
Quote from: Shelley on February 08, 2008, 03:18:31 PM
Quote from: Bonster on February 08, 2008, 02:23:06 PM
I did!
"GO MOORTON!!!
RUN 'EM DOWN, THRASH THOSE SISSY SUBURBANITES!
KILL THOSE SONS OF BITCHES!
BASH 'EM, SMASH 'EM, MAKE 'EM BLOODY,
TURN THEIR FACES INTO SILLY PUTTY!
BEAT THEM DOWN IN FRONT OF THEIR PARENTS!"
Think she'll pass it along?
Ever see that Seinfeld where Elaine's boyfriend, Puddy, does the facepaint thing and when she asks him not to paint his face for the game, he paints his chest with his buddies to spell something out and goes shirtless? Bonster, I think you need to recruit some BTers for the game tonight using one of those catchy phrases. Actually, I think we've discussed this type of thing before and there was some interesting banter from the girls of the board. I'll pass along your well wishes to the coach and let him decide what to pass along to the kids.
I hope nobody from BTF gets arrested - you know, out there in the Hinsdale lockup you might have to eat corn beef sammiches instead of the bolonie ones at Cook County. I couldn't go - both cars are tied up with previous commitments but I'm rooting for the Mustangs - I know they will clinch it tonight. Our community needs more moments like these. It's easy to forget there are plenty of good kids at Morton not just in sports but everywhere.
Quote"GO MOORTON!!!
RUN 'EM DOWN, THRASH THOSE SISSY SUBURBANITES!
KILL THOSE SONS OF BITCHES!
BASH 'EM, SMASH 'EM, MAKE 'EM BLOODY,
TURN THEIR FACES INTO SILLY PUTTY!
BEAT THEM DOWN IN FRONT OF THEIR PARENTS!"
73-46!!!They ran 'em down, they thrashed 'em, killed 'em, bashed, smashed, and bloody!!!
Their (Hinsdale) parents didn't witness cuz they left half way thru the 3rd period!
It wasn't even
that close, as the starters pretty much sat from halfway thru the 3rd quarter on,
coming out after three ally-oops in a row (last one clunked but it was a fun one, hehe).
20-3 after the 1st period
38-14 at half. Men amongst boys. Boys amongst trees.
Some of our kids are serious ballers, folks.
About 1/4 of the stands, behind the Morton bench, were Mustang fans. They made themselves heard.
I was jawin' it up with the Hinsdale folks (front row for those of you wondering who the psycho was over dare).
It was really sweet to see them get their Championship T-Shirts at the end & pose in them.
And for once, Bonster didn't have any form of camera LOL!These kids deserve it. I hope they continue to kick ass and take names.
Congrats Mustangs!
congrats to the team, just watched nice segment about the team on comcast
Just finished watching the Comcast segment. I could not be any prouder of a "TEAM" A season like this can only be because of the true meaning of the word. WSG Champs. It's got a nice ring to it. I am looking forward to the game at the Gentile center against Mundelein on Sunday. It's at 2:00. The more Morton and Berwyn people the better. Let's see if the rich kids can hang with our boys.
Bonster for Head Cheerleader!
WTG Mustangs. Well done!
its an awesome feeling having such a good team in our community, but why all the resentment towards some of these other schools about these rich kids, or suburban sissys, and their mommys and daddys pay for their health clubs and personal trainers, my brother is a doctor and lives in downers grove, his kids go to downers north and they support all the kids that go their,and the other schools they compete with, and my nephew and niece are two of the nicest kids you will ever meet, so just be happy with what our kids have accomplished and savor these moments, and just so you know im a truck driver whose lived in berwyn since im 9, my brother called me last night and said how happy he was for this team, remembering where he came from, thank you, buc
im very proud of this team and the coaches, i know all the coaches and some of the players, you couldnt ask for a better group, on and off the court
jimbuc, i guess what some of us are trying to say is weve been looked down upon for so long, and its mainly negative press in this community, but your right, why take it out on other kids, and just be glad we have a good team with good kids representing us
I think bonster was kidding.
Could be worse, Silk. They could be sox fans. :D
Quote from: jimbuc on February 09, 2008, 08:59:27 AM
but why all the resentment towards some of these other schools about these rich kids, or suburban sissys, and their mommys and daddys pay for their health clubs and personal trainers
Dude, it's just trash talkin'...
I'm one of them - DuPage born and bred. And corrupted.
Also have friends and family in that area w/kids at Hins. South. ;)
Little ol' Bloomingdale just kicked everyone's bare asses at the girls (8-12) gymnastics touney in Westmont two weeks ago. Complete and Total dominance.
Boo-yeah!!!
MRS. N-
Quote from: MRS. NORTHSIDER on February 08, 2008, 07:39:57 PM
I hope nobody from BTF gets arrested - you know, out there in the Hinsdale lockup you might have to eat corn beef sammiches instead of the bolonie ones at Cook County.
It's in Darien, not Hinsdale. BIG difference.
yea, take it easy buc, bonsters just reliving his teen years LOL
Yeah, I agree with bonster. darien is like a mini Berwyn West. Hinsdale is Hinsdale.
Congratulations to the Mustangs.
your right, i know alot of people who moved to darien, i like it there, good location also, off 55
Quote from: poppy on February 10, 2008, 08:15:33 AM
yea, take it easy buc, bonsters just reliving his teen years LOL
LOL. That's right poppy. And these kids from Morton are making it fun!
Anyone know if they did the shoot-out thing at Loyola?
Quote from: Mortonvet on February 08, 2008, 06:54:29 PM
he very proudly informed the school that the boys' team had been invited to a shootout this weekend at the Gentile Center (home of the Loyola Ramblers)!
listen to Joe Gentile, AM 1530!
a 63 point second half in route to a 103 to 88 victory.
this team only gets better, now a 103-88 win over mundelein, 1st gold title, 1st 20 win season since the 50s, and even the sun times realizes now that MORTON is for real, at ridgewood tonite, then home friday against willowbrook GO MUSTANGS
Freind of mine went up to Loyola on Sunday and said it was a great game. He also told me he thought it was a great tuneup because the refs let them mix it up without calling fouls. He said the game got physical and Morton really stepped up and got physical right back, something they needed to face playoff teams at the regional. He also said he had people coming up to him from other schools who were playing after Morton telling him they were really impressed on how good our team was.
If you have nothing to do this Friday night come watch them play Willowbrook. These kids provide great low cost entertainment on a Friday night! They are a pleasure to watch. It is a great young,well coached TEAM.
varsity wins again, 73-53 over ridgewood, come out fri 730 home vs willowbrook
<pounds chest!> Hell yeah!!!
I'll be there Friday...anyone else?
fkn' Willowbrook wussies...
Quote from: Bonster on February 13, 2008, 10:19:15 AM
<pounds chest!> Hell yeah!!!
I'll be there Friday...anyone else?
fkn' Willowbrook wussies...
Ill be there!
I'll be supporting pit bull sales in Berwyn.
nice
Illinois High School Boys Basketball Top 10 Poll
Associated Press - February 11, 2008 6:04 PM ET
boys prep basketball polls with first-place votes, team, record, total points, and rank.
Class 4A
School WL Pts Prv
1. Homewood-Flossmoor (7) 20-1, 156, 1
2. Edwardsville (3) 22-0, 147, 2
3. Whitney Young 21-3, 136, 3
4. Evanston Township 23-2, 125, 4
5. O'Fallon 22-2, 123, 6
6. Hononegah 24-2, 111, 5
7. Farragut 16-5, 107, 7
8. Zion Benton 24-3, 82, 8
9. Alton 21-5, 31, 9
10. Batavia 17-5, 27, 10
Others receiving votes:
Rockford Auburn 24.
Berwyn-Cicero Morton 23.
De La Salle 15.
Bloom Township 15.
New Trier 7.
Oak Park River Forest 7.
Moline 7.
Rockford Boylan 7.
How are the teams ranked, sportswriters? Doesn't seem to be the number of games won, there must be other variables that come into play.
They use the BCS computer and a Ouija Board. Seriously though, I don't know how and I think it's beyond silly. The rankings are meaningless.
ap rankings are done by a sportswriters poll. sun times nd trib are a sngle sportswiters opinion.
SILK, do you know what criteria they use to base these opinions? Obviously record... but it has to go beyond that. Strength of schedule would be another obvious factor, but c'mon... I doubt they use any scientific method for determining that.
whatever bob sakomoto thinks
LOL
Ah ha, I thought I wasn't able to figure it out. A popularity contest then.
something like that. but I don't think Morton is higher than #5 in the area anyway. Anywhere between #6 and #10.
65-56 Morton.
Nice crowd, too.
Willowbrook has some overall height and speed, but that's about it. They were hittin' the offensive boards early and Morton got some terrible calls.
Bellcaster got gun shy in the 2nd half, Moses Q was in foul trouble, Valdez played thru a tough nose blow, and they still out played 'em.
Too deep. Morton really shoots the gaps well, and when our big guys crash the boards it's over; Raul and Scarlotta have great hands and awareness.
I like the way mustang54 put it- a team of role players...no glaring weakness.
On a somber note they held a 50/50 raffle toward the funeral of Catalina Garcia, the M.E. grad killed at NIU.
They really are a pleasure to watch. When they went on a little run in the fourth quarter every player on the bench was up on their feet. Nice to see a group in this day and age that plays as a team and has no individual egos. Whats hard for opponents to stop is their depth. If somebody is cold theres always someone else to pick up the team. And it is a team of role type players. They all know their strengths and play to them. Not one player tries to do things they can't during a game. Like the game at Loyola this game was physical. Great preperation for playoffs.
Was nice they donated the split the pot to the girl from NIU's family. Also had a moment of silence before the game.You could have heard a pin drop in the gym during it.
your exactly right mustang, they definitely play team basketball, the chemistry especially of scarlata and belcaster is awesome, this team can beat anyone right now, looking forward to regionals, last home game friday nite 730, and it was nice to see them give all the money to the garcia family
What also is nice to see is how disciplined the players are. Last night especially early on the refs seem to call a lot of ticky tacky fouls on Morton and let Willowbrook play ball. The players don't gripe and let it take them away from playing their game. They seem to use it as fuel to play even harder. That is a credit to the coaching staff. Especially in this day and age when you see a lot of spoiled young athletes.
Mortons coaching staff has done a superior job at every level of the program and should really be commended. One who really deserves a job well done is coach Belcaster. He has been coaching a lot of those kids since they were in like fourth grade. I noticed last night coach Belcaster got a technical after a call against Morton. Might have been one of the best moves in the game cuz it seemed to me after he got it they made less calls against Morton. Next Friday is senior night, come on out and support this team, Believe me you will enjoy yourself. Especially when Luke "Skywalker" Scarlata throws down a monster dunk and the entire gym erupts!
Quote from: mustang54 on February 16, 2008, 09:47:35 AM
Especially when Luke "Skywalker" Scarlata throws down a monster dunk and the entire gym erupts!
mustang- though they didn't count it, that was an awesome ending with the alley-oop dunk as time expired!!! The place exploded.
I though Juan Valdez played one HELL of a gutsy game after knocking heads in the 3rd. That's not easy to come back from and still be effective.
I just remembered I have something next Friday and can't hit the last game. >:( >:( >:(
Hey, I always see people video taping. Who are all these people and where's all the footage?
The regional play-offs have been scheduled. Wednesday the 27th. the Mustangs will be playing against Foreman High School at Whitney Young High School. That's right. Home of MJ's son, Marcus. If the Mustangs get past Foreman, then they will more than likely play against Whitney Young Friday at 7:30.. I don't know how much you guys follow all the other teams, but Whitney Young is typically ranked in the top 6 slots of most publications. I will post directions from Berwyn to the front door of the gym at Whitney Young because if there were ever a game the boys needed a hometownlike crowd it will be then. Do your best to make the trek. It really isn't that far (20-25 minutes) and it is in a very safe neighborhood. Most of us couldn't afford this neighborhood. It is also directly across the street from a police station, so the cars are also safe. See you at the final conference game Friday against Downers Grove South. The Mustangs may have a perfect undefeated conference championship team. By the way, did anyone catch ESPN radio today at 1:20 this afternoon. Tony Martinucci was named the ESPN coach of the week. He was interviewed for a good 15 minutes. He really made the athletic program and the school sound terrific. Great job Coach!!!
Whitney young is in the West Loop on Jackson Blvd just east of Paulina. Next to Malcom X College and not far fro Moretti's. You could probably see the school from 290. No more than 10 minutes from 290 and Harlem.
Quote from: victorian on February 16, 2008, 10:25:23 PM
The regional play-offs have been scheduled. Wednesday the 27th. the Mustangs will be playing against Foreman High School at Whitney Young High School. That's right. Home of MJ's son, Marcus. If the Mustangs get past Foreman, then they will more than likely play against Whitney Young Friday at 7:30.. I don't know how much you guys follow all the other teams, but Whitney Young is typically ranked in the top 6 slots of most publications. I will post directions from Berwyn to the front door of the gym at Whitney Young because if there were ever a game the boys needed a hometownlike crowd it will be then. Do your best to make the trek. It really isn't that far (20-25 minutes) and it is in a very safe neighborhood. Most of us couldn't afford this neighborhood. It is also directly across the street from a police station, so the cars are also safe. See you at the final conference game Friday against Downers Grove South. The Mustangs may have a perfect undefeated conference championship team. By the way, did anyone catch ESPN radio today at 1:20 this afternoon. Tony Martinucci was named the ESPN coach of the week. He was interviewed for a good 15 minutes. He really made the athletic program and the school sound terrific. Great job Coach!!!
Foreman is my alma mater but too bad - I'll be rooting for the MUSTANGS!! They shouldn't have any problems knocking off Foreman.
Quote from: MRS. NORTHSIDER on February 16, 2008, 11:35:16 PM
Foreman is my alma mater but too bad - I'll be rooting for the MUSTANGS!! They shouldn't have any problems knocking off Foreman.
Traitor!
once we get past foreman anything is possible, every team is beatible and we are playing with alot of confidence, young just lost there last game, and we probably will play them after foreman, so lets go MUSTANGS
poppy i'm real pissed I can't go friday. i hope they continue playing hard - no relaxing before regionals!
BTF'ers - Please Go. 7:30p. You will Not be disappointed. Best entertainment value locally ($4).
Seriously, you'll be inspired in some small way for our High School watching this good group of kids out there.
Parking is no problem on the West side of the building, and it's a really good time.
And the snack stand is better than Hinsdale's <lol>...
i cant go either gotta work, but if they beat foreman next tues. i will go to the friday game, hopefully against young
this friday is senior nite, and if they win they will be undeafeted in conference, and they blewout DGS at there place last game
Hey Poppy. Everyone admires your confidence in the Mustangs ,but let's take this one game at a time. Foreman has a very respectable record according to Maxpreps.com. You are right in saying that any team is beatable. The kids are taking this season one game at a time and not underestimating the talent of any team. When the teams were tough, the boys got tougher. See you Friday for Senior Night. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!
Poppy,
You mean hopefully NOT against Young?
LOL
why, i would love for morton to have the oppurtunity to beat young, like i said before, any team is beatible, dont be afraid silk, is that why they call you silk, do you wear silk panties LOL
No, just silk LONG johns.
The fewer good teams you have to play, the better. Sometimes, winning a sectional game is harder than winning one downstate, especially on the west side.
congrats to the boys basketball team and the coaches, 12-0 conference champs, sorry i couldnt attend, good luck wed. keep this great season going
I was looking at the Trib's preps page and saw a poll, asking which team would win the 4A title. It was an extensive pool of schools
from which to choose, but Morton was nowhere to be found. What's up with that???
To see for yourself, go to www.chicagosports.com and go to preps, then boys basketball. When you look up the 4A schedule, you'll see these lines at the top of the page:
Class 4A boys basketball pairings
Source: Illinois High School Association
11:26 AM CST, February 19, 2008
VOTE: Who's your pick to win the Class 4A boys state basketball title?
Click on the vote line and you'll see the teams that are listed. Shouldn't the Trib include Morton and all the other teams in contention in its poll so as not to skew any buzz the poll results might generate for any given team? One need only look at the recent trend in MLB to note how many times the wild card team has gone on to win the World Series!!!!
C'mon guys! We deserve a break!
Went to the game last night and it was crowded. It was senior night and coach Martinucci made a class move and started all five seniors. That put four starters on the bench. He kept the seniors in for the first five and a half minutes and it was an evenly matched game. Morton was down 29 to 28 at the half. Then the roof caved in on Downers South. On one play Joey Belcaster had a fast break on a Downers player. He saw Scarlatta trailing down the lane and tossed the ball off the backboard. Scarlatta went up and very forcefully jammed it in. He got called for a technical for hangin on the rim but the entire gym exploded! From then on the crowd was rockin the rest of the night. The starters were a bit out of sync when they came in the game but in the second half they really turned it up and were running on all cylinders. Great game especially heading into the regionals.
First regional game is against Foreman on Wednesday at 7:30 at Whitney Young. If they beat Foreman they play again at 7:30 on Friday night probably against the regional host Whitney Young. Also heard there will be pep rallys at both campuses to send the boys off to the tournament. One on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday. They also asked the crowd to remain seated at the end of the game for a presentation. They were awarded a plaque for winning the conference and got to cut down the nets. Saw alot of alumni there last night which was great to see. Also alot of students,quite a few teachers, Cicero President Larry Dominick
and a lot of administrators. It was a fantastic evening. Final score Morton 85 Downers South 29!
What a great night it must have been! Thanks for making me smile with your report Mustang!
Good luck Morton.
Congratulations Morton!
What was the final score?
Quote from: time after time on February 23, 2008, 10:53:00 AM
Congratulations Morton!
What was the final score?
Morton 85 Downers South 59!
Quote from: mustang54 on February 23, 2008, 10:43:18 AM
On one play Joey Belcaster had a fast break on a Downers player. He saw Scarlatta trailing down the lane and tossed the ball off the backboard. Scarlatta went up and very forcefully jammed it in.
YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!!!!
Seen them do that before on the road!
aND when they're having fun like that, Belcaster makes some nice Kukoc-like passes around the place.
Pissed I had to miss the game. >:(
That was surely a class act by Martinucci starting Seniors.
http://yourseason.suntimes.com/schools/morton/index.html
The outlook for the basketball program is really bright. 4 starters return on varsity. If the sophs would have won last night they would have tied for the conference championship. They had a real good season. Saw the freshman A team play this week and they beat Downers South also. So the lower levels have a lot of up and coming talent.
Two weeks ago i went and watched a couple of grammar school teams at Morton West in a grammar school shootout. Lincoln School on 16th in Berwyn has some fantastic talented kids. Washington in Lyons also has a really good talented team. If these kids become Mustangs and can all keep their grades up this is gonna be a strong program for quite a while.
That was one of the best crowds ive ever seen walk into the gym last night. The stands were PACKED!!! If Morton can get support like that for the regionals that would be great!!! Whitney Young and Foreman coaches were both there scouting the game last night. I agree with Mustang54, Morton will have a good team for the next couple years. The Varsity was 23-3 (12-0) and The Sophomores had an impressive record of 19-6 (9-3) with no height what so ever. So i think the group of sophomores will fit it well with the talented juniors that we have. Im looking forword to a couple upsets this year and a chance at the state title!!!!!!
Quote from: BerwynGuy55 on February 23, 2008, 11:20:56 AM
That was one of the best crowds ive ever seen walk into the gym last night. The stands were PACKED!!! If Morton can get support like that for the regionals that would be great!!! Whitney Young and Foreman coaches were both there scouting the game last night. I agree with Mustang54, Morton will have a good team for the next couple years. The Varsity was 23-3 (12-0) and The Sophomores had an impressive record of 19-6 (9-3) with no height what so ever. So i think the group of sophomores will fit it well with the talented juniors that we have. Im looking forword to a couple upsets this year and a chance at the state title!!!!!!
It might be more than a couple of years BerwynGuy55. If the 8th graders I saw come to Morton there are not only a lot of skilled players there is some height that this years sophs and freshman dont have. Washington from Lyons has an 8th grader who is six foot four. Not just tall either hes got skills. Had another kid about six two. Lincoln had some front line players who are like six foot but can jump out of the gym, with good skills and really good court sense. With what i have seen and Mortons excellent coaching staff from freshman through varsity The Mustangs could become the crown jewel of the conference in hoops for quite a few years.
Do these kids play AAU ball during the summer and attend the various camps? That's the best way to gain skills and get recognition (recognition means scholarships for an education).
Quote from: OakParkSpartan on February 23, 2008, 12:18:30 PM
Do these kids play AAU ball during the summer and attend the various camps? That's the best way to gain skills and get recognition (recognition means scholarships for an education).
Yes they play all year round. I knew OPS would start talkin hoops now that the Bulls picked up a former Spartan! LOL!!
All top tier teams in every high school sport play year round. You can't compete if you don't.
btw, best pass I've seen all year is the wrapround Tim Traversa of St Pats didast night against St Joes. Both those teams are damn good. Surprised Pats lost.
silk, they may be damn good, but morton is damn better, do you attend any morton games
vet, i saw the same thing in paper, i couldnt beleive it, especially that they have lyons listed
jim, I've seen Morton play and yes they're good. But I'm telling you Pats is pretty good as well and Joes is not the same team that lost to Morton at Proviso. They're going to be dangerous in the state playoffs and will be a force next year. They have something like four sophomores and a junior amongst their top six players.
it seems like we made alot of teams wake up, evanston starting playing better to
In st joes case its just a matter of them maturing. They have two Div 1 prospects (Taylor, McCamey) at a minimum. And they'll be back next year.
Quote from: SILK on February 24, 2008, 11:31:05 AM
In st joes case its just a matter of them maturing. They have two Div 1 prospects (Taylor, McCamey) at a minimum. And they'll be back next year.
They have had alot of division one players. And they all seem to perform better when they leave Joes. They have had alot of talent and rated teams through the years but always seem to under achieve under pressure. And when they are done and you listen to interviews with the coach he ALWAYS blames it on the kids. To me he is the most over rated coach in all of high school sports history.
Dead wrong.
Pingatore won a state title with one of his least talented teams ever, led by brandon watkins, and without a starter taller than 6'3".
In close to 40 years of coaching, he's had only two guys play in the NBA-Isaiah Thomas and Amal Mc Caskill.
Joes may have more talent than other teams in the area or in the escc, but not compared to some of thw premier programs in the state. check and see how many pros have come from King, Simeon, Westinghouse Proviso E.
He's an absolute master of the man to man defense with weak side help and the motion offense.
Tell me which one of his kids had more success once they left Joe's outside of Thomas you was a once in a lifetime talent?
What a great night it was Friday. The energy in the gym was electric. The Mustangs could have beat any team in the state that night with all the support they got from their community. I got to the gym at my regular time of 7:00 and I couldn't park any closer than around the block. I also thoght starting the seniors was a very classy move by the coach. It was their night to celebrate and be in the spotlight. The held DGS very well.
We need to get that same energy down to Whitney Young on Wed. and hopefully Fri. I will certainly be there for the kids. 290 east to the Ashland-Paulina exit and North on Ashland to Jackson. Go right and the school will be on the left. OR Ogden Ave. east to Ashland. Take a right and go to Jackson. Take a left and the school will be on the left. Now you know how to get there, so get there and bring your friends and family. I have sent out 25 invites myself. Hopefully all will show or at least most.
Quote from: SILK on February 23, 2008, 08:48:41 PM
All top tier teams in every high school sport play year round. You can't compete if you don't.
btw, best pass I've seen all year is the wrapround Tim Traversa of St Pats didast night against St Joes. Both those teams are damn good. Surprised Pats lost.
I wasn't talking about HS teams playing together. I'm talking about the best players playing on AAU teams with other top players. I don't follow Illinois AAU ball that close, but I'm referring to something like the Michigan Mustangs, Hurricanes or the Family. Those teams typically have High to mid-major talent playing together (High means Big Ten, ACC etc...mid-major would be Dayton, Bradley, Xavier etc).
there are numerous top tier aau teams from the chicago area.
Yeah, I know. I just don't know the names.
So what I am asking is whether any of the Morton kids play with them.
don't think so.
Some of the best AAU teams in Illinois are Mean Streets, Ferrari, Full Package, Rising Stars, Illinois Stars, Old Gold, and the Illinois Mustangs who just happen to have the exact same players as your Morton Mustangs. I know that Scarlatta and Belcaster have both been asked to play with some of these top tier teams and players. Luke and Joe could have played on teams with the top 25 ranked players in the state. When they found out that the Mustangs were going to form their own AAU team, they both thought it would be a great oppurtunity to become an even better team than the year previous. Obviously, it panned out. Last years AAU Illinois Mustangs were ranked #10 in the state and that was playing all of the AAU all-star teams in the state. They qualified to play in the national tournaments in Las Vegas and Florida. So far this year, they have been invited to play in the LeBron James Classic Tournament in Akron, Ohio the weekend of the 25th, 26th, and 27th of April. This is where the top teams in the nation get together and battle it out. The kids will be holding a few different fundraisers to help finance the trip, so if a strangely tall teenager comes to your door looking for donations to "Send a Kid to Akron to Play Basketball", it's probably legit. Otherwise you can donate on your own. I already sent my money to one ofthe assistant coaches.
I think Mean Streets is coached/sponsored by NFL receiver Tai Streets.
There is a "fan bus" heading to Wednesday night's game. I'm not sure if it's restricted solely to Morton students, but if you're interested in going to the game but need a ride, it won't hurt to ask!
Your best bets for an answer would be Athletic Director Steve Lemon or Asst. AD Brian Manfre.
Also, on Wednesday morning, there will be an assembly honoring the team. Go Mustangs!
Morton 65, Foreman 65 in the 1st OT per the IHSA website (as of 9:15)
There were assemblies/pep rallies yesterday and today. They were great!
81-72 MUSTANGS WIN!!!
Just got home from Whitney Young. WOW!! What a game! They only had bleachers open on one side of the gym. It was packed and about 90% were Morton fans! Great turnout by the student body,faculty and alums.
I even saw a few guys there as old as me or older! The kids played a great game. The last play was a lob from
Belcaster to Scarlatta for a monster jam. The place went nuts.Was a very loud crowd all night long. At the end of the game the Morton fans stormed the court to celebrate with the team. A great site to see. Morton even had a bus that students could take to the game for like only two bucks.
Friday nights game is at 7:30 at Whitney Young against them. Was a very fast and very physical game. Refs didn't call much underneath. Raul Guzman fouled out with maybe four minutes left in regulation. Coach put in little Juan Valdez and he turned out to be the mvp. Hit some huge shots and made some clutch free throws.
Game was a see saw battle all night. Morton was up 12 at one time in the second quarter but it was cut to i think 3 at half. Can't wait for Friday. Way to go Mustangs!!
ELECTRIC!!!!! HEARTPOUNDING!!!!BREATHTAKING!!!!!!And that was just the ride home up Ogden Ave. Nah. Just kidding. I have never, in my day, seen such an outpouring of support from a community of people. There had to be 600+ Berwynites and Ciceronians in the stands who came out to support the kids. With that kind of support from your hometown, how can you do anything but win, and win they did. It was a very exciting game. Foreman was certainly no pushover. Congrats to them for giving us a heck of a challenge. The kids need that same crowd there on Friday when Whitney Young has to try and get past the Mustangs of Morton. See you at Young Friday at 7:30.
Did anyone see the Sun-times today. The Morton Athletic program was the High School Spotlight of the week. Good Job Kids.
it was a great game, these kids played there hearts out, another great team effort, i dont think ive seen a more consistent playmaking guard than joey belcaster,unfortunately assists dont always get put in the paper, i think joey and juan valdez really won this game tonight, i will be there friday and hopefully we get the same support if not more like tonite
WOW... Outstanding. We all knew it would happen.
Drive, determination, team. I am so proud of these kids.
They will go deep, more than we could imagine.
It will be done.
Great win.
Its usually not a good sign when a team struggles in its first playoff game, but given that Morton wasn't seeded as high as it should have been, it sunderstandable. Don't think Foreman was a cupcake.
Tough game against whitney young. normally I wouldn't give Morton much of a shot but Young has really been inconsistent all year, and strange things can happen during the state playoffs. I think morton has a shot.
Quote from: mustang54 on February 27, 2008, 10:33:05 PM
Raul Guzman fouled out with maybe four minutes left in regulation. Coach put in little Juan Valdez and he turned out to be the mvp. Hit some huge shots and made some clutch free throws.
Juan Valdez is a serious gamer!!!
I'll see you Friday, mustang!
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/highschool/cs-2007-08boysbasketballphotostwo,0,3902800.photogallery?index=1
Some nice pictures.
silk, you havent given morton much credit all year, so your opinion really means nothing to us true morton fans
I'm giving Morton a ton of credit. I already told you that they're a top ten team. I even predicted that the Mustangs would beat Joe's at proviso. Fact is though, Young has 6 Div 1 prosects on their roster. Morton doesn't.
I know games aren't won on paper though, so I think Morton has a good shot at the upset. Especially with how inconsistent Young has been.
SILK's got good stuff. I think SILK's played the role of a realist throughout, not a naysayer.
I'll accept props when given, even with caution; that's a sign of respect.
Quote from: jimbuc on February 27, 2008, 11:24:23 PM
it was a great game, these kids played there hearts out, another great team effort, i dont think ive seen a more consistent playmaking guard than joey belcaster,unfortunately assists dont always get put in the paper, i think joey and juan valdez really won this game tonight, i will be there friday and hopefully we get the same support if not more like tonite
I agree 100%. Belcaster is a very smart point guard. Sees the whole court and knows when to shoot,when to pass,when to drive and dish and when to drive and shoot. Also good on the defensive end. He really knows how to set the table for his teammates.
I think Foreman would have handily beat any other team in our conference. What hurt last night was 17 missed free throws for Morton. But in every single elimination every team usually has an off night. The key to advancing deep is winning that game on your off night. A few people from Young and the Trib really spoke of how well Mortons kids play as a team. In a society that has pretty much gone to a me first attitude especially in sports that is hard to find. Especially at the high school level. The coaches have done a superb job. And not just at the varsity level. It is taught all through the program. The freshman A team and the sophs both finished second in conference. And both did it pretty much without any height.
Jimbuc dont be hard on Silk. I've found him to be very knowlegeable on high school hoops. I agree with him that when Whitney Young plays bad they play real bad. But when their on they might be the best around. If Morton can control the tempo,hit their shots,and play good defense
my defibulator might go off tomorrow night! BTW for those who went last night I was told last night and today we will have the same 3 officials as last night. They proved why Morton should host regionals!
Anyone know directions to whitney young and if i need to purchase tickets in advance , can i get them at morton and how much???
Quote from: mustang54 on February 28, 2008, 02:25:26 PM
Quote from: jimbuc on February 27, 2008, 11:24:23 PM
it was a great game, these kids played there hearts out, another great team effort, i dont think ive seen a more consistent playmaking guard than joey belcaster,unfortunately assists dont always get put in the paper, i think joey and juan valdez really won this game tonight, i will be there friday and hopefully we get the same support if not more like tonite
I agree 100%. Belcaster is a very smart point guard. Sees the whole court and knows when to shoot,when to pass,when to drive and dish and when to drive and shoot. Also good on the defensive end. He really knows how to set the table for his teammates.
I think Foreman would have handily beat any other team in our conference. What hurt last night was 17 missed free throws for Morton. But in every single elimination every team usually has an off night. The key to advancing deep is winning that game on your off night. A few people from Young and the Trib really spoke of how well Mortons kids play as a team. In a society that has pretty much gone to a me first attitude especially in sports that is hard to find. Especially at the high school level. The coaches have done a superb job. And not just at the varsity level. It is taught all through the program. The freshman A team and the sophs both finished second in conference. And both did it pretty much without any height.
Jimbuc dont be hard on Silk. I've found him to be very knowlegeable on high school hoops. I agree with him that when Whitney Young plays bad they play real bad. But when their on they might be the best around. If Morton can control the tempo,hit their shots,and play good defense
my defibulator might go off tomorrow night! BTW for those who went last night I was told last night and today we will have the same 3 officials as last night. They proved why Morton should host regionals!
What you forget mustang is that Morton wasn't seeded as high as most other top ten schools. Therefore, their first round opponent was of greater ability than what a first or second seed would normally face.
Whitney Young, as you said, can either be the best team in the state or rather mediocre. Depends on which night you catch them. I think the Marcus Jordan transfer has created a carnival type atmosphere around the team, and they haven't handled it all that well at times. The one guy that HAS been consistent all year is AJ Rompza. I've been watching him for three years now. Solid mid major division 1 prospect, but a bit on the small side.
If Young is off, Morton can definitely pull off the upset. If Young is on, forget it.
Quote from: wayne on February 28, 2008, 03:59:11 PM
Anyone know directions to whitney young and if i need to purchase tickets in advance , can i get them at morton and how much???
I took the ike to Ashland North and turned right on Jackson. It was a few blocks down on the left hand side. Whitney Young dropped off advanced tickets at Morton this morning. They sold them in the cashiers office. They are $4.00. I believe Morton only got like 300 tickets. They were made available to students in school and their families first. I picked mine up late this afternoon at East. There is no school tomorrow for students but you might want to call the athletic department tomorrow morning to see if any are left. They are also available at the game but you might want to get there early. Also traffic might be a bit heavier being Friday and the Bulls I'm told have a game at United Center with a 7:00pm start. Was also told bleachers will be open on both sides with Morton sitting on same side we were last night.
Or you can take Ogden to Jackson, if the Ike is out of the way or you want to avoid the traffic.
90-63, Whitney Young.
Great job this season, Mustangs. We're proud of you.
In a year when Morton has undergone some trying times and received more than Its fair share of negative publicity, this Boys basketball ball team was truly a breath of fresh air. You have to love this team. Not only because they are very gifted athletes who comprehend and play team basketball, but also because they are such good kids... not hot dogging... no selfishness... just good team basketball. They really did Morton proud. It was very gratifying to see how the Morton Community rallied around this team all season long. Tonight, the place was jam packed, and most of the fans were Morton fans. The student body, parents, alumni, administrators, teachers, and clerical, security and maintenance personnel were all well represented at tonight's game. Silk was right when he said if Young was on, forget it. I don't know what Young's shooting percentage was, but it had to be phenominal. It was absloutely amazing how they hit shot after shot from beyond the 3 point range. The better team definitely won the game, but the margin of victory, in my opinion, in no way was demonstrative of the actual difference in talent the two teams possess. Young just absolutely shot the lights out. And the lights in their gym were not too bright to begin with. lol.
Congrats to all of the players on the team, and to Coach Martinucci and his staff. They gave a lot of us more joy than they could ever imagine, and they did so replete with class.
Well said, Roger. As badly as the Morton schools are (portrayed), watching these kids and how they act during and after the games really gives one a sense of hope for the future. Good kids, great Team concept amongst the bunch. Looking forward to next year!
Looks like Silk knows a thing or two about hs hoops. LOL!!!!
Anyway, congrats to Morton on a great year. They did their school and this community proud, and I'm sure they'll come back next year even stronger.
p.s. absolutely no shame whatsoever in losing to a team that may win the state title. If you guys remember, I also told you all that winning a regional/sectional in this area was going to be tough.
if whitney young plays like they did last nite knowbody will beat them, morton had a great season and made everyone proud to be a part of this great season, as it was shown last nite, 80% of the fans were morton fans, and most stayed til the end of the game and cheered the team, lets hope there energy will be a positive for the rest of dist. 201, congradulations to the players and coaches for an oustanding season, you made us all proud to be a mustang
Well said by all of you. And all true. Morton played an extremely talented team. The 2 guys that really killed us by shootin the lights out came off the bench. And the little guy who was hittin 3 after 3 is only a sophomore. Another great turnout by the fans. What was really nice to see was that Whitney has been ranked in top 5 all year,played at home and their gym was packed with Morton fans.
24 & 4 is an amazing record. Especially with a young team. They were a real pleasure to watch. Like us Cub fans say "wait til next year!"
I have never been more proud of a bunch of kids as I am right now. What fun I have had almost every Friday night for the past 4 months. Something really cool to look forward to at the end of the week. No shame in losing to the number 1 seed in the section. Your school and community are proud of your accomplishments and benchmarks that you have created for the following years. We look forward to an even greater year next year, but this year will certainly live on in peoples memorie's for many years to come. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!
i just read in berwyn life juan valdez and raul guzman made it downstate for 3 point shootout, congrats and keep it going
Young was upset by Mt Carmel in the sectional final last night.
As I said earlier, Young was capable of the best.......or worse.
Quote from: SILK on March 08, 2008, 09:12:26 AM
Young was upset by Mt Carmel in the sectional final last night.
As I said earlier, Young was capable of the best.......or worse.
Whitney Young played two good games. Both in their own gym. Bloom beat top ranked Homewood Flossmoor in their own gym then lost last night to Lockport. L.T won 2 games in the regionals in their own gym. Then lost last night to Richards at Richards gym. Gee you think hosting playoffs gives the underdogs an advantage? Morton NEVER should have stopped hosting playoffs. NEVER!! If you are losing money its your own damn fault for over staffing the event. Until the IHSA gets a clue and decides no one can play on their own floor and use neutral sites for every game Morton must host and give OUR kids every possible advantage to move on. Any administrator who does not feel that way should move on cuz they really don't give a damn about Morton.
The problem you have mustang is that regionals and sectionals are at fixed sites. And usually, those host schools have decent teams. I agrre about teams not playing on ther own floor, but that may create a logisical nightmare.
morton has hosted regionals and sectionals in the past, alot has to do with the facilities, the gym layout and parking, east and west are perfect, it has nothing to do with how good the team is
and we gave it up for financial reasons, morton doesnt even host any tournaments anymore, mustang is right, you cant have to many employees working these events, if schools lost money then nobody would want to host a tourney
What I meant is that the schools that host tourneys usually have decent teams themselves. LT, Proviso, etc.. although RB usually isn't that great.
Does the IHSA kick in any money to the host schools?
Quote from: jimbuc on March 08, 2008, 08:36:55 AM
i just read in berwyn life juan valdez and raul guzman made it downstate for 3 point shootout, congrats and keep it going
What's guzman's role, throwing the ball back out to valdez?
the ihsa does give a percent of the money, not sure how much, and no bonster they both qualified to go downstate by scoring more 3 pointers then the other players, maybe they could use your as there ballboy LOL
guzman?? you must have him mixed up with someone else
he is the starting forward with the long hair, you must not have attended our read much about the basketball team
Raul did indeed advance in the 3 point shoot out. For a big guy, he has great range. As far as hosting regionals and sectionals, Morton used to do both. The reason given for their refusal to continue doing so was 100% financial. I never understood this either and I wish the Supt. would reconsider.
Quote from: jimbuc on March 08, 2008, 12:40:03 PM
he is the starting forward with the long hair, you must not have attended our read much about the basketball team
saw four games, he attempted none...would have never known.
The boys' basketball team is being honored this wed. night at the Morton East auditorium by the school board. I believe that they have some sort of gifts for them. The gist of the appreciation is bringing a positive light to the school this past year and increasing the moral of the school and bringing civic pride to our community. Would this be a good time to start the conversation of Morton hosting the regionals next year? I believe a start to the state tournament at home may take the boys much further than this past season.
Quote from: victorian on April 07, 2008, 09:17:22 PM
The boys' basketball team is being honored this wed. night at the Morton East auditorium by the school board. I believe that they have some sort of gifts for them. The gist of the appreciation is bringing a positive light to the school this past year and increasing the moral of the school and bringing civic pride to our community. Would this be a good time to start the conversation of Morton hosting the regionals next year? I believe a start to the state tournament at home may take the boys much further than this past season.
FYI, this is the regularly scheduled school board meeting.
Was a time mentioned for the tribute to the team?
The boy's basketball season is right around the corner. This season returns 4 of the 5 starters from last year. Scarlata, Guzman, Belcaster, and Macias. Don't know who the fifth guy is, but I heard that they have a couple of good players for the spot. The boys had a great spring and summer season playing in Akron, Ohio and Las Vegas. They also played in countless tourneys around the city and suburbs including OPRF where they dominated the league. Colleges and universities are seriously looking at some of our players and offering scholarships for some of these guys to go on to play collegiate basketball. Great job fellas See you at the games!
and the best team in the school STILL probably is the soccer team (no disrespect to the bball squad intended).
I think you cant compare the two, different sports teams that are both very good, problem with soccer is they play the home games to early and they dont get alot of support, basketball is the opposite, they usually start at 730 and lets face it, its alot more exciting than soccer, unless your a huge fan, im looking forward to another great boys basketball season
Well, I beg to differ as to what's more exciting ...... maybe its just a matter of preference.
Nonetheless, state playoff games start later than the regular season, and Morton is, IMO, one of the top thre-four teams in the state. Certainly a better bet to win a state title than the hoops squad.
Not sure you can say that about the b-ball team.
Like you said its a matter of preference, but if you were to poll even just this forum, you would get more people that would rather watch the basketball over soccer, even though the soccer team is so good
As far as this basketball team going far in the state, if there were ever going to be a chance, this year is definitely the year
I have to agree that it is a matter of opinion as to which sport is more exciting. Soccer is this most popular sport around the globe with the most fans worldwide. In my opinion, basketball is pretty nonstop action also. If Morton basketball will ever make it downstate in my lifetime, it is this year. Set your GPS for Peoria in March. I'm hopin' to make the road trip.
Im definitely looking forward to the upcoming season, i attended almost all the home games and a couple of road games, especially last season when moral was really low at morton, this team gave you something to look forward to, have they put out the schedules yet vic
Go to athletics2000.com. Click on Morton High School. There are 2. Click on the Cicero one of course. Click on "Select a sport" There's the schedule. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!.
Thanks vic
Does anyone know how the girls basketball team will do this year, i doubt these new coaches will make a difference, not much talent last couple years since jacklin left
Unfortunatey,, Morton's soccer season came to an end this afternonn with a 2-1 loss to Hinsdale Central in the St. Ignatius sectional final, a team they had beat 5-0 earlier in the season.
Morton went up 1-0 in the first half, but gave up a fluke goal at the beginning of the second, and another one a few minutes later.
Mortonm had thje better of play, created a LOT more opportunities than Hinsdale, but ultimately, the ball wouldn't go in.
Congrats to the Mustangs on a great season.
The boys' season begins in just a week or so. The Mustangs will be at the York Thanksgiving tournament the week of Thanksgiving. York high school is in Elmhurst on St. Charles Road just west of York rd. Tues. the 25th at 6:00, Wed. the 26th at 6:30, Fri. the 28th at 6:00, and Sat. the 29th at 7:30. The exact address is 355 W. St. Charles rd Elmhurst for us GPSers. Friday and Saturday are going to be the tougher opponents. Friday night is against Neqoua Valley High School who is ranked pretty high in the state. Saturday night is against York High School who is always a formidable opponent. Come out and help kick off the season. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!
According to chicagohoops.com , the Morton boys basketball team is ranked 7th in the state of Illinois. Simeon, Champaign Centennial, and Marshall high school are numbers 8,9, and 10. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote from: victorian on November 17, 2008, 05:34:10 PM
According to chicagohoops.com , the Morton boys basketball team is ranked 7th in the state of Illinois. Simeon, Champaign Centennial, and Marshall high school are numbers 8,9, and 10. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These boys are the real deal. There's too much bad publicity about Morton nowadays. Let's focus on the positive which includes a basketball team that is rated above Simeon and Marshall which are the big - bad boys of the CPS and have won a number of state championships. Go MUSTANGS!!!
First congrats to the girls basketball team for winning there opening night game, and in trib and times boys ranked 13th and 15th in state, 1st game tues at york
A 3 at the buzzer to win by one for the varsity girls against Ridgewood. Sophomore girls won, too.
Saw the boys at "Meet the Mustangs" Tuesday night. They look very good.
this blows! My new schedule is NOT conducive to witnessing Mustang basketball this year...damn.
Hey Bons, we'll get you a doctors note for work ;)
Quote from: oldberwynite on November 21, 2008, 10:47:51 AM
First congrats to the girls basketball team for winning there opening night game, and in trib and times boys ranked 13th and 15th in state, 1st game tues at york
Playing Clark at York tournement on Tuesday. Girls at RB tournement on Wednesday.
Im going to try and go friday, Morton vs Nequa Valley, they are ranked 20th
boys cruise to a 93-60 win, wasnt there, score is in sun times, looking forward to going friday
boys win again 81-60 over hersey, big game friday at 6 vs nequa valley, both teams 2-0
Girls varsity lost to Naz by about 5 at RB yesterday. Sophomore girls won by a few vs. Naz.
boys lost 65-63, came back from being down 19 at half, its going to be another good year, this team showed alot of heart
thanks for the updates, oldberwynite!
Quote from: Robert Pauly on November 27, 2008, 09:08:09 AM
Girls varsity lost to Naz by about 5 at RB yesterday. Sophomore girls won by a few vs. Naz.
Heard the sophomore girls came from behind yesterday to beat Gordon Tech and win the R-B tournament!
Yes, they were down 21-14 or so at half, and came back to win by three. The team defeated Naz, RB and Gordon Tech this weekend, and are presently at 4-0.
just got back last night before the real snow started. Can't believe I had to miss the Thanksgiving tourney. Saw that the boys did well. Didn't we lose to Neoqua Valley last year? Heard it was a hell of a comeback. Travel is over for the year and Morton games are on the schedule from now til the end of the year. Can't wait til Friday against Downers. Get there early to find parking because I think it will be close to capacity. I know I have a few naysayers that I'm dragging along. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyone going to the game tonite?
Clam Diver.
I will be at the game tonight, It would be an honor to post some results...
I am going out first so my update will be late. If someone already has posted than I will pass. The game tonight should be very competitive. I hope we have a good crowd...Go Morton Mustangs
I'll be there, I'm going with Mr Mustang.................
Can one of you post the schedule in a new thread? I'll pin it at the top.
What a great game tonight. The turnout was fabulous. I had to park about a block away. DGS was pretty darn tough. Number 24 for DGS had a great shot from anywhere on the court. But that wasn't enough. All of our guys contributed very evenly. If you look at the boxscores, alll the numbers are very similar. This is because of the tremendous team effort put forward by all. No stingy players. Good players win games. Great teams win championships. Good Job. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!
My friends,
Both Morton Sophomore and Varsity Basketball teams won...The attendance was average but the energy was excellent both from the players and the crowd. I was also very impressed with both the Cheerleaders and the Pom Pon squads. Both teams have numerous members who actively participate. The performances were outstanding...
We play again on Tues night....
Hopefullly, we can get the same crowd out there on Tuesday versus Hinsdale South. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!
Victorian and LLEAST, tell me you guys weren't holding your BREATH when Luke went down in the 4th Quarter. I don't think you could have heard a pin drop. Tony said he is fine, he may have a mild sprain at the worst (knee). If he ices it he'll be fine in a day. DGS #35 was a dirty player. Hope to see more people at the next game, the boys seem to thrive off the energy. Again great game overall. Gotta love that kid Guzman, he just needs to keep his emotions in check, Macias and Belcaster were as good as always, Luke didn't seem to get into the flow until mid 2nd quarter.
Was a very interesting game. It was a game of runs by both teams. Morton opened up with a 10 to 0 run. Build leads as high as 18 but DGS kept comin back. Morton went over 5 minutes in the 3rd i think it was without a point. Seems like they turn the screws build up a lead and then get away from what got them there. That also is a sign of a very good team that knows when they can beat somebody. I was a little disapointed in the size of the crowd. More people should come out its a great inexpensive night out. Sure beats watchin the Bulls!
Where are the games? East or West gym?
games are at east
Quote from: Clam Diver on December 06, 2008, 08:31:14 AM
Victorian and LLEAST, tell me you guys weren't holding your BREATH when Luke went down in the 4th Quarter. I don't think you could have heard a pin drop. Tony said he is fine, he may have a mild sprain at the worst (knee). If he ices it he'll be fine in a day. DGS #35 was a dirty player. Hope to see more people at the next game, the boys seem to thrive off the energy. Again great game overall. Gotta love that kid Guzman, he just needs to keep his emotions in check, Macias and Belcaster were as good as always, Luke didn't seem to get into the flow until mid 2nd quarter.
Do you guys think that that collision was intentional? I didn't much care for #35 either, but I thought Luke and he accidentally collided. Hope he's okay for Tuesday. Belcaster made quite the splashy headline in Saturday's Sun-Times. That was very cool. You're right about Guzman. Keep his emotions in check and he is quite the competitor. See ya at the game Tuesday against Hinsdale South. I love beating those snooty b%#&*%ds.GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The collision was accidental. #35 on DGS isnt dirty hes just not a very good basketball player. It looks like he needs more time to adjust from football to hoops. He still thinks hes playin linebacker.
No I don't think it was done on purpose. From my angle, it looked more like #50 that collided with Luke. I think he was just trying to slow him up because Luke was going to burn past him.
(Hinsdale South) I love beating those snooty b%#&*%ds. I couldn't agree more with you.
clam, i hate to break it to you, but hinsdale south is nothing more than a upper class berwyn cicero, that area has chaged alot
Then tell that to the snobs who still live there.
lol... South is all the kids of ex-berwynites who
moved to Darien, Central is much snootier.
Quote from: oldberwynite on December 07, 2008, 06:49:41 PM
clam, i hate to break it to you, but hinsdale south is nothing more than a upper class berwyn cicero, that area has chaged alot
The only thing more upper class about south Hinsdale is there property taxes. I'd hang with Berwyn-Cicero people anytime before spending anytime with those sons of b@$%!*s. Sorrry, just my opinion. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote from: oldberwynite on December 07, 2008, 06:49:41 PM
clam, i hate to break it to you, but hinsdale south is nothing more than a upper class berwyn cicero, that area has chaged alot
Quote from: Bear on December 07, 2008, 07:21:00 PM
lol... South is all the kids of ex-berwynites who
moved to Darien, Central is much snootier.
Nailed it. Interestingly last year there were like 4 african-americans on the South team, none on Morton.
Quote from: victorian on December 07, 2008, 08:01:14 PM
Quote from: oldberwynite on December 07, 2008, 06:49:41 PM
clam, i hate to break it to you, but hinsdale south is nothing more than a upper class berwyn cicero, that area has chaged alot
The only thing more upper class about south Hinsdale is there property taxes. I'd hang with Berwyn-Cicero people anytime before spending anytime with those sons of b@$%!*s.
GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...and their ability to use proper grammar.
I'd hang with my buddy Lopez and his 7 hilariously fun kids soon to be at South anytime before spending any time with some of the close-minded sons of b@$%!*s I've met in Berwyn-Cicero.
GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is a large contingent of section 8 at 91st & RT 83
in unincorporated Hinsdale that is in the south school district.
Belcaster = MVP Friday night. Superb HS guard. Macias = Scottie Pippen type player - loved watching him, and you're all right about Guzman - big, big kid, with bigger ponytail - always smiling - dribbling behind his back, shooting 3's and rebounding with the best of them. The coolest cat on the court.
I didn't catch on last year - this is primo value for your entertainment dollar - a great bunch of kids - good ambassadors for the school.
Quote from: delicate flower on December 07, 2008, 09:52:01 PM
Quote from: victorian on December 07, 2008, 08:01:14 PM
Quote from: oldberwynite on December 07, 2008, 06:49:41 PM
clam, i hate to break it to you, but hinsdale south is nothing more than a upper class berwyn cicero, that area has chaged alot
The only thing more upper class about south Hinsdale is there property taxes. I'd hang with Berwyn-Cicero people anytime before spending anytime with those sons of b@$%!*s.
GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...and their ability to use proper grammar.
I'd hang with my buddy Lopez and his 7 hilariously fun kids soon to be at South anytime before spending any time with some of the close-minded sons of b@$%!*s I've met in Berwyn-Cicero.
GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Hilariously fun"? Don't you mean "funny". Good grammar Flower. If there were any African-Americans (notice the capital letters Flower) at Morton that could plaqy ball and keep some semblance of a GPA, I am sure they would be on the team.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on December 08, 2008, 07:00:47 AM
Belcaster = MVP Friday night. Superb HS guard. Macias = Scottie Pippen type player - loved watching him, and you're all right about Guzman - big, big kid, with bigger ponytail - always smiling - dribbling behind his back, shooting 3's and rebounding with the best of them. The coolest cat on the court.
Joey "Kukoc" Belcaster ... he's got that same touch when passing the ball off, and can hit the 3. Macias is much tougher than Pippen.
Quote from: victorian on December 08, 2008, 08:01:22 AM
"Hilariously fun"? Don't you mean "funny".
NO. I meant what I said and said what I meant (rbain).
Quote from: victorian on December 08, 2008, 08:01:22 AM
If there were any African-Americans (notice the capital letters Flower)
I did notice. Why did you capitalize flower?
So...the A-As at M are too stupid to play basketball? Interesting...
Let's not forget to give kudos to the wonderful coaches we have also. These men do a great job with the kids. Besides the kids having a ton of talent, they have bought into the system that Martinucci has instilled in them. Also coach Belcaster is awesome as well.
excellent point clam,the coaches do an ecellent job with these kids, from the berwyn rec to there high school years
Lets not forget the other levels besides varsity, sophs are good, and another Belcaster on that team who is about 6' 4 and only a freshman, Bill Bloom coaches that team, he is another dedicated coach, i think he also coaches track
Quote from: oldberwynite on December 08, 2008, 09:12:51 AM
Lets not forget the other levels besides varsity, sophs are good, and another Belcaster on that team who is about 6' 4 and only a freshman, Bill Bloom coaches that team, he is another dedicated coach, i think he also coaches track
Good call, Coach Bloom does boys cross country in the fall and is one of the finest people working at Morton.
Hey Mustang. How's that jersey fit. Have you figured it out yet :fiveoh:
whats going on here, boys beat hinsdale south and knowbodys talking about it, they beat them by 18
Quote from: oldberwynite on December 11, 2008, 10:21:47 AM
whats going on here, boys beat hinsdale south and knowbodys talking about it, they beat them by 18
Not many people were there. A Tuesday night and the snow kept the crowd down. They won by 18 but were up by 30 in the fourth when the coach emptied the bench. I think every player on the team got some time. The sophs won by 21. The girls were at Hinsdale South the same night. The sophs were down by 11 going into the fourth and came back and won by 3. That runs their record to 6 and 0.
The sophomore girl's game was terrific, thanks to some smart coaching. At the start of the 4th, Coach Murphy inserted a smaller, faster line-up and began pressing. Within three minutes, they had it cut to three, and the starters then carried it home and closed within the last minute. The sophs are beating teams that blew them out as freshmen.
Hey, to all of you going to games - boys or girls - let me know. I'd like to meet you. I'll be at the girl's game Saturday (at Downers South, I believe).
Quote from: Robert Pauly on December 11, 2008, 05:31:24 PM
The sophomore girl's game was terrific, thanks to some smart coaching. At the start of the 4th, Coach Murphy inserted a smaller, faster line-up and began pressing. Within three minutes, they had it cut to three, and the starters then carried it home and closed within the last minute. The sophs are beating teams that blew them out as freshmen.
Hey, to all of you going to games - boys or girls - let me know. I'd like to meet you. I'll be at the girl's game Saturday (at Downers South, I believe).
Beating teams that blew them out last year as freshman, that is fantastic to hear! Have you seen the freshman girls yet? I hear they have some talent.
Haven't seen the freshmen, but I know some of the girls, who are pretty good. At least one of their teams won at Hinsdale South - I think the A team.
Tough game at Leyden tonight. Boys seemed to have a hard time getting it together in the first half. Leyden couldn't miss from three point range. Belcaster and Guzman were huge in this game. Scarlata in foul trouble early, but stepped it up a bit in the second half. Coach changed the defense in the second half and it worked great. Leyden's cage got rattled and that was the end of the 3-point attack. They weren't able to do much under the basket once Scarlata got back in and Raul was with him to terrorize Leyden under the basket. Great finish and congrats. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the great recap, but what was the final score?
They won by 8, 62 to 54. One thing i have noticed is this team seems to know who it can beat before the game even starts. You can tell by the way they act in warmups. That is very dangerous and can cost them down the road when the powers to be start seeding teams for playoffs. They must understand that this year they are no longer the hunter looking to gain respect. They are now the hunted. They need a chip on their shoulder like last year to keep them rolling night in and night out no matter who they play.
Mustang,
Tribune has our boys listed at 6 wins and 2 losses....I think this is a mistake, or did I miss a loss somewhere. Also, you are right with our boys playing to the level of the competition...
It's funny that you mention this, mustang, but I've noticed the same thing the couple of times I've seen them. Supremely talented and balanced, big athletic center and power forward, a slashing small forward/big guard who can shoot, penetrate and rebound and two, super quick guards - but there's a very casual (not quite arrogant) air about them - a couple of unexpected losses might be good for them. They remind me of some of the talented DePaul teams from the 80's, who casually played on the edge all season to ultimately lose to more motivated teams in the tournament. I've been away from high school basketball for quite some time, but this team appears to have the talent to make a deep run in the tournament, assuming they keep their heads on straight.
Mustang.
Your dead on with your comment. I've also noticed that our bench doesn't seem as deep with talent like years past. I've noticed that coach M has played his starters longer than usual. This can be a huge problem down the road. A good example was the DGS game, when we went up 20 we left our starters in, DGS made a comeback with our starters clearly exhausted. This will really be a problem when we play a team that loves to run the floor. Then again I am not a basketball coach nor are my comments intended to undermind coach M.
Quote from: Clam Diver on December 13, 2008, 11:00:07 AM
Your dead on with your comment. I've also noticed that our bench doesn't seem as deep with talent like years past. I've noticed that coach M has played his starters longer than usual. This can be a huge problem down the road. A good example was the DGS game, when we went up 20 we left our starters in, DGS made a comeback with our starters clearly exhausted. This will really be a problem when we play a team that loves to run the floor. Then again I am not a basketball coach nor are my comments intended to undermind coach M.
Clam, might this be due to seniors moving on and no one stepping up in their place? I'm thinking like Moises Quezada, who was huge for them last year.
(http://media1.suntimes.com/multimedia/morton.rb4.jpg_20080205_22_20_29_49-311-470.imageContent)
Anyone going to Downers South tonight for the girl's games?
LL the Trib is wrong they only have one loss. Moises graduating was a huge loss. He was a real money player in the crucial times of a big game. There are some talented juniors on the bench but they all have a very similar game and are all pretty similar in size. The one good thing is I think the staff notices the same things we do but realize its early and are waiting to push the buttons. When this starting lineup is running on all cylinders they have the balance to beat pretty much anyone. Staying out of foul trouble will be the key. Also they play excellent team defense that can help them get through games where the offense struggles.
For those of you who havent been to a game do yourself a favor and check them out. Theres no home games til January 9th but i can tell you it is a great inexpensive form of entertainment.
Robert your comparison to the Depaul teams is a perfect analogy. Those teams were loaded with talent. I still say Ray Meyers stall tactics cost them a national title.
Money is (was) right, mustang.
Even though there are no home games, these places aren't that far, and every bit helps.
I haven't been to a game yet this year, but last year they really fed off a good raucous Morton section on the road.
The season is young, and we must remember that these are kids - from this point on only positive reinforcement from me. A supremely entertaining bunch - as has been said, catch a game if you can. These kids - boys and girls - are tremendous ambassadors for our town.
You're right, DC, Morton fans aren't shy on the road, almost to a fault!
Now the DePaul teams - they're something else. My heart is still broken over a few of those seasons.
The next game is the Proviso East game this Friday. Note that the game starts at 6:00 and not the usual 7:30. Proviso will be out for blood. They did not take losing to Morton twice in one season very well. If you recall (thanks to flower pointing it out) we had a heck of a crowd at the Proviso away game last year and I do believe that the team does feed off of that energy. We need to get just as big a crowd, if not bigger, out to that game again this year. The boys beat Proviso 2 out of 3 games this past summer. With a chip on their shoulder, they can do it again. Your right about the bench. They definitely need to get more experience in games ,but I am also not a coach or that learned about the game to say at what point they should be put in. It's easy when we are up by 15 or 20 with only a couple minutes to play, but they need to learn to deal with pressure of a real game. Hopefully this will be soon because the starters definitely need to sit once in a while to rest. See you at Proviso. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!
By the way, did anybody know that Morton is hosting the sectional this year. The field is loaded again like last year. I don't quite understand how it all works, but if you click on this link, the article pretty much tells us what to expect. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://blogs.suntimes.com/hoopsreport/2008/12/state_tourney_pairings_and_a_c.html
Could someone give us some feedback on last nights game for our Boys' at Proviso East....I was not able to attend. The paper has a nice article, but It is always nice to hear from our fans who were there. Thanks
It was a great game, they couldnt stop Scarlata in the 1st half, we built up a big lead, then proviso came back with some big 3 pointers, they had a 10 point lead going into 4th quarter, in my opinion it was a 4th quarter team effort but Joe Belcaster was the key with his points and assists in that 4th quarter
The Boys were also on High School Lites last night, you could also see it on Comcast Sports website
Went and watched the Lady Mustangs play Proviso East. Sophs lost by 7. Free throw line killed them i think they were like 6 for 21. Varsity got beat pretty bad. Proviso was tall,and quick. Morton had big problems breaking their full court press. First time i ever saw a team still press while up by 30 in the fourth. Proviso has a very young varsity team and should be strong for a few years.
Next time you're at a girls game, Mustang, please wear a name badge. Or I will. Where were you sitting?
It was nice to see a few of the varsity's boys at the girl's game - immediately after they had beaten PE.
PE's varsity is going to be tough in a year or two. 6'2" twins already on varsity - the twins on the sophomore team weren't too bad, either.
Our girl's JV team lost to PE by 9 or 10 today, too.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on December 20, 2008, 04:59:02 PM
Next time you're at a girls game, Mustang, please wear a name badge. Or I will. Where were you sitting?
It was nice to see a few of the varsity's boys at the girl's game - immediately after they had beaten PE.
PE's varsity is going to be tough in a year or two. 6'2" twins already on varsity - the twins on the sophomore team weren't too bad, either.
Our girl's JV team lost to PE by 9 or 10 today, too.
I sat second row right when you walked in the gym with a freind of mine and his son during the sophomore game. Same spot pretty much for 1st half of varsity game. For the 2nd half i was standing by the wall by the gym entrance. Had a feeling you would be there and wondered if every guy that walked by was you! lol!! Proviso had over half a dozen freshman girls on the soph and varsity teams. They will be strong for a while.
What a great game. Nice turn out for the Mustangs even though it was pretty nasty out. When the boys were down by 10, they didn't seem to get discouraged. The crowd started to get loud for them. Tony and the boys turned up the heat and adapted to their offense by changing up the defense a bit. Stopped them pretty well in the final minutes of the game. While the Proviso's defense keyed in on Scarlata, Raul ruined them in the paint and capped off the win. Another great team effort. Trib had a nice picture of Luke Scarlata and a nice interview about the game on Saturday. Now comes the big time. Proviso West Holiday tournament. This will definitely be tougher than last year. Some new talent on board with Zion-Benton and Foreman. Remember Foreman? The first game is on Friday the 26th at 1:45 against Von Stuben. Don't know much about them, but if they are in this tournament, they must be good. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Went to Proviso West today and watched our Mustangs destroy Von Stuben. Final was 56 to 35 but Morton was up by 31 going into the fourth quarter. IHSA rules mandate a running clock if a team is down by more than 30 going into the fourth. Tomorrow they play Glenbrook North who i watched beat Hillcrest by 2. Morton dominated Von Stuben in every part of the game. Plus the entire team got some valuable tournament experience.
If you got nothing to do tomorrow Whitney Young faces Homewood Flossmoor before the Morton game. Young held on to a big lead to beat them by 2 earlier in the year at Chicago State. That will be two great games back to back. I believe Young plays at like 3:30 followed by Morton at like 5:15.
Young should have their way with H-F.
Glad to hear Morton is continuing their winning streak - they are truly great ambassadors for the school and area in general. As for Foreman, well back in the early to mid 70's when I attended, they couldn't win anything. Maybe that's because Blago was on the team-LOL!
Quote from: ZORBA on December 26, 2008, 05:47:19 PM
Young should have their way with H-F.
I agree. H F had trouble with St. Joes only won by 2. Young beat Proviso East by 16. When Young turns it on they are hard to beat. If the Mustangs and Young both win tomorrow they meet. That would be an interesting game.
From what I heard, St. Joe should have won, and led all the way until the last two seconds.
Tourney website:
http://www.athletics2000.com/pwht/
Bracket:
http://www.athletics2000.com/pwht/Documents/HT%20bracket%20updates.xls
Thats a great website, actually shows you each play, im hoping to go to the game today
Final score Mustangs 63 Glenbrook North 51! Great game. Neck and neck til late in the fourth quarter when the Mustangs pulled away.
Play Whitney Young in the semi finals Monday night at 6:30. Young blew out Homewood Flossmoor by 30 today.
Mustang, how does Morton and Young match up? Kids are going deep in this tourney.
Quote from: Bear on December 27, 2008, 07:27:55 PM
Mustang, how does Morton and Young match up? Kids are going deep in this tourney.
It all depends which Whitney Young team shows up. Last year they played their best game of the year against Morton in the playoffs,then stunk up the gym the next game. Today they were playing as a team and everything was clicking for them. If they come in and sputter Morton could pull off the upset. I've seen Morton i think five of their ten games this year and i don't think we have seen anything near their best game yet. This team is better than alot of people round here think. A whole lot of non Morton people at the Proviso tournament know who this team is, and who its players are. I sat with a junior college assistant coach yesterday who drove in for the tournament and he was impressed. Especially with one player i touted to him before the game. If this team gets everyone having a good complete game on the same night they could be very dangerous to anyone they play. This team is really enjoyable to watch. People say Young has 6 division one players. I don't see it. Personally i think they have excellent individual athletic skills but as far as basketball talent i think they are over rated.
Young has more talent, but in a tourney like this, a team with five good players, like Morton, has not only A chance, but a realistic one at that.
Quote from: mustang54 on December 27, 2008, 09:08:09 PM
Quote from: Bear on December 27, 2008, 07:27:55 PM
Mustang, how does Morton and Young match up? Kids are going deep in this tourney.
It all depends which Whitney Young team shows up. Last year they played their best game of the year against Morton in the playoffs,then stunk up the gym the next game. Today they were playing as a team and everything was clicking for them. If they come in and sputter Morton could pull off the upset. I've seen Morton i think five of their ten games this year and i don't think we have seen anything near their best game yet. This team is better than alot of people round here think. A whole lot of non Morton people at the Proviso tournament know who this team is, and who its players are. I sat with a junior college assistant coach yesterday who drove in for the tournament and he was impressed. Especially with one player i touted to him before the game. If this team gets everyone having a good complete game on the same night they could be very dangerous to anyone they play. This team is really enjoyable to watch. People say Young has 6 division one players. I don't see it. Personally i think they have excellent individual athletic skills but as far as basketball talent i think they are over rated.
They've got their PG, #92 player in the nation, committed to Iowa State.
Don't forget, Chicago State, UIC, Eastern IL are all D1. Doesn't mean they are mid-major (or better) talent necessarily, just that they will get a scholarship.
From what you have said then WY is very beatable. You guys spoke of individual skills and more
talent when referencing Young, but when you mention Morton you used the word team.
I like those odds.
The tourney is being "broadcast" on Comcast Sports Network
Zion-Benton/St. Pat's showing now...
Watch Tim Traversa from Pat's.
Awesome finish for the Mustangs. Seal the deal with a dunk from Scarlata anyday. WY and Morton don't match up very well. I believe Morton is a much better TEAM than WY. True, WY, has great individual talent, but when it comes to team play, the Mustangs are tops. Every game has a new hero. When someone goes cold, someone else rises to the occasion. WY has no big man in the middle. We have 2. Both very talented and very large. When WY comes crashing into the middle to stop our big guys, our shooters are all along the perimeter ready to score. When WY realizes they can't leave our shooters alone, then the big guys can take over the middle again. WY, simply by virtue of size, will not be able to stop Guzman or Scarlata. Last years game against WY, they ate us up from three-point range. Looks as though we have figured out a good defense to stop the three-point attack. Last game against WY, Scarlata hardly touched the ball. When he did, he scored at will. Give it to the big guys to win this one. When WY figures it out, go to our shooters. My money (figuratively) iis on the Mustangs. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!
Any more results from Proviso West?
Zorba, the spreadsheet on the website is updated after each game, it seems.
Bracket:
http://www.athletics2000.com/pwht/Documents/HT%20bracket%20updates.xls
Morton finds comfort zone vs. Von Steuben
http://yourseason.suntimes.com/boys_basketball/1350535,122608-boys-basketball-morton-von-steuben.article
December 26, 2008 BY STEVE TUCKER -- SUN-TIMES
Morton was feeling comfortable returning to the Proviso West Holiday Tournament and it showed.
The Mustangs, who returned the tournament last year after a long absence,
jumped all over Von Steuben and after a 20-4 second quarter, rolled to a 56-35 first-round victory and a date with Glenbrook North in today's quarterfinals.
"We were feeling comfortable, like it was our home court," said Morton forward Raul Guzman, who finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, 10 and nine rebounds in the first half.
"Last year, we had the jitters here in our first game [an overtime upset of Evanston]. We didn't know how the crowd would be or any of that.
"We're all friends and we like smiling. When we get together, we shoot hoops. I think it's good that we stick together in the offseason. We know where each other is going and what we're all doing on the court."
The No. 17 Mustangs (8-1) were up 36-11 at halftime and 54-23 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, both teams used subs and a running clock was used.
Joe Belcaster scored 14 for Morton while Mike Coleman came off the bench to make two long three-pointers. Brandyn Dennson and Tim Ward both scored seven for the Panthers (4-3).
"We've been able to start games like that all year, but we let teams back in," Morton coach Tony Martinucci said.
"Our seniors really stepped up and Coleman hit big shots off the bench against their zone. The big thing is that we played well together. These kids enjoy playing the game and playing with each other."
Scarlata powers Morton past Spartans
http://yourseason.suntimes.com/boys_basketball/1351830,122708-boys-basketball-morton-glenbrook-north.article
December 27, 2008 BY PATRICK Z. MCGAVIN
Luke Scarlata found a fitting way to cap off one of the best games of his life.
The 6-9 Morton senior center threw down an emphatic dunk that punctuated the Mustangs' 16-4 game-closing run that catapulted No. 17 Morton past No. 12 Glenbrook North 63-51 in quarterfinal play at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament on Saturday.
Morton (9-1) advances to play Young in the first semifinal Monday.
Scarlata scored 25 points on 12-for-15 shooting from the floor. He scored on a variety of post moves, turnaround jump shots and jump hooks.
Just as impressive, Scarlata grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked four shots. "The points are nice, but I take a lot more pride in my rebounding and shot blocking," said Scarlata.
He broke the game open by scoring four quick points that snapped a 47-all tie with about five-and-a-half minutes to play.
Senior forward Oscar Macias added 16 points. Macias' three-pointer from the right wing fueled the 11-0 run that put the game out of reach.
Morton shot 25-for-38 on two-point attempts. The Mustangs' size and inside strength finally wore out the Spartans. Glenbrook North (8-2) used its typical savvy court play and dangerous outside shooting to stay close.
The game often broke down as a contrast between Scarlata's inside play and the spectacular shooting of Glenbrook North senior guard Jordan Schmidt.
Schmidt scored 21 points, including a stretch in the second and third periods when he scored 13 consecutive points for his team.
"They're such a well-coached and fundamentally sound, that we wanted to do something to take them out of that rhythm and what they do so well," said Scarlata.
"We wanted to try and take it to them on the inside but also use the shot blocking and rebounding to get out and run the [fast] break."
Point guard Joe Belcaster was Morton's unsung hero. Though he shot just 3-for-13, he ran the team's fast break to perfection and set up Scarlata and forward Raul Guzman (11 points) with excellent interior passing.
"He's one of the best point guards I've seen in a long time," said Glenbrook North coach Dave Weber. "He constantly got by us and created opportunities for them.
"They're a nice team, and we knew that."
Weber's son, junior forward Austin Weber (15 points), hit his first three shots, all three-pointers.
"He surprised us with his shooting early on because he didn't shoot that way yesterday," said Morton coach Tony Martinucci.
"We made the mistake of giving him too much room, but we did a better job of getting out on their shooters."
Tics available for tomorrow? Anyone going?
Fock. Wish I could. By the time I get there the game will be over.
(http://media1.suntimes.com/multimedia/122708bbkmorton1.jpg_20081227_18_32_37_48-333-503.imageContent)
Raul Guzman |
(http://media1.suntimes.com/multimedia/122708bbkmorton2.jpg_20081227_18_33_48_49-333-503.imageContent)
Joe Belcaster |
(http://media1.suntimes.com/multimedia/122708bbkmorton4.jpg_20081227_18_35_57_51-333-502.imageContent)
Guzman wraps him up |
(http://media1.suntimes.com/multimedia/122708bbkmorton6.jpg_20081227_18_37_50_53-333-502.imageContent)
nervous, about to dribble it off his foot |
Unfair! W-Y has James Worthy playing for them.
(http://media1.suntimes.com/multimedia/young4.jpg_20081226_12_40_27_27-333-221.imageContent)
(actually, that's Marcus Jordan)
I don't think Marcus is all he's cracked up to be.
Nice player, good skills, but ultimately a tweener. Even at the collegiate level.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on December 28, 2008, 11:38:38 AM
Tics available for tomorrow? Anyone going?
They dont sell advanced single game tickets. You have to go stand in line if you dont have a tournament ticket package.
I was told that tickets go on sale 45 minutes before the game. I will double check that, but that is what i was led to believe. A Berwyn-Cicero crowd at this game would be very reminiscent of the regional at WY last year. The kids can really use our support. A loud crowd. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!
I wouldn't count on getting walk up tix, at least based on past experience.
I went to game saturday, there was a line at 330 to get in, but once you got in there was alot of seats available, what a great team effort again, hopefully can make it monday
Will the game be live on ch 37 or are those recorded
the games are live, but comcast has a set schedule, the next games are tues. nite from a different tournament
Quote from: oldberwynite on December 28, 2008, 04:53:16 PM
I went to game saturday, there was a line at 330 to get in, but once you got in there was alot of seats available, what a great team effort again, hopefully can make it monday
Was that the same line i was standing in while it was raining? lol!!
I just heard Morton won by 20? Go, go Mustangs!!
If they did, they'll win the tourney.
Just received a call.....boys win by 20...waiting for a verification....Biggest win in school history????
MUSTANGS ROCK!!! We're so proud of you guys!
Yes sir!!!
Bracket updated!
http://www.athletics2000.com/pwht/Documents/HT%20bracket%20updates.xls
So, with Otis Wilson, Richard Dent, and his highness, Mr. Air no-Hair glumly looking on, the Mustangs thoroughly dismantled the Dolphins in Hillside tonight. From the onset, it was apparent that Young was the more athletic and faster team - their offense consisted almost entirely of slashing, drives into the lane, and I swear, Morton must have had 20 blocks. A two point halftime lead grew to 10 by the end of the third, and with 3 or 4 minutes left in the game, it was party time for the Mustangs. This is a no-weakness team - every player excelled tonight - Scarlatta in foul trouble, the guards magnificent under pressure, Macias elegant as usual, #33 with 3 three pointers, but the star of the game - the most dominating player on the court was Mr. Guzman - no, Mr. Cool - Mr. Inside-Out, 24 points, probably a dozen boards and a dozen blocks (maybe I'm exaggerating here), and was grace under pressure - if this isn't a Division 1 kid - the face of the program - no one is.
Great fan support - tomorrows championship is at 8 - there seemed to be plenty of tics tonight - these kids are an absolute blast to watch, and will make you proud to be from Berwyn, Cicero, Lyons or Stickney. Catch 'em if you can. The Dolphins couldn't.
All I can say is OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
there is no doubt mustangs could possibly be #1 by years end, this team has the best chemistry of any team i have seen, these kids all play to there potential, and if anyone gets down, someone else picks up the slack, go mustangs, PW tourney champs tommorow nite
we will be playing proviso west tommorow, they just won in OT, great article in sun times website already, we blocked 19 shots and joe belcaster had more assists 10, than the whole whitney young team 8, its time these good colleges start looking at all our starters
Quote from: oldberwynite on December 29, 2008, 09:55:03 PM
we will be playing proviso west tommorow, they just won in OT, great article in sun times website already, we blocked 19 shots and joe belcaster had more assists 10, than the whole whitney young team 8, its time these good colleges start looking at all our starters
High Majors have already identified most of their targets at this point. The cream of the recruiting classes comes to the top during the summer camps. Also, unless a kid was highly ranked as an undergrad, it is unlikely high majors will come around.
That still doesn't preclude them from getting a D-1 or even D-2 schollie. D-2 typically has talented kids, but they have fewer scholarships to hand out.
I don't know anything about the kids that play for Morton, but I do follow college recruiting from a distance. The best thing kids can do is play with an AAU team during the summer. That is where they will get noticed, playing against the best competition in the country.
Unless I'm a terrible judge of high school talent, Jerry Wainwright ought to get his butt back to Berwyn.
this win will catch alot of peoples eye, people know we have a good team, but to beat young by 20 is a great accomplishment
OPS these kids play alot of AAU b-ball, our coaches do a great job of keeping these kids playing year round
Very true the Morton kids play a very tough AAU schedule in the summer. This past summer they even played in the Lebron James Classic in Ohio. Many college scouts and on line high school hoop gurus know who Mortons starters are. In fact this past summer in an AAU game i was told Raul Guzman outplayed the number one player in the state from Warren who is already commited to Illinois.
I said over the weekend i saw no way Young had six division one players as some have said around the Chicago media.That was proven tonight. Too me this is by far the most underated team in Chicagoland and Raul Guzman is by far the most underated player. This young man has no weaknesses. For his size he has soft hands,quick feet,and a soft touch when he shoots. His bulkiness that some might see as a hinderence is a huge strength in the paint.He also like all Mortons players understands the importance of team play.
These kids dont give a darn who scores as long as the points go on their side of the board.
Kudos to the boys and the Morton coaching staff!
Who are they again?
With a win over PW tomorrow, where do you think they will be ranked?
PW tournament is one of the toughest in the state, if not the toughest!
How big is Guzman?
What position does he play?
Raul is 6'5" and about 260 lbs. 5 pounds of that is hair.
Quote from: victorian on December 29, 2008, 11:51:43 PM
Raul is 6'5" and about 260 lbs. 5 pounds of that is hair.
He reminds me of Adrian Dantley who played at Notre Dame and in the NBA years ago. His whole career they said he was too small to play forward, and carried too much weight. All he did was lead the NBA in rebounding and score big numbers.
Dantley and Barkley.
with Noah's hair
Quote from: mustang54 on December 30, 2008, 07:22:29 AM
Quote from: victorian on December 29, 2008, 11:51:43 PM
Raul is 6'5" and about 260 lbs. 5 pounds of that is hair.
He reminds me of Adrian Dantley who played at Notre Dame and in the NBA years ago. His whole career they said he was too small to play forward, and carried too much weight. All he did was lead the NBA in rebounding and score big numbers.
That is a pretty ambitious comparison.
I wish the kid well, but that comparison does him no justice. Like comparing someone to Magic/Byrd/Jordan.
Quote from: OakParkSpartan on December 30, 2008, 09:29:04 AM
Quote from: mustang54 on December 30, 2008, 07:22:29 AM
Quote from: victorian on December 29, 2008, 11:51:43 PM
Raul is 6'5" and about 260 lbs. 5 pounds of that is hair.
He reminds me of Adrian Dantley who played at Notre Dame and in the NBA years ago. His whole career they said he was too small to play forward, and carried too much weight. All he did was lead the NBA in rebounding and score big numbers.
That is a pretty ambitious comparison.
I wish the kid well, but that comparison does him no justice. Like comparing someone to Magic/Byrd/Jordan.
Brian, no one is saying hes the next this guy or that guy. I used the Dantley comparison
to try and tell some basketball fans on this site who have never seen him play on the style of player he is. Im old enough to have seen many NBA players play in high school and they were very special players in high school. Also saw a few who were touted to be the next big star and never made it. Not saying he will be this or that just tryin to give the folks who dont attend the games an idea on how he plays the game.
Morton has gone from being ranked No. 15 to No. 10 by Bob Sakamoto of the Chicago Tribune and they are 9-1 as of his December 29th rankings. However, he moved Whitney Young to No. 4 from No. 5 and they are at 9-4 as of yesterday before Morton smoked them. Glad to see their (Morton) rank has improved but I still think they deserve a little more respect.
If Morton wins tonight, they'll be ranked #1.
I'm at Proviso West now, but doubt I'll stay for the final.
Quote from: ZORBA on December 30, 2008, 02:09:02 PM
If Morton wins tonight, they'll be ranked #1.
I'm at Proviso West now, but doubt I'll stay for the final.
I'd bet North Lawndale who is at a tourney down in Florida might get the top spot,especially if they keep winning down there. What will help Morton is quite a few ranked teams got beat last night,Zion Benton,DeLaSalle,Leo,and of course Whitney Young.
Also depends on how Waukegun does down at the Pontiac tournament this week.
Beating Young by 20 should get them the top spot, irrespective of what North Lawndale does.
Quote from: ZORBA on December 30, 2008, 03:39:12 PM
Beating Young by 20 should get them the top spot, irrespective of what North Lawndale does.
Counselor i hope your right and i'm wrong as hell!! LOL
TF North beat St. Joe 50-46 in the consolation title game. Back and forth, could have went either way.
Morton would beat either one handily.
Whitney Young by 2 over ZB for 3rd place.
We have champions in town. More details to follow.
Morton by 7.
Congrats to the Mustangs and Coach Martinucci.
Man that is HUGE...ch 9 sports did a quick mention...Can't wait to see the ratings now.
Team.
Outstanding! Final score Mustangs 65 Proviso West 59. Of the 10 players named to the all tournament team 3 were from Morton. Belcaster made the second team, Guzman and Scarlata the first team. Scarlata was also voted the tournament mvp! Tough defense in the second half won it tonight. They really clamped down especially down low just as they did to Whitney Young. Lots of steals and blocked shots. Mustangs were down early by as many as 13.
I think mys sister (from Glen Ellyn) said it best. After watching the Young / ZB consolation game,and while watching Morton and PW in pre-game warm-ups, she said, "Your guys look like they don't even belong in this gym." And I understand what she means. Our kids are a wonderful assortment of colors, brown, black, white - there's even an Asian kid. Quite a few are pretty scrawny, some are pretty scraggly, and chances are that one of them looks just like you. But not basketball stars - not these kids.
Until the ball is tipped. Tonight they appeared gassed - both physically and emotionally - especially Raul Guzman, who was grabbing at his shorts three minutes into the game. PW took an early lead - maybe 6 points - Oscar and Raul were cold - nothing was working - the PW kids - who were really good - were slashing and passing and driving and scoring on some unbelievable moves. In the second quarter, the lead grew to 13, and it looked like tonight was going to be that off night, but the kids hung in and cut the lead to 6 at the half.
The third quarter was a different story - back were the Mustangs from the night before - Guzman hit a few 3's, the kids were running and the MW crowd was roused - by the time the dust settled in the third, MW took the lead by 5 or 6. Hurtful to the Panthers was early foul trouble - MW's run occurred as two of their stars sat - MW was in the bonus during the late 3rd, which aided the comeback.
Two notable plays: at the end of the half, with 4.8 seconds left, MW taking the ball out under their own basket - Martinucci subs in Guzman , who was on the bench for a blow, who subsequently throws a bullet to Bellcaster at half court, who feeds Scarlata for a dunk at the buzzer. An eight point lead cut to six. Smart, coach.
Second play: Late in the game, Bellcaster scores on two semi-breakaway layups, then gets in the open court with Scarlata and one man to beat. Bellcaster draws the defensive man, passes to Scarlata under the basket - who instead of dunking - calmly passes the ball back to Bellecaster for the easy layup. These kids have what it takes.
As Zorba reports, MW won by seven - a great game - PW was a formidable opponent - Scarlata was an absolute monster under the basket and must have had a dozen blocks and rebounds.
Bellcaster second tourney team (should have been first), Guzman first, Scarlata a deserved tourney MVP.
So Happy New Year. If you have the winter blues, like me, take in these kids and have some fun over the next few months. They will make you proud, and represent this community magnificently. As my sister also said, they make Berwyn look like a cool place to live.
Robert, Raul was stuggling early cuz his uniform didnt fit. You noticed he was wearing number 31 in the 1st half and the jersey was cutting into him under his arms. Thats probably why he cameout a little frustrated. He was wearing someone elses uniform.The uniform arrived for halftime and superman went into the phone booth changed into his normal attire and played a great second half.
And yes your sister said what I'm sure many others have who see them for the first time.
They are a pleasure to watch and a great group of young guys.
For those that aren't high school basketball fans, I don't think you can fully appreciate the enormity of this accomplishment.
Proviso West is arguably the best Christmas Tournament in the country.
Most of the big dogs are there ... Young, ZB, Proviso, St. Joe, etc..... and Morton not only won, but took everybody to the cleaners.
I know Morton won in '62 also, but that pales in comparison. Today's field is MUCH stronger, NO QUESTION.
My sister was sitting next to Joe Belcaster's uncle and said the Morton fans were absolutely delirious.
Of course, she was rooting for Morton also.
CONGRATS ON A PHENOMENAL JOB.
p.s. I talked to one of St. Joe's assistants this afternoon, and when I asked him about Morton he simply shook his head and said "man are they good, they've playing together since sixth grade". No bigger compliment can be paid to them, especially coming from a guy who has an NCAA championship ring.
Funny you mention since 6th grade Zorba a Morton mom told me tonight they have been playing against the Proviso West kids since 6th grade when they all played for Memorial Park.
She even said one of their players was on the same AAU team with the Morton kids one summer. You could tell in pre game warmups most of the kids from each team knew each other real well. And your right this is a huge accomplishment and much bigger than 46 years ago when the tournament was only in its second year.
http://yourseason.suntimes.com/boys_basketball/1356207,123008-boys-basketball-morton-proviso-west.article
Someone hand me a tissue. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!
great articles in both times and trib, my opinion, all three kids deserved MVP scarlata, guzman, and belcaster, and oscar had a good tourney to, it was a great team effort, the kids off the bench played very well to, congrats also to tony and joe, who are great coaches, this is a great group of kids that truly deserve all the recognition they are now getting
To me, they appeared flat in the first half. From the Trib:
"I hope people start to recognize us," said Oscar Macias, who had 14 points. "A lot of us were still thinking about the Young game (a 77-57 semifinal victory Monday night) in the first half tonight."
The key was foul trouble. Proviso was defending very aggressively - contesting every possession, pass and shot - and got into foul trouble late into the third - Morton was already in the bonus - and Proviso was forced to back it off a bit. That's when the lead opened up - PW's two best players on the bench, and more passive play. I don't think MW ever got into the double bonus.
Belcaster was MVP of the night.
How high will the ranking go? Not that it matters, but top 5? We'll see.
Joe Belcaster has no logical reason for why his finishes are always better than his starts to a game.
"I always have trouble scoring in the first half," he said.
RELATED STORIES
Proviso West Tournament bracket The Morton senior demonstrated leadership, savvy, poise and mental toughness in producing a near-perfect second half that powered the No. 13 Mustangs over host and No. 25 Proviso West 65-59 in the tournament championship Tuesday night.
Belcaster scored 13 of his team-high 17 points after intermission that helped the Mustangs (11-1) overcome a six-point deficit at the break.
He scored five points that extended the Mustangs' narrow 58-56 lead to 63-56 with just under two minutes to play.
"I think our experience was a critical factor," said Morton coach Tony Martinucci. "We never panicked, even when they made runs in the second half against us."
Belcaster ignited a 7-0 closing first-half run that narrowed West's 13-point lead to 31-25 at the break. The burst propelled the Mustangs to a commanding third-quarter performance that saw the Mustangs outscore the Panthers 26-17.
Morton won behind its customary balance and team play. The Mustangs recorded four double-figure scorers. They showed better passing and ball movement in the second half, leading to a 54 percent shooting (14-for-26) after they shot a nightmarish 11-for-40 in the opening half.
Senior Raul Guzman scored nine of his 13 points in the third quarter. He converted two three-pointers and a traditional three-point play.
"We got pumped up at halftime, and just said we were going to come out in the third and play with a lot of energy and intensity," he said.
Tournament MVP Luke Scarlata recorded 14 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots. Oscar Macias also added 14 points before fouling out.
Behind the hot first-half shooting of Dontae Moore (18 points, 12 in the first half) and Tremel Owens (13 points, nine in the first half), the Panthers raced out to a 31-18 lead late in the second quarter. Owens picked up his third foul six minutes into the third quarter.
Robert Covington recorded 11 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots for the Panthers (8-5).
Young 56, Zion-Benton 54: In the third-place game, Young's Franklin Griffin scored on a twisting lay up with 2.5 seconds remaining to power the No. 3 Dolphins over No. 5 Zion-Benton. Chris Colvin scored 19 points for the Dolphins (10-5). Lenzelle Smith scored 24 points for the Zee-Bees (10-3).
Quote from: Robert Pauly on December 31, 2008, 07:22:02 AM
To me, they appeared flat in the first half. From the Trib:
"I hope people start to recognize us," said Oscar Macias, who had 14 points. "A lot of us were still thinking about the Young game (a 77-57 semifinal victory Monday night) in the first half tonight."
The key was foul trouble. Proviso was defending very aggressively - contesting every possession, pass and shot - and got into foul trouble late into the third - Morton was already in the bonus - and Proviso was forced to back it off a bit. That's when the lead opened up - PW's two best players on the bench, and more passive play. I don't think MW ever got into the double bonus.
Belcaster was MVP of the night.
How high will the ranking go? Not that it matters, but top 5? We'll see.
Top 5?
They beat the top rated city team (and #3 in the area) by .... 20.
The #5 rated team in the area, Z-B, lost to Proviso West in the semis. Morton beat Proviso West, on its HOME COURT.
Foreman, TF North, St. Joe's, H-F, and Evanston were all rated and did not even make it to the semis.
I also believe Von Steuben and St. Pats were rated at one time. And they both went NOWHERE in this tourney.
Hillcrest is one of the better teams in the south suburbs, Ditto for NT in the noirth suburbs. And neither of them made it even to the semis either.
In short, there really was nobody left for Morton to beat.
If they're not #1, somebody better commence an investigation.
The winner of the Proviso tourney historically has placed in the top 3-4 in subsequent area rankings.
THIS year, since basically everybody else lost, the only team left is Morton (maybe with the exception of North Lawndale, as Mustang pointed out).
Simeon already has 5 losses.
Marshall lost to some team out of ........ Gary, Indiana last week, and I believe St. Ignatius earlier in the month.
There's nobody else left.
I guess Waukegan and Thornton are left, but neither of them won a tourney as prestigious as Proviso. And I'm not convinced about the level of competition EITHER of those two has played against so far.
You predict 1. I predict 5. We'll see.
I get a feeling you may be right.
All I'm saying is that it will be CRIMINAL if they're not #1, or #2, worst case scenario.
My sister watched the news last night and said barely a mention was made on the 10 o'clock broadcasts.
If Morton were a bigger basketball "name" school, everybody would be all over this story.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on December 30, 2008, 11:02:53 PM
As my sister also said, they make Berwyn look like a cool place to live.
Berwyn/Cicero
(Our home court is in Cicero...)
I thought maybe we would be ranked 3 or 4 next Monday but not now after reading the paper.#1 Waukegun,and North Lawndale both lost last night. So did Ignatius and DeLa Salle and Leo both got beat again. I think Sakamoto might give them the top spot because it was the Proviso Tournament. The times, I doubt he goes to any games. Hes stuck on the North Shore and public league teams. Ranking Simeon at all with 5 losses was a joke. Well they got loss number 6 last night.
Who did Waukegan and North Lawndale lose to?
I know Thornton won the Big Dipper tourney, but they beat Rich East, by 2, to do so.
p.s. The Big Dipper is NOT Proviso. Not by a long shot.
Quote from: ZORBA on December 31, 2008, 08:30:38 AM
Who did Waukegan and North Lawndale lose to?
I know Thornton won the Big Dipper tourney, but they beat Rich East, by 2, to do so.
p.s. The Big Dipper is NOT Proviso. Not by a long shot.
Waukegun got beat by Plainfield North. North Lawndale got beat by a team from Orlando Florida in the chanpionship game down there in double overtime.
Plainfield North?????????????
You mean Waukegan also got beat by a bunch of kids from Berwyn and Cicero? :D ;D :D
See what I mean?
Some of these schools, I can't believe the hype.
Waukegan plays absolutely nobody in their conference.
Thronton won a tourney with a bunch of nobodys.
The other team in the final, Rich East, was ranked #14 (or something like that).
Quote from: ZORBA on December 31, 2008, 08:41:37 AM
Plainfield North?????????????
You mean Waukegan also got beat by a bunch of kids from Berwyn and Cicero? :D ;D :D
See what I mean?
Some of these schools, I can't believe the hype.
Waukegan plays absolutely nobody in their conference.
Thronton won a tourney with a bunch of nobodys.
The other team in the final, Rich East, was ranked #14 (or something like that).
Your 100% right. Its all hype. Its about who has the most leapers. As long as the kids got the vertical hops it doesnt matter if they can shoot or play D. Our kids have the same athletic ability but are well schooled in the fundamentals of the game,play defense,are DISCIPLINED, and put TEAM FIRST. Some of the schools i watched all weekend have over rated players and coaches.
mustang,
Any team that wins the Proviso tourney should be top 4 or 5, no questions asked.
Given the performance of the other top rated schools this past holiday season, I can't see how Morton would be ranked anything less than #2.
Congratulations to the Morton HS basketball team. And kudos to the wonderful coaching staff. The team has made the entire J Sterling Morton school proud and as well as Berwyn, Cicero, Stickney, Lyons, and Forest View.
By the way, MORTON played and won the Proviso West tournament correct. So who is this MW team that played in it?
Quote from: ZORBA on December 31, 2008, 08:53:53 AM
mustang,
Any team that wins the Proviso tourney should be top 4 or 5, no questions asked.
Given the performance of the other top rated schools this past holiday season, I can't see how Morton would be ranked anything less than #2.
I agree. Anything less than 2 with what has gone on in the last week in high school tournaments would be a joke. Last night at half time they were playing Respect by Aretha and i told my buddy and a few parents, hey their playin our song!
Where dd you see any mention of MW?
PW is Proviso West.
In Robert Paulys post's
MW probably meant Morton West. Guy behind me last night graduated from Proviso East in 68 and was telling me how he remembered playing games on the stage in the auditorium at East. He asked if the schools were split where were most of the kids on this team be.
Told him of the five starters i think its 3 to 2 Berwyn vs Cicero but not sure who's favor theres one starter that i don't know where he lives.
Quote from: mustang54 on December 31, 2008, 09:08:41 AM
MW probably meant Morton West. Guy behind me last night graduated from Proviso East in 68 and was telling me how he remembered playing games on the stage in the auditorium at East. He asked if the schools were split where were most of the kids on this team be.
Told him of the five starters i think its 3 to 2 Berwyn vs Cicero but not sure who's favor theres one starter that i don't know where he lives.
My father graduated PE in '58, and has talked a lot about the games on the East stage...and how dominant ME was back in the day.
One of his pals, after having moved to the PE district, still went back to play for ME on some technicality, and it really rankled the guys in school (PE). ;D
Regardless, MW did not play last night; Morton did, and they represent the entire area.
At least Mr. Pauly called them the Mustangs, not the Falcons! :D
Just one more note.
Anytime you have a school enrollment of nearly 8, 000, chances are you're going to be good no what the sport is.
Look at Lincoln Way before the split.
Nonetheless, all the credit in the world has to go to Coach Martinucci and his staff.
Anyone who thinks building a top ranked high school team in any sport is a seasonal thing is delusional.
Its a YEAR round endeavor, 24/7, that often starts at the GRAMMAR school level.
Tony realized what no other coaches at Morton ever have-that in order to win, you need to improve your talent base/level. And since Morton is confined to its district borders and can't go out and recruit grammar school whiz kids from the west side, or Maywood/Bellwood, Oak Park, Bolingbrook, etc ...... as some of the area Catholic school powerhouses do, the only other way to compete is to build FEEDER programs that will improve the talent level WITHIN your own borders.
That's what he did quite a while back with his youth basketball program, and look at the dividends its starting to pay now.
maybe the baseball, football, soccer coaches should all take notes.
actually, Berwyn DOES have the Bulldogs in baseball. Outstanding program.
THANK YOU ZORBA!! There are NO off seasons anymore if you want a top fight program in ANY sport. Had a meeting a few weeks ago with some people on that very topic regarding football. You not only need feeder programs but you need committed people year round to develop the kids when they get to high school. I have seen FAR TOO MANY come to Morton as talented freshman and leave as seniors no better or most worse than they were their freshman year.
When kids go 6 and 3 as freshman,5 and 4 at Sophomores and 1 and 17 or 0 and 18 as varsity players they are NOT bein developed. Anyone who says different is a liar or a fool.
mustang,
I can tell you from PERSONAL experience what it takes to build a succesful top notch high school program.
You have to start at the 6th and 7th grade levels, at a minimum.
You can't just wait for the first day of school with fingers crossed hoping that a 6' 4" shot blocker, or a 250 pound lineman, or a pitcher with a mid 80's heater, walks through the doors. You have to DEVELOP these kids, ON YOUR OWN. It doesn't happen by ACCIDENT. Nor can you wait until that kid is a freshman before you commence work.
The Berwyn Cicero area ALWAYS had the talent. What we didn't have was the structure and organization.
Martinucci realized this, and took action.
Developed a youth basketball program geared to ... MORTON HIGH SCHOOL.
p.s. I'd love to see a Pop Warner program in town.
Quote from: ZORBA on December 31, 2008, 09:35:30 AM
mustang,
I can tell you from PERSONAL experience what it takes to build a succesful top notch high school program.
You have to start at the 6th and 7th grade levels, at a minimum.
You can't just wait for the first day of school with fingers crossed hoping that a 6' 4" shot blocker, or a 250 pound lineman, or a pitcher with a mid 80's heater, walks through the doors. You have to DEVELOP these kids, ON YOUR OWN. It doesn't happen by ACCIDENT. Nor can you wait until that kid is a freshman before you commence work.
The Berwyn Cicero area ALWAYS had the talent. What we didn't have was the structure and organization.
Martinucci realized this, and took action.
Developed a youth basketball program geared to ... MORTON HIGH SCHOOL.
p.s. I'd love to see a Pop Warner program in town.
There has been a pop warner in town for years now! And their teams have done pretty well lately. They along with most suburbs pulled out of pop warner and went to another youth league because of pop warners weight and size limitations.
Quote from: mustang54 on December 31, 2008, 09:38:37 AM
Quote from: ZORBA on December 31, 2008, 09:35:30 AM
mustang,
I can tell you from PERSONAL experience what it takes to build a succesful top notch high school program.
You have to start at the 6th and 7th grade levels, at a minimum.
You can't just wait for the first day of school with fingers crossed hoping that a 6' 4" shot blocker, or a 250 pound lineman, or a pitcher with a mid 80's heater, walks through the doors. You have to DEVELOP these kids, ON YOUR OWN. It doesn't happen by ACCIDENT. Nor can you wait until that kid is a freshman before you commence work.
The Berwyn Cicero area ALWAYS had the talent. What we didn't have was the structure and organization.
Martinucci realized this, and took action.
Developed a youth basketball program geared to ... MORTON HIGH SCHOOL.
p.s. I'd love to see a Pop Warner program in town.
There has been a pop warner in town for years now! And their teams have done pretty well lately. They along with most suburbs pulled out of pop warner and went to another youth league because of pop warners weight and size limitations.
Then why the hell can't Morton put a good football team on the field, especially with the largest enrollment in the state?
IMO, there's no excuse for it.
My apologies to the surrounding communities that comprise Morton West, er, Morton.
Regarding rankings, I can't recall a team jumping from 10 to 1. I also don't think a team loses a top ranking by losing out of state. I don't think a 10 jumps to a 1 by beating a 4, who then beats 5. It's really immaterial, it's the end of season ranking that counts.
A few things concern me about this team, and I'm sure that Martinucci is concerned, also. First, I don't like the "get in a hole and claw out mentality" that we saw in the PE and PW games. Sooner or later - as I experienced with my beloved DePaul teams of the 80's - you ain't gonna be able to dig out, and if it's during the tournament, you're gone.
Second, judging by Martinucci's substitution patterns, the team isn't deep. I think only 7 players played last night. As to the point above, you're not going to develop a deeper bench - which is necessary in state tournament play - if you make a habit of digging out of holes in the second half. With plenty of season to go, I'd like to see some FIRST half explosives, and more bench play later in the games.
To Zorba's point, Martinucci's program really starts with pre-schoolers at the Rec. The sports we're strong in - basketball, baseball and especially soccer, have strong feeder programs in the community, unlike football.
As to Mustang's point, how much of the decline from frosh to senior has to do with the nature of the community, the educational qualities of the schools and the teen lure of the streets? IMO, the facts that we're no sports or educational powerhouse are not coincidental. There are bigger forces at work.
Robert,
Most top ranked state contenders only go 7 deep or so, anyway.
As for the come from behind thing, you have a point there, but they're also not playing the Little Sisters of the Poor, either.
As for the decline form frosh to senior year, why isn't that the case with the basketball or soccer teams?
Quote from: Robert Pauly on December 31, 2008, 09:49:14 AM
My apologies to the surrounding communities that comprise Morton West, er, Morton.
Regarding rankings, I can't recall a team jumping from 10 to 1. I also don't think a team loses a top ranking by losing out of state. I don't think a 10 jumps to a 1 by beating a 4, who then beats 5. It's really immaterial, it's the end of season ranking that counts.
Yes, but I also never recall virtually ALL of the other top ranked teams losing during XMAS, either.
The only other team that can legitimately lay claim to #1 is North Lawndale.
Thornton may be good, but the Big Dipper isn't Proviso West.
As for going from #10 to #1, it might mean that Morton was underrated to begin with.
The reasons Andy are many. And way too many excuses have been given. Most of them all wrong. For years it was no feeder program,then program not good enough. There are many reasons for its failure and you touched on the biggest one. All the reasons for its failure can be fixed, They should have been fixed years ago but yet they remain. I will touch on one at a later date that has been bugging me all weekend. No I will mention it now. MONEY.
If our school is so short of funds why arent we hosting holiday hoops tournaments? Why are our girls at a Morton College holiday tournament instead of hosting one? I'll bet Proviso made over 6 figures this weekend. Grant it they have had 46 years to build it and its prestigious enough that it should be the 1st choice for the boys team. But why York at thanksgiving? They are hosting on Thanksgiving and Christmas!! If not varsity tournaments why not freshman or sophs?
I managed ice arenas for a living and our biggest weeks in revenue were weeks we or the local clubs hosted tournaments. This is a bunch of crap. With two big gyms at West and East we could host 2 tournaments at once!! People at Morton need to get off their asses and start being creative and stop the old status quo. If not go work where you live and take their tax dollars so we can find people who want to give us our moneys worth.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on December 31, 2008, 09:49:14 AM
Second, judging by Martinucci's substitution patterns, the team isn't deep. I think only 7 players played last night. As to the point above, you're not going to develop a deeper bench - which is necessary in state tournament play - if you make a habit of digging out of holes in the second half.
That sounds like normal turnover, to me. They were 7 deep last year as well, lost some seniors (their best player, Quezada, for one, & Valdez, tough as nails).
I think they're OK, and will become deeper in the future as Martinucci continues to develop the youth.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on December 31, 2008, 09:49:14 AM
A few things concern me about this team, and I'm sure that Martinucci is concerned, also. First, I don't like the "get in a hole and claw out mentality" that we saw in the PE and PW games. Sooner or later - as I experienced with my beloved DePaul teams of the 80's - you ain't gonna be able to dig out, and if it's during the tournament, you're gone.
They were the same way last year...also folks here talked about them playing down to their competition at times, too. Coaching issue?
Mustang,
You hit the nail on the head.
People at Morton don't think outside the box.
And you're right, tourneys are a HUGE moneymaker.
Morton has the facilities.
Quote from: ZORBA on December 31, 2008, 09:53:52 AM
Robert,
Most top ranked state contenders only go 7 deep or so, anyway.
As for the come from behind thing, you have a point there, but they're also not playing the Little Sisters of the Poor, either.
As for the decline form frosh to senior year, why isn't that the case with the basketball or soccer teams?
Zorba and Robert that was what the discussion we had was about. In soccer,basketball,and baseball the high school kids can go get further development by playing another season with a rec or club team. Football coaches do not have that luxury. The year long development of players is soley on them. Thats the biggest problem with the program.
The so called off season when in fact there actually isnt one anymore. Its a season of games and a season to prepare for games.
Robert you also mad a very true point in the bigger forces. We dont lose as many kids to gangs as people think. The biggest problem is grades and kids taking part time jobs.
Quote from: ZORBA on December 31, 2008, 09:53:52 AM
Robert,
Most top ranked state contenders only go 7 deep or so, anyway.
As for the come from behind thing, you have a point there, but they're also not playing the Little Sisters of the Poor, either.
As for the decline form frosh to senior year, why isn't that the case with the basketball or soccer teams?
Last night's first half team was not the same team that beat Young, and expectedly (and deservedly) so. The Young victory was huge. But last night, they looked tired and distracted, and were tight. Get in this kind of hole to a top ranked team late in the tournement and you're season is over. IMO, they were on the verge of losing it completely last night - a few bad bounces and we might not be having this discussion.
As to a dominating basketball program, that's left to be seen. We'll see when these seniors graduate (back to my point about developing a bench). Did four seniors start last year?
As to soccer, I can't explain it, except to say that to Latino's, soccer is religion. It would be impossible for Morton
West to have a bad soccer team.
Anyone else notice that Young's starters didn't start last night?
Good point, Mustang, on offseason club play.
Robert Morton has always been good in soccer. Before the Latinos it was Europeans who covet soccer just as much. Not only did i notice Young's starters didn't start they played very little in the fourth quarter. I'm sure Mortons bench will get much more time when they return to conference play. I think the coaching staff knows too that they have to get them game experience. And you were right Robert a few bad bounces or a few more fouls early that game could have gotten out of hand where they couldn't have come back. I thought my defibrillator was gonna go off in the second quarter a couple of times!
Quote from: mustang54 on December 31, 2008, 10:28:16 AM
Robert Morton has always been good in soccer. Before the Latinos it was Europeans who covet soccer just as much. Not only did i notice Young's starters didn't start they played very little in the fourth quarter. I'm sure Mortons bench will get much more time when they return to conference play. I think the coaching staff knows too that they have to get them game experience. And you were right Robert a few bad bounces or a few more fouls early that game could have gotten out of hand where they couldn't have come back. I thought my defibrillator was gonna go off in the second quarter a couple of times!
mustang, you saw this same thing last year with the slow starts and playing down to the competition.
Robert, get used to it; I see that as a coaching issue. Do you want a better in-game coach? Or our present good coach with long term development in mind (think: Ron Zook/Bill Self)?
Quote from: Robert Pauly on December 31, 2008, 10:21:27 AM
As to a dominating basketball program, that's left to be seen. We'll see when these seniors graduate (back to my point about developing a bench). Did four seniors start last year?
What are your standards? Considering our history, to be competitive yearly is a huge step forward.
I thought the coaching staff did a great job the entire tournament. Against Young every substitution they made worked in their favor big time. Last night in a championship game of that tournaments magnitude i would have played it the same way they did. Basketball at every level is a game of spurts and runs. Some good,some bad. When playing for the marbles you shortin your bench and play it as the scoreboard dictates. Mortons staff was the only one i would give an A to in the games i saw in the tourney. In the Von Steuben game the entire team played. Against Glenbrook North he used i think 9 guys. Same against Young. Last night in the fourth quarter we had all our timeouts left and Proviso was down to one.
It was also nice last night to see so many Morton employees there. Coaches from other sports,teachers,maintenance and security people as well as administrators. Was even nicer to see them all leaving with big smiles on their faces.
Refresh my memory. Wasn't hosting activities/sports games discussed before?
Didn't liability and Insurance come up?
Maybe this subject will be brought up at a school board meeting soon?
Quote from: Berwyn Patsy on December 31, 2008, 11:53:53 AM
Refresh my memory. Wasn't hosting activities/sports games discussed before?
Didn't liability and Insurance come up?
Maybe this subject will be brought up at a school board meeting soon?
The hosting discussed the last few years was hosting IHSA playoffs. They said it costs too much money. The IHSA reimburses the schools for expenses up to a certain amount. If a school over staffs and looses money then thats their fault for not knowing what they are doing. It was discussed again months back and Morton is now hosting some IHSA playoffs again. Liablility and insurance was never the problem as far as i know. It cant be everyone else hosts tournaments. Hosting IHSA events needs no discussion its been handled, but hosting tourmanents so your teams dont have to travel and raising some revenue has already been brought up to people in the last few days and they seem to agree with the idea.
Mustang,
With the pub Morton has received this year, I'm sure hosting a Thanksgiving Tournament, for example, would be viable.
The only problem I see is that most premier schools do not want to enter into competitve Thanksgiving tourneys. They use it as a tune up for the regular season and the XMAS tourneys.
Kind of hard to host an XMAS boys tourney, as Proviso is well established and literally in our own backyard, but if York can do it, why not us?
Even if most of the top tier schools go to PW, there are still plenty left over that could ensure a very competitive event, especially since the host school is one of the best in the area.
I know Simeon goes downstate and hasn't played at Proviso. Marshall hasn't played at PW for years either, and in fact this year went to Gary, Indiana. Curie didn't play at PW either.
Plenty of top notch basketball schools that Morton can attract.
I agree Zorba with the Proviso Varsity basketball xmas scenario. But why not a sophomore or freshman tournament? Or host a girls instead of going to Morton College and letting them make the added dollars. Hell you could do a girls tournament at west and soph or freshman boys at east.
Ill bet Morton could fill a boys thanksgiving tuneup tournament. And you dont need the big teams to do it. Your right alot of the so called premier programs were not at Proviso this year, but they arent the teams they have been in the past either. Who would have thought 2 years ago Zion Benton would be stronger than alot of the former top city teams. Again though it doesnt have to be varsity level tournaments.Do younger levels. At hockey tournaments the younger the teams the bigger the crowds. Unless you have all premier teams as Proviso does and attract the adult hoops junkees.
Now i read Proviso is trying to arrange for its first out of state team next year. A team from Orlando,Florida that has a sophomore who is Doc Rivers son. Was only a matter of time before they started adding out of staters.
The reason you need a Varsity level tourney is because Varsity level teams are the only ones that pack the house. You won't get 3-5K in the stands to watch Morton's sophs play Downers Grove's sophs. In fact, all you'll get is parents and family. And in the end, its all about creating revenue.
I don't think Thanksgiving is viable, simply because if you're a premier program, as Morton is now, you don't want to play competitive games this early. You COULD put together a four team tourney with two cupcakes and a mid range team as a trial run.
The city isn't what it used to be, not even close. A lot of these city kids are finding their way into suburban programs. There are only 3 or 4 really good city team this year. And the talent isn't as concentrated now as it was in the past. Top tier talent can be found all across the chicagoland area (not just the public league and SICA conferences), even in the Mid Suburban, Central Suburban, Catholic League, West Suburban, Du Page Valley, etc .....
In the past, you had POWERHOUSES Simeon and King, along with Red West powers Westinghouse, Marshall, Crane, Manley, Farragut and Red South/Central powers Julian, Carver, CVS, South Shore, etc..............
On the flip side, many suburban teams are becoming REALLY good.
Proviso is always going to get both Proviso's and Joe's, at a minimum. But there are plenty of other schools you can sell your tourney to that are TOP TIER and do not currently play at Proviso. I know a few years back, some of the city schools boycotted Proviso because of what they perceived as biased officiating. Why not try to draw them in?
btw, you mention drawing out of state teams. Why not try to draw some teams from NW Indiana and Southeast Wisconsin? I know Gary West Side just beat Marshall, and a couple of others are pretty decent in that region like Gary Wirt, East Chicago Central, Munster.
p.s. I saw Doc Rivers play both at Proviso East and at the Proviso tourney.
Quote from: ZORBA on December 31, 2008, 09:35:30 AM
mustang,
I can tell you from PERSONAL experience what it takes to build a succesful top notch high school program.
You have to start at the 6th and 7th grade levels, at a minimum.
You can't just wait for the first day of school with fingers crossed hoping that a 6' 4" shot blocker, or a 250 pound lineman, or a pitcher with a mid 80's heater, walks through the doors. You have to DEVELOP these kids, ON YOUR OWN. It doesn't happen by ACCIDENT. Nor can you wait until that kid is a freshman before you commence work.
The Berwyn Cicero area ALWAYS had the talent. What we didn't have was the structure and organization.
Martinucci realized this, and took action.
Developed a youth basketball program geared to ... MORTON HIGH SCHOOL.
p.s. I'd love to see a Pop Warner program in town.
Zorba is correct!
He should know all about winning teams, as he played on a few in high school with some great players from the Berwyn Cicero area. Norm Reisman Soccer League, right?
Morton West always had good football teams because of the feeder programs that were in place in Berwyn back in our day. St. Odilo, St. Leonard, Middle Berwyn, South Berwyn all had teams and practiced at 28th & East.
Congrats to Tony Martinucci and his coaching staff and the young men at Morton High School on a fantastic journey! Keep up the hard work and here is to seeing Morton in the state finals!
#1 ranking might be a stretch but for sure in the top 5, no doubt! If not, then the boys will just have to work harder and beat everybody! PW tourney win always gave a bump to the winner in the rankings.
Quote from: ZORBA on December 31, 2008, 12:54:44 PM
The reason you need a Varsity level tourney is because Varsity level teams are the only ones that pack the house. You won't get 3-5K in the stands to watch Morton's sophs play Downers Grove's sophs. In fact, all you'll get is parents and family. And in the end, its all about creating revenue.
p.s. I saw Doc Rivers play both at Proviso East and at the Proviso tourney.
I tend to agree with Zorba on this about tournaments, but I did go watch my sister's son play in a freshman tournament and they did a pretty good job of turning out the people. They won the tournament too!
Zorba and I were very fortunate to have watched some really great players in high school. I watched Doc Rivers play, Mark Aguirre, Terry Cummings, and of course Isaiah Thomas.
The concession stand alone has to make alot of money, the Proviso prices were ridiculous for a high school tournament, and mustang is correct, years ago my daughter played basketball for morton, she played with Andrea Filipek, probably the best girl to ever play at morton, one of those years they hosted a girls x-mas tourney, but had all levels playing from morning til around 9, and thats the year they put out to much money for security and mainenance and lost alot of money, and Dr. No ended tourneys after that
....but, there are also a few additional things to consider, namely #1) boys draw better than girls, #2) varsity draws better than underclass levels, and #3)Morton's boys team is OUTSTANDING right now.
Look back to the Proviso Tourney. It didn't develop the reputation it has today until the late 70's, early 80's when all three high schools located in Proviso Township were OUTSTANDING. IMO, that's a key-the host school and/or mainstay schools has/have to be very competitive also. Morton IS, NOW. You have to strike while the iron is hot. At XMAS time, the premier schools want to play in the most competitive tourneys. The most competitive tourneys are the ones with the best teams. Morton IS one of the best handful of teams in the area now. Much like both Proviso's and St. Joe's were in the late 70's early 80's.
The key to a succesful tourney is attracting teams that either travel well, or have big names and attract the basketball junkies and casual fans. Underclass and girls teams, for the most part, do NOT fall into either of these categories.
As I said earlier, there are a ton of top level schools that DO NOT play at Proviso now. Simeon, Marshall, Curie, Leo, De LaSalle, Waukegan, Thornton, etc... Heck, you could even market to relatively nearby NWIndiana schools like East Chicago Central, Munster, and several Gary sides. Don't know if the state of Indiana places travel restrictions on them, but if not they would be ideal candidates, quality teams that are relatively close by.
I know its easier said than done, and maybe having Proviso close by is a major obstacle, but I don't think it's impossible.
One would hope that 201 will start planning next years NEW tourney NEXT WEEK.
Quote from: oldberwynite on January 01, 2009, 09:32:44 AM
The concession stand alone has to make alot of money, the Proviso prices were ridiculous for a high school tournament,
Right.
So where else are you going to go for a Gatorade or a hot dog?
That's the idea.
Quote from: Bear on January 01, 2009, 01:37:54 PM
One would hope that 201 will start planning next years NEW tourney NEXT WEEK.
I don't think it's THAT easy. You don't just all of a sudden wake up one morning and decide I'm going to host a Proviso style XMAS tourney.
But I do think that Morton can take advantage of its newfound basketball powerhouse status and start marketing themselves to prospective schools. Which school wouldn't want a chance to play Morton right now?
Think about how many good basketball schools are within lets say, 10 miles of Morton. You have Oak Park, Fenwick, St. Pat's, Curie, Marshall, Young, Crane, St. Ignatius, De LaSalle, Foreman, all within ten miles (I'm sure I'm forgetting some). Heck, even neighboring R-B finished 3rd in the tourney they played in.
My thought process is, if York (which is closer to Proviso West than Morton is) can do it, why not Morton?
I agree with alot of what your sayin, but when you are where Morton is this year it can also hurt you. Some won't come because they are afraid of losing to you and hurting their rankings. Thats why Im sure some chose to go to Pontiac instead of Proviso. As far as competing with Proviso for varsity teams, it could be done. All you have to do when starting a new tournament that will compete with others that have been around is like you said earlierZorb,think out of the box. Offer things at your tourney that others don't. Been there,done it, it works.
2008... into 2009
Just thought i would congratulate the boys basketball team on doing a fantastic job in the Proviso West Holiday Tournament.. ive been to every single game so far and have been impressed to what ive seen thus far. I was reading an article on the tribune website and was proud when I saw this...
What we learned from the holiday tournaments
By Bob Sakamoto
7:37 PM CST, January 1, 2009
1. There are no dominant teams: In this season of parity, 12 teams in the Tribune Top 20 failed to reach the title game in various tournaments—including No. 1 seeds De La Salle, Zion-Benton and Waukegan. Get ready for a wild ride in the state playoffs.
2. New faces going places: Plainfield North made quite a statement with its upset of Waukegan at Pontiac. Rich East came ever-so-close to upsetting Thornton for the Big Dipper title. Lake Forest is a team to watch after topping De La Salle for third place at Bloomington.
3. Morton is an emerging power: A week ago, nobody thought of Morton as a bona fide state-title contender. But a 77-57 thrashing of Young en route to capturing the Proviso West title has the Mustangs on the fast track to glory in Peoria. ;D ;D ;D
4. There's a new power conference: No league in the state can match up with the Public League's Red West (North Lawndale, Young, Marshall and Crane,) but the SICA South looks awfully tough with Rich East, Rich South, Bloom and Crete-Monee.
5. Schaumburg and Glenbrook North will be even better in January: Schaumburg's fast start will only be enhanced with the return of 6-5 Blake Mueller from a torn knee ligament. Top player Cully Payne is meshing well with football stars Anthony Iannotti and Josh Spandiary. Glenbrook North will welcome back 6-7 Tyler Ponticelli from back surgery late this month.
The only thing im worried about, is that we might get a little too confident vs. the weaker teams.. like Argo and Addison Trail.. but what ive noticed from our Mustangs, is that we play to our competition, but all in all we end up winning the game.
Also, we are losing our whole starting 5.... and the only junior we have seen thus far is Coleman, and Sophomore Eaton... we have yet to see the 3 other juniors and 2 other freshman actually play on the varsity level and compete. Im very excited for the rest of the upcoming season and IHSA playoffs!
BerwynGuy55 i had alot of the same worries as you the way this team plays to the opponents level. I dont think they will anymore for a few reasons.
1. They realize and will be constantly reminded they are not the hunter anymore they are the hunted. Want to make your season and a name for yourself, beat Morton.
2. They remember doing that at Fenwick last year and losing dropped them in the rankings and really hurt them at seating time for regionals..
They realize a higher seed in regionals helps them reach sectionals which I believe they are hosting.
3. It wont happen because unlike MANY teams we have seen that are ranked this group is coachable. They listen and do what they are told.
They all put team first.
4. They came back against Proviso West when they were still drained from beating a team they wanted to get back at for months, Young.
That proved to me how this team has matured since last year.
5. They are seniors, more experienced, and they realize that with the Proviso Championship trophy already in the case they can further add to their legacy at Morton as possibly the best team ever in the schools history.
6. They are still looking for respect from the outside world. It bothers me to no end and has to drive them nuts hearing the offers the kids from the teams they are beating are getting compared to the ones they are.
Mustang 54: Those are very true statements, but anybody can beat anybody on any given day. By the looks of the remaining schedule. We have Argo, Addison Trail (2), Hinsdale South, Willowbrook (2), DGS, Leyden, R-B, Proviso East, Ridgewood, and OPRF.. and we are also playing in the Martin Luther King Event which ive been told we are facing Crete-Monee.. and in the Curie Shooutout playing going up against Curie themselves.. and if we are a top 5 teams, losing to one of those teams might hurt...
Quote from: BerwynGuy55 on January 01, 2009, 10:21:18 PM
Mustang 54: Those are very true statements, but anybody can beat anybody on any given day. By the looks of the remaining schedule. We have Argo, Addison Trail (2), Hinsdale South, Willowbrook (2), DGS, Leyden, R-B, Proviso East, Ridgewood, and OPRF.. and we are also playing in the Martin Luther King Event which ive been told we are facing Crete-Monee.. and in the Curie Shooutout playing going up against Curie themselves.. and if we are a top 5 teams, losing to one of those teams might hurt...
Crete-Monee will be tough. Curie is very young. Best player a sophomore i think they only have 3 seniors and they don't start. From what i have seen this year i don't see a team that can run the table and win the rest of their games. I think every team no matter where they are ranked will get at least one more loss each. There will be a lot of leap frogging in the rankings from here on out cuz some should have never been ranked at all in the first place. I dont think the guy from the times even goes to games. He's lost!!
"I dont think the guy from the times even goes to games. He's lost!!"
Marriotti complex lol...Is ClydeTravis still there? He was a twit.
Quote from: mustang54 on January 01, 2009, 03:51:24 PM
I agree with alot of what your sayin, but when you are where Morton is this year it can also hurt you. Some won't come because they are afraid of losing to you and hurting their rankings. Thats why Im sure some chose to go to Pontiac instead of Proviso. As far as competing with Proviso for varsity teams, it could be done. All you have to do when starting a new tournament that will compete with others that have been around is like you said earlierZorb,think out of the box. Offer things at your tourney that others don't. Been there,done it, it works.
Mustang,
Most of the Pontiac teams haven't been going to PW for years. It has very little to do with fear of losing. Same goes for Marshall.
At XMAS time, everybody wants to go where the best competition is, unlike at Thanksgiving. Teams feared losing to Morton when the Mustangs were an unknown. Now that they're Proviso champs, everyone can't wait to get their shot.
Quote from: mustang54 on January 01, 2009, 10:27:49 PM
Quote from: BerwynGuy55 on January 01, 2009, 10:21:18 PM
Mustang 54: Those are very true statements, but anybody can beat anybody on any given day. By the looks of the remaining schedule. We have Argo, Addison Trail (2), Hinsdale South, Willowbrook (2), DGS, Leyden, R-B, Proviso East, Ridgewood, and OPRF.. and we are also playing in the Martin Luther King Event which ive been told we are facing Crete-Monee.. and in the Curie Shooutout playing going up against Curie themselves.. and if we are a top 5 teams, losing to one of those teams might hurt...
Crete-Monee will be tough. Curie is very young. Best player a sophomore i think they only have 3 seniors and they don't start. From what i have seen this year i don't see a team that can run the table and win the rest of their games. I think every team no matter where they are ranked will get at least one more loss each. There will be a lot of leap frogging in the rankings from here on out cuz some should have never been ranked at all in the first place. I dont think the guy from the times even goes to games. He's lost!!
Guys,
Another team I'd look out for come playoff time is St. Joe. They've played all year without their best player, De Andre Mc Camey (Dimitri's younger brother). He may be back playoff time.
Their guard play, with Simon and Rogers, is excellent. They just don't have any low post scoring. However, with Mc Camey back in the lineup, they can put three top notch guards out there simultaneously, and if you know anything about Gene Pingatore, you know he does the best with small, quick, undersized teams.
They're also a junior dominated team and should be top notch next year.
p.s. They also lost their second best player, Diamond Taylor, who transferred to Bolingbrook.
Quote from: mustang54 on January 01, 2009, 10:27:49 PM
Quote from: BerwynGuy55 on January 01, 2009, 10:21:18 PM
Mustang 54: Those are very true statements, but anybody can beat anybody on any given day. By the looks of the remaining schedule. We have Argo, Addison Trail (2), Hinsdale South, Willowbrook (2), DGS, Leyden, R-B, Proviso East, Ridgewood, and OPRF.. and we are also playing in the Martin Luther King Event which ive been told we are facing Crete-Monee.. and in the Curie Shooutout playing going up against Curie themselves.. and if we are a top 5 teams, losing to one of those teams might hurt...
Crete-Monee will be tough. Curie is very young. Best player a sophomore i think they only have 3 seniors and they don't start. From what i have seen this year i don't see a team that can run the table and win the rest of their games. I think every team no matter where they are ranked will get at least one more loss each. There will be a lot of leap frogging in the rankings from here on out cuz some should have never been ranked at all in the first place. I dont think the guy from the times even goes to games. He's lost!!
That sophomore is one hell of a ballplayer.
Quote from: ZORBA on January 01, 2009, 01:53:20 PM
Think about how many good basketball schools are within lets say, 10 miles of Morton. You have Oak Park, Fenwick, St. Pat's, Curie, Marshall, Young, Crane, St. Ignatius, De LaSalle, Foreman, all within ten miles (I'm sure I'm forgetting some). Heck, even neighboring R-B finished 3rd in the tourney they played in.
I forgot North Lawndale. And I didn't add Proviso East, Proviso West, or St. Joe's, since they're locks for the PW tournament.
That's a LOT of good basketball schools literally right in your own back yard.
Quote from: ZORBA on December 31, 2008, 12:54:44 PM
btw, you mention drawing out of state teams. Why not try to draw some teams from NW Indiana and Southeast Wisconsin? I know Gary West Side just beat Marshall, and a couple of others are pretty decent in that region like Gary Wirt, East Chicago Central, Munster.
I meant to say Gary Lew Wallace, not Wirt.
And it appears they played Chicago Phillips (away) in early December, so I don't think travel restrictions would be an issue.
There are probably 5-6 schools in NWIndiana that could compete with some of the better schools in Chicago, and they're no more than a half hour to hour drive from Morton. Heck, Zion Benton/Waukegan to Proviso West is farther than that.
btw, how come the downstate Illinois teams never come up to Chicago for XMAS?
I wouldn't mind seeing some of the Rockford, Peoria, Springfield, Champaign etc .... teams in our XMAS tourneys.
Rockford is only an hour and a half away.
I doubt if any state high school associations have travel limits anymore. A midwest hoops showcase with teams from Illinois,Missouri,Indiana,Michigan and Wisconsin would be a huge draw and could probably draw quite a few corporate sponsors. You could also probably fill half a section just with college scouts if you can get top flight programs.
Ever been to the Illinois High School Hockey Showcase. Teams come from as far away as Alaska. It has been a huge draw for years. Even though hockey is not a sanctioned IHSA sport in a lot of states it is sanctioned. With the dollar crunch in the school systems ahtletic departments at some schools use the college philosophy of using athletics to raise funds for their departments. Also local rivalrys are huge. Been to a Naperville Central vs Naperville North football game? A few years ago it got so big they cant host it anymore at either campus. They moved it to North Central College and still turn people away. They put 10 to 12 thousand people in there. Its so big and profitable Buona Beef set up a stand on the visitors side! All you have to do is be creative and create something new than no one else is doing. Or do it better than they already are by offering things they dont.
That's why I suggested the NWIndiana schools.
Natural rivalry, good teams, close proximity, and VERY feasible .............................
I don't ever remember any of them playing in a Chicago holiday tourney. And the fact that West Side beat top ten Marshall says something about their quality.
Right now, West Side, Lew Wallace, Munster, Valparaiso, and Merrillville can all compete with the Chicago schools. And not one of them is more than an hour from Morton.
With the economy being what it is, one would think teams would rather stay close to home come holiday time than travel to places like Pontiac and Pekin, among others. Unless of course some corporate sponsor is footing the ball, and that is RARE.
How about teams from southern Wisconsin? Like Racine and Kenosha. Or maybe even Milwaukee. I know a few of their teams are top notch.
You guys are getting into a very grey area
when you start talking corporate sponsors
and HIGH SCHOOL b-ball.
Thats my point Zorb, even teams further south in Indiana have come here for hockey tournaments for years. Carmel,Jefferson Davis from Indy,South Bend,Fort Wayne, Culver and a whole lot more. Teams from southern and central Illinois are coming now for regular season football games. St. Rita opened this season at Bengals Stadium in Cincy. Teams now like to travel. You havent lived till you have stayed at a hotel during a youth or high school sports tournament! LOL!!
Quote from: Bear on January 02, 2009, 09:26:08 AM
You guys are getting into a very grey area
when you start talking corporate sponsors
and HIGH SCHOOL b-ball.
Not grey at all Bear. Nike and Mickey D's sponsor tournaments all over the country.
Including Chicagoland. In the past Morton has been offered deals from Nike and Under Armour! And the NFL.
How about a tournament featuring the following schools. 1.Morton, 2.OPRF, 3.Nazareth, 4.St. Joes, 5. RB, 6. Fenwick 7. LT, 8.Proviso East, 9. Proviso West, 10. Argo
You can call the tourney the Slamma-Jamma-Pajama tournament. If you show up in PJ's, you get $2.00 off the cover charge. And make this a pre-season tune-up tournament before the season starts.
Mustang,
What you're forgetting is that hockey in the US is a money sport and schools like Carmel and Culver have plenty of it.Travel costs aren't as big an issue with them as they are with traditional basketball powers.
I'm just trying to think outside the box with respect to good bball schools within a short drive. And I still don't know why Chicago tourney organizers haven't tapped the NWIndiana market.
Schools like Crete Monee (which is right near the state line) and Marian Catholic, for example, are just as far, if not further, from Morton than some of the Indiana schools I mentioned.
Perhaps IHSA does not sanction interstate games? Good question why they
have not played
No, that's not it.
I remember in the late 80's seeing Christ the King from NY, with Derrick Phelps and Khalid Reeves, play King, with Jamie Brandon and Johnnie Selvie, at the UIC Pavilion.
Quote from: ZORBA on January 02, 2009, 11:28:37 AM
No, that's not it.
I remember in the late 80's seeing Christ the King from NY, with Derrick Phelps and Khalid Reeves, play King, with Jamie Brandon and Johnnie Selvie, at the UIC Pavilion.
Rules have changed since then. I believe it was just a few years ago that the NCAA limited how many all star games kids could play in and keep their college eligibility. That had a severe impact on tournaments with a national focus.
That applies to post season games. ie between the season and graduation.
Quote from: OakParkSpartan on January 02, 2009, 11:33:33 AM
Quote from: ZORBA on January 02, 2009, 11:28:37 AM
No, that's not it.
I remember in the late 80's seeing Christ the King from NY, with Derrick Phelps and Khalid Reeves, play King, with Jamie Brandon and Johnnie Selvie, at the UIC Pavilion.
Rules have changed since then. I believe it was just a few years ago that the NCAA limited how many all star games kids could play in and keep their college eligibility. That had a severe impact on tournaments with a national focus.
All star tournaments are way different than school team tourneys. Those rules were put into place to stop the exploiting of kids by street and shoe company hustlers by running AAU teams and throwing all star tourneys.
Yes Zorb hockey is a money sport. But hoops teams are goin farther away from home every year. CPS has no money but Whitney Youngs girls were at tourneys in Jersey and Phoenix over this holiday break. North Lawndale down in Orlando. Its amazing that the schools traveling for basketball are the schools who we are told are hurting for funds. They are raising the money somehow.
To be honest our gyms are nice but they aren't set up to host huge big time tournaments. My point when i started this conversation is doing nothing when others are reaping huge benefits for their schools programs is dumb. We don't have to be the next big time tournament, but not using tournaments as a way to help out our athletic programs financially and continuing to accept the short sided norm of Morton is foolish.
Brian,
This wasn't an all star game.
It was the tourney held at UIC which hosted high school teams from NY, Michigan, Tennessee, etc.... along with some Chicago powerhouses.
If I remember correctly, the high school rules had changed BACK THEN to ALLOW interstate competition, although I may be mistaken. I also remember a few years later a team from Calif featuring Rick Barry's kids came to play St. Joe's. I also know that St. Joe's has travelled to Merrillville, Indiana to play Andrean High School.
I also know that Young went to Florida, Marshall's girls played in the Gary tournament, Bolingbrook and Young's girl just came back from Arizona, and Gary Lew Wallace just travelled to Detroit for a tourney.
Quote from: mustang54 on January 02, 2009, 11:48:15 AM
To be honest our gyms are nice but they aren't set up to host huge big time tournaments. My point when i started this conversation is doing nothing when others are reaping huge benefits for their schools programs is dumb. We don't have to be the next big time tournament, but not using tournaments as a way to help out our athletic programs financially and continuing to accept the short sided norm of Morton is foolish.
I'm not sure how well equipped Proviso is either.
Nonetheless, would using Morton College be a viable alternative, or would the high school have to lease that gym?
Quote from: ZORBA on January 02, 2009, 11:55:12 AM
Quote from: mustang54 on January 02, 2009, 11:48:15 AM
To be honest our gyms are nice but they aren't set up to host huge big time tournaments. My point when i started this conversation is doing nothing when others are reaping huge benefits for their schools programs is dumb. We don't have to be the next big time tournament, but not using tournaments as a way to help out our athletic programs financially and continuing to accept the short sided norm of Morton is foolish.
I'm not sure how well equipped Proviso is either.
Nonetheless, would using Morton College be a viable alternative, or would the high school have to lease that gym?
Morton College isnt any beter, except for parking.
The boys play Argo on Tues. night. Someone told me that this is pack the place night. Any idea? Think there will be some sort of special presentation for the Proviso Trophy beforehand? Better get there early if this is true. I'm sure parking will be at a premium. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!
The boys play Argo tues. but pack the place is friday vs. Addison Trail, the trophy will probably be displayed at East
Morton is now ranked 3rd according to the Tribune.
http://yourseason.suntimes.com/boys_basketball/rankings/1361827,010409-boysbasketball-rankings.article
http://yourseason.suntimes.com/schools/morton/boys_basketball/1361645,010409-morton.article
I hate to count my chickens, but things are looking real good. Someone told me Big Al's is closed. Anyone know?
Big Al's? Peoria?
Nice article in todays Sun Times about the boys. Also if you didnt see the papers The Mustangs are ranked 3rd in the Trib and 4th in the Times. North Lawndale is ranked first in both,Thornton second and The Times has Warren 3rd instead of Morton as the Trib does.
Watched North Lawndale play Foreman on tv last night, they will be on tv a week from Friday night at Whitney Young.
Got a call this afternoon to bring something to the east gym and Corey McPherrin from Fox32 Sports was there with a crew interviewing the coach and some of the players.
I'll post here when I find out when it will air. Nice to see all the publicity!
Quote from: mustang54 on January 05, 2009, 07:41:27 PM
Nice article in todays Sun Times about the boys. Also if you didnt see the papers The Mustangs are ranked 3rd in the Trib and 4th in the Times. North Lawndale is ranked first in both,Thornton second and The Times has Warren 3rd instead of Morton as the Trib does.
Watched North Lawndale play Foreman on tv last night, they will be on tv a week from Friday night at Whitney Young.
Got a call this afternoon to bring something to the east gym and Corey McPherrin from Fox32 Sports was there with a crew interviewing the coach and some of the players.
I'll post here when I find out when it will air. Nice to see all the publicity!
Mustang54 - So how did my alma mater do (Foreman)? An old friend of mine was in town this past week for her mother's wake and funeral and when I told her that Foreman had somewhat of a BBall team she almost fell off her chair.
I'm almost surprised that Blago hasn't tried to use this to his advantage considering his ties to the school.
I'm almost surprised that Blago hasn't tried to use this to his advantage considering his ties to the school
One of the kids could be another senatorial choice
Quote from: MRS. NORTHSIDER on January 05, 2009, 07:59:38 PM
Quote from: mustang54 on January 05, 2009, 07:41:27 PM
Nice article in todays Sun Times about the boys. Also if you didnt see the papers The Mustangs are ranked 3rd in the Trib and 4th in the Times. North Lawndale is ranked first in both,Thornton second and The Times has Warren 3rd instead of Morton as the Trib does.
Watched North Lawndale play Foreman on tv last night, they will be on tv a week from Friday night at Whitney Young.
Got a call this afternoon to bring something to the east gym and Corey McPherrin from Fox32 Sports was there with a crew interviewing the coach and some of the players.
I'll post here when I find out when it will air. Nice to see all the publicity!
Mustang54 - So how did my alma mater do (Foreman)? An old friend of mine was in town this past week for her mother's wake and funeral and when I told her that Foreman had somewhat of a BBall team she almost fell off her chair.
I'm almost surprised that Blago hasn't tried to use this to his advantage considering his ties to the school.
Foreman lost in the championship game but it was a close one. They have a good team.
Saw them last year in first game of the regionals at Whitney Young. Their best players are only juniors so they will be good again next year too.
Boys will be on Fox News tonight, I heard Corey Mcpherson was there yesterday
Morton pasted Argo last night.
Btw, does anyone know if the school (or anybody else) sells Morton Mustangs basketball tshirts and/or sweatshirts?
The school has just started selling Morton Basketball tshirts for around $7.00. I will mention it to Athletic Director Steve Lemon that some community members would also like to purchase these shirts. Hopefully, they will be available at pack the place this Friday. I will let everyone know tomorrow.
I was told by someone last night they will be selling them on Friday night.
The pack the place schedule is different than normal. You get to see both the varsity boys and girls teams play on the same night in the same gym. It will be held Friday night at the East gym. Sophomore boys play at 4:30 followed by varsity girls at 6:00 and varsity boys at 7:30. Perfect night for a BTF gathering!
Nice piece on Luke Scarlata. Quite a spokesman for the team and community. Great reflection on Berwyn-Cicero. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!
Everyone needs to go to the foxs news website and vote for this Fridays game to be the fox/walgreens game of the week. You can go to the website or text your vote as many times as you want. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!
http://media.myfoxchicago.com/foxjox/voting.html
We are leading right now, im going back to vote more, go MUSTANGS
Mustangs win game of the week. Hi-lites will air on fox news at ten. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All of that voting for what? A 15 second blip with a reporter that could hardly get the words straight Great Game. Great crowd. Should be like that for all home games. High energy. Nice win. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!
The Fox guy was there, filmed the entire 1st half, then took off.
Inferior opponent. The Mustangs didn't play down to AT's level, but their sheer size and mastery of the game at this level brought them victory with their eyes closed.
They ARE bigger than last year. A slightly different style, less slashing (Quezada?), but they are supremely confident now.
Guzman started the scoring with a 3, they skated to an 11-0 start. Up 10 after one, 19 after two, 30 after three. Fourth Q was fun & discovery time...I think mustang54 and Clam were inserted for stretches. ;)
The PWHT trophy presentation was electric and resonated with those who understand its meaning. I got the sense there were a lot whom simply don't understand the magnitude of this, but dug the buzz ; we're simply not used to such greatness. Great crowd, good kids. The faces of today's Morton look different, but they really are no different than when we were that age.
I wish I had my f'ing camera; this old cell phone vid is the best I can do ya for the trophy walk...
http://www.youtube.com/v/hLnwZJDRBRE&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b
They could beat DePaul.
I think mustang54 and Clam were inserted for stretches.
LMFAO.... If me and Mustang54 had even played a few seconds in that game, we both would have been taken to the ER...........
I wish I could be that young, I wish I had their energy....... They are simply a joy to watch... I'm proud of everyone one of those young men.....
I think Morton B-Ball broke the national ranking. I am not positive because the site lists the Morton in Morton Illinois. When I checked on their website for game results for the season, it doesn't display much. I am sure this has to be a typo. They have to mean us. If WY had a national rank and we beat them, I would assume that this is us. I will try and get a hold of the website to clarify.
http://highschool.rivals.com/viewrankhs.asp?ra_key=597
It probably IS the Mustangs.
I don't think downstate Morton is that good.
If it says Morton (Cicero) I'll, it's the Mustangs.
If it says Morton, ILit's them.
that has to be us, and apparently they didnt see us beat Young, because they have them ranked alot higher
Sent a message to the owner of the MSU site on Rivals asking if he could let the maintainer of the list that Morton is not in Morton, IL.
National Ranking? Now that's out of control. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good job Spartan. Rivals.com now shows that our Mustangs are ranked nationally. How cool is that? GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!
Just got back from the athletic department and was told there is a change in Mortons schedule this weekend at the Martin Luther King Shootout. Morton will not be playing Crete Monee. They will now be playing Simeon instead at 6:45 on Saturday at Whitney Young.
Toppled Hinsdale South 73-57.
Lead was 26 by the time all starters were pulled.
GUZMAN - think he ended up at 33, but had 29 POINTS in the 1st Half! I believe 7 of 9 from beyond the arc.
The Morton side of the gym at Hinsdale South was full. They had to send some of our fans to a section on the Hinsdale side! Really nice to see such a huge turnout on the road in this cold weather. Saw students,alumni,teachers,administrators,maintence men,former teachers and administrators,a Berwyn policeman,a Cicero policeman,yes the bandwagon is getting quite crowded. It is really nice to see. These student athletes deserve it.
By the way top ranked North Lawndale got beat in overtime tonight by Whitney Young.
Tomorrow nights game at Whitney against Simeon is a big one! The sophs won again tonight and are also playing quite well.
Guzman was on fire. Couldn't miss. Scarrlata with 2 dunks. Great play from Oscar, Joey, and Robert. Chalk up another win for the Mustangs. Great job. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!
The refs were letting Morton get beat up. It was as if they've never seen a basketball player leave their feet!
Quote from: bonster on January 16, 2009, 11:15:18 PM
The refs were letting Morton get beat up. It was as if they've never seen a basketball player leave their feet!
The refs were pretty lousy. Scarlata got put in a headlock no call and then when the crowd got on the ref he starts talking to Scarlata as if to apologize. I'm really glad they are playing Simeon tomorrow. They need to play a few teams outside our conference to keep them sharp. Even though we have won 3 games since the Proviso tournament they aren't really firing on all cylinders.
Hopefully a win over Simeon will push the boys up in the standings, especially with W. Young beating N. Lawndale. Should be #2, but are #1 in our hearts....
Your right mustang, great crowd at the game, i know alot of people at the game now live in that area, to me this was the first time where one player had to step up, especially in the 1st half, Roberto and Raul were the only ones playing with energy, then the 2nd half became more of a team effort, it was nice to see the bench get some playing time also
Game is at Whitney Young tonight? 5? Anyone going?
According to the MLK website, the game is at 6:45. Following Morton's game is Thornton, who will probably be ranked #1 after this weekend. Simeon, Morton's opponent, is ranked as an "up and comer" in the Trib. Should be a good night of high school basketball, and if Thornton loses, .......
The Tribune is nuts, Simeon has like 6 loses, they were expected to do well this year, if anything they are having a disappointing season, all the more reason Morton should beware of this team tonight. They are going to come at them with everything they have, beating Morton will help them regain some of the respect they have lost in the basketball circles.... Morton better be ready from the opening tipoff to the final buzzer.. Gooooooooooooo Mustangs.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on January 17, 2009, 12:23:02 PM
Game is at Whitney Young tonight? 5? Anyone going?
Robert the game time and opponent were changed earlier in the week. We were supposed to play Crete-Monee at 5 originally. They had ro re-arrange schedules because a couple of teams had other commitments this weekend. So we got Simeon at 6:45 instead.
I like the change, we need to face some tougher teams from outside of our conference. What I fear is a Public League gym,against a team who has fell from the rankings (even though the reporters left them in there as the losses mounted), with Public League officials. I don't want to see a hosing tonight. And yes I will be there. Gotta pull for Joes to beat North Lawndale tonight up at the Sears Center.
Close game, but Simeon eeked it out by 20.
They played like world beaters; we played like hell in every phase of the game.
Can't blame this on the refs, but they did suck. Bad.
More later...
I think it all boils down to the Mustangs do not play well in Whitney Youngs gym. We played bad against them last year in the sectional final. Even the game they beat Foreman the night before they did not play real well. If i remember correctly we had to go to overtime and missed 18 free throws that night. Its a very dark gym with very unforgiving rims that if you dont hit your shot dead on it comes out.
The CPS refs were as I expected and Bonster said earlier, they stunk.
But you gotta give Simeon credit they came in looking to gain back some respect. They ran their offense real well and shot well from the field and the line. They also dominated the boards as it seemed every missed shot came into their hands. Hey, every team has a bad night. I said after the Proviso tournament no one in the top 25 would run the table. I still think it was good to play them as they are more athletic than anyone we will face in our conference.
Had our own little BTF section tonight with me,Bonster,and Robert Pauly. May have to start our own permanent section, maybe even get some crazy BTF go Mustang shirts printed up!
Tough loss. I don't think it has anything to do with lighting or not playing well in WY's gym. Simeon was hungry and the boys had an off night. Passes weren't there, shots just a little off, and not as fast off the dribble. Was Simeon's defense tough? Hell yes. But not any tougher than WY or Proviso West. LeBron and the Cavaliers were in Chicago the other night and the Bulls had no business beating them, but they did. LeBron and the Cavaliers, who are a much more superior team than the Bulls. had a bad night and the ball just didn't drop their way. It's okay boys. Chalk it up to experience and let's take the rest of the season all the way to Peoria. Some people say you can't hang with the city teams, but I believe different. You are every bit as good ,and better, than any team in this state. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a team that turns it on and turns it off - when it's working, it's art, when not, a mess. PE and PW, they dig deep holes and spurt out - sooner or later, in some gym with tight rims on some night with bad refs, the desperate 3's don't fall and the horseshoe drops - sorry, folks, but championship teams this does not make. Never in the game - not ready to play - coasting - bad passing - bad shots - bad shooting - no inside presence - silly fouls - poor free throw shooting - down big early - never getting it under 10 past the second quarter - down 17 - cut to 11 - back down to 17 90 seconds later - a poor, poor game. Simeon was the team with poise - no cityball - terrific defense - smart passing and shooting - rebounding - we looked like an intimidated team from the suburbs in the big, bad CPS. Either the Mustangs develop some fire in the belly or I'm afraid it could be a quick tournament session.
As Mustang said, the company was good, which would have been enhanced by better play on the floor, though. I agree, victorian, this is a team that has the tools - a sweet bunch of kids to boot, which is really the important thing - let's not lose sight - they're going to have to develop some toughness and killer instinct if they're to make a run downstate.
They need ........... Eye of the Tiger.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on January 18, 2009, 06:29:35 AM
This is a team that turns it on and turns it off - when it's working, it's art, when not, a mess. PE and PW, they dig deep holes and spurt out - sooner or later, in some gym with tight rims on some night with bad refs, the desperate 3's don't fall and the horseshoe drops - sorry, folks, but championship teams this does not make. Never in the game - not ready to play - coasting - bad passing - bad shots - bad shooting - no inside presence - silly fouls - poor free throw shooting - down big early - never getting it under 10 past the second quarter - down 17 - cut to 11 - back down to 17 90 seconds later - a poor, poor game. Simeon was the team with poise - no cityball - terrific defense - smart passing and shooting - rebounding - we looked like an intimidated team from the suburbs in the big, bad CPS. Either the Mustangs develop some fire in the belly or I'm afraid it could be a quick tournament session.
As Mustang said, the company was good, which would have been enhanced by better play on the floor, though. I agree, victorian, this is a team that has the tools - a sweet bunch of kids to boot, which is really the important thing - let's not lose sight - they're going to have to develop some toughness and killer instinct if they're to make a run downstate.
Sometimes after a bad loss the light comes on for a team. Hopefully it will happen with Morton West.
And you are right that championship caliber teams find a way to win, even if they are playing their 'C' game. I'd point to Michigan State vs Illinois yesterday.
Oh, and to be clear...bad loss is what Robert described above...bad loss = bad shots, silly fouls, poor FT shooting. Good loss = playing a good game but the other team wins.
OPS its Morton, get with the program, although i think just about the whole team goes to West, lets face it every team in any sport is going to have a bad game, thats why we dont usually have games like this, because we dont just have 1 or 2 good kids, we have 4 very good starters who usually pick each other up, so everyone needs to relax,there is not 1 dominant team in the state this year, and we are one of the best GO MUSTANGS
No need to panic. Oldberwynite is right there is not a dominant team in the state this year. Ask North Lawndale how their weekend was. I told everyone after Proviso West that no team in the top 25 will run the table the remainder of the year. And they won't. Every team has a bad night or two. Every team i have seen also has some flaws.
When they came out on the court last night you could see they were not ready to play at a high level. All I know is I have seen over 20 wins over the last year and only 2 losses. And both losses came in that gym. So I'm never goin back! LOL!!
Your banned from that gym. ;D
If anyone is interested, St. Joes beat #3 North Lawndale at the Sears Center last night.
I told you guys the Chargers would be a team to watch once they got DeAndre McCamey back.And they finally got a monster performance from their big center Louis Green.If that kid keeps putting in those type of performances, look out.
Got to watch two high school games on tv today. First I watched my favorite over rated team Whitney Jordan get smoked by the number one team in the country Mater Dei from Santa Ana California. That was from the Hall of Fame in Springfield Mass. on ESPNU. The Whitney Jordans will be on ESPNU again on Feb. 9th against a team from Fairfax.
Whitney was down by 32 when Mater Dei pulled their starters. The best was when it reached a 26 point lead with 3 and a half minutes left in the third Whitneys coach called a timeout. The announcer goes " Don't they allow timeouts in Illinois, he should of called that three and a half minutes ago." LOL!
After that I watched number one ranked Thornton struggle at home to beat Hillcrest in overtime. Not really impressed with Thornton. Although these teams have played a lot of basketball this weekend and are probably some tired kids.
Quote from: mustang54 on January 19, 2009, 05:51:25 PM
Got to watch two high school games on tv today. First I watched my favorite over rated team Whitney Jordan get smoked by the number one team in the country Mater Dei from Santa Ana California. That was from the Hall of Fame in Springfield Mass. on ESPNU. The Whitney Jordans will be on ESPNU again on Feb. 9th against a team from Fairfax.
Whitney was down by 32 when Mater Dei pulled their starters. The best was when it reached a 26 point lead with 3 and a half minutes left in the third Whitneys coach called a timeout. The announcer goes " Don't they allow timeouts in Illinois, he should of called that three and a half minutes ago." LOL!
After that I watched number one ranked Thornton struggle at home to beat Hillcrest in overtime. Not really impressed with Thornton. Although these teams have played a lot of basketball this weekend and are probably some tired kids.
I've heard of Opus Dei. What is Mater Dei? Catholic boys gone wild.
Quote from: MRS. NORTHSIDER on January 19, 2009, 11:31:34 PM
Quote from: mustang54 on January 19, 2009, 05:51:25 PM
Got to watch two high school games on tv today. First I watched my favorite over rated team Whitney Jordan get smoked by the number one team in the country Mater Dei from Santa Ana California. That was from the Hall of Fame in Springfield Mass. on ESPNU. The Whitney Jordans will be on ESPNU again on Feb. 9th against a team from Fairfax.
Whitney was down by 32 when Mater Dei pulled their starters. The best was when it reached a 26 point lead with 3 and a half minutes left in the third Whitneys coach called a timeout. The announcer goes " Don't they allow timeouts in Illinois, he should of called that three and a half minutes ago." LOL!
After that I watched number one ranked Thornton struggle at home to beat Hillcrest in overtime. Not really impressed with Thornton. Although these teams have played a lot of basketball this weekend and are probably some tired kids.
I've heard of Opus Dei. What is Mater Dei? Catholic boys gone wild.
Mater Dei is one of the most successful high school boys basketball programs in the country.
Here is their record since the early 90's:
1990 CIF & California State Champions 34-1
1991 CIF Semifinalists 25-5
1992 CIF & Southern California Champions 34-2
1993 CIF Champions 33-2
1994 CIF Champions 33-1
1995 CIF & California State Champions 36-1
1996 CIF Champions 34-2
1997 CIF Champions 32-3
1998 CIF Semifinalists 21-8
1999 CIF & Southern California Champions 34-4
2000 CIF & Southern California Finalists 35-1
2001 CIF & California State Champions 33-2
2002 CIF & Southern California Champions 29-5
2003 CIF & California State Champions 35-2
2004 CIF Semifinalists 24-5
2005 CIF & Southern California Champions 31-4
2006 CIF & Southern California Champions 33-3
2007 So. Califonia & CA State Champions 33-4
Boast several current NBA players as alumni, including Darryl Strawberry's son.
btw mustang, why would you root against an Illinois team playing an out of state opponent?
Because I don't like the special treatment Whitney Jordan is given. VERY over rated.
By whom?
Quote from: mustang54 on January 19, 2009, 05:51:25 PM
After that I watched number one ranked Thornton struggle at home to beat Hillcrest in overtime. Not really impressed with Thornton. Although these teams have played a lot of basketball this weekend and are probably some tired kids.
I don't think Thornton has faced the schedule some other top tier schools have.
Have to give North Lawndale credit there. They play everybody and anybody.
Quote from: ZORBA on January 20, 2009, 07:28:23 AM
By whom?
The media in Chicago. Once they were knocked into the losers bracket at Proviso West ABC 7 especially acted like the tournament did not exist anymore. The night of the finals and consolation they mentioned Whitney beat Zion Benton and said NOTHING about the Morton win.
Your right about Thornton they don't play a very tough schedule. Especially compared to North Lawndale. Whats really making this year so unpredictable is the amount of good teams that are loaded with talented underclassman. Like Simeon, Curie and Foreman. I'm not impressed with Warren either. Got to see Crete Monee at Whitney last Saturday and they could be dangerous. Got some really good athletes. And this is the time of year St. Joes usually starts to find their game. If their big guy starts to play consistent they will be tough.
I've seen two of St. Joe's losses, and BOTH were games they should have won, especially if the had their best player, De Andre Mc Camey, suited up.
Their first loss in the PW tourney was to H-F, and Joe's led from beginning to end ... well, almost end, until the last basket by H-F. They GAVE that one away.
They also lost to TF North in the consolation championship when their big guy got in foul trouble. Another game where Joe's led, even in the fourth quarter, and couldn't put it away. They simply couldn't handle TF Norths big guy inside, and Joe's stopped doing what got them the lead in the first place, namely betaing TFN downcourt in transition. They stopped running. Joe's later tried to pick up the tempo with a 3/4 court trap, but TFN did a great job of passing right through it.
I don't think Joe's is a top notch team, but they're dangerous, VERY dangerous, especially with the great guard play they get.
If their man in the middle shows up, they can play with anybody.
I was told this morning the Mustangs will be without their starting center for the next three weeks. He had to have his appendix taken out. Also last night North Lawndales best player got shot after their game. The Simeon game at Bogan had to be stopped last night when a fight broke out in the stands.
Just got back from Willowbrook. Mustangs had to hang on at the end for a 56 to 54 win.
Game started out with both teams ice cold. With 3 minutes left in the first quarter Mustangs were up 3 to 1! Built up a 15 point lead at half time. Then Willowbrook started hitting their shots, the Mustangs were missing theirs and turning the ball over. Without Scarlata underneath on the offensive side of the court the other teams are gonna start coming out more and putting more pressure on the guards.
Tomorrow night should be a very interesting test. They are playing Curie at North Park college.
What a fiasco. Both teams looked like the basketball version of the Bad News Bears in the first quarter. Mustangs steppedupin the second and went into the locker with a 15 point lead. Trouble is,I think they believed that the game was over and sort of started to coast. Lack of Scarlata in the line up seemed to really throw off the chemistry. Guzman had to cover areas of the court that he typically doesn't have to cover. Belcaster, Custodio, and Macias seemed to be trying too hard instead of letting flow what it is that they do best.Play like you always play and the rest will come. No. 30 tried his darnedest. We wish Luke a speedy recovery.
Just got back from North Park where the Mustangs lost to Curie 55 to 54. Pretty much a carbon copy of last nights Willowbrook game. Started out slow in the 1st quarter and were down by as many as nine. Came back in the 2nd to take a 22 to 21 halftime lead. Outscored Curie 19 to 3 in the 3rd quarter to go up by 17 going into the fourth quarter.
Then the roof caved in like last night. Turnovers,missed free throws, all turning what should have been an easy victory into a onepoint defeat to an inferior team.
As always when your a suburban school going into the city to play one of their teams the officiating was horrible. But that was not the reason they lost. The playoff seating will be held next Saturday,and unlike the past it will be done for the first time online where nobody meets face to face to make their case for a team. I'm really afraid this loss is gonna cost this team big time.
I didn't see either weekend game, but having seen them a few times this season, I can visualize both games. A slow start, a run, a great quarter, a dead quarter - in conference, OK - at state, sooner or later, they'll cook themselves. Championship teams have a killer instinct, and I don't see this quality in this team.
This being said, the loss of Luke could ultimately help. First, they're better as the hunter than hunted - a few more losses will position them accordingly. Second, they play small - they're too reliant on the 3 - I think Guzman ought to abandon the 3 and plant himself in the paint, which he's more apt to do without Scarlata. Then when Scarlata returns, they might have more of an inside game. Lastly, they're not deep, and without Luke, others will get more PT.
Once again, a lovable group of kids - can lovable win a title?
I heard Curie was also playing without its star player.
Some very good thpughts Robert that I have pretty much been thinking to myself all weekend. Yesterday what you said might happen without Scarlata actually did. Some guys off the bench added some valuable quality minutes when they got in and produced. Yes they are better with a hunter mentality and they must develop a killer instinct. They have witnessed two nights in a row that when you get a big lead you must bury the opponent and not put it on cruise control. Last week Simeon got back in the rankings by beating them and yesterday Curie did the same. Evryone wants to either move up or make a name for themselves now by beating Morton.
I have seen every top 25 team either in person or on tv and I must tell you when this team is at its best they are as good or better than all of them. Leo played Morgan Park yesterday before Mortons game and they were unimpressive. No matter what happened the last 2 weeks I still think these games against public league teams will still help Morton down the stretch. We don't face teams with that kind of quickness in our conference.
You are also right about they have to start pounding the ball inside. They are in love with the 3 as all high school kids are and they are not falling at a high enough percentage anymore. When your not hitting free throws chances are your long range shots won't fall either. Time to spend some extra time at the free throw line EVERY DAY.
Quote from: ZORBA on January 26, 2009, 09:16:09 AM
I heard Curie was also playing without its star player.
You heard right, their 6'7 soph sensation is rumored to have quit the team and will transfer to DeLaSalle.
Yes, saw that Leo game. Leo was expected to roll over the other team yet barely won and talk about slow starts...that game was 8-8 in the 2nd quarter! Which only proves these are just high school boys and cannot be expected to have a perfect game every game! The Mustangs still are the best boys basketball team Morton has seen in what??? 50 years??? They still have a record of 15-3 which is pretty amazing! They still are undefeated in their conference and that's awesome! This weekend they need a lot of fan support so dont be quick to criticize or judge. Dont forget about all the records they have broken and the accomplishments they have achieved. Getting headlines in the Trib & Suntimes, the local papers, Fox news, CSN, etc... this has been nothing but positive for the school. They have put a lot of sweat and energy for many years into the sport to get where they are today so dont kick em when they are down, cheer louder!!! Of course they need the big guy, he is an important asset to the team, but dont forget he was there in the 20 point loss to Simeon, without a basket, and he was there for the loss in the Thanksgiving tourney. Every game this team wins or loses is a total team effort, never caused by one single player or coach. That is what makes them so great. This blog has 30 pages of praise and glory so dont give up on them now! Morton might not see a team this great for another 50 years! Enjoy them and support them.
Can lovable teams win state? MAYBE! Mustangs, I think are the only team in the State of Illinois to beat Whitney Young....why??? Because that day Whitney was not lovable...they got greedy and selfish and that can lose games as well. By the way, I noticed the Mustangs actually moved up in the rankings in one of the papers today. Go Mustangs! And get well Luke!!
I don't know about that. Young has something like 6 or 7 losses. I don't think they're ALL to out of state teams.
As far as the Curie kid is concerned, peculiar to say the least.
So he's going to transfer to DLS and lose a years eligibility? That is, unless he's moved out of Curies district.
Don't like the sound of it. Looks like somebody has been working on the kid, especially to transfer mid year.
Btw, what's going to happen to his Sun Times column?
Well said snoop! And yes the best from this team I feel could still be yet to come. They are one of the most enjoyable teams to watch that you will ever see at the high school level. They play what has become a lost art in this day and age team basketball! I also think its a great honor for Morton to be invited to last weeks MLK shootout at Whitney Young and yesterdays shootout at North Park. To be invited to compete with the likes of those inner city hoops power houses is something to be proud of. And hats off to the program for having the guts to take on better competition instead of hideing out in the suburbs to keep your ranking.
I like to go early to watch the sophs play and one thing I have to mention is the outstanding job Coach Bill Bloom is doing with that team. They too play a great game of team basketball.
I also believe the freshman are both doing quite well in conference play.
When these teams finally return to the home court this week I hope fans turn out and pack that place for both levels. These kids deserve it!
Quote from: ZORBA on January 26, 2009, 10:11:52 AM
I don't know about that. Young has something like 6 or 7 losses. I don't think they're ALL to out of state teams.
As far as the Curie kid is concerned, peculiar to say the least.
So he's going to transfer to DLS and lose a years eligibility? That is, unless he's moved out of Curies district.
Don't like the sound of it. Looks like somebody has been working on the kid, especially to transfer mid year.
Btw, what's going to happen to his Sun Times column?
Todays paper said he might transfer to Morgan Park, but yesterday the word through North Park was DeLaSalle. This is becomeing a real problem. A week or so ago they were ranting on a halftime interview of a high school game about a kid from Farragut who quit school to move to Oklahoma take the GED test and play for a junior college down there.
These street hustlers that prey on these kids especially in these AAU summer leagues is getting out of hand.
Mid year admissions for football is becoming less unusual. I personally think it is pushing the kids too fast. Let them enjoy the spring of their final year of high school.
Zorba, I checked, and yes Whitney Young has 7 losses.....6 are to out of state teams and 1 is to THE MORTON MUSTANGS!!
Well then, I stand corrected.
I just wasn't sure.
Well, it looks like the Curie kid DID transfer to Morgan Park. Supposedly, his mother has moved within MP's district. It's also rumored that De La Salle's star sophomore will be the next to go. Just waiting to see which one of HIS family members moves within MP's district.
The head coach at Morgan Park is Irvin who has the Mac Irvin AAU team. I was told that his plan is to assemble his AAU team members at MO Park and make a run for the title next year. The boys desperately need to beat DGS this Friday with the seeding meeting coming up this weekend. Another lose could really hurt their seeding. Get well Luke!!!!
Victorian tonight I watched the Warren at Zion Benton game on comcast. At half time Sakamoto from the Trib and Tom Doer the other announcer were discussing whats going on at Morgan Park. They said that CPS is investigating whats going on and will have a ruling in ten days. They see this as a growing problem and want to stop it right away. By the way Zion beat Warren.
It was nice to see in the Times on Monday he moved the Mustangs up one spot in the rankings taking into account Scarlata did not playagainst Curie. I was wondering why Zion Benton did not fall out of the top 25 since they lost 3 games recently. Turns out their big guy has been out with an injury and finally returned tonight. I hope the people doing the playoff matchups also take injuries into consideration.
Just got home from Downers Grove South where the Mustangs lost in overtime 67 to 63.
Trailed most of the game.
Ah Mustang,
The Mustangs lost to the Mustangs.
WHICH Mstangs lost?
The blue, or the maroon and green?
Summaries of the game are on line Trib and Times, Morton lost, Guzman had 25, lets go saturday and support our Mustangs, now were tied with DGS
The Mustangs from the east lost to the Mustangs of the south, sports fans. Feisty gym - parents night at DGS - a lot of topless young dudes doing their best White Sox fan impersonations - where are the 8,000 kids from Mortons? - too much dating - anyhow, down by 7 early, didn't score until 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter, catch up, down a bunch, catch up, down by 7, up 1, down by 4, back up and on and on and on. Squeaked into OT - folded - the kids at DGS were so pumped that they stormed the court - their version of March Madness.
For DGS, #20 was money, 24 only missed a shot - it kind of was the case where every ball bounced their way, but the easterners had plenty of opportunities to win. A couple of stupendously bad calls at the end of regulation - Guzman had over 20, most in the paint - but the moral of the shootout at DGS Corral is that this team really missed Scarlata. No inside presence - hey, what's the strategy of having your center and forward bring the ball up the court? - yes, they miss Scarlata - they're playing small - there's times when Guzman's behind the line and we're shooting with no one underneath.
But, some kids got some significant PT, only cost $12 for the missus and two colts - got to yell at something other than a family member, my BP is down but I think I'm going to have a drink - one for each of the Mustangs. A pretty cool Friday night - hope to see you all manana.
TWO WORDS. "FREE THROWS!!!!!!!" When does Luke come back? GO MUISTANGS!!!!!!!!!
Not having Luke during this tough part of the schedule has to be devistating to the team! Guzman and Belcaster are trying so hard and dont get a break. Everything is against them. DGS is a great team and they had everything on their side last night... in a packed gym on Senior night. The boys are under a lot of pressure. Tonight is a must-win situation. Last night would have been Morton's 20th straight conference win. They have not lost a conference game in 2 years. And with the RB and Proviso East games coming up soon, it isnt getting easier. Even the last time they played Lyden, they won but had to come back from a 14 point deficit. The free throw nightmare isnt helping either. Both teams struggled the 1st quarter, with shots goin in and out. Macias was getting taped up before the game, looked like Guzman hurt his ankle and Belcaster got clobbered early, hurt his back. I hate to ever blame lost games on the refs but these boys have not had the calls on their side for a few games and that gets in thier heads! THe boys have to keep thier heads up, Luke has to get well and the Morton students need to get thier butts to the games and support!
It amazes me how a school with over 8,000 students can have more alumni attend road games than students. More 40 year old plus fans than teenagers? There were alot of former Morton students there last night who now live out west. Also former employees.
Yes this team has gotten the short end of the stick by officials but its still no excuse.
Their free throw percentage stinks. Even the games without Scarlata if this team hit half their free throws they would probably be undefeated, or have just the loss to Simeon.
They also need to learn that when your free throws aren't goin in chances are your three pointers won't either. Their percentage of threes made last night was miserable again.
Looks like they are putting too much pressure on themelves with the big guy out. They have to relax and play their game and not try to do to much THEMSELVES. Even without Scarlata they are still good enough to beat teams like Curie,and Downers,and they didn't.
I just hope last nights loss doesnt really hurt them in the playoff pairings.
Is there a fan bus for the road games, I was at the Hinsdale South game and we had plenty of fans there
Last night the girls had a home game at West and the wrestlers had senior night at East...so that's where SOME of our fans were. Last season there was a fan bus for playoffs at Whitney Young. Let's be confident...tonight they will get back on track, on thier home court, with lots of fans and the shots WILL go in for the WIN!!!! Go Mustangs!!!!!!!! You are right M54....no excuses....
Quote from: Snoop on January 31, 2009, 09:49:14 AM
Last night the girls had a home game at West and the wrestlers had senior night at East...so that's where SOME of our fans were. Last season there was a fan bus for playoffs at Whitney Young. Let's be confident...tonight they will get back on track, on thier home court, with lots of fans and the shots WILL go in for the WIN!!!! Go Mustangs!!!!!!!! You are right M54....no excuses....
Snoop I was just lookin at the schedule and we got 5 of the last 7 at home. This is the time for the boys to relax,play their game and start blowin some people out. This team is good enough to do that with or without Luke. I have seen games where Luke didn't have to score and we beat good teams. It starts tonight!!
Hi this is Coach Joe, just got home from the JV game, where the Mustangs lost 85-70. We played hard, tried really hard and have a big game at all levels this evening against Lyden. Anyone that would like to discuss the basketball program call me 708-516-0382 or come see me at 5:30 at Morton East this evening if you would like to discuss the Bad News Bears free throw shooting problems, I would love to hear your input or advice in person, negative or positive. These are our children. I have watched all of your children play sports too.
Thanks
Maybe you should give Eric Snow a call Coach! I suspect your guys couldn't be worse than he was his first couple of years of college ball. He had a good 13 year career in the NBA...Free throws are correctable.
Frosh 20%
Soph 26.8%
Junior 44.9%
Senior 60.8%
Point well taken, Coach.
Hello Coach. IMO a FT shooter must above all believe they can make the shot everytime. Confidence and faith go along way in sports......especially at free throw line.
Quote from: Brown on January 31, 2009, 12:29:27 PM
Hello Coach. IMO a FT shooter must above all believe they can make the shot everytime. Confidence and faith go along way in sports......especially at free throw line.
I mention confidence thinking your players have already been taught fundamental shooting.
Quote from: Coach Joe on January 31, 2009, 11:56:22 AM
Hi this is Coach Joe, just got home from the JV game, where the Mustangs lost 85-70. We played hard, tried really hard and have a big game at all levels this evening against Leyden. Anyone that would like to discuss the basketball program call me 708-516-0382 or come see me at 5:30 at Morton East this evening if you would like to discuss the Bad News Bears free throw shooting problems, I would love to hear your input or advice in person, negative or positive. These are our children. I have watched all of your children play sports too.
Thanks
Coach Joe welcome to BTF. The Bad News Bears? Why would you make a comment like that? No one is taking shots at the players. People who attend the games come on here and tell the others who didn't what they saw at the games. This team is the best thing to happen to Morton and this community in quite a while. Check out the number of posts and times viewed in the Morton basketball thread compared to the other topics. People have grown to love this team and rightfully so. EVERY team goes in a slump of some kind during a long season. You only hope your slump comes when you are playing weaker teams on the schedule. When it happens against good teams, you lose,especially on the road.
This group of student athletes are even better young men than they are basketball players. They define team play in an era when most kids think me first. They are respectful to opponents,officials,and their fans. I know why that is, they come from good parents,every one of them, and they have been taught not just the game from the coaching staff but how to represent their school and community with dignity,and class.
I said in an earlier post I have seen all the top 25 ranked teams in person or on t v this season.
When Morton is firing on all cylinders I have not seen a better TEAM. Ask anyone who was at the Whitney Young game at Proviso. I also said earlier that the kids need to relax without the big man there. By your comment I now think you must too. This team will be fine. You guys have done a fantastic job with this team and put in alot of hard work. I don't care if this team wins the state title or not they will be remembered long after this season as a great team and an even better group of young men. So relax Coach Joe, and keep up the good work. You along with the rest of the staff should be very proud of what you have done. And we all greatly appreciate it.
And if the wife gets the car back in time I'll see at 5:30. LOL!
Mustang, I have to agree with Coach Joe, although most of the comments are positive, A person could only take so much of the negative talk, when as you said the hard work and time these kids and coaches put into this program, I am a little familiar with Joe and his family, besides having 4 sons, he protects all the kids in all the programs, being Morton or the Berwyn Rec
And Mustang, if you look back, Victorian referred them to the bad news bears, from previous posts, Vic seems to think the team is nothing without Scarlatta, i disagree, if they lost Guzman or Belcaster i think that would be worse
Quote from: oldberwynite on January 31, 2009, 01:53:38 PM
Mustang, I have to agree with Coach Joe, although most of the comments are positive, A person could only take so much of the negative talk, when as you said the hard work and time these kids and coaches put into this program, I am a little familiar with Joe and his family, besides having 4 sons, he protects all the kids in all the programs, being Morton or the Berwyn Rec
I'm more than a little familiar with the family. Actually I'm old enought to remember Coach Joe when he was a teen. And yes I would agree with you he does an outstanding job with the kids in the community.
Quote from: oldberwynite on January 31, 2009, 01:58:44 PM
And Mustang, if you look back, Victorian referred them to the bad news bears, from previous posts, Vic seems to think the team is nothing without Scarlatta, i disagree, if they lost Guzman or Belcaster i think that would be worse
Now that makes more sense, i didn't notice the Victorian comment. Thought it was kinda weird he would make that statement. As far as your comment about losing a player i agree with you and in fact had that conversation earlier in the week with a couple of friends. Guzman is by far my favorite player in all of Chicagoland. I love watching him play. I also think he is probably the most under rated player in all of Chicagoland. His enthusiasm and passion for the game is a pleasure to watch.
Coach Joe and Oldberwynite. If you read my post when I referred to the Bad News Bears, it referred to both teams. It was never meant as a dig to the boys or the coaching staff. If that is how you understood it, I apologize. If you read the rest of that post, you will see how supportive I have been of the boys and the coaching staff. I think that if you went back and read all my posts, I have never been anything less than positive and supportive of the entire team, not just Scarlata. I have read that Guzman is some fans' favorite and that Belcaster is some fans' favorite. Why am I lambasted if Luke is my favorite? I try to get to as many games as possible and only comment on what I see. I am by no means a coach of any sort, but what I can spot is when a kid's self-confidence is low. With the loss of Scarlata, I believed that the team's confidence level was low thinking that they couldn't win without him. That's how I saw them play after Scarlata was gone for those first games. I heard that tonights game was a raging success . The boys were back realizing what they could do with all the years of building a team. The next guy had to step up. They won. That's a confident team. I still believe the guys are going to Peoria. I'm saving vacation days to go. GO ALL MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No problem Vic, I think were all just spoiled, this team is so good and when we have some setbacks were not used to it, I was at the game tonite and the kids played very well as a team, Joey Belcaster had about 14 assists and 15 pts, and the rest of the team played well, Tues. we have another tough game against RB, I couldnt beleive some of the passes Joey threw, the kid has great court presence
Quote from: oldberwynite on January 31, 2009, 11:04:57 PM
No problem Vic, I think were all just spoiled, this team is so good and when we have some setbacks were not used to it, I was at the game tonite and the kids played very well as a team, Joey Belcaster had about 14 assists and 15 pts, and the rest of the team played well, Tues. we have another tough game against RB, I couldnt beleive some of the passes Joey threw, the kid has great court presence
I just think with the kids working hard they will go far in the playoffs!!!
It really doesnt matter what player is most valuable to this team, thats why were so good, we play team basketball, so lets enjoy the rest of the season, and watch this team go downstate
I agree ob, and no worries vic. Downers Grove won by 3 last night, so the conference is still in a tie. 2 huge games this week for the Mustangs, im sure the entire town of Riverside will be at the Mustang vs RB game Tuesday night and I would expect Morton East gym will be packed for Friday nights home game. The team seemed to be back on track last night and havin a great time on the court, that was a big win and another fun time. I would bet that would be Coach Joe's first and last time on the BTF, sometimes things get misinterpreted and he probably heard there was a negative comment and wanted tell all, "dont talk bad about the boys and if you think you know how to make it better then come tell me about it". But let's move on. It was a great night in Cicero last night and hopefully this week we can celebrate 2 more victories and next week hope the seedings go well and Luke comes back and then WATCH OUT........................Peoria HERE COMES THE MUSTANGS!!!!
Does anyone know RB's record? Hey Vic, I think you were right about the boys' confidence because if you read the on-line Suntimes article about last night's game, Joey Belcaster's quote kinda says how they miss Luke and it took a couple of games to adjust. Does anyone know Proviso East record?
Good Morning, this is Coach Joe for the last time. I apologize if I offended anyone, sometimes pressure hurts. This team has a chance to win state and nobody wants this as much as Coach Tony and I. But when you lose a player like Luke Scarlata it hurts and not only is he top 10 in state, he is also our leader and the best player Morton has ever had. We miss his leadership and any of you people that know him, know exacltly what I mean. Know that his is my last post. I invite all to BIG AL'S in Peoria ON ME when we get there and also, I think the revious trips to Ohio, Purdue University and LasVegas with the team...I ACTUALLY DO feel a little like Buttermaker from the Bad News Bears. Thank You, Coach Joe.
Coach Joe, that doesnt have to be your last post, we have some interesting conversations on the Berwyn Forum, I wish there were more families like yours in Berwyn who care about this community, you do a great job with the Berwyn Rec and the Morton Team, thanks again, your input is always welcome here
Some one told me Big Al's is closed Coach. When we get there, we will have to find another joint similar to Big Al's if you know what I mean. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!
We'll take Coach Joe out to Big Al's on Cermacht - win or lose - if he'll have us.
Big game at RB tonight, lets all go and support our MUSTANGS
Mustangs dropped another tough one tonight 59 to 57 at Riverside Brookfield. Everywhere we go on the road teams are waiting to make a name for themselves by beating Morton. Winning on the road is tough enough but when your ranked everyone is really pumped up to beat you. Their coaching staff sat in front of me at the Curie game a week ago so they were well prepared. I'm sure they scouted the Downers game too.
The officiating in both the varsity game and the sophomore game was brutally inconsistent. There was a play in the soph game where a Morton player went up to block a shot and the ref not only called a foul but said the basket that never went in counted!
Proviso East at home this Friday night.
what was our free throw percentage? Tell me we didn't miss any down the stretch.
When you're a ranked team, are the officials(I use that word because this is a family blog) also out to get you? Horrible officiating. Don't give up fellas, you played a hell of a game. Hang in there. You guys are still the most exciting thing going on. See you Friday for a win against PE. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote from: Brown on February 03, 2009, 11:48:07 PM
what was our free throw percentage? Tell me we didn't miss any down the stretch.
Much better but we didn't get many! What really helps this team is the way they never quit and keep playing aggressive defense no matter what. They don't let a bad call,a missed shot,or a turnover take them away from bustin their butts on defense. As a fan you can sit there and no matter how many they are down you know they can come back.
As i was walking out of the building last night a security guard from R B told a teacher who was leaving " I wouldn't want to be a referee." I replied, "the problem is too many of them that are shouldn't be." Whats frustrating is the inconsistency between the officials.
Especially underneath the basket. A Morton kid gets hammered on a layup no call and when they come down the floor we get called for a ticky tacky touch foul. Our kids get forced out of bounds no call, their player steps over not on but completely over the sideline with his entire foot and the ref PRETENDS he never saw it. And as bad as the 3 blind mice were in the varsity game the two soph guys were worse.
Wow. These boys have it tough. Not only having to adjust without Luke, but having refs against them, and having every team out to get them BAD! Hopefully there is a packed house Friday night at Morton East and they can do to Proviso East what they did to Lyden. One thing you can see in the team's eyes is that they still hunger for the win, they dont give up. With the exception of the Simeon game, I think the other 4 losses were within a basket, right? Go Mustangs!
Your right snoop this team never gives up. And they have had it rough. But in the end it could make them even stronger down the stretch. Without the big guy in the middle teams are coming out from under the basket more and putting added pressure on the ball handlers. Also getting in their faces more when they shoot the threes. When he comes back and they can't come out as far this team could be stronger than they were before. Also some of the non starters have gotten valuable experience and most importantly in pressure game situations. No need to panic. The newspaper rankings dont mean squat. When playoffs come all you have to do is win those games. The ones you just played don't count anymore. They will be just fine.
There should be a sign at these games: "If you have high blood pressure ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK". What a night. Packed gym. Band playing. Fans doing the "wave". And a WIN in OVERTIME against Proviso East causing the students to storm the court in celebration. What an amazing fun time. What a team. Total nonstop effort. Great show. Nothing but excitement through the entire game. Players off the bench contributing one after the other. Tyshawn, a sophomore played unbelievable. Juniors, Coleman and Wilson, great. Awesome performance from Guzman and Belcaster. Kubaczek blocking, rebounding, scoring. What a night. Excellent. Next game at Addison Trail next Friday. Seedings on the 11th. Go Mustangs!
Snoop your not kidding with the enter at your own risk. I thought my defribrulator was gonna go off last night. So glad you mentioned Tyshawn,Coleman,Kubacek and especially Wilson. These guys are getting very valuable playing time that will be huge down the stretch and they are contributing big time. Since Scarlatas been gone teams are over playing Raul,Joey and Oscar. Last night they made Proviso pay for it. If theres a better point guard than Belcaster at finding the open man or creating an opening for them by driving towards the basket I sure haven't seen him.
Kudos to athletic director Steve Lemon for telling security to not put up the ropes when the game ends and let the fans storm the court. He told them teams have done that in their gyms the last two games when they beat us so let our students do it to someone else. It was awsome. Not a fan of the wave but last night was the first time I ever saw it in slow motion. Even the Proviso fans got into it and when it started in slow motion they were all laughing their butts off. High school hoops at its finest!
Kudos to the sophs who were down 9 in the first half came back and tied it 23 all at half and then held Proviso to 14 points in the second half and spanked em 64 to 37. A Friday night in that gym is the best four dollar entertainment you will ever find!
I have been saying all along this season about Belcaster, this kid is a awesome point guard , hes smart and has great court presence, if he starts shooting at his capability it will be hard to find a better point guard in the state, once Luke comes back watch out, because like you said Mustang now the bench has more experience, and we will be ready for the playoffs
Oldberwynite the best thing about Joey B is even though he hasn't had his best shot from the outside lately he hasn't let it take him away from his defense or the rest of his offensive game. His shot doesnt have to fall consistently for him to remain a major contributor.That is a sign of a really good player. I'll tell ya if Joey,Oscar,and Coleman all get hot from the outiside at the same time in the playoffs it will be a long procession down I-55 in march. Even as well as they played at Proviso West guys took turns gettin hot and cold. Lately because of the added pressure being put on them by the oppositions defense without Luke down low they have all been off latley. I really feel these guys are all gonna get hot at once for the first time,they will get better open looks and the confidence will go through the roof. Plus with the big guy back,and the improvement of the rest of the guys while Lukes been out, it could get REAL crazy around here.
After Friday, I'm gassin' up the old sedan and gettin' ready for the parade down I-55. The boys are getting hot and have that "HUNTER" look in their eyes. There was no losing that game for our guys. They pushed hard and even harder when they were out of gas. When does Luke come back? It' been a couple weeks already. When he does, all H%#L is gonna break loose. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!
Luke should be back on February 17.
To All Concerned,
I was just told we have received a number 4 seed for the state basketball tournament....This is good news. We should know tomorrow who we will be playing for sure. Considering our losses lately(injured player) this is good news. I hope my information is correct, Go Mustangs...We are behind you all the way
Here is the seeding for the Morton sectional. Regional playdowns are at Whitney Young,
Proviso West,York,and St. Pats. The regional pairings will be out later today.
Berwyn-Cicero (Morton) Sectional
1. Chicago (Whitney Young)
2. Chicago (De La Salle)
3. Chicago (Lincoln Park)
4. Berwyn-Cicero (Morton)
5. Chicago (Foreman)
6. Hillside (Proviso West)
7. Chicago (St. Ignatius College Prep)
8. Chicago (Farragut)
9. Chicago (St. Patrick)
10. Oak Park (Fenwick)
11. Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)
12. Elmhurst (York)
13. Chicago (Lane)
14. Maywood (Proviso East)
15. Chicago (Steinmetz)
16. Chicago (Dunbar)
17. Chicago (Clemente)
18. Chicago (Schurz)
19. Addison (A. Trail)
20. Chicago (Prosser)
21. Chicago (Kelly)
Went to Addison Trail last night and the Mustangs stampeded all over them 78-51.
It was pack the place at Addison and I think they forgot to tell the community. Morton had as many fans there as they did. Team played superb defense last night. Forced alot of turnovers and bad shots by the Blazers.
Playoff pairings are out and Morton opens up at York March 3rd against the winner of
Lane Tech vs Prosser. If they win that one they play at York again on Friday the 6th. I was told the way the schedule breaks down if the Mustangs keep winning they will be playing on Tuesdays and Fridays. If they win the regional on the 6th they would come home to host sectionals and play the winner of the Whitney Young regional on Tuesday.
I noticed this morning that Morton fell out of the top 25 in the Sun-Times rankings. That doesn't seem right....or is it?
Quote from: dukesdad on February 16, 2009, 02:37:17 PM
I noticed this morning that Morton fell out of the top 25 in the Sun-Times rankings. That doesn't seem right....or is it?
They fell out last week.
ON THE ROAD TO PEORIA! 3 home games left before regionals begin. At Morton East vs. Ridgewood Tuesday night and heard Luke's back! Dont know Ridgewood's record but they recently beat RB. Heard Downers South won again, DARN! Mustangs have one more conference game (against Willowbrook) and I believe DGS plays Hinsdale South...this is it for the Conference Title. Rankings do seem strange Dukesdad, but Morton always has to prove itself, maybe that will motivate the boys even more than before. Good luck Mustangs, the next few weeks there will be some crazy basketball!!! Hope the fans come to support......
Quote from: dukesdad on February 16, 2009, 02:37:17 PM
I noticed this morning that Morton fell out of the top 25 in the Sun-Times rankings. That doesn't seem right....or is it?
I think the ranking - or lack of it - is correct. With Scarlata, this is a top 10 team, and from what I understand, he comes back tomorrow. A two week tuneup, and this team is positioned for a run.
Here's my odds:
Regional knockout: 5%
Sectional (loaded) knockout: 50%
Super sectional (also loaded) knockout: 30%
Semifinal win: 10%
State title: 5%
And while my odds only account for a 15% chance of downstate, I wouldn't give any other team much better chances. Unlike other years, I don't see a clear favorite this year.
Robert,
I agree with you.....I am very concerned about Foreman....No clear cut winner this year. A little luck goes a long way, i just touched my Buddha Statue. In fact I am going to bring to the game....Go Mustangs and I want a shirt from Mustang, I will pay double :)
The rankings mean nothing, what was important was the seed fot the playoffs, which we are 4th, with Luke coming back with 3 games left is important, it gives the team time to be ready for the regionals
You guys are right. Foreman is a tough team. Remember, they have to get past York first. Any team can win on any given day. If we do end up playing Foreman, they may beat themselves by trying their darnedest to avenge last years loss to us. The guys have really grown in the past few weeks without Luke. When Luke does get back, Watch out. We are going to see some major basketball. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!
I think a few players have developed nicely since Luke was out and the other starters played well while facing added defensive pressure they didn't get while Luke was there.
Now people have to play us honest again down low and the guys outside can free lance again and get better open looks. But what makes this team very dangerous is the agressive defense they play that feeds there offense for easy baskets. With that defense and the way they play a team game that most opponents don't I think they will be just fine.
The key to winning any long playoff is that every team has a bad game in the tournament. The key to success is winning that game you really could have lost. But regardless of how far they go to me this season was a huge success. These guys gave me and a whole lot of people a very enjoyable time during a winter of brutal weather. So no matter what happens they should feel very proud of themselves not only for how they played the game but how they represented their school and their community. To them and their staff a huge THANK YOU!! And good luck.
I second that motion.
You're right, mustang - if there were a silver lining to the Luke absence, it was the further development of other members of the team, which can only help in the tournament run. And as I said, it will be tough for any team to win, and we have as much a chance as any.
I also agree that this has already been a season of success - only one team will win it all - this team further established Morton basketball, and represented our community very well (at games on the road, it amazed me that people didn't know where Morton was located). And like you, this team provided much relief for my family this winter - the games and the atmosphere was certainly something to enjoy on a cold winter evening. Even my wife and brother from Lisle got into it!
I'm only sad that it's going to end, one way or another.
Final tonight Mustangs 81 Ridgewood 68. Not as close as the score would indicate.
Big Luke was back tonight and he and the other four starters Belcaster,Macias,Guzman and Eaton all were in double figures halfway through the third quarter. Belcaster had enough assists to choke a horse and about four of em were of the highlight reel variety. Lot of guys got minutes again tonight. Luke looked fine and just his presence opened up the offense to flow smoothly. Great team effort tonight and a good tuneup.
Smallest crowd of the year, but the girls started playoffs tonight. Kudos to them I heard they went down to Hyde Park in Hyde Park by only five. Boys got OPRF this Saturday night at home. Then a week from Friday is the last regular season home game against Willowbrook. Also last conference game so the title or a share of it can take place that night. Its also gonna be senior night and these seniors deserve a jam packed gym. Come on out and help pay tribute to one of the most positive stories this school and community have had in a while.
Belcaster was fantastic (13 points, 600 assists) - loved the bowling ball assist under the basket - I'd love to see him at my alma mater. I'm going to call the SCORE during the Wainwright show to see if he's scouting his old stomping grounds.
With Luke (12 points, 10 rebounds), the team looked pre-Simeon. Guzman (22 points - mostly in the paint) could have had 40 - Macias and Eaton (sophomore - first start?) 12. In fairness, Ridgewood was severely undersized - OPRF should be a better test.
Ive been saying all season long, Belcaster is the key to this team, he runs the offense, his teamates always have to be ready cause this kid throws some awesome passes, very smart player
Quote from: Robert Pauly on February 18, 2009, 07:12:40 AM
Belcaster was fantastic (13 points, 600 assists) - loved the bowling ball assist under the basket - I'd love to see him at my alma mater. I'm going to call the SCORE during the Wainwright show to see if he's scouting his old stomping grounds.
With Luke (12 points, 10 rebounds), the team looked pre-Simeon. Guzman (22 points - mostly in the paint) could have had 40 - Macias and Eaton (sophomore - first start?) 12. In fairness, Ridgewood was severely undersized - OPRF should be a better test.
Your alma mater is well aware of the Mustangs. And VERY aware of Belcaster. But bug the former Falcon anyway and see what he has to say!!
Quote from: Robert Pauly on February 18, 2009, 07:12:40 AM
With Luke (12 points, 10 rebounds), the team looked pre-Simeon. Guzman (22 points - mostly in the paint) could have had 40 - Macias and Eaton (sophomore - first start?) 12. In fairness, Ridgewood was severely undersized - OPRF should be a better test.
Mr. Pauly, I was wondering if Luke's rotting appendix was causing him unknown trouble before it actually took him down? He was not his usual self against Simeon, nor against Hinsdale South the previous night.
Earlier in this thread, we were comparing Raul to Barkley and Dantley - well I had this DePaul nightmare dream - their resurgance in the late 70's - led by Pancratz to Corzine to Aguirre - and I was thinking that Raul - with his body shape and inside / outside game - and I know you guys are going to kill me on this - but he reminds me a bit of Aguirre. I'd love to see Raul in a Blue Demons uniform, too.
One could argue that Belcaster is MVP - but look what happened when Luke went down - and I can't contemplate a Raulless team - I guess that's what makes a good team - a bunch of indispensable players. Here's to continued good health!
Bons, I don't remember the HS game, but I do remember Simeon (with all that good company) - the Mustangs looked like a suburban team stranded in the big city - while we handled WY at PW, I'm not so sure we could have done it on a Public League court. But what the hell do I know? Thankfully, if we are to meet again, His Airness will be travelling to Cicero, and hopefully, the beat goes on ...... I hear Marcus is heating up.
All I see are scouts at these games - where the hell is Jerry?
Robert your right, he does remind me more of Aguirre than the guys i mentioned. Picking an mvp off this TEAM is extremely hard. I couldn't do it. Mostly because I feel if any of the top four go out the other threes game suffers because of it. With all four in there teams have to play them pretty much straight up and can't overplay on one or they will pay for it.
That is the real beauty of this team. And it works even better because the players understand it and know how to use it to their advantage. They could care less who gets the hoop as long as it goes on their side of the scoreboard. I also think they are holding their intensity back a little chomping at the bit for the playoffs. With the improved play of the supporting cast I really think when they turn up the intensity and emotion they can play better than they did at Proviso. By the way Whitney Young plays North Lawndale on tv tonight at Depaul. I believe its at 7. Thers another game on before it at 5:30. Channel 23.
Quote from: mustang54 on February 18, 2009, 10:44:34 AM
Picking an mvp off this TEAM is extremely hard. I couldn't do it. Mostly because I feel if any of the top four go out the other threes game suffers because of it. With all four in there teams have to play them pretty much straight up and can't overplay on one or they will pay for it.
agreed, mustang. There's no way Belcaster is the MVP, yet he's essential to their total success.
I agree with RP's assessment of the suburban team/big city thing, but they were exceptionally bad, and aside from two throws Luke was just about absent. Even if he wasn't in pain, I'm thinking his antibodies were going nuts and he didn't have the lift to make a few - if not game changing - plays which normally spur them on to better things.
As good as Simeon was, there's no reason when firing on all cylinders we should have lost that game by 20. Remember how small we played? Part of that may have been coaching...like RP was saying during the game- let Raul camp down low and he'd've had 30, easy.
I think they played bad against Simeon because they were tired. Physically and even more emotionally. After being the Cinderella story to outsiders at Proviso, finally getting some respect and climbing the rankings, and every opponent and their crowds up for them it wore on them. But the silver lining is it happened early enough into the season to have plenty of time to re-energize. Luke going down extended that period. But like I said some good things also happened in that sime time frame. Tyshawn Eaton has stepped up and blended nicely. He is now finishing really well under the basket and the key is Joey B now looks for him as a fourth weapon to go to. Tyshawn also has great speed and quickness and can beat his man down the floor or to a spot on the floor. The last four games or so he has had double figures and the rest of the guys now have confidence in him and look for him. That was evident in the o.t against Proviso. They collapsed on Raul and he found Ty wide open underneath.
I think the bowling outing relaxed them and was a brilliant coaching move. Martinucci and Belcaster have had these guys long enough to know when and how to push their buttons.
If they play the way they are capable they could be very dangerous. I can't wait.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on February 18, 2009, 09:55:46 AM
All I see are scouts at these games - where the hell is Jerry?
Speaking of Jerrys.....how about Jerry Sloan!? IMO.....a Chicago pro sport icon. Though MJ buried his Jazz team he still has to be the top Chicago sports story ever. Was great player and is great coach. He should be considered Chicagos greatest pro sports story. Ilm talking about a Illinois born guy who's been a success in NBA for 45 years!!!! I don't think any Chicago sports figure can match that resume....Not MJ....not anyone
Quote from: Brown on February 18, 2009, 12:45:02 PM
Quote from: Robert Pauly on February 18, 2009, 09:55:46 AM
All I see are scouts at these games - where the hell is Jerry?
Speaking of Jerrys.....how about Jerry Sloan!? IMO.....a Chicago pro sport icon. Though MJ buried his Jazz team he still has to be the top Chicago sports story ever. Was great player and is great coach. He should be considered Chicagos greatest pro sports story. Ilm talking about a Illinois born guy who's been a success in NBA for 45 years!!!! I don't think any Chicago sports figure can match that resume....Not MJ....not anyone
Your right an amazing man and an amazing career. I had season tickets during the Motta years of the Bulls and watching Sloan and Vanlier in the backcourt was watching hoops at its best.
I think its a travesty Norms jersey isnt hangin from the rafters next to Sloan's. Those guys complemented each other perfectly on the court. Two tough hard nosed guys who gave everything they had every night.
I attended Sloan and Norm Cicero Boys Club camp!! Jerry Sloans long career is exceptional.
Belcaster to Eaton has become Montana to Rice - good for a dozen a game - down low - opening the court for other players.
Not to kill the Simeon game, but it was a stew of factors: coming off the PW tournament, a gym that made even me dizzy, a tough, underrated Public League opponent and no inside presence. It tickles me to see Raul having success in the paint - Raul and Luke underneath are a very tough combo, especially defensively, as we saw in the Young game.
And, yes, for the old-timers, it doesn't get much better (well, actually it did!) than Van Lier, Sloan, Walker, Love and Boerwinkle. Trivia question: which player single handedly eviscerated them in their pinnacle year?
Rick Barry?
or an ex-Bull?
So have any of the kids attracted any scholarship offers?
Ding ding for Bons!
Almost as bad as the game 7 loss to the Canadians!
I remember listening with my dad in front of the Zenith console stereo (Polk Bros), and him getting all mad at Barry, so I followed suit.
I didn't think it was Clifford Ray, but wasn't quite sure...must be the Cub fan in me. :D
yep...Barry was one man show for Warriors that year. Seems Sloan was victim of a couple of one man shows.
Quote from: OakParkSpartan on February 18, 2009, 01:25:38 PM
So have any of the kids attracted any scholarship offers?
Bri I think theres been a lot of interest and contact and a few offers. I think theres been a whole lot of D3 offers and some D1's as well.
Hey Bonster, I think YOUR antibodies are nuts.......Mustangs have 19 WINS....you are still trying to figure out what went wrong in the Simeon game??? Get over it.
Looks like the kids even want bonzies head.
Quote from: Snoop on February 18, 2009, 09:37:19 PM
Hey Bonster, I think YOUR antibodies are nuts.......Mustangs have 19 WINS....you are still trying to figure out what went wrong in the Simeon game??? Get over it.
I wasn't talking about the Mustangs, nor what went wrong in the Simeon game - I was talking about Luke's play. Something wasn't right; it was obvious.
Quote from: Snoop on February 18, 2009, 09:37:19 PM
Hey Bonster, I think YOUR antibodies are nuts.......Mustangs have 19 WINS....you are still trying to figure out what went wrong in the Simeon game??? Get over it.
The road to Peoria is paved with a better understanding of the Young and Simeon games.
Young LOST last night!!!!!!!!!!
Quote from: Snoop on February 19, 2009, 07:09:52 AM
Young LOST last night!!!!!!!!!!
Most over rated team in years. Horribly coached. Not impressed with North Lawndale either. Public league is very over rated this year. They run up their records playing weak public league teams. Lets see how far down the so called experts drop Whitney in the rankings on Monday. 8 losses and ranked 2 or 3 last weak. Thats insulting to the rest of the teams. And I dont care if most were to out of state teams. They lost.
They only play well in their gym,and the officials give them alot of help.
Mustang,
Great assessment of the public league....I am in total agreement. You are my idol. I will introduce myself to you very soon. It is obvious we are on the same page in all matters concerning our district. Thanks for your dedication and concern.
Your New Friend
Mustang is my hero too! BINGO! You got it....the officials help them win in that gym...best case scenario for the Regional/Sectional.............Mustangs vs. Dolphins in OUR HOUSE!!!!!!!!!! Residents on Austin Blvd. will think think there's an earthquake....the place is gonna explode with support from the fans.
Mustangs new friend too.
Another matchup I'm waiting for in playoffs is at 3A. Another local school could meet up with another so called CPS power house in the R-B sectional. I don't think North Lawndale will get past St.Joes.
Snoop,
It is time to start the Mustang54 fan club....You are now the vice-pres. Who else is willing to be on the Board of Directors. Our motto is "Speak only the truth, no matter how painful it is"
You guys need to take a few deep breaths, no disrespect to mustang intended, who is my hero also.
Thanks for the props but I don't need a fan club. These kids do! Again last night I sat on the couch calling a freind of mine and him calling me with both of us doing a burn and ranting to each other hearing about the offers these players of other teams are getting.
All because they have a big vertical leap. They are not consistent shooters,do not play team ball,and are horrible free throw shooters. Its like watching a playground game.
Wheres the offers for our kids? Hello, Luke was the mvp at Proviso. You don't need a 6'8 kid who knows how to play the game. Coach Weber from Glenbrook North said Joey B was the best point guard he's seen. His vision of the court and passing skills are fantastic and can penetrate to the basket.Oscar is a 6'4" guard who can shoot,rebound,pass,handle the ball and play great defense. Has a huge wingspan. And then theres Raul. 6'5" can handle the ball,fantastic shooting range,rebounds,can put the ball on the floor,amazing foot speed and quickness for his size.Has an unmatched passion for the game and enjoys the hell out of playing it. And the best thing about these guys unlike the players I see every week on tv, they are coachable! Of course DePaul,Loyola,SIU,ISU,Bradley and all our state schools are doing so well they don't need kids like this. Its a travesty.
Mustang,
Joe's has alreaduy beaten N. Lawndale, which makes it that much more difficult to beat them again.
I think I was the first to tell you guys about Joe's right after the PW tourney, and they haven't lost since. In fact, two of their three losses came at PW against ranked teams (HF, TF North) and they were playing without their best player in both games (both close games).
As far as Morton is concerned, boy, I hope people aren't putting all their eggs in this one basket. While I think Morton is probably a top five team, the state playoffs are a whole different ballgame. Sometimes it takes getting beat one the road there one year in order to come back and do it another year. The margin foer error is almost non existent, you're not on your home floor, and you're playing a quality team every night.
I would love to see the Mustangs bring home a state championship, but its a VERY difficult thing to do.
Your right Zorb you did call it. Like I said in an earlier post it takes some luck to win it all. Everyone has a bad game when you play that many in a row. Thats where the luck comes in. Winning a game you should have lost. Look at the Morton Joes game a few years ago at LT. Morton got hosed by a call at the end and lost. Even coach Ping said it. Hey Zorb you think coach Ping feels like a proud papa the way his kids are playin at Illinois,and Ohio State?
They are both playing terrific ball.
Our Mustang boys have had quite a run in recent years. I appreciate each and every player on the team as well as the coaching staff at all levels. The team/coaches have exhibited the strength required emotionally and athletically to achieve greatness in high school basketball. I know Luke, Joey, Raul, Oscar, Roberto and every other player on this wonderful team of young men have incredible heart and passion for the game! Heart that only an athlete can truly understand. Those of us that watch on can only imagine what these fine young athletes feel. As I go through this thread and read the posts I can see how our Morton Mustangs have lit up Berwyn and give hope to younger athletes that will follow in their path. Its great how different posts reflect excitement over their favorite players! All of the boys are exemplary individuals. There are no key players. They are a team.
I am happy to see Luke back out there. As for those of you who wondered if his "rotting appendix" may have been an issue in the Simeon game....it doesn't matter. Luke is feeling good and may we all look forward to the rest of the season. I know Luke is. He is my son.
Oh yeah!!! very tough to win it all in Illinois. But nationally......if they are even slight contenders in Illinois.....they likely could take it all in about 45 other states. That's just my thought....not based on any real current trends,facts or stats.
Well said Smitty! They are a fine group of young men. Respectful to both the younger and older crowd. The parents and coaches have done an outstanding job. And they are the true defintition of the word team. I have not seen a group like this in years. I love watching the bench when all the starters are out. Other schools their players sit there and talk or watch, these kids are cheering their team mates on and having a blast. Whats even nicer to know is that these young men will be just as successful in whatever they choose to do in life. Its a great group that will be missed when this season ends. And no matter how or when it ends EVERYONE should be very proud of these guys. They are a special group.
Glad to see you back on BTF Smitty.
Smitty, I was just thinking about you. How proud you must be!!
I'll talk to you soon! Pat
Way to go Smitty! aka Mrs. Scarlata..... what these fine young men have achieved goes way beyond wins & losses. When one suffers, they ALL suffer and when one succeeds they ALL succeed. I think I speak for the entire community and student body when I say no matter what happens in regionals, etc....WE ARE SO PROUD OF THE BOYS MORTON MUSTANG BASKETBALL TEAM!!!! I believe they play like CHAMPIONS and they are CHAMPIONS. As far as the BTF is concerned....they are the conference champs, they are ALL-Conference, they are the best representatives of our High School that there has been in a long time.... they re true Student-athletes, they are role models, they have as good of a chance to win state as any other team right now....they are a pleasure to watch, ....and to ANYONE WHO THINKS OTHERWISE................MAY THIER APPENDIX ROT!!!!!! Hahahahaahahah.....I agree that nobody on this forum should talk about any players internal organs. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bonster, that was poor word usage, this is a great group of kids win or loose, we must all be positive and look forward to the rest of the season, if we win the Regional this will be an awesome time at the Morton Sectional
oldberwynite- you're probably right about that, but do not take what I said out of context, like Snoop did.
Hey smitty, my reference was in no way was a slam on the team or the player. When someone is sick, it has an effect on them; that's a simple fact. He didn't know it, but he was having trouble internally; that's all I meant. That never diminished how I felt about him or anyone else on that team. I'm a big fan.
If you read all my posts in this thread, I have been nothing but gung ho regarding this team and every player. I may not see nearly as many games as some of the parents & employees in this thread, but I'll bet I support this team more than 99% of the rest of BTF, and I've probably seen more road games than home. The only reason I don't go to more games than I do is my work schedule. The Mustangs have done more for making me proud of living in Berwyn than just about anything else I've experienced here, and instilled in me a level of confidence in our high school which was previously non-existent.
I will vouch that Bons is a big Morton athletic supporter.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on February 20, 2009, 10:24:46 AM
I will vouch that Bons is a big Morton athletic supporter.
Big time supporter. Hes bleedin that maroon and green with the rest of us!
Smitty: You should be very proud of yourself and your son. Not only is he a great player, but he is a great kid as well. I have the pleasure of knowing him, Joey Belcaster, and Raul. All great players, and all the type of boys that every parent would love to have as their son. They are a great asset to the District and the team, and their overall behavior speaks volumes about the parents who raised them. Especially in this day and age, these kids are a true breath of fresh air. Kudos to the coaching staff who has worked with them for years now molding them into the great individual and team players that they are, and kudos to their parents for molding them into the very mature, fine young men that they are. I guess thats 2 Kudos for coach Joe? Well, maybe one kudo to him for the coaching, and the other kudo to his beautiful wife for the raising? LOL. Just kidding. I am also very blessed to know the entire Belcaster family very well, and from the grandpa and grandma, all the way down the line, they are the finest bunch of people, and the most family oriented people I have ever met in my entire life. Grandpa Joe and grandma Rose love their sons, their daughter-in laws, and their grandchildren to death, and they have both been avid supporters of District 201s academic and athletic departments for decades. This team had brought more excitement and more joy to the District than anything I can remember. A great team with no show-boating, consummate team play, and young men who possess great character far beyond their years.
Well said Roger, there are alot of good people in this area, and you are right about this team and the coaches, and there families
These kids are symbolic of something that's not readily apparent in the community, and that is: there are PLENTY of good kids at the Morton's, and the Morton's are a viable educational option for the community. One need not run, to private schools or other communities. For this reason alone, this team is to be treasured.
Senior night next Friday - whiteout night (white clothes only), too - first 300 students get a commemorative T-shirt. Bons - you and I got to shave that night.
Hey why wait til next week. Tonight home against OPRF! Come on out and enjoy the fun. To hell with the weather, we are used to it. Don't let a few inches of white trash on the ground prevent you from a great night out. Plus Saturday night tv is brutal. Tivo the Hawks game and come out and have a good time. Enjoy this team while you still can!
Nice little articles in the Suntimes & Trib....Way to go Mustangs! I see that Downers Grove South got SPANKED by Nequa Valley ! Great crowd at Morton East last night....another entertaining night. Correct me if I am wrong, did anyone else hear this?....When Jeremy Wilson drained a 3, I thought the announcer called him: Jeremy "Hillbilly" Wilson.....I couldnt believe it but maybe I heard wrong.
Just realized that was thier 20th win last night. Looking forward to Friday...not only is it Senior night and the "white out" but if they win there will probably be the net cutting ceremony too. Lots of kids at the game last night, was nice to see. The soph that started in the varsity game was really good. Oak Park had a lot of fans, they beat Lyons Township the night before by 3 I think.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on February 21, 2009, 08:56:36 AM
These kids are symbolic of something that's not readily apparent in the community, and that is: there are PLENTY of good kids at the Morton's, and the Morton's are a viable educational option for the community. One need not run, to private schools or other communities.
How does the success of a BASKETBALL team prove the viabilty of Morton as an EDUCATIONAL option?
I guess then that Simeon is also a VIABLE educational option?
What hes saying is, the Basketball Team is one example of good things going on al Morton, and not everything is negative, so a parent who is deciding where to send there 8th grader next year should seriously consider Morton
Quote from: ZORBA on February 22, 2009, 10:33:26 AM
Quote from: Robert Pauly on February 21, 2009, 08:56:36 AM
These kids are symbolic of something that's not readily apparent in the community, and that is: there are PLENTY of good kids at the Morton's, and the Morton's are a viable educational option for the community. One need not run, to private schools or other communities.
How does the success of a BASKETBALL team prove the viabilty of Morton as an EDUCATIONAL option?
I guess then that Simeon is also a VIABLE educational option?
Reading is a skill. Interpretive reading is a bigger skill. Next time I'll try to not be so cryptic in my posts.
Nowhere in my post did I mention basketball success. In fact, if this team were 0-35, they'd still exhibit - and would be symbolic - that there are plenty of good kids at Morton. That they are successful has created an increased awareness of the goodness in the school, and that is what's important for the community - not their won / loss record.
Relative to Simeon, I don't know the kids and I don't know their families - I don't know which classes they take and which colleges are courting them. My daughter doesn't attend classes with any of them. Therefore - and catch this move here - I'll not present an opinion on something I know nothing about.
Do you have a daily quota for attempts on antagonizing people?
I dont think theres many other schools in the top 25 rankings that have Ivy League schools approaching their kids. When I say kids I mean plural not just one player. Morton actually has a player who can attend Yale on an academic scholarship. I heard he's waiting to hear from Harvard. Oh, and his brother went to Morton too, hes at a place called MIT now. Morton is what you make of it. Always has been and always will be, just like any other school.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on February 22, 2009, 11:01:34 AM
Quote from: ZORBA on February 22, 2009, 10:33:26 AM
Quote from: Robert Pauly on February 21, 2009, 08:56:36 AM
These kids are symbolic of something that's not readily apparent in the community, and that is: there are PLENTY of good kids at the Morton's, and the Morton's are a viable educational option for the community. One need not run, to private schools or other communities.
How does the success of a BASKETBALL team prove the viabilty of Morton as an EDUCATIONAL option?
I guess then that Simeon is also a VIABLE educational option?
Reading is a skill. Interpretive reading is a bigger skill. Next time I'll try to not be so cryptic in my posts.
Nowhere in my post did I mention basketball success. In fact, if this team were 0-35, they'd still exhibit - and would be symbolic - that there are plenty of good kids at Morton. That they are successful has created an increased awareness of the goodness in the school, and that is what's important for the community - not their won / loss record.
Relative to Simeon, I don't know the kids and I don't know their families - I don't know which classes they take and which colleges are courting them. My daughter doesn't attend classes with any of them. Therefore - and catch this move here - I'll not present an opinion on something I know nothing about.
Do you have a daily quota for attempts on antagonizing people?
Writing is a skill also.
In the same sentence you wrote about the basketball players being symbolic of something not readily apparent in the community
AND that Morton is a VIABLE educational option for resident children.
Your next sentence states people need not run to private schools.
Why?
I'm asking how the bball players symbolize the VIABILITY of Morton as an EDUCATIONAL option.
How does the bball team (or players) prove or disprove this?
How do the bball players being "good kids" (which I'm sure they are) symbolize Morton as a VIABLE educational opportunity? There are "good kids" at EVERY school. What does that have to do with EDUCATION?
Nor do I give a rats ass about who your daughter goes to school with.
Try being a smart ass with someone else.
Quote from: mustang54 on February 22, 2009, 11:08:51 AM
I dont think theres many other schools in the top 25 rankings that have Ivy League schools approaching their kids. When I say kids I mean plural not just one player. Morton actually has a player who can attend Yale on an academic scholarship. I heard he's waiting to hear from Harvard. Oh, and his brother went to Morton too, hes at a place called MIT now. Morton is what you make of it. Always has been and always will be, just like any other school.
St. Joe's had a kid two years ago, Garret Leffleman, who received a full ride to Brown, and actually had his pick of Ivy League schools. And he wasn't some stiff sitting on the end of the bench. He was the third best player on a team that featured Demetri McCamey and Evan Turner. A TOP 5 ranked team throughout the year. A team that lost in the supersectionals to Simeon and that probably would have won the state title had it not been for Derrick Rose.
Joe's has also had kids go to Duke and Princeton, among others.
So what?
What does that prove?
That Joe's is a more VIABLE educational opportunity than say Fenwick or St. Ignatius?
Hell no.
I would also imagine that schools like Young, Nequa Valley, DGS, St. Ignatius, H-F, etc... just to name a few, are VIABLE educational choices, but it has NOTHING to do with their basketball teams.
Honestly, people are really grasping at straws here.
You blew that way out of proportion.....I think he simply meant that there is good at Morton not just bad...real simple.
Zorba you gotta take a chill pill
Snoop,
I asked a question.
A very simple one.
If he meant to say there are good kids at Morton, I agree wholeheartedly.
BUT, it wasn't phrased that way. It was phrased in terms of EDUCATIONAL viability and/or options.
Zorb Morton also has a starter who has his pick of many Ivy league schools. And Joes should have kids like that, after alll they get to choose who they accept in their school. They have the right of refusal to a student. What Robert I think was trying to point out is that Morton isn't a place of evil and doom as some think. Its like anywhere else, the student will get out of it what they put into it.
Quote from: mustang54 on February 22, 2009, 12:50:02 PM
Zorb Morton also has a starter who has his pick of many Ivy league schools. And Joes should have kids like that, after alll they get to choose who they accept in their school. They have the right of refusal to a student. What Robert I think was trying to point out is that Morton isn't a place of evil and doom as some think. Its like anywhere else, the student will get out of it what they put into it.
No, Joe's DOES NOT have their choice of kids.
Joe's is NOT Fenwick, St. Ignatius, Latin, Parker, etc...
Joe's enrollment went from 800 boys a few years back to 600+ boys AND girls today.
They basically take whoever can pay the tuition.
That's the stark reality today.
Furthermore, Joe's has an enrollment of roughly 600. Morton has an enrollment near 8, 000.
That isn't the point though.
The post was phrased in a manner illustrating the bball team as an example of why Morton is a viable
EDUCATIONAL option.
Which is nonsense.
If the poster wanted to intimate that Morton is not all negative, he should have done so.
If the poster wanted to intimate that the bball team at Morton is a positive in terms of image, he should have done so.
He didn't.
Well Zorb one thing I must thank you for is your description of Joes. For years when someone asked me about that school I would say "its Morton with tuition." You proved my point. Thanks!
Back to the game! What did everyone think of the game last night??
Quote from: mustang54 on February 22, 2009, 01:14:10 PM
Well Zorb one thing I must thank you for is your description of Joes. For years when someone asked me about that school I would say "its Morton with tuition." You proved my point. Thanks!
No, it's not Morton with tuition.
Not even close.
But it's not Fenwick or St. Ignatius, either.
Thanks!
That's what I love about men. They can beat each other up verbally/physically,
think the other is an Ass@#%#, and then walk away and continue with the conversation like
nothing just happened! Hence--"Back to the game! What did everyone think of the game last night??"
LOL.
Quote from: Snoop on February 22, 2009, 01:23:46 PM
Back to the game! What did everyone think of the game last night??
The final score was not indicative of how they played. OPRF did get within 5(?), then the Mustangs got serious, Bellcaster got hot from beyond the arc, and put the game away. Interesting that Luke was in till the very end; I'm guessing it was extra defense against the last minute barrage OPRF was coming with and the fact that Raul had fouled out of the game early in the 4th.
FYI, the recaps of the games are available at: http://yourseason.suntimes.com/schools/morton/boys_basketball/index.html
Last night-
Belcaster, Morton handle Huskies
February 21, 2009
BY CRAIG LYNCH
Joe Belcaster led a decisive third-quarter run that helped Morton beat visiting Oak Park 70-58 on Saturday.
The host Mustangs led 26-14 at the break, but Oak Park (13-12) closed to 34-29 before Belcaster ignited a decisive 17-6 surge by draining three consecutive threes.
"After I made the first one, I just felt my shot getting better so I kept shooting," Belcaster said.
Oscar Macias ended the quarter with eight consecutive points which gave Morton (19-5) a 51-35 lead after three quarters.
''This was a good game for us to prepare us for the playoffs,'' Belcaster said. ''They're a good team and they play a tough man press,''
Belcaster led the Mustangs with 19 points while Macias added 18. Luke Scarlata recorded a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Oak Park's Andrew Godbold led all scorers with 21, including 16 in the second half. Jeff Dirkin added 14 for the Huskies.
http://yourseason.suntimes.com/boys_basketball/1443722,022109-boys-basketball-morton-oak-park.article
I'm getting my recaps right here on BTF! Thanks
I saw some things last night that were missing for a while come back last night as I thought they would when the big guy came back. They looked relaxed last night and had a good flow in the offense, and it was against a good defensive club for the most part.
I've been waiting for Oscar and Joey to have a good game on the same night now that teams can't overplay them defensively and they did. They both had terrific games.
Saw the coaches from Foreman sitting in the stands checking the team out last night.
Nice size crowd for a Saturday night,plus with all the snow it was nice to see. Oak Park had a nice turnout of fans as well.
First, my apologies, folks, for momentarily allowing myself to get sucked into the mindless blather and hair splitting intrinsic to some on this site - this thread is about a feel good story about basketball, and from this point forward, basketball it shall be for me.
Oh, and to the 8,000 kids presently toiling in the high school that we built, it is the opinion of this resident and parent that you DO attend a viable educational institution.
Oh, and to the members of the team - if you are listening - you ARE positive ambassadors for the school and community, and I'd like to thank you for this. So would most people here.
Now back to basketball: the Mustangs have reappeared in the Sun Times top 25, their ranking simply adorned with the foreboding statement "Scarlata is back".
Nice try Pauly.
Neither you nor I built squat.
Morton predates BOTH of us.
As for the rest of your "feel good" blather, God Bless, that's all you had to say.
It IS a feel good story.
NO DOUBT about that.
What that has to do with educational viability is absolutely beyond me, but carry on .................
p.s. I see where North Lawndale won the city championship last night. I'm sure all the North Lawndale parents now feel that their school is also a VIABLE EDUCATIONAL institution.
Quote from: mustang54 on February 22, 2009, 11:08:51 AM
I dont think theres many other schools in the top 25 rankings that have Ivy League schools approaching their kids. When I say kids I mean plural not just one player.
If academics is your measuring stick, then Young, Neuqua Valley, Lake Forest, H-F, Glenbrook North, Naperville Central, and Saint Ignatius are ALL in the Top 22, ahead of Morton at #25. That's almost 30% of the Top 25.
I would venture to say that there are at least a FEW Ivy League caliber student/athletes at those schools, wouldn't you?
On the flip side, if basketball is the barometer, maybe Thornton, North Lawndale, Hyde Park, Zion Benton, Waukegan, TF North, Foreman, Marshall, Vocational, Curie, and North Chicago (ALL ranked ahead of Morton) are all VIABLE EDUCATIONAL options also?
Quote from: ZORBA on February 23, 2009, 08:55:22 AM
Quote from: mustang54 on February 22, 2009, 11:08:51 AM
I dont think theres many other schools in the top 25 rankings that have Ivy League schools approaching their kids. When I say kids I mean plural not just one player.
If academics is your measuring stick, then Young, Neuqua Valley, Lake Forest, H-F, Glenbrook North, Naperville Central, and Saint Ignatius are ALL in the Top 22, ahead of Morton at #25. That's almost 30% of the Top 25.
I would venture to say that there are at least a FEW Ivy League caliber student/athletes at those schools, wouldn't you?
On the flip side, if basketball is the barometer, maybe Thornton, North Lawndale, Hyde Park, Zion Benton, Waukegan, TF North, Foreman, Marshall, Vocational, Curie, and North Chicago (ALL ranked ahead of Morton) are all VIABLE EDUCATIONAL options also?
What's your point Andy? We have some excellent students at Morton. Maybe we should give them some recognition, rather than focusing on the idiots that drag down the school.
There are excellent students at EVERY school, including MANY at Top 25 rated basketball schools.
That has absolutely NOTHING to do with how VIABLE a school is EDUCATIONALLY.
NONE WHATSOEVER, one way or another.
Morton included.
I could maybe see if the debate, or speech, or chess team won something. Then maybe an argument can be made about EDUCATIONAL viability. Basketball (or any other sport), ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Congrats to these fine young men and the coaching staff on a great season.
Nonetheless, lets not comingle apples and oranges here.
One (educational viability) has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the other (basketball).
Back to the hoops topic. I watched the Hyde Park North Lawndale game yesterday. A typical public league helter skelter playground game. When it comes to playoff basketball the three teams I like the most are Morton,St. Joes, and Zion Benton. Three well coached and well balanced teams. All 3 have had key injuries during the season and too me have been disrespected in the poles. But when its all said and done at the end the poles mean nothing anyway. I think all three will go deep into the playoffs while many of the public league darlings of the media are at home already.
mustang,
ZB has had some bad losses and don't play in the strongest conference.
Joe's wasn't underrated at all, IMO.
I think they're right where they belong rankings wise.
They went most of the season without their best player, and really struggle if their big guy doesn't come to play (like against TF North and HF). They don't have much frontcourt depth and a team with size in numbers will give them fits.
On the flip side, their guard play is as good as any I've seen this year. And guards usually win come playoff time.
Joes is 3A, no?
How about Nequa Valley and DGS Friday night (70-31)?
Haven't fully digested Friday's game, although OPRF did have a few nice players. Mustang - how about the new starter?!
Quote from: ZORBA on February 23, 2009, 08:55:22 AM
Quote from: mustang54 on February 22, 2009, 11:08:51 AM
I dont think theres many other schools in the top 25 rankings that have Ivy League schools approaching their kids. When I say kids I mean plural not just one player.
If academics is your measuring stick, then Young, Neuqua Valley, Lake Forest, H-F, Glenbrook North, Naperville Central, and Saint Ignatius are ALL in the Top 22, ahead of Morton at #25. That's almost 30% of the Top 25.
I would venture to say that there are at least a FEW Ivy League caliber student/athletes at those schools, wouldn't you?
On the flip side, if basketball is the barometer, maybe Thornton, North Lawndale, Hyde Park, Zion Benton, Waukegan, TF North, Foreman, Marshall, Vocational, Curie, and North Chicago (ALL ranked ahead of Morton) are all VIABLE EDUCATIONAL options also?
Be happy for this teams success, we are not measuring academics in this particular thread. One game at a time, how great it would be if the team went to the state playoffs!
Since you mentioned Thornton, they had an alumni night Friday. Most of the players from the '66 championship team were in attendance, after the game the alums had pizza at Beggar's in Harvey owned by Napoleon Harris (TTHS '79 and Minnosota Vikings). Zorba, my point here is successful teams are remembered for years and the alumni take great pride in supporting and giving back. I'd love to see Morton play Thornton for the state title.
Terry,
Every team in the state is in the state playoffs.
Did you mean downstate?
btw, I wasn't looking to pee on anyones parade. I simply pointed out academics has nothing to do with athletics. I didn't bring up academics, others did.
And no, I wouldn't want Morton to play Thornton in the state title game. I'd much prefer a softer opponent.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on February 23, 2009, 09:23:32 AM
Joes is 3A, no?
How about Nequa Valley and DGS Friday night (70-31)?
Haven't fully digested Friday's game, although OPRF did have a few nice players. Mustang - how about the new starter?!
The new starter was brought up from the sophomore team. Very good young player. Handles the ball well, good shooter and really hustles on defense. The sophs were missing him on Saturday night and have been missing another starter who broke his wrist at I think it was Downers or Willowbrook. Even with those two starters out the sophs lost to Oak Park on 2 free throws with 6 seconds left in the game. And I was told Oak Parks sophs have only one loss. The Mustangs have a superb coach in Bill Bloom at the soph level. He has some nice talent and goes deep into his bench and they really dont miss a beat when he subs. A really good young group that he is developing nicely.
Sometimes academics and sports do come into play together, when someone is failing and they become ineligible
Quote from: ZORBA on February 23, 2009, 09:46:47 AM
Terry,
Every team in the state is in the state playoffs.
Did you mean downstate?
btw, I wasn't looking to pee on anyones parade. I simply pointed out academics has nothing to do with athletics. I didn't bring up academics, others did.
And no, I wouldn't want Morton to play Thornton in the state title game. I'd much prefer a softer opponent.
Yes, downstate Mr. Specific. Good then, back to the Mustangs outstanding season.
It sure has been a great season thats only going to get better, we will win the Regionals, and what great timing to be hosting the Sectionals
Quote from: oldberwynite on February 23, 2009, 10:06:36 AM
Sometimes academics and sports do come into play together, when someone is failing and they become ineligible
My favorite thing about high school sports is it gets some kids to do better in the classroom than they would if a sport wasn't there to be taken away by academic ineligibility.
Morton also has kids excelling in academic competitions not just hoops and other sports. They honor alot of them at board meetings. Last month they honored some art students who competed at Elmhurst College. Nine Morton students won awards. One young man took a first place in i think it was charcoal sketches and won a thousand dollar prize. A few months back the videography class was honored for their video production work. They competed against New Trier,Lake Forest and alot of other top notch schools. Morton took first. The theatre group from West did an outstanding show I heard down in Champaign a couple of months ago. If we had a real community newspaper people would know these things as we used to when the Life was a real local paper for US!
Quote from: mustang54 on February 23, 2009, 10:06:21 AM
Quote from: Robert Pauly on February 23, 2009, 09:23:32 AM
Joes is 3A, no?
How about Nequa Valley and DGS Friday night (70-31)?
Haven't fully digested Friday's game, although OPRF did have a few nice players. Mustang - how about the new starter?!
The new starter was brought up from the sophomore team. Very good young player. Handles the ball well, good shooter and really hustles on defense. The sophs were missing him on Saturday night and have been missing another starter who broke his wrist at I think it was Downers or Willowbrook. Even with those two starters out the sophs lost to Oak Park on 2 free throws with 6 seconds left in the game. And I was told Oak Parks sophs have only one loss. The Mustangs have a superb coach in Bill Bloom at the soph level. He has some nice talent and goes deep into his bench and they really dont miss a beat when he subs. A really good young group that he is developing nicely.
That kid was a serious scrapper, and showed good vision while he was probably in the midst of a huge adrenaline rush.
Got a nice cheer when he dropped his first basket. I look forward to his progress the next couple years.
It was funny cause he looked so little out there amongst the rest. At one point a few of us chuckled as Luke patted him on the head as he walked by; looked about half his height, lol.
ps. <ot> The kid cheerleaders at halftime... Cute stuff!
The little cheeleaders at half were great. Dont know if you saw them but there was a section behind the west end basket that had an awful lot of what I was told were little hoopsters from the rec. Mustang fever is spreading!
Quote from: Robert Pauly on February 23, 2009, 09:23:32 AM
Joes is 3A, no?
How about Nequa Valley and DGS Friday night (70-31)?
Haven't fully digested Friday's game, although OPRF did have a few nice players. Mustang - how about the new starter?!
Only scored 31 points? What did they do, dress the Fighting Illini for a game? :-)
Quote from: mustang54 on February 23, 2009, 10:17:20 AM
... Last month they honored some art students who competed at Elmhurst College. Nine Morton students won awards. One young man took a first place in i think it was charcoal sketches and won a thousand dollar prize. ...
The first place prize was for a surealist painting, not a charcoal sketch. It won the $1,000 first prize and it was VERY good. I was surprised at how good it was and I was surprised that a teenager had painted it.
Ted
Quote from: mustang54 on February 23, 2009, 10:36:01 AM
The little cheeleaders at half were great. Dont know if you saw them but there was a section behind the west end basket that had an awful lot of what I was told were little hoopsters from the rec. Mustang fever is spreading!
Seen those little guys, and did you notice after the game a couple of them asked Scarlata and Belcaster for an autograph. One of the younger Mustang teams won the annual Bernie Ness Tournament Championship held by Martinucci at the Berwyn Rec last weekend. Does anyone know if the AD, Mr. Lemon will have a fan bus next week to York for regionals like he did last year??
Snoop,
I will bring to Mr Lemon's attention at work about the fan bus...thanks for your concern and your support
Nice win against Willowbrook tonight. Mustangs were a bit cold early on. But they prevailed with some very good defense, and some impressive shots by Guzman. Belcaster was a bit cold, but the passes that kid makes - awesome.
It was good to see so many kids in the stands supporting their classmates.
Yes Java, I think the score was 72-59. In fact i'm pretty sure Mustangs on all levels won.....swept Willowbrook. Belcaster might have been cold on the outside shot but inside he he scored 19 (including free throws). Guzman had 20, and Scarlata awesome as usual. Nice tribute to all the Seniors with the pre-game ceremony and then post game cutting the net (all players) for the share in the Conference title....DGS won by ONE POINT in OVERTIME with a free throw to get their share of the Conference. Heard Mr. Lemon will have a fan bus next Friday to York as long as the Mustangs win on Tuesday (1st game of the Regional). Yes nice crowd.......the Mustangs were giving autographs after the game. Seen a couple guys with Lane Tech shirts on scouting the game.
The team reminded me last night of a mid-60's Cadillac convertible - cruising down the boulevard - beautiful from every angle. The usual display of inside muscle, plenty of blocks, outside shooting and brilliant passing by Belcaster. Perhaps ragged at points, but the game was never in jeopardy - the Mustangs - unranked by the Trib - could be a very interesting story in the tournament.
Awesome performance by poms and cheerleaders at halftime, loved the bilingual, student cheering section in the west stands ("Yes we can!" in Spanish), well done senior night, free t-shirts, candy for the kids, net cutting - loved the young boys getting their white t's autographed by their hometown heroes. If you were a visitor from Willowbrook, you'd have to think that this was a class operation.
Special shout-out to Kyler Market (#23) from Willowbrook, with whom I shared a shiver standing in line for tics at the PW tournament. Good player and good kid.
TO THE PERSON WHO FOUND MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER'S PURSE WITH VIDEO GAME AND RETURNED It TO SECURITY: Thanks - every so often my faith is renewed in mankind.
Yes it was a fun filled night. If you didnt have a good time it was your own fault!! lol.
There is a long standing tradition in the lobby by the gym that if you step on the MUstang logo in the floor you must do pushups. And the kids strictly enforce it amongst themselves.
Well I heard last night the new assistant superintendent Dr. Kusniewski(who is a fantastic man) found out about the tradition the hard way. He stepped on it and about a hundred kids called him on it. I was told it was the first time he had done pushups in years! LOL.
How about some playoff basketball?
The Morton sectional is described by the Sun-Times as the deepest and most talented sectional in the state, including #5 De La Salle, #6 Young, #13 Foreman, #22 St. Ignatius and #24 Morton.
The Mustang's journey to a state championship begins at the York regional tomorrow night, against the winner of tonight's Lane / Prosser game. A win tomorrow pits the Mustangs against either York, Kelly or #13 Foreman at York Friday night.
From there, the Mustangs gallop back to the friendly confines of Morton East, for a Tuesday, March 10 meeting against the winner of the Farragut regional, which includes #6 Whitney Young. Might we see a rematch of the PW semis? Might you meet MJ in line for some loaded nachos? Hopefully.
From there, we stay at Morton for a Friday the 13th meeting with the winner of the St. Pat's and Proviso West regionals, which includes Proviso East, Proviso West, #5 De La Salle and #22 St. Ignatius. A repeat of the PW finals? A three-peat vs. East? Or a match-up against the youthful #5 Meteors or the smart Catholic kids? Stay tuned.
From there - and I don't want to get too far ahead here - the Mustangs travel to Chicago State U on Tuesday, March 17 to play the winner of the Hinsdale Central sectional, which includes #4 Hyde Park, #21 Vocational, #23 Curie, Simeon (gasp!) and Downers Grove South (a Scarlataless loss).
One game or seven - should be a fun ride. Look forward to seeing you there.
Thanks Robert, I hope we keep on winning, the kids are playing good basketball right now, they are ready for the playoffs
I think they can do it. One game at a time fellas. The papers over the weekend stated Morton " a team you do not want to play! " ....and both papers today put the boys back in the rankings.......
The Trib has a section where you can vote for "Who will win 4A?" Out of the 32 teams Morton has the second highest number of responses right now - not too shabby.
The papers say Prosser won last night but if you add up the player's points it's not right, I think Lane Tech won. Either way, Mustangs will triumph! Let's get there early to cheer on the boys in the 3-point contest. Go Mustangs!
Mustangs 84 Lane Tech 12. Actually, it was Lane Tech 54 but it was almost that bad. Thoroughly dominating performance, looking more and more like the PW tournament team, the Mustangs rushed out to a 12 - 0 lead and never looked back. Great passing, shooting, team defense - lotsa rest for the starters - everyone got PT tonight and played superbly, especially Mike Coleman who had 18 via 6 3's. Hey, you all know I love Joey B but let's talk about Rocco Belcaster tonight! Elevated from the sophomore team (he's just a frosh), Rocco had 5 tonight including a nifty 3. Here's to the future, Mustangs fans!
But there's still a lot of work left for the older dudes - 6 more W's to go - including one against either York or #14 Foreman Friday night at York. This was our knock-out game against the Youngs last year, so come out and root the Mustangs to further on down the road. Not to look too far down the road, but two more games on the home court are looking pretty sweet right now.
This was a fun one to watch. Starters were out with about a minute and a half left in the third. The night started out with the 3 point contest with 4 shooters from each team. The top four advanced to Friday night. Mike Coleman hit 13 of 15 three pointers to finish the top gun. Oscar Macias hit 9 of 15 and finished third so both advance to Friday night. Coleman didn't let up in the game either,and he drilled at least two from NBA range.
Mustangs had a lot of blocked shots again tonight. Passing both up high and down low was really good tonight. Don't know if I've seen a game with better shot selection than tonight. They really moved the ball well. Lane Tech was a small team but they had good outside shooting,but with the Mustangs quickness on defense they couldn't get many open looks. Everyone on the bench saw minutes which was nice. Come on out Friday should be a good one. Plus its a really nice gym, I know Mike Coleman liked it!!
Oh....there for second I thought the 3pt shootout was part of the game.......and that the shot selection was great. Had to read twice. Good win. Don't get to confident though. No easy task takin state
York upset Foreman tonight 63 to 53 so the Mustangs face York Friday night. Its their home gym so expect a big crowd.
Mustang.
Thanks for the update, now I just hope your fears of facing York on their home court and them getting all the home calls comes true. If the boys play their game, than they will take the refs out of the equation.
Clam.
PS. By the way, where were you tonight between 8pm and 9:45pm. ;) lol
WHO'S PULLING FOR THE FRIARS?
Me, for one - here's to the boys from Oak Park - as much as I'd like an MJ visit - a Morton / Fenwick match-up would be the rockinest game ever - yeah, I know, first we have to get by York, and the Friars would have to pull a major upset vs. the Dolphins, but one can dream, plus, the Mustangs would get a chance to avenge one of last year's few losses.
PRINCETON VS. NORTH CAROLINA!
Here's who's left:
1 Whitney Young vs. 10 Fenwick
2 De La Salle vs. 7 St. Ignatius
4 Morton vs. 12 York
6 Proviso West vs. 14 Proviso East
Looking on down the road: Young vs. Morton, De La Salle vs. Proviso West, Morton vs. De La Salle, Morton vs. Connecticut
Hey, to the music guy at the games: Instead of the rap stuff, how about some basketball music: "The House Is A Rockin'" by SRV, "Life In the Fast Lane" by the Eagles, "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly.
What other tunes will spur on the Mustangs to victory?
Get to the gym early Friday!
If the Mustangs meet Whitney Young next week I would blast "Welcome To The Jungle"
by Guns N Roses. Then hopefully at the end of the game they can play a famous song written by a guy I worked with "Na Na Na Na hey hey hey goodbye!"
How bout a Ray Clay intro ? (Morton '71)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-41tg_CS7s
Whoa, whoa.....
The quickest way to find yourself getting sent home packing is looking ahead.
You CAN NOT sit and figure every single possible permutation and/or possibility. Worry only about the team you're playing NEXT, and that team only. Crazy things start happening around this time every year.
And for Gods sake, don't put all your eggs in this years basket. Its been a wonderdful year. Enjoy it for what it is/has been. No need to put added pressure on these kids.Even if they lose their very next game, its been a great year.
Lighten up, Zorbs. We all understand the reality of the situation. My winter cup has runneth over courtesy of the Mustangs, state champs or not.
Quote from: Bear on March 05, 2009, 07:25:34 AM
How bout a Ray Clay intro ? (Morton '71)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-41tg_CS7s
I can tell how many home games you've been to, Bear!
"wild mustang" dick dale..."jump" van halen..... "in the air tonight" by Phil Collins..... "basketball Jones" cheech and chong........ "mustang sally" wilson pickett
Quote from: BRoWN on March 05, 2009, 08:20:37 AM
"wild mustang" dick dale..."jump" van halen..... "in the air tonight" by Phil Collins..... "basketball Jones" cheech and chong........ "mustang sally" wilson pickett
I agree a Van Halen tune but I'd choose "Right Now" instead of "Jump." Zorbas right you gotta play one game at a time. Not only has it been great this year its been a great two year run. And like Robert said state champs or not its been great entertainment through a long tough winter.
"Hot for Teacher" - no, bad idea.
yeah....good eye (ear) on "right now".....fk it..play the instrumental "ERUPTION"..lol
I wish they would get rid of that Bulls introduction when introducing the starting lineup with the spot light. Be more creative. I'd use Eye of The Tiger. Gets the adrenaline goin and it was written and recorded by a former Morton West Falcon!
Quote from: mustang54 on March 05, 2009, 09:06:35 AM
I wish they would get rid of that Bulls introduction when introducing the starting lineup with the spot light. Be more creative. I'd use Eye of The Tiger. Gets the adrenaline goin and it was written and recorded by a former Morton West Falcon!
I wish they would get rid of that starting lineup.
The only song I care to hear is the Morton Crowd singing "celebration" by Kool and the Gang after the game!!!!! I agree with you Pauly- would love to see a Mustang - Friar rematch.............Friars to be Fried!!!!! To BroWN: What do you mean dont get too confident???? We MUST be confident!!!!! If not, then what is there??? Fear??? Noway! Yes it's been a great season BUT WE WANT MORE! Be confident! Go Mustangs! Hey Mustang 54 I didnt know that a Morton West student recorded Eye of the Tiger.....great peice of info. Ok ok Zorbas right....one game at a time! Watch out Dukes!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Hey Mustang 54 I didnt know that a Morton West student recorded Eye of the Tiger".....
Peterik of Ides fame (Morton '70} wrote it...
Dave Bickler (Benet Academy '72) was the voice.
Rock on dudes....Yo Adrian.
Quote from: mustang54 on March 05, 2009, 09:06:35 AM
I wish they would get rid of that Bulls introduction when introducing the starting lineup with the spot light. Be more creative. I'd use Eye of The Tiger. Gets the adrenaline goin and it was written and recorded by a former Morton West Falcon!
I think I mentioned in a different thread that Jim Peterik sang Eye of the Tiger and the Nazareth Band accompanied him at their halftime show at last year's homecoming - his wife went to Naz and I think she may originally be from Berwyn too. My daughter plays in the band so it was quite a kick.
Quote from: Snoop on March 05, 2009, 06:45:18 PM
The only song I care to hear is the Morton Crowd singing "celebration" by Kool and the Gang after the game!!!!! I agree with you Pauly- would love to see a Mustang - Friar rematch.............Friars to be Fried!!!!! To BroWN: What do you mean dont get too confident???? We MUST be confident!!!!! If not, then what is there??? Fear??? Noway! Yes it's been a great season BUT WE WANT MORE! Be confident! Go Mustangs! Hey Mustang 54 I didnt know that a Morton West student recorded Eye of the Tiger.....great peice of info. Ok ok Zorbas right....one game at a time! Watch out Dukes!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gotcha Snoop. That was bad choice of words on my part.
Three Mustangs are Sun-Times "All-Area Special Mention": Luke Scarlata, Joe Belcaster and Raul Guzman. None in the top 20. Quote: "Three players were virtual locks for the team before they missed time with injuries: Schaumburg's Cully Payne, Glenbrook South's Jack Cooley and Morton's Luke Scarlata."
Which is a testament to the boys and the coaches: a powerhouse team with potential to win state - with no apparent superstar. And I use the word "apparent" carefully - had any of these boys been more selfish - had any of them abandoned the concept of team ball - perhaps a true superstar would have emerged. In the case of Luke, I've witnessed him passing up easy lay-ups to feed other players - Joe to Luke back to Joe - which is infectious - in the case of Tuesday's game, I don't remember them taking a bad shot.
We'll see how this plays out over the next few weeks. First foe: York. Go Mustangs! Go Friars! Hope to see you all at home on Tuesday.
Congrats to Luke, Joe and Raul, what an honor! Here's a theme song for tonight: TAKIN CARE OF BUSINESS!
?who's going
Me. You?
Just the two of us? We're gonna have to be mighty loud in that hostile Elmhurst environment.
I just heard that Morton won by 9 tonight.
Quote from: Roger on March 06, 2009, 09:46:35 PM
I just heard that Morton won by 9 tonight.
yep...
http://w203.photobucket.com/flash/tagWidget.swf?mediaURL=aHR0cDovL2kyMDMucGhvdG9idWNrZXQuY29tL2FsYnVtcy9hYTIzOC9tY3JfMzEyL0Jlcnd5bi9Nb3J0b24vSU1HXzM2NjkuanBn
Final was 61 to 52. Whitney Young beat Fenwick by 5. Tuesday night at Est the rematch Mustangs vs Young. Advanced tickets go on sale
Monday at 9:00am at the East and West ticket offices and the athletic offices. Good game tonight. York was small but well coached and shot well from the outside. Physical game as the homers let them beat the Mustangs up a little bit and then called ticky tacky crap on the other end. Good size crowd. Morton had as many fans as York did, and maybe even a little more.
Since nobody else with those nice cameras posts, I'll submit what my point & shoot gets.
Clickable thumbnails:
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa238/mcr_312/Berwyn/Morton/th_IMG_3628.jpg) (http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa238/mcr_312/Berwyn/Morton/IMG_3628.jpg)(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa238/mcr_312/Berwyn/Morton/th_IMG_3629.jpg) (http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa238/mcr_312/Berwyn/Morton/IMG_3629.jpg)
Waiting to kick ass Trees
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa238/mcr_312/Berwyn/Morton/th_IMG_3654.jpg) (http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa238/mcr_312/Berwyn/Morton/IMG_3654.jpg)
Don't even think about it
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa238/mcr_312/Berwyn/Morton/th_IMG_3641.jpg) (http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa238/mcr_312/Berwyn/Morton/IMG_3641.jpg)(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa238/mcr_312/Berwyn/Morton/th_IMG_3665.jpg) (http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa238/mcr_312/Berwyn/Morton/IMG_3665.jpg)
Time Out Men In Black (Martinucci-Belcaster)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa238/mcr_312/Berwyn/Morton/th_IMG_3662.jpg) (http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa238/mcr_312/Berwyn/Morton/IMG_3662.jpg)
winding down...
The song for tonight: We Are the Champions by Queen.....and for Tuesday: Skinny Lizzy's...THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN!
Congrats to Oscar Macias and Mike Coleman...advancing in the 3 point contest. What a game tonight. Guzman and Macias top scorers. Luke and Coleman played great. Belcaster couldnt get a shot in the 1st half but ended up with 10 pts and 12 assists and made his free throws at the end when we needed them BAD...the whole game was a bit too close for comfort. Like Mustang said, the refs.....no comment. not to mention it was 100 degrees in that gym. Great crowd. Great pics Bonster!
A compilation from my still camera videos.
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/zutCQkgNRhA&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b
^^ Click the
HQ button for
higher quality video
Bonster, that was awesome, I couldnt attened the game, so thanks for some great highlights, I will be there Tuesday
Really cool Bonster!!! You never sleep, do you???? Today's Suntimes: Picture of Luke Scarlata holdin up the Regional Championship Plaque!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PRICELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What an honor. TIme to feed the dolphins to the mustangs....
Hey, Mark - awesome video - you got the best plays!
Quote from: Bonster on March 07, 2009, 02:31:14 AM
A compilation from my still camera videos.
WTF? The HQ option is gone, it now says it's "processing," and all it shows is crappy video.
Well this sux...apparently You Tube is deciding
after the processing if certain videos "qualify" for HQ designation...if they don't, the quality appears to be reduced to crap.
http://help.youtube.com/group/youtube-howto/browse_thread/thread/d542fdd67050f41b/4a82c457644570d0?hl=en-US#4a82c457644570d0
I'll try a higher quality format, though this can only get "so good" as it's coming from my point & shoot cam. Sorry for the rant, but the quality of the above video now is terrible, and the words are hardly legible.
OK, try this, and hit the "HD" button at the bottom when it starts for better quality video.
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/io7XU6LJ8hs&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b
Good morning, boys and girls. Let's get the hype rolling. From the Sun-Times this morning:
"MORTON: The Lake County matchups are getting more hype, but no single sectional game is likely to contain as much passion as Young vs. Morton. Two great teams that have each knocked one another to the canvas over the past two seasons. The Dolphins destroyed Morton by 37 points in the playoffs last season. But Morton returned the favor at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament this season, beating Young by 20. The Mustangs start five seniors, led by Luke Scarlata, so this game is for all the marbles."
This is going to be the match-up of the year. The boys are better now than when Luke left for surgery. The bench is deeper and the experience is plentiful. I guess that is the silver lining around Luke's absence. The Mustangs are better than they were at Proviso West, more fluid if you will. Passing is almost flawless. Poetry in motion. WY is going to be out for blood, revenge, saving face or whatever you want to call it. Problem is they are in our house now and the Mustangs are a better team than they saw at Proviso West. Team basketball is what wins. We have it, they don't. My money's on the Mustangs. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!
Lets send MJ home by halftime
Tyshawn Eaton was the biggest discovery during Luke's convalescence. I was glad to see Scottie Ocsar have a good game Friday, and Luke seemed to assert himself more under the basket.
On paper, I like the Mustangs tomorrow night. Deeper, more experienced, home gym. Concerns: are the Fish more experienced in "big" games, Public League mystique, will the 3's be dropping (for either team), and if the Mustangs choose to shut them down around the perimeter, can they get 19 blocks again without getting into foul trouble?
Will MJ bring his new, Cuban model girlfriend and will I be able to talk Wednesday morning?
The Mustangs: the ultimate counterpunching team.
Well said Victorian. Pauly, you think the Cuban model and Juanita will have a cat fight for the half time show? LOL. Dont forget guys ANOTHER advantage the Mustangs have is Ahmad Starks is out with a broken wrist or something like that....besides the fact that the Friars gave the Dolphins a bit of a rattle....they barely won that game. My money's on the Mustangs too.
Look at it this way, we won by 20 when they had Starks, we will win because our inside game will overpower them again, Joey B. will play another smart General like game, and Oscar is playing well right now, Morton 64 Young 55
Is Starks their litttle point guard? I though he was their best player.
Starks made the Sun-Times all area 3rd team at his position. Now that doesn't mean he isn't their best player, he was voted to the 3rd team because his position is loaded with great players in the area. If I'm not mistaken, I also think two other players made the 1st team and 2nd team. Regardless of who made what team it really doesn't matter tonight, should be a great game with Morton coming out on top. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUSTANGS...............
DEPAUL WINS!! Can the Mustangs be far behind?
Whitney Young had no players in the Sun-Times top 20 - they had four, including Jordan and Starks, in special mention.
crap! I couldn't get in.
28-27 WY at half time.
Just heard Morton lost 59 to 49. This kids are great kids and they gave the Morton community one hell of a season to enjoy.
Tough loss. WY had some nice talent, but the Mustangs played hard and looked like a much better overall team.
It was especially painful to watch so many nicely set up jumpers rattle in and out.
Hats off to a nice season.
Thanks Mustangs! My heart is sad now, but it was one heckuva fun ride. Good luck to you all!
Well, I'm going to make two posts tonight - for those interested, here's a brief recap of the game. Packed house - wonderful crowd - perhaps 80% Mustang fans. As Bons said, they were turning people away, and still, it was tough finding a seat. Hot as hell in the nosebleed section, where we were sitting.
The game was much like the first WY game with a few twists. First, WY was finishing their athletic drives to the basket this time, either with lay-ups or pass-offs to their center. Second, and most importantly, our threes weren't dropping. I'd venture to say that 75% of our shots were from the perimeter, and as it is with long ball teams, sometimes they drop and sometimes they don't. If I had to guess, I'd say that our long range shooting percentage was under 20%, and it seemed that many of them were half down before spinning out. As Mark said, we did have some good looks.
WY was running like gazelles - those kids are really athletic, and they seemed to wear the Mustangs down. Our kids looked tired. WY looked like business as usual - they play a lot of big games out of state - and they seemed unaffected by the gravity of the game and the opposing crowd. They were good - they had a great game plan, and were aided by our difficulty shooting from long range. But our kids fought to the end - down by 10 at the end of the 3rd - they kept plugging away - unfortunately WY made most of their late free throws and that was that.
The departing seniors - Luke, Raul, Oscar and Joe - were pulled with a minute left to a standing ovation - I've only lived here seven years, but I'd venture to say that they were one of the most successful - if not the most successful - bunch of kids to ever wear a Morton basketball uniform. And using class as a measuring stick, there were two winning teams tonight. It would be my hope that my son carry himself with such dignity in his teen-age years.
My second post is a post of thanks - to the players, their parents, certainly coaches Martinucci and Belcaster, and the entire Morton organization - from the board, administrators, principals, AD and security. A special shout out to the cheerleaders and poms - you were great. And to the students who supported the team - you kids were great representatives of your schools - even the guys in the burgundy t-shirts!
Thanks helping pull the community through a pretty crappy winter from a number of perspectives. Thanks for shining a bright light on the Mortons. My best wishes to the departing seniors - you guys will make it - and here's to the next crop of Mustangs - you have big shoes to fill!
Darn. Can we do that game over????? Why was Michael Jordan sittin RIGHT BEHIND the Morton bench? GO SIT BEHIND YOUR OWN KID MICHAEL! AND Bruce Weber, RIGHT BEHIND the Mustang bench......nothin like a little added pressure.
Every single kid on that team and coaches.........class act. Thanks for all the slam dunks, amazing passes, good times, Conference championship, Regional title, and that really cool HUGE trophe in the case from Proviso West.
Easier said than done but hope all the boys are in school holdin their heads up high, they have so much to be proud of.
Nice quote from Scarlata in the SunTimes today that sums it all up. In my book they are true champions.
Who was Weber watching?
I had a nice conversation with Weber prior to the game, he said he was there as a guest of Michael Jordan and to watch Marcus, but after the game his comments led me to believe he came away impressed with Luke. Nice guy to talk to, unlike the that Jordan guy....
It was a hell of a ride. You boys need to hold your heads high. Your accomplishments in these past two years have brought more joy to your school and community then you can imagine. The level of esteem and presence you have passed on to your classmates and community is above and beyond what anyone would have ever have expected. I saw this quote in the paper: "I know these were the greatest times of my life," Scarlata said. "I love these guys and I'll never forget these moments.". It's true, these are definitely the greatest times of your lives, and you fellas are still teenagers. There are going to be so many more greatest times of your lives. You guys will go on to do great things. Participating in CHAMPIONSHIP sports transcends into all that you will do in the future. There are plenty more "greatest times of my life" ahead. Look back at your accomplishments in the past two years and hold your heads high for all to see that sparkle of greatness in your eyes. All of us fall once in a while, but the great men pick themselves up out of their disappointment and walk a little taller. A toast to one of the greatest teams to ever come out of Morton High School. I salute you. This is Victorian signing off til next year. GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!!!
St. Joe's beat Marshall by 21..... after being down by 13 at half!
Hey Zorba, who gives a FUCK
Returned to the scene of the crime last night - hoped to see some of the old boys, cry on a few shoulders - but the gym was absent of the Morton regulars.
Anyway, we might have the eventual state champion playing in our gym tomorrow night - De La Salle is simply an awesome team - has all the componets - smart, big, fast, great shooting, deep (back-up center had 30 last night) - do yourself a favor and come see this team - WY will have to pull off another Grade A coaching job to win - this would have been a tough match-up for the Mustangs.
Hey, where's mustang - I'm worried about him.
Quote from: oldberwynite on March 11, 2009, 11:42:56 PM
Hey Zorba, who gives a FUCK
Hey berwynite, I give a f@#$k, as may others FROM Berwyn who either attended Joe's or have kids who go to Joe's.
Joe's plays North Lawndale, next.
p.s. Marshall was ranked in the top 20 all year.
Thats nice that your throwing your money down the toilet, I think they have a Westchester Forum
Keep the Joe's updates coming, Zorbs. With the Mustangs, Pirates, Friars and Blue Demons out, they're the best local bbal story.
Quote from: oldberwynite on March 12, 2009, 08:44:40 AM
Thats nice that your throwing your money down the toilet, I think they have a Westchester Forum
go have a drink or something.
What money down what toilet?
Quote from: Robert Pauly on March 12, 2009, 08:52:02 AM
Keep the Joe's updates coming, Zorbs. With the Mustangs, Pirates, Friars and Blue Demons out, they're the best local bbal story.
Well, I don't think they can beat North Lawndale twice in one season. Very hard thing to do against a quality club like that.
Nonetheless, Joe's has some phenomenal guard play. And guard play is what wins in the state playoffs.
They neutralized arguably the area's best guard, Darius Smith, last night.
I told people at Christmas time to look out for Joe's, despite the fact they lost twice at the PW tourney. They lost those two games by four points combined against two ranked teams, without their best player (De Andre McCamey) on the floor. And they still should have won both those games.
They only have three losses all year long.
As for Morton,
GREAT SEASON.
One for the ages.
Hats off to Coach Martinucci, his staff, and ALL the kids.
You made MORTON proud.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on March 12, 2009, 06:59:46 AM
Returned to the scene of the crime last night - hoped to see some of the old boys, cry on a few shoulders - but the gym was absent of the Morton regulars.
Anyway, we might have the eventual state champion playing in our gym tomorrow night - De La Salle is simply an awesome team - has all the componets - smart, big, fast, great shooting, deep (back-up center had 30 last night) - do yourself a favor and come see this team - WY will have to pull off another Grade A coaching job to win - this would have been a tough match-up for the Mustangs.
Hey, where's mustang - I'm worried about him.
Might see "Morton Regulars" Friday....Mike Coleman and Oscar Macias did advance in the 3 point contest and will be shooting Friday before the game at Morton East. Congratulations and good luck to them. Quite a few of the players will be receiving WSG All-Conference and All-Academic awards, also seen a few of them in the paper as State Scholars.
Hey, where's mustang - I'm worried about him.
He's at home nursing a nasty one, talked to him before the game Tuesday, poor guy sounded like crap. Was really upset that he couldn't go to the game....
Quote from: Clam Diver on March 12, 2009, 10:36:53 AM
Hey, where's mustang - I'm worried about him.
He's at home nursing a nasty one, talked to him before the game Tuesday, poor guy sounded like crap. Was really upset that he couldn't go to the game....
That sux. Get well, mustang.
Thanks for the intel, Clam.
St. Joe's just got pasted by North Lawndale.
Oh well, another bites the dust.
N. Lawndale may win the whole thing.
Does anyone know if our players won the 3pt contest
Hey Zorba, sorry to hear that St Joes lost, I was in a bad mood the other day because Morton lost
.......and Young beat De la Salle
Quote from: oldberwynite on March 14, 2009, 07:43:38 AM
Does anyone know if our players won the 3pt contest
Mike Coleman and Oscar Macias tied with eachother in the 3pt contest, and had to have a shootout and Coleman won and will advance.
Mike Coleman ousted Oscar Macias in double OT to move onto the next round of the 3 point contest.
With due respect to mustang54's basketball acumen, the MVP of the Morton sectional was Tyrone Slaughter, coach of WY. Following up the masterful job against our Mustangs, Coach Slaughter led the Dolphins to a win over De La Salle last night, who was the more talented team, IMO. Essentially, Coach capitalized on the Dolphin's battle-tested experience, toughness, great D and even bullying, to best the younger Meteors. Tons of trash talking, chest bumping, harrassment - it's my opinion that this affected the Meteors, which might be a lesson for anyone planning a trip to Peoria through the Public League. MVP of the game was none other than Marcus Jordan, playing point - super cool - who sunk enough free throws at the end - in front of Pa - to seal the win. Personally speaking, I love the Whitney Young team, playing without two starters, and I always hope that the team that beats my team wins the title.
Full house, loud as hell, great support for both teams, and my cold heart was warmed by the appearance of our Mustangs - who came out to support their buddies in the 3 point contest, to support their school - their joshing and joking is a reminder that it IS just a game, and that high school activities fulfill a much bigger objective than wins and losses.
So which is it?
Are the Dolphins a bunch of overrated, overhyped and undisciplined city slickers, or a well coached state title contender?
In chopping down two giants, I believe that they answered your question on Tuesday and Friday, at least from my perspective.
My condolences, BTW.
The question wasn't directed to you Robert.
Nonetheless, I think the Dolphins answered some questions.
P.s. No condolences required. I was more bummed about Morton losing. Joe's has been there, done that, multiple times (conference, regional, sectional, ssectional, state title, PW tourney).
Quote from: Robert Pauly on March 14, 2009, 11:26:54 AM
In chopping down two giants, I believe that they answered your question on Tuesday and Friday, at least from my perspective.
My condolences, BTW.
Chopping down two giants? LMFAO. Robert i wasnt even there but from what i read and what i have been told Whitney didnt win shit, they were GIVEN a sectional championship. They come into Morton and score 59 friggin points and go home a winner?
If you would have said that would happen before it did you would have gotten laughed at.
Beating DeLaSalle was no great feat either. Yes they are athletic, but they are sophomores and juniors. Plus the catholic league schedule isnt as tough as some make it out to be.
I can assure you Slaughter had nothing to do with their victory. Against DeLaSalle he had a team full of seniors against underclassman from the playground. As far as his beating Morton, no comment.
Give me a break Mustang.
They came into Morton's gym and handed our asses to us, in a SECTIONAL. When it counted.....
Don't be a sore loser.
Nobody in the HISTORY of illinois hs basketball has ever been GIVEN a sectional championship. That's a frickin insult to every team that has ever won one.
Joe's beat Lawndale as well, but when it counted, they toasted the Chargers. Hats off to Lawndale, they have a better team.....
As far as the Catholic League, are you shitting me, or what? You maintain Morton should have, could have, would have .... coming from the GREAT???? West Suburban Conference, yet downplay the Catholic League???? I think you need to get back on your meds or something.
Who gives a shit if they're freshmen, sophomores, juniors, etc...? They're one of the best teams in the area, better than either Morton or Joe's.
I just laugh my ass off when people try to hide their "misgivings" about the inner city and/or Public League teams.
Get over it, WY is better, and more talented. No shame in that. Morton had a GREAT season, including the win over WY, but the fact is, they couldn't get it done when it counted, on their own floor.......
If Morton played their best and lost, there is no shame in that. Some nights it just isn't your night. They had an excellent season and should be proud (as should their fans).
Don't be sore losers. It doesn't look good.
Quote from: mustang54 on March 15, 2009, 10:37:09 AM
They come into Morton and score 59 friggin points and go home a winner?
Which means Morton must have scored no more than 58, best case scenario, on their OWN floor...
And you call
that a winner?????
They handed our asses to us, on our own floor. When it counted. What else did you want?
Quote from: OakParkSpartan on March 15, 2009, 11:11:01 AM
If Morton played their best and lost, there is no shame in that. Some nights it just isn't your night. They had an excellent season and should be proud (as should their fans).
Don't be sore losers. It doesn't look good.
It's irrelevant whether or not Morton played their best.
The fact is, THIS was the game that counted the most, and WY came into OUR gym and whipped us.
When the money was on the line.
And you're right, it does NOT look good being a sore loser, especially when your school has absolutely no basketball history to speak of.
Let's show a little class, and some respect where it is due.....
If the guys did their best, that is relevant. There's no shame in losing to a better team.
WY may have had something to do with Morton not doing their best, wouldn't u say? Nonetheless, my point was that THEY did what they had to when it counted. End of story.
Quote from: ZORBA on March 15, 2009, 11:20:14 AM
Quote from: OakParkSpartan on March 15, 2009, 11:11:01 AM
If Morton played their best and lost, there is no shame in that. Some nights it just isn't your night. They had an excellent season and should be proud (as should their fans).
Don't be sore losers. It doesn't look good.
It's irrelevant whether or not Morton played their best.
The fact is, THIS was the game that counted the most, and WY came into OUR gym and whipped us.
When the money was on the line.
And you're right, it does NOT look good being a sore loser, especially when your school has absolutely no basketball history to speak of.
Let's show a little class, and some respect where it is due.....
Morton has no basketball history? Where have you been ? They have as much through its years as St. Joes. And Morton did it with local kids not by going into the city and other communities making promises of Hoop Dreams to 8th graders. No basketball history, better do your homework Zorb. You will find a few state titles and even a national one if you look hard enough. Morton has always been a good basketball school. Now with you being from Joes and I from Morton I'm sure we can agree not to discuss football. LOL.
I have a fairly deep history in Berwyn/Cicero Bball. I find it very interesting that Morton plays "team ball with heart." I used my knowledge of the game I learned in this area and was able to compete successfully in pickup games across the US ......with two bad legs.....and under six feet.
I can certainly recall thinking many teams outside our neighborhood playing like "hot dogs"......burying the "team" concept....non- fundamental Bball......and simply playing like they were looking to be drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters (btw....they were formed on the south side....not Harlem).
Mustang,
You have to be kidding me, right?
Joe's and Morton have similar basketball history?
Since when?
St. Joe won a State AA title as recently as 1999. Joe's has also won something like 28 out of the last 30 ESCC titles, has the most PW tourney title championships, and has won more sectional and regional championships in a five year span than Morton has in its ENTIRE history.
Not to mention the numerous pros, All Americans, All Staters and NCAA Div 1 stars Joe's has produced.In the west suburbs, only Proviso East can match Joe's track record. Everybody else is in the bush leagues, especially Morton.
Now if you want to go back to the early 60's when the game was played with a peach basket and a square ball, you can, but Joes wasn't even around then.
To compare Joes bball to Morton is like comparing the Celtics to the Cavaliers. Utterly RIDICULOUS. Not even Tony Martinucci would do that.
And please, save the old LOSER Joe's recruits kids spiel for somebody else. The fact is, Joe's picks their kids from a pool of appx 600 students, while Morton picks theirs from a pool of about 8,000.Not to mention that the "facilities" at Joe's are an absolute joke.
It costs nearly 8K a year to send a kid to Joe's now. The pipeline to the city and many other lower income areas has dried up. If you know anything about Joes bball and the kids they bring in, most of them are now from the suburbs. Unless of course you want to tell me kids like Mantas Dabauskas and Garrett Leffleman are from KTown.Their best player from last year, Diamond Taylor, transferred to the public school in his residential district-BOLINGBROOK!
So please, stop spewing jealous, envy filled nonsense.
Give credit where credit is due. If you can't stomach the fact that a predominantely black inner city team came to Morton and handed us our asses, too bad.Handle it like an adult, not like a teenager.
Once again, hats off to the Mustangs for a great season.It was one to remember.
Good points about St. Joes basketball. They must put something in the water there.
Good St. Joes teams = Ping
lmao....funny post. That was the Zorbas dance there. Anthony Quinn would be proud.
Quote from: BRoWN on March 15, 2009, 01:04:09 PM
Good points about St. Joes basketball. They must put something in the water there.
They don't put ANYTHING in the water there.
They attract good players and have an excellent coach.
And they have a system, which is drilled into these kids from day 1 freshman year.
Quote from: ZORBA on March 15, 2009, 01:20:38 PM
Quote from: BRoWN on March 15, 2009, 01:04:09 PM
Good points about St. Joes basketball. They must put something in the water there.
They don't put ANYTHING in the water there.
They attract good players and have an excellent coach.
And they have a system, which is drilled into these kids from day 1 freshman year.
Lighten up Francis....I never said they are like the Chinese gymnasts. But did you? lol
^^^^^^^^
Check the water you're drinking. Otherwise, its a bit too early to be starting St.Pats festivities.
I have to agree with Zorba on this one, but I have to say, this Morton Basketball Team was the best in the schools history in my opinion the last 2 seasons, a great bunch of kids to outside the court, thank you for making Morton a school to be proud of
Sure they're a great bunch of kids and an excellent team. You don't win the games they did without being of a certain quality.
But I warned people early on-don't put all your eggs in this basket. The state playoffs are a bitch, and Morton played in arguably the toughest sectional. You can't expect to beat teams of WY's quality twice in the same season.I'm just dismayed with the reaction of some people.Winners show their true colors in defeat. Let's not ruin the beautiful picture these kids had painted.
The final score meant nothing...
The journey was everything.
That's a good way to look at it.
I just don't see why people have to crap on the accopmplishments of others.
WY, De La Salle, and St. Joe can also validly make the claim that when they play Morton, they're playing TWO schools.
But they don't......
Quote from: ZORBA on March 15, 2009, 02:16:26 PM
^^^^^^^^
Check the water you're drinking. Otherwise, its a bit too early to be starting St.Pats festivities.
If theres booze in BRWNs water suppy then ...yeah......i want to be checking for it.
Quote from: BRoWN on March 15, 2009, 07:44:23 PM
Quote from: ZORBA on March 15, 2009, 02:16:26 PM
Otherwise, its a bit too early to be starting St.Pats festivities.
Well ...the jerk store called....and they're running out of you. George Castanza
Quote from: ZORBA on March 15, 2009, 12:57:22 PM
Mustang,
Give credit where credit is due. If you can't stomach the fact that a predominantely black inner city team came to Morton and handed us our asses, too bad.Handle it like an adult, not like a teenager.
What kind of dumb ass statement is that? Now i'm a racist cuz i dont agree with the great Zorba. Im not a sore loser i'm stateing facts. The Mustangs had an off night shooting, thats all it is. People made it sound like Whitney played such a great game. They did NOT. Even a well known fan of theres was heard on his phone and I quote " if their shots were falling they would be killing us." Hey I hope they go on and win it all, but they are far from this great team the media has been praising for the last two years. I have seen them in person this year four times and another four on telelvision and i still say they are not this great team some claim they are.
Thats my opinion. You have yours and I have mine. But dont be an asshole and bring up some race bullshit.
Mustang,
People can read between the lines. I'll leave it at that.
Quote from: ZORBA on March 16, 2009, 09:31:00 AM
Mustang,
People can read between the lines. I'll leave it at that.
Those people better get new glasses then.
Mustang: This guy can't help being an asshole. He is what he is. I hope you have gotten much relief from whatever has been ailing you. Take good care.
Hey "Roger", if I needed shit from you I'd squeeze your head.
No go sit in a corner and behave.
Quote from: mustang54 on March 16, 2009, 09:32:37 AM
Quote from: ZORBA on March 16, 2009, 09:31:00 AM
Mustang,
People can read between the lines. I'll leave it at that.
Those people better get new glasses then.
Or you may have to readjust YOURS.
Prior to this game you went on and on and on about how WY was overhyped, poorly coached, and undisciplined. Now Robert Pauly comes on here and tells us that Tyrone Slaughter is a good coach and Whitney Young is indeed a well coached team. Which one is it? I tend to agree with Robert.
The three terms you used (overhyped, poorly coached, undisciplined) are euphemisms, in basketball parlance, for BLACK. Lets not bullshit each other, ok?
Nonetheless, the real point is how we handle ourselves in defeat. Tip your hat to a better team, or at least to one that beat you, on your HOME COURT, when it counted the most. Look how other schools that have been there and done that act in defeat. Lets learn something from it.
Quote from: ZORBA on March 16, 2009, 10:42:19 AM
The three terms you used (overhyped, poorly coached, undisciplined) are euphemisms, in basketball parlance, for BLACK. Lets not bullshit each other, ok?
mustang ain't like that.
Quote from: Bonster on March 16, 2009, 11:33:28 AM
Quote from: ZORBA on March 16, 2009, 10:42:19 AM
The three terms you used (overhyped, poorly coached, undisciplined) are euphemisms, in basketball parlance, for BLACK. Lets not bullshit each other, ok?
mustang ain't like that.
No, he isn't.
You're out of line, Zorba. Mustang's a friend of mine, and I had the good fortune to attend quite a few games with him this season. He believes that Morton lost the WY game. I believe that they were beaten. It's a debate amongst friends, and nothing more than that.
Whitney Young is hardly your prototypical "inner city" high school. 99% of the students go on to college. Probably the most competitive school admission-wise in the city. 10000+ kids applied for 450 seats. The school is diverse, 32% Black, 28% White, 22% Hispanic, 17% Asian. Morton should aspire to be more like Whitney Young, in more ways than basketball.
Robert,
Well then you tell me which one it is-are the Dolphins undisciplined and poorly coached, or is their coach the team MVP as you intimated?
I've been around high school bball a LOOONG time. I know the buzz words.
As far as WY is concerned, the school itself may be atypical, but the TEAM itself predominately black inner city.
Yeah, Jordan's kid, very ghetto.
First i've heard of basketball parlance? Whitney isnt the first overhyped or the last team I'll ever see. Ive also seen alot of poorly coached and undisciplined teams in many sports at many levels. This is the first time i have heard such a stupid ass comment that those lables only apply to city schools of color.
Dukesdad is also right that Young is far from an inner city school. Its one of the finest schools in the state. So Zorb go spew your bullshit somewhere else.
Zorba.
Mustang54 is far from being a racist. As far a comparing Joe's and Morton, well thats like comparing apples and oranges. Joe's has a great basketball tradition, and not taking anything away from them but to say they have 600 kids to choose from as where Morton has 8,000, well you should really rethink that one. First Morton can't go out and recruit kids from anywhere, Morton has to pick from what comes out.
Before the IHSA stopped Catholic schools from offering free rides to their schools (public schools bitched and moaned) Joe's was afforded the luxury of getting any kid they wanted, and most of the time they did. How about Isaiah Thomas, paid nothing to go to school , moved him and mom close to the school, and got his mom a nice office job, (ask Luke what he got to go to Morton)
Either way we are all going back and forth for nothing here. We are losing sight of the fact that the boys had a great season that we all should be proud of. As for the WY game, I was there and I can honestly state in my opinion that the boys gave their best, it's just a shame our shot's weren't falling. I don't believe for a minute we were out played, even MJ himself said to someone he was talking to on the phone that WY was lucky Mortons shot's weren't falling or they be down by a dozen, and a few others around me heard the same thing.
Quote from: dukesdad on March 16, 2009, 12:37:32 PM
Yeah, Jordan's kid, very ghetto.
There's at least 10 OTHER kids on that team, also.
Quote from: Clam Diver on March 16, 2009, 02:07:23 PM
Zorba.
Mustang54 is far from being a racist. As far a comparing Joe's and Morton, well thats like comparing apples and oranges. Joe's has a great basketball tradition, and not taking anything away from them but to say they have 600 kids to choose from as where Morton has 8,000, well you should really rethink that one. First Morton can't go out and recruit kids from anywhere, Morton has to pick from what comes out.
Before the IHSA stopped Catholic schools from offering free rides to their schools (public schools bitched and moaned) Joe's was afforded the luxury of getting any kid they wanted, and most of the time they did. How about Isaiah Thomas, paid nothing to go to school , moved him and mom close to the school, and got his mom a nice office job, (ask Luke what he got to go to Morton)
Either way we are all going back and forth for nothing here. We are losing sight of the fact that the boys had a great season that we all should be proud of. As for the WY game, I was there and I can honestly state in my opinion that the boys gave their best, it's just a shame our shot's weren't falling. I don't believe for a minute we were out played, even MJ himself said to someone he was talking to on the phone that WY was lucky Mortons shot's weren't falling or they be down by a dozen, and a few others around me heard the same thing.
You're full of crap buddy.
The "recruiting" argument cuts both ways, doesn't it?
Granted Joe's gets kids from outside their geographic borders, but Joe's has absolutely SQUAT in terms of facilities.
Furthermore, if it was so easy,
why can't other area Catholic schools duplicate their success (Nazareth, Fenwick, Ignatius, Holy Cross, Driscoll, Benet, etc...)?
Fact is, no other Catholic HS comes even close.
Your "scholarship" scenario is nonsense. Unless you've ever sat in on a coaches meeting at Joe's and have been on the inside to see what's going on, you have no clue. Typical blather from the misinformed.
Joe's loses kids all the time to PUBLIC schools. If these kids were given a free ride and carte blanche, why would they be transferring?
And I'm not talking about end of the bench types. Im talking all staters. Guys like Jamal Robinson (Proviso East), Ghevel Burnside (Glenbard North), Diamond Taylor (Bolingbrook) are a few that come to mind off the top of my head.
Isaiah paid nothing to go school?
Well how much would he have paid if he would have went to Austin, or Westinghouse, or Marshall? Fact is, the guy would get up 5:30 every morning and take THREE buses to get to Joe's. And THREE buses back at 7 p.m. when practice was over. Want to venture a guess as to how many city kids Joe's has lost over the years due to that very fact?
You guys crack me up.
You bitch and moan about kids from beyond a school's "geographic borders", yet don't even want to touch the issue of how many Morton starters would have been within Morton East's borders. Yes, Joe's gets to pick kids, but Morton also is two schools playing as one. Or doesn't that count? These things tend to even out. Yet you never hear Joe's or any other Catholic school bitching and moaning like pansies about it.
Funny how none of you guys bitch and moan about Fenwicks girls team, or Mt. Carmel's football team, or ..... the list is endless.
As for Mary Thomas, again you're grossly misinformed.
Quote from: mustang54 on March 16, 2009, 01:46:03 PM
First i've heard of basketball parlance? Whitney isnt the first overhyped or the last team I'll ever see. Ive also seen alot of poorly coached and undisciplined teams in many sports at many levels. This is the first time i have heard such a stupid ass comment that those lables only apply to city schools of color.
So which one is it? Is Young poorly coached, or does Robert not know what the hell he's talking about?
Quote from: mustang54 on March 16, 2009, 01:46:03 PM
Dukesdad is also right that Young is far from an inner city school. Its one of the finest schools in the state. So Zorb go spew your bullshit somewhere else.
I wasn't talking about the SCHOOL.
I was talking about the BASKETBALL TEAM.
Quote from: ZORBA on March 16, 2009, 02:32:08 PM
Quote from: mustang54 on March 16, 2009, 01:46:03 PM
First i've heard of basketball parlance? Whitney isnt the first overhyped or the last team I'll ever see. Ive also seen alot of poorly coached and undisciplined teams in many sports at many levels. This is the first time i have heard such a stupid ass comment that those lables only apply to city schools of color.
So which one is it? Is Young poorly coached, or does Robert not know what the hell he's talking about?
I have said all year i think they are poorly coached. I saw them in person four times this year and another 4 on television. Thats my opinion and Im sticking to it.
Guys,
Go back to talking about the great season.
Drop all this other crap.
Thanks in advance,
Brian
I agree with Spartan....really fellas- CALM DOWN.....that's why it's called MARCH MADNESS! One thing for sure is the players are not acting like sore losers....they are walking around like superstars! And they should. Im sure the night of the loss they felt like it was the end of the world but the next days after that they were back at school holding thier heads up and everyone in the community is so proud of them. As for all this arguing about coaches and schools...in my opinion...if anyone gives a rats ass....Ping is an AWESOME coach!!!! I believe he was Martinucci's idol growing up....and although the program there is not what it use to be....that school has a lot of pride and should. As far as Whitney Young, yes a lot of talent there......a bit selfish...I do believe though that our Morton Mustangs are the better team....and as was said before, if the shots went in (even just a few more!...Morton would have won), I agree with Mustang that WY did not out-play Morton, Morton had possesion of the ball a million times but the shots didnt go in. Oh Well, like I said, that's March Madness....and life goes on. Congrats to the Dolphins.
To Everyone Concerned,
The Morton BBall season has brought us more joy than sadness...As a coach I am hoping that the rest of our sport teams can use this momentum to our advantage. Our Girls' Softball coaching staff, will be using this success as a motivator. I am extremely proud of our Boys' accomplishments and it's an honor to coach at Morton. Good luck to all spring sports.....Go Mustangs
I don't know how many adjustments a coach has to make to be considered "good", but there were plenty of adjustments - on both sides of the ball - made by WY against Morton, resulting in a reversal for the Dolphins. In Morton's home gym. Without two starters.
Three nights later, they beat a higher ranked team - a team with the 2A champion and probable 3A champion under their belts. The best team I had seen all year.
There are reasons for bad shooting other than a "bad night". Like being defending by bigger, faster, more liberally substituted players. Like being run to death, losing your legs, and forcing rushed shots. Like denying the dribble penetration, and overplaying guards to prevent assists and chippie 3's. With Morton, it was all about defending guards. With De La Salle, it was forwards. WY did both, which represents good coaching to me. They're not an end-all / be-all team - they lack a take-over-the-game superstar - they probably won't win state - but they're a good team, and well coached, IMO.
Earlier in this thread, I stated that the road to Peoria was paved with a better understanding of the first Whitney Young and Simeon games. I stand behind this statement, and respect those who differ with my opinion, and Zorba - don't try to get between me and my friends - it won't happen.
And lastly, with the Mustangs it was never about state championships for me. I love the kids, and what they brought to the community. They are champions in my eyes, whether they ran the table or not.
Young beat Hyde Park (top ten) by FIFTEEN last night to get downstate.
Guess it must have been the luck of the Irish.
Btw, Hyde Park claimed THEIR shots weren't falling either.
Hmmmmm....maybe WY had something to do with that?
They play a VERY good Thornton team in the semis. I predict the winner of that game wins the state title.
In 3A, North Lawndale cruised by 20+. I'm picking them for the state title, although Champaign Centennial will be tough.
Maybe we will all have the "Luck of the Irish" and Zorb will SHUT UP ALREADY....who cares...........
I DO.
I'm a basketball (not Morton or St. Joe) fan.
Hyde Park: 5 for 27 from the field in the first half. Deja vu all over again.
I heard a bunch of the Mustangs made West Suburban Gold All-Conference and All-Academic and Mike Coleman made it downstate final 4 shooting the best out of 32 so far in the 3 point contest. Way to go!
Congrats to Mike Coleman, he made 10 of 15 and is the 3pt. champ
Congrats to the young man.
Btw, looks like Whitney Young beat Thornton in the semis, as well.
They'll be playing Waukegan for the title tonight.
Sure as hell pays to be lucky.
Oh, and Lawndale lost to Centennial by one in the 3a semis. They'll be playing ...Oswego???... in the final.
Oswego is usually known for good Football teams, but things change Zorba, just like you should change your cocky attitude, LOL
berwynite,
I'm not the guy that called ANYONE overrated.
;) :)
There's teams downstate that won 29 games in a row then lost. There's a team there that our Mustangs beat last summer by 50 points. There's teams downstate that had a very EASY road to Peoria. Look at DePaul....lost what?...18 conference games then won the 1st game of playoffs. Anything goes in March Madness...it's whover is LUCKY that day....yep ....LUCK. I truly believe the Mustangs could beat any team there right now. Including Whitney, ...they did it before and could do it again. But it is what it is so let it go Zorb!
My friend, you have no clue. I've been down this road many times before, much more than most on these boards.
A team can get LUCKY in one game, YES. But no team gets LUCKY beating the likes of Morton, DeLaSalle, and top ranked Thornton, back to back to back, when it counts the most.By the same token then, one can say Morton was LUCKY to beat WY early in the season, especially given the fact that WY was missing two key players, if I'm not mistaken.
But, you're all missing the point. The fact is, Morton has built a very good program and will be very good for some time. It's therefore about time Morton's supporters started acting like it. You're doing the kids and the program no favors by acting like petulant children.
Act like you've been there before, and fully expect to get there again.
Not like rank amateurs and poor sports.
Ha! It's just fun messin with you Zorb. I really enjoy your replies. What does petulant mean? LOL
I was told by a wise man today that Mike Coleman won 4A last night, and will be gunning for King of the Hill (all classes) tonight.
Centennial beat Oswego by ONE, in the finals of the 3a tourney.
Lawndale beat Leo handily for 3rd.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on March 21, 2009, 04:54:27 PM
I was told by a wise man today that Mike Coleman won 4A last night, and will be gunning for King of the Hill (all classes) tonight.
Mike is the King of The Hill!! And hes a junior so he gets to defend it next year.
Quote from: ZORBA on March 21, 2009, 11:08:18 AM
My friend, you have no clue. I've been down this road many times before, much more than most on these boards.
A team can get LUCKY in one game, YES. But no team gets LUCKY beating the likes of Morton, DeLaSalle, and top ranked Thornton, back to back to back, when it counts the most.By the same token then, one can say Morton was LUCKY to beat WY early in the season, especially given the fact that WY was missing two key players, if I'm not mistaken.
But, you're all missing the point. The fact is, Morton has built a very good program and will be very good for some time. It's therefore about time Morton's supporters started acting like it. You're doing the kids and the program no favors by acting like petulant children.
Act like you've been there before, and fully expect to get there again.
Not like rank amateurs and poor sports.
You are wrong Young had a full squad at Proviso West. The team I saw last night though is a totally different team than during the regular season as Robert Pauly stated after the sectional. Slaughter is giving less minutes to a couple of his better athletes due to injuries and the team is playing better without them getting as much time. They are playing much better defense and moving the ball around with a lot more patience. They really looked good against Thornton. And Zorb you are right about a good team beating another back to back,its not easy. DeLaSalle is gonna be loaded next year. They will be real tough to beat.
Congrats Mike Coleman! You are the ILLINOIS STATE CHAMPION! Great shout out to Oscar Macias in your acceptance speech. Way to go winning $500 for Morton with your money ball shot! Way to show class,kid
Whitney Young is your Class 4A Champion.
69-66 over Waukegan.
That was a really good game! Atleast the Mustangs can say they lost to the State Champs! Unlike Nequa who lost to Dundee-Crown that got WHIPPED in the next 2 games. So proud of Mike Coleman, King of the Hill....I believe that is yet another FIRST for Morton. Well it's over folks, ....now let's see who makes All-Area players in the LIFE and hopefully the boys can play some college ball...as for those underclassmen, some are already in other sports and we wish them the best of luck next year! It's been a great season..........
It was a great season and for a lot of reasons. Winning the Proviso West Tournament was a great accomplishment. Being invited to the Martin Luther King Shootout at Whitney Young was an honor for this program. Not many suburban schools were invited. Then also invited to be in the Curie Shootout at North Park was an honor, especially being the only suburban team invited. Being invited to compete against the Chicago Public League and Catholic Leagues best teams is truly an honor for a suburban school program. And as a fan it makes for a great day of hoops to go watch alot of the top teams and never have to leave the seat your in during the middle of the season. Another outstanding change was Morton again hosting tournament playoffs once again. And not just in basketball, Morton also hosted a wrestling sectional.
But what made for a great winter of entertainment was the way the team performed and represented their school and community. Also the way the student body behaved all season both at home and road games. Their chants back and forth with opponents fans provided great comic relief during some close games. Its also nice to say your season got ended by the best team and Whitney proved with the path they had to go through they are the best. And now on to baseball.
Cops: Whitney Young students cited for drinking (http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/03/whitney-young-chicago-public-schools-underage-consumption-alcohol-peoria-washington.html)
;D
Woo hoo!
We really shouldn't take joy that a bunch of under aged kids were caught drinking, those kids could have easily been Morton kids. Lets just be glad it wasn't and no one was seriously hurt.
Now lets all remember to get out and cheer on our spring teams here at Morton... I'm seriously looking forward to the baseball teams, I have 12 former players of mine playing on all three levels. Those kids sure have made me proud.... ;D
happy happy joy joy.
I can't blame them! Their only problem was getting caught.
Talk about a buzz-kill.
RAUL GUZMAN LIFE ALL AREA PLAYER OF THE YEAR! Joey Belcaster and Luke Scarlata ALL-AREA; Oscar Macias and Mike Coleman- Special Mention All-Area. Congratulations Boys
BOYS BASKETBALL: Scarlata named all-state
By Bill Ackerman
Berwyn Life, Tue Mar 31, 2009, 12:46 PM CDT
Morton center Luke Scarlata received impressive recognition from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.
The senior was named all-state for Class 4A after the panel voted him onto the team at the state tournament.
Scarlata was a three-time Suburban Life All-Area selection, an all-Proviso West Holiday Tournament selection and an all-West Suburban Gold selection.
He averaged 14.1 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.3 blocks and 2.2 assists in 2008-09 and is receiving interest to play at Loyola, Southern Methodist, Western Illinois and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville next school year.
The Berwyn resident will be playing in the Chicago High School Classic this Friday at Niles North High School.