High school basketball: 10 Chicagoland boys teams playing for IHSA state titles in Champaign this weekend

The final weekend of the 2024-25 high school boys basketball season in Illinois has arrived, as the Super Sixteen has been whittled down to the Final Four.

Now, 10 Chicagoland programs will be among the 16 teams playing for state championships among four classes at the Illinois High School Association State Tournament from Thursday through Saturday at the State Farm Center in Champaign, home of the University of Illinois Fighting Illini.

Those teams advanced out of Monday’s super-sectionals, in which 16 teams in each of the four classes — dubbed the Super Sixteen — played for a trip to the State Tournament.

That leaves 16 teams left overall making the trip to Champaign, four in each class. The state semifinals begin Thursday morning, with all four state championship games scheduled for Saturday this year, concluding with the Class 4A final — IHSA’s largest class — at 8 p.m.

All State Tournament games will be streamed on NFHS Network. Visit IHSA.org for ticketing and more information.

Here’s a closer look at the 10 Chicagoland teams competing in Champaign this weekend, which includes all four teams in the Class 4A field, three in the Class 3A field, two in the Class 2A field and one in the Class 1A field (info from IHSA.org and other sources):

Class 4A

Semifinals

Benet Academy (Lisle) vs. Evanston Township

• When: 6 p.m. Friday
• At stake: Winner plays in Class 4A state title game at 8 p.m. Saturday; loser plays in Class 4A third-place game at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
• Where are they? Benet Academy is in the west suburbs. Evanston is in the north suburbs.
• FYI: The teams matched up once in the regular season, back on Feb. 1 in the War On the Shore event at Loyola Academy in Wilmette. Evanston won a tight game, 59-55.

ABOUT BENET ACADEMY

• Record: 31-5
• Nickname: Redwings
• Conference: East Suburban Catholic
• Head coach: Gene Heidkamp
• Playoff seed: No. 3
• State ranking: No. 6 (latest On3.com Illinois high school boys basketball composite)
• How they got here: def. No. 14 seed Plainfield East in regional semis (80-51); def. No. 6 seed Oswego East in regional finals (80-51); def. No. 2 seed Aurora Waubonsie Valley in sectional semis (63-45); def. No. 4 seed Downers Grove North in sectional championship (44-32); def. No. 1 seed Quincy in super-sectionals (58-50).
• Did you know? Playing in seventh State Tournament but still seeking first state title. … Three state runner-up finishes, all since 2013-14, including two seasons ago, when Redwings lost to Moline in Class 4A title game. … Notched something of an upset in super-sectionals by knocking off top-seeded Quincy, ranked No. 3 in composite state rankings. … Now highest-ranked team remaining in Class 4A field. … Once had a home winning streak of 102 games from Nov. 26, 1975, through Jan. 24, 1987, still the longest home winning streak in state history.
• Starters: Blake Fagbemi, 6-1, Sr. (12.7 ppg, 236 assists, 192 rebounds); Jayden Wright, 5-11, Jr. (12.1 ppg, 105 assists); Daniel Pauliukonis, 6-9, Sr. (12.5 ppg, 165 rebounds); Michael Doyle, 5-11, Jr. (72 assists); Colin Stack, 7-0, Jr. (12.4 ppg, 302 rebounds).

ABOUT EVANSTON

• Record: 28-6
• Nickname: Wildkits
• Conference: Central Suburban League
• Head coach: Mike Ellis
• Playoff seed: No. 1
• State ranking: No. 7 (latest On3.com Illinois high school boys basketball composite)
• How they got here: def. No. 16 seed Franklin Park-Northlake in regional semis (93-55); def. No. 7 seed Highland Park in regional finals (64-32); def. No. 4 seed Chicago Lane Tech in sectional semis (56-39); def. No. 2 seed Wilmette Loyola Academy in sectional championship (48-32); def. No. 1 seed Glen Ellyn Glenbard West in super-sectionals (47-43).
• Did you know? Making 13th State Tournament appearance, with one state championship, way back in 1967-68 season. … Two state runner-up finishes since, including in Class 4A in 2018-19, when the Wildkits lost to Belleville West in title game.
• Starters: Ian Peters, 5-10, Sr. (82 assists); Kaidan Chatham, 6-3, Sr. (9.6 ppg, 159 rebounds, 127 assists); Theo Rocca, 6-5, Sr. (14.7 ppg, 181 rebounds, 62 assists); George Richardson, 6-7, Sr. (8.1 ppg, 128 rebounds); Vito Rocca, 6-5, So. (7.1 ppg, 136 rebounds, 63 assists).

Rich Township (Richton Park) vs. Warren (Gurnee)

• When: 7:45 p.m. Friday
• At stake: Winner plays in Class 4A state title game at 8 p.m. Saturday; loser plays in Class 4A third-place game at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
• Where are they? Rich Township is in the south suburbs. Warren is in the far north suburbs.

ABOUT RICH TOWNSHIP

• Record: 26-8
• Nickname: Olympians
• Conference: Southland Athletic
• Head coach: Lou Adams
• Playoff seed: No. 3
• State ranking: No. 14 (latest On3.com Illinois high school boys basketball composite)
• How they got here: def. No. 14 seed Tinley Park Andrew in regional semis (59-41); def. No. 7 seed Frankfort Lincoln-Way East in regional finals (74-67); def. No. 2 seed Chicago Marist in sectional semis (86-85); def. No. 1 seed Homewood-Flossmoor in sectional championship (77-64); def. No. 1 seed Chicago Kenwood in super-sectionals (70-65).
• Did you know? In State Tournament for third time, still seeking first state title. … Best previous finish was a state runner-up showing in 1985-86. … Olympians have been something of giant killers this postseason. They advanced to state after beating a pair of No. 1 seeds, toppling Homewood-Flossmoor, ranked No. 4 in the state, in the sectional finals and then Chicago Kenwood, ranked No. 2 in the state, in super-sectionals. Kenwood is also ranked No. 46 nationally in the On3.com composite rankings. Both of its losses this season came to Rich Township.
• Starters: Al Brooks Jr., 6-6, Sr. (17.5 ppg, 290 rebounds, 66 assists); Ikee Brooks, 5-11, Sr. (76 assists); Jamson Coulter Jr., 6-2, Jr. (13.6 ppg, 53 assists); Nyshawn Turner, 6-6, Sr. (5.7 ppg, 107 rebounds); Jayden Williams, 6-3, Jr. (13.2 ppg, 96 rebounds, 96 assists).

ABOUT WARREN

• Record: 26-10
• Nickname: Blue Devils
• Conference: North Suburban
• Head coach: Zack Ryan
• Playoff seed: No. 2
• State ranking: No. 25 (latest On3.com Illinois high school boys basketball composite)
• How they got here: def. No. 7 seed Fox Lake Grant in regional semis (64-39); def. No. 3 seed McHenry in regional finals (58-45); def. No. 1 seed DeKalb in sectional semis (61-49); def. No. 1 seed Waukegan in sectional championship (70-60); def. No. 2 seed Rolling Meadows in super-sectionals (60-48).
• Did you know? Making third State Tournament appearance and first since 2010-11, when Blue Devils finished as state runner-up in Class 4A. … Also had state runner-up finish in 1998-99.
• Starters: Jaxson Davis, 6-1, So. (19.4 ppg, 142 rebounds, 206 assists); Andrew Watson, 6-1, Sr. (95 rebounds); Jack Wolf, 6-4, Sr. (8.6 ppg, 186 rebounds, 82 assists); Braylon Walker, 6-3, Jr. (6.8 ppg, 104 rebounds, 92 assists); Zach Ausburn, 6-8, Sr. (11.0 ppg, 320 rebounds).

Class 3A

Semifinals

Brother Rice (Chicago) vs. St. Patrick (Chicago)

• When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday
• At stake: Winner plays in Class 3A state title game at 6 p.m. Saturday; loser plays in Class 3A third-place game at 1 p.m. Friday.
• Where are they? Brother Rice is on the South Side, in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood. St. Patrick is on the Northwest Side, in the Portage Park neighborhood.

ABOUT BROTHER RICE

• Record: 30-6
• Nickname: Crusaders
• Conference: Chicago Catholic
• Head coach: Conte Stamas
• Playoff seed: No. 1
• State ranking: No. 13 (latest On3.com Illinois high school boys basketball composite)
• How they got here: def. No. 16 seed Midlothian Bremen in regional semis (81-54); def. No. 9 seed Chicago Brooks in regional finals (66-35); def. No. 4 seed Country Club Hills Hillcrest in sectional semis (65-58); def. No. 2 seed Lemont in sectional championship (53-41); def. No. 1 seed Peoria in super-sectionals (60-41).
• Did you know? Making second State Tournament berth and seeking first state title. … Only other State Tournament appearance was in 2004-05.
• Starters: K.J. Morris, 6-4, Sr. (8.0 ppg, 141 rebounds); Jack Weigus, 6-3, Sr. (16.1 ppg, 53 assists); Marcos Gonzales, 6-4, Sr. (18.6 ppg, 199 rebounds, 106 assists); Max Justic, 6-1, Sr. (5.6 ppg, 73 assists); Caden Workman, 6-4, Sr. (8.1 ppg, 161 rebounds, 119 assists).

ABOUT ST. PATRICK

• Record: 28-7
• Nickname: Shamrocks
• Conference: East Suburban Catholic
• Head coach: Mike Bailey
• Playoff seed: No. 2
• State ranking: No. 44 (latest On3.com Illinois high school boys basketball composite)
• How they got here: def. No. 15 seed Chicago Noble/Pritzker in regional semis (109-29); def. 7 seed Chicago Westinghouse College Prep in regional finals (95-44); def. No. 3 seed Chicago Little Village in sectional semis (91-38); def. No. 1 seed Oak Park Fenwick in sectional championship (54-44); def. No. 2 seed Chicago Mt. Carmel in super-sectionals (49-48).
• Did you know? If there’s a sentimental favorite this weekend, the Shamrocks could be it. … At a school that’s been open since 1861, the program is making its first State Tournament appearance. And Bailey is one of the most respected coaches in the state, having coached the program for 30 years. … Advanced to Champaign by knocking off Mt. Carmel, ranked No. 11 in state, in thrilling super-sectional.
• Starters: Anthony Favia, 6-1, Sr. (9.8 ppg, 94 rebounds, 78 assists); Cooper Kavanaugh, 6-2, Sr. (7.5 ppg, 78 assists); E.J. Breland, 6-1, Sr. (14.1 ppg, 91 rebounds, 89 assists); R.J. McPartlin, 6-7, Jr. (8.3, 118 rebounds); Nevaeh Hawkins, 6-7, Sr. (10.4, 193 rebounds).

DePaul College Prep (Chicago) vs. Glenwood (Chatham)

• When: 8:15 p.m. Thursday
• At stake: Winner plays in Class 3A state title game at 6 p.m. Saturday; loser plays in Class 3A third-place game at 1 p.m. Friday.
• Where are they? DePaul College Prep is on the North Side, in the North Center neighborhood. Glenwood, in Chatham, is located just south of Springfield.

ABOUT DEPAUL COLLEGE PREP

• Record: 31-4
• Nickname: Rams
• Conference: Chicago Catholic
• Head coach: Tom Kleinschmidt
• Playoff seed: No. 1
• State ranking: No. 1 (latest On3.com Illinois high school boys basketball composite); Glenwood is No. 64
• National ranking: No. 29 (latest On3.com Illinois high school boys basketball composite)
• How they got here: def. No. 16 seed North Chicago in regional semis (71-21); def. No. 9 seed Mundelein Carmel in regional finals (53-27); def. No. 4 seed Arlington Heights St. Viator in sectional semis (63-23); def. No. 3 seed Deerfield in sectional championship (45-25); def. No. 1 seed Maple Park Kaneland in super-sectionals (68-28).
• Did you know? Seeking third consecutive state title after winning Class 3A championship last season and Class 2A championship the season before. … Making fifth State Tournament trip overall. … Nationally-ranked Rams, ranked No. 1 in the entire state, have been a juggernaut this season. Have won five postseason games by average margin of 35.2 points.
• Starters: AJ Chambers, 6-0, Jr. (83 rebounds, 99 assists); Rykan Woo, 6-1, Jr. (15.0 ppg, 105 rebounds, 104 assists); Jonas Johnson, 6-6, Sr. (92 rebounds); Makai Kvamme, 6-2, Sr. (11.0 ppg, 115 rebounds, 173 assists); Rashaun Porter, 6-4, Sr. (12.4 ppg, 250 rebounds, 65 assists).

Class 2A

Semifinals

Althoff Catholic (Belleville) vs. Christ the King (Chicago)

• When: 2 p.m. Thursday
• At stake: Winner plays in Class 2A state title game at 3 p.m. Saturday; loser plays in Class 2A third-place game at 11:15 a.m. Friday.
• Where are they? Christ the King is on the West Side, in the Austin neighborhood. Althoff Catholic, in Belleville, is just southeast of St. Louis

ABOUT CHRIST THE KING

• Record: 26-9
• Nickname: Gladiators
• Conference: Chicagoland Christian
• Head coach: Troy Caldwell
• Playoff seed: No. 2
• State ranking: NR (Althoff Catholic is No. 39 in latest On3.com Illinois high school boys basketball composite)
• How they got here: def. No. 7 seed Chicago Sullivan in regional semis (67-18); def. No. 3 seed Niles Northridge Prep in regional finals (61-39); def. No. 1 seed Chicago Crane Medical Tech in sectional semis (64-38); def. 1 seed Lombard Montini in sectional championship (44-28); def. No. 2 seed Rock Falls in super-sectionals (58-44).
• Did you know? Making first-ever State Tournament appearance.
• Starters: Christian Buford, 5-10, Sr. (8.9 ppg); Aramis Currin, 6-2, Sr. (11.4 ppg); Matthew Harland, 6-4, Sr. (10.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg); Aaron McClure, 6-7, Sr. (20.4 ppg, 12.4 rpg); Darien Green, 6-3, Sr. (20.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.2 apg).

Dyett (Chicago) vs. Manual (Peoria)

• When: 3:45 p.m. Thursday
• At stake: Winner plays in Class 2A state title game at 3 p.m. Saturday; loser plays in Class 2A third-place game at 11:15 a.m. Friday.
• Where are they? Dyett is on the South Side, in the Washington Park neighborhood. Manual, in Peoria, is in the central part of the state.

ABOUT DYETT

• Record: 25-7
• Nickname: Eagles
• Conference: Chicago Public
• Head coach: Jamaal Gill
• Playoff seed: No. 1
• State ranking: No. 74 (latest On3.com Illinois high school boys basketball composite); Manual is No. 67
• How they got here: def. No. 6 seed Chicago Perspectives/IIT Math & Science in regional semis (54-50); def. No. 5 seed Chicago Phillips in regional finals (62-43); def. No. 2 seed Chicago Noble/Butler in sectional semis (54-50); def. No. 1 seed Chicago Leo in sectional championship (44-43); def. No. 1 seed Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin in super-sectionals (40-36).
• Did you know? Making first-ever State Tournament appearance.
• Starters: Ricky Coleman, 6-3, Sr.; Aramis Brown Jr., 6-2, Sr.; Jaden McKinnon, 6-4, Sr.; Mikai Harris, 5-9, Sr.; Devon Shelton, 6-1, Sr. (no stats provided).

Class 1A

Semifinals

St. Anthony (Effingham) vs. Hope Academy (Chicago)

• When: 9:30 a.m. Thursday
• At stake: Winner plays in Class 1A state title game at 1 p.m. Saturday; loser plays in Class 1A third-place game at 9:30 a.m. Friday.
• Where are they? Hope Academy is located on the Near West Side, by UIC. St. Anthony, in Effingham, is in the south-central part of the state, northeast of St. Louis.

ABOUT HOPE ACADEMY

• Record: 26-7
• Nickname: Eagles
• Conference: Chicagoland Christian
• Head coach: Ronnie Fields
• Playoff seed: No. 1
• State ranking: NR (St. Anthony is No. 97 in latest On3.com Illinois high school boys basketball composite)
• How they got here: def. No. 6 seed Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville in regional semis (79-54); def. No. 5 seed Chicago Collins Academy in regional finals (75-65); def. No. 2 seed Chicago Fenger in sectional semis (58-44); def. No. 1 seed South Holland Unity Christian Academy in sectional championship (73-57); def. No. 2 seed LeRoy in super-sectionals (47-44).
• Did you know? Back in State Tournament for second straight season and third time overall, but still seeking first state title after finishing third in both previous appearances, including last season. … Fields is in his second year as the program’s head coach and has now led the Eagles to state twice. A Chicago prep legend in his playing days, Fields was a three-time Parade All-American at Farragut Academy in the 1990s, well-known for his astounding vertical leap. Was teammates at Farragut for a season with future basketball Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett and played professionally for Rockford Lightning of the old CBA.
• Starters: Tyjuan Hunter, 5-7, Jr. (23.6 ppg, 131 rebounds, 158 assists); Jaiden Simmons, 6-5, Jr. (6.3 ppg, 301 rebounds); Trentyn McGinnis, 6-3, So. (7.6 ppg, 165 rebounds); Dominick Hale, 6-3, Sr. (14.2 ppg, 151 rebounds, 101 assists); Malik Meridy, 6-4, Jr. (8.5 ppg, 87 rebounds).

Peoria Christian vs. Eastland (Lanark)

• When: 11:15 a.m. Thursday
• At stake: Winner plays in Class 1A state title game at 1 p.m. Saturday; loser plays in Class 1A third-place game at 9:30 a.m. Friday.
• Where are they? Peoria Christian is in the central part of the state. Eastland, in Lanark, is in the northwest part of the state, southwest of Rockford and northeast of the Quad Cities.