Eight high school basketball teams poised for improved seasons

Last year in this “most improved” space, York was featured after going just 13-18 overall during the 2022-23 season. The Dukes responded with a 26-win season a year ago and a run to the Class 4A sectional title game.

Others like Waukegan, Downers Grove South, Stagg and Eisenhower were also listed as bounce back teams and lived up to their most improved moniker.

Waukegan improved by 14 games, jumping from three wins to 17. Downers Grove South increased its win total by 12 games — from 11 to 23 — while winning a conference championship. Stagg also won a league title, finishing with 20 wins after a 13-17 record the year before. And Eisenhower, following back-to-back 18-loss seasons, finished 24-8 last year.

So what teams will make the jump this season? What teams can inch their way up their respective conference standings or make a serious postseason run? Regardless of whether titles are won, these eight teams — all either .500 or below last season — will cement themselves as the most improved from a year ago.

Hinsdale Central

Last year: Much like fellow conference foe Glenbard West, coach Nick Latorre’s team was up and down, hovering around the .500 mark before finishing 15-16 overall. But they did win five of their final seven regular season games before falling to Simeon in the regional.

Reason for optimism: The offseason is the offseason, but the Red Devils really impressed over the summer.

Vince Buzelis is a 6-5 do-it-all who is a Division I player headed to South Dakota after averaging 13 points and eight rebounds a game. He’s one of a host of players with size and length, including returning starters 6-8 Tyler Thick and 6-4 guard Dillon Dell, and much-improved 6-7 Michael Howell.

Reasonable expectations: This is a real sleeper in the preseason, a conference contender and one that should crack the rankings and make a postseason push.

Addison Trail

Last year: The Blazers did improve –– from eight wins in 2022-23 to 13 wins a year ago –– but still finished fifth in the West Suburban Gold with a 5-9 record and 13-19 overall.

Reason for optimism: The optimism starts with Luke Smith. The senior guard is a four-year starter who averaged 26 points, eight rebounds and four assists a game last season and is set to surpass 2,000 career points right around the time the calendar turns to 2025.

Smith is one of four returning starters, including energizer Dom Renc, 6-3 Matt Garcia and guard Isaiah Cortes.

Reasonable expectations: Addison Trail basketball hasn’t won 20 games in a season since 1983. The last regional championship came 44 years ago. Coach Brendan Lyons may not have a lot of depth and may lack size, but It’s not a stretch to think this season could end both of those long-lasting droughts.

Libertyville

Last year: The Wildcats fell on hard times last season, especially considering what the previous two years produced: a combined 56 wins. Those previous two seasons included two regional titles and the program’s first sectional title in nearly three decades.

Last year? Just 10 wins overall and a sixth-place finish in the North Suburban Conference.

Reason for optimism: Despite the struggles last season, coach Brian Zyrkowski watched Liam Hanson (13 ppg) put together an outstanding junior season and 6-7 Bryce Wegrzyn (18 ppg) emerge as a sophomore.

While it’s a rather inexperienced group overall –– keep an eye on the development of some young players in this program –– Hanson and Wegrzyn are two building blocks that bring considerable upside to this team.

Reasonable expectations: Where the Wildcats fit into a deep, balanced North Suburban Conference remains to be seen. But there are enough pieces and optimism to erase last season from their memory and produce a winning record.

More importantly, a push towards 20 wins would set themselves up to make a run in what is always a softer sectional.

Crete-Monee

Last year: It’s an uphill battle in a league featuring Thornton, Rich, Bloom and Kankakee, four teams that combined to average 25 wins last season. So Crete-Monee took its lumps a year ago, finishing 13-18 overall and just 3-9 in the Southland Conference.

Reason for optimism: For starters, coach Jawan Nelson is very optimistic his team will be vastly improved. There is length and physicality that should translate to a disruptive defensive team.

Talented junior guard Zyheir Gardner returns after a year of varsity seasoning, while double-figure scorer Jayden Preston and 6-6 Zion Gordon are two other returning starters.

Reasonable expectations: There have been some really rough years of late at Crete-Monee. Last year was the first double-digit win total since 2017-18. So inching past 15-plus wins would be pretty darn good.

Despite what should be a very improved and more competitive team, the expectations remain limited due to the slate the Warriors will play.

The Southland Conference is stacked once again, so the climb up the league ladder will be a challenge. And the schedule also includes Joliet West, De La Salle and Brother Rice.

The good news is the Class 3A sectional in the south suburbs appears to be a little leaner this year, so maybe Crete-Monee can win its first regional championship since 2016.

Lockport

Last year: It was a difficult season for the Porters and first-year coach Dave Wilson, finishing just 9-21 and 1-7 in league play. That included an ugly finish, limping home with a 1-11 record in their final 12 games.

Reason for optimism: Considering the rough season a year ago, there is plenty of optimism, starting with strong guard play and much more offensive punch than a year ago.

There are four starters back in past-first point guard Bryce Turner, all-conference performer Anthony Kosi, the much-improved 6-4 Collin Miller and 6-3 Izeyah Pruitt. Then there is the sophomore trio of Nathan Munson, Nedas Venckus and Nojus Venckus who will definitely provide a boost.

Plus Wilson, who instilled life into his previous coaching position at Andrew, will have had a full two seasons with this group.

Reasonable expectations: The Porters aren’t going to challenge Homewood-Flossmoor in the mega-Southwest Suburban Conference. But there is a real possibility this team could be the best of the rest in this league. With that being said –– and everything falls into place –– doubling last year’s win total isn’t out of the question.

Maine South

Last year: After 12 wins in coach Colin Wehman’s first season on the job in 2022-23, the Hawks finished 13-18 last year and just 1-9 in the tough Central Suburban League South.

Reason for optimism: The talent level is better than it’s been in comparison to Wehman’s first two years.

That improved talent starts with a veteran point guard (senior Tyler Sierra) and an all-conference scorer (6-3 junior Panayiotis Sotos) returning. There are also two other role-playing returning starters (6-6 Jack Sladky and glue guy Tommy Beredimas) and a welcomed addition (Young transfer Rico D’Alessandro).

With that returning core, the Hawks should take a big step forward from a pure competitive standpoint.

Reasonable expectations: There is no question the Hawks will be better. Now it’s about cashing in on more wins in the always strong CSL South and putting themselves in a position of being more competitive in regional play. It’s been a decade since the last Maine South regional championship, though last year’s upset of Evanston in the regional semis was hopefully a nice stepping stone for this team.

Highland Park

Last year: The Giants were flirting with a winning season in late January before struggling mightily down the stretch. A 1-7 finish to the season left them 12-19 overall.

Reason for optimism: There are a total of 13 players from last season back for coach Ross Deutsch, who will build around the return of four starters.

The headliner is three-year starter and all-league pick Simon Moschin, a 5-11 guard who averaged 15 points a game last season. Alex Kriser, Hayden Kach, David Isaacson and Asher Diamond offer up a whole lot of varsity experience.

Reasonable expectations: The road to championships would include some serious heavy lifting.

Niles North is the clear-cut favorite in the Central Suburban League North. But Highland Park just might be the next best team.

The Jack Tosh Holiday Tournament is always strong and loaded with a few headliners. But the Giants will be formidable and much more dangerous than a year ago in the deep 32-team field.

And the sectional on the North Shore is always a deep beast.

Thus improving the win total is the most realistic path to success and improvement. Going from 12-19 to a winning record is very much within reach and would be the first winning season since 2019-20.

Glenbard East

Last year: The Rams finished just 14-18 overall but did take advantage of some very winnable games in an Upstate Eight Conference to finish third in the league race.

Reason for optimism: In junior guard Michael Nee, Glenbard East has one of the conference’s best players. He put together a stellar sophomore season, averaging 17 points a game and is one of the area’s better shooters.

Nee and returning guards Danny Snyder and Devin Kraft are interchangeable pieces in the backcourt. Now all three can play off the ball this year with the addition of point guard Josiah Calvin, a transfer from St. Viator.

Reasonable expectations: Last season’s 14 wins included just two that were outside of conference play.While the league is revamped and should be tougher, the Rams should be ready to be more competitive in non-conference play. Flipping last year’s overall record around and challenging Riverside-Brookfield in the UEC East Division is very conceivable.