Will Michelle Clark win Conference over Crane? It will come down to the Coaches!

Michelle Clark’s Basketball Head Coach Terry Head

Michelle Clark came within inches last year of advancing to Red North West to do battle with the City’s top squads. But they came up short.

Michelle Clark enters the 2019-2020 season with unfinished business on their mind. After barley losing the White West conference “championship game” to Westinghouse last season in overtime, they look poised to take the next step this year. The last 3-4 years this team, led by established coach Terry Head, has been close to moving up to the upper echelon of basketball powers in the city of Chicago. With a combined conference record of 21-6 (7-2 conference record in the last three seasons), moving up to the Red Division has narrowly escaped this team.

This year they look primed to win the White West conference as they look like the clear favorite, with Crane being a distant second best. They return their top 7 players from a team that went 16-11 last season, with impressive wins over Jones, Yorkville Christian, and a Red Northwest Prosser team.

Coach Terry Head has been one of the more successful coaches in the city of Chicago to never have won a city or state championship over the last 20 years. He has come close on a few occasions, most recently his 2010 sectional championship game loss to Whitney Young, a team led by Donald Brown.


We here at ChiScoops are excited about the potential of this Michelle Clark team and believe that they will win their conference along with being a darkhorse candidate to win a regional championship on 2A.
With the teams being close in talent, the edge Coach Head has in his coaching ability over Coach Crowder and Crane will be the deciding factor. Coach Head is our early favorite for Coach of the Year in the White West.

In closing, Michelle Clark have the opportunity to make up the inches they missed last season and become conference champs while embarrassing Crane and Coach Crowder. ChiScoops look forward to Michelle Clark giving their all against the city’s best from the Red North West Division for the 2020 and 21 season.


Our prediction: Michelle Clark 19-10 (9-0)

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🚨🚨🚨Breaking News: The “New Face”Of Team Rose, Coach Crowder, tries to Build Crane into a Powerhouse

The “New Face” of Team Rose. Photo via Twitter

With the Chicago High School Basketball season just around the corner, there’s a lot of conversation going on in the city and no one is talking about Crane. However, Crane’s Head Coach Alonzo Crowder wants to change that.

Coach Crowder begins his 4th year as head coach of the Crane Cougars. He has a 48-55 record in his short time leading the program (73-80 overall record).

After taking over the program in the Blue West division, the school was promoted to the White division, despite a 2-7 conference record, due to the help of the realignment system that promotes and demotes.

After capitalizing off the system glitch in promoting Crane, they surprised many across the city by winning the White division and being promoted to the Red division (city’s super conference). However , things got back to reality when Coach Crowder led his squad to an 0-9 record and were demoted back down to the White division. Crane struggled playing on the city’s top level.

“We are a better team than we showed,” Coach Crowder told ChiScoops, “and obviously we want to win our conference and we expect to make a deep run in the city and state tournaments this year.”

Crane played tough and had a few close games last year, but due to the talent disparity, they we not able to close off any of those conference games.

Coach Crowder’s time at Crane has been full of ups and downs but more of the latter. Things got so bad, he got rid of his entire staff, except 1 coach, due to the lack of success on and off the court. A couple of his highs was bringing in coach Rick Robinson, formerly of Westinghouse College Prep, to lead his JV. He also brought in coach Keenan Robinson (no known coaching experience), and Coach Kris who came over from a successful stint at Curie as an unofficial coach but served as Team Rose’s 14U Head Coach last year.

Crane’s Head Coach Alonzo Crowder via Twitter.

Lack of success aside, Crane has been selected as an Adidas Legacy team and will wear the Adidas brand this year, along with Austin, Michelle Clark and Prosser.

Crowder’s success as an assistant coach on the Shoe circuit and at Hales Franciscan has been most worth noting. While assisting Hales varsity program, they won two class 2A state championships in 2005-06 & 2010-11, respectively. He has also coached with Meanstreets (Nike) and currently coaches with Team Rose (Adidas). He is said to be one of the head guys on the Team Rose staff and one of the faces of Team Rose Travel Team. He currently the assistant coach for Team Rose 17U where he is under Jerrel Oliver.

In his first head coaching stint at Solario, his affiliation with the shoe circuit allowed him to secure the services of one of the city’s top 8th grader at the time, Khalil Whitney. Whitney enjoyed one great year playing in the Blue West and received all city consideration. However, he and his family decided that playing for Coach Crowder and Solario wasn’t the best fit, and Whitney moved on to Roselle Prep in NJ where he finished his career. He now is enrolled at The University of Kentucky prepping for his Freshman season.

In closing, Coach Crowder will need to upgrade his coaching skills to get his Cougars back on the tongues of Chicago Basketball sports fanatics.

Varsity Head Coaching Experience

Solorio 2014-15

12-13 (6-4) Blue West

Solorio 2015-16

13-12 (7-3) Blue West

Crane 2016-17

7-15 (2-7) Blue West

Crane 2017-18

17-10 (9-0) White West

Crane 2018-19

10-15 (0-9) Red Northwest

Crane 2019-20

14-15 (8-1) White West

Breaking News :ChiScoops’ Bottom 4 Basketball Teams Predictions

The outlook for the bottom 4 teams from last years Super Conference. These teams are looking for a bounce back season and looking to win their conference to qualify for the Super Conference again next year. As proven last year by Brooks and Westinghouse, the best chance most teams have of winning their conference is the year following their drop. Here’s our outlook of the teams that dropped and our predictions of how they will fair this year.

Crane– Crane is coming off 10-15 record and 0-9 in the Red Northwest conference. After great expectations last season, they find themselves back in the White division. Coming out of the White division won’t be easy as battle tested Michelle Clark and always tough Wells are expecting big things. Robert Hobbs is one of the more underrated players in the conference along with athletic wing and 4 year varsity player Jimarius Sneed who should be a 15-17 point scorer this year.

Prediction– Crane will finish in a close 2nd place behind Michelle Clark.

Prosser– Prosser struggled to the tune of a 9-16 record last season, while going 2-7 in the Red Northwest Conference. The loss of their leading scorer Norvell Meadows will be a big hit to the team.  Though they return the core of their team as they look to compete for the White Championship.  

Prediction– Look for this team to be competitive, but finish 3rd, qualifying for the city playoffs, but falling short of the goal to win the White division and move back up to the Red West

Harlan– Harlan had a weird year last season, going 9-21 overall, and 0-8 in the Red South central conference.  Wins over Joliet West, Lincoln-Way West, and Rich South we’re respectable, but a loss to 2-win Urban Prep Englewood was tough to swallow.  

Prediction– 4th in White South

Urban Prep Englewood– This team play hard but really last year but fell short all hit 2 times. Finishing the season 2-20, this team beat conference foe Harlan last year in a shocker.  Dropping out of the Super conference was best for this program as they don’t attract the talent to play on that level at this point. Expect them to stay in the White for years to come.

Prediction– 6th in the White

Way too Early Top 15

Chicago High school Basketball

The Way Too Early Top 15 (In alphabetical order)

  As the new School year approaches, and many high school fall leagues begin, we here at ChiScoops thought it would be a good time to look ahead to the 2019-2020 basketball season and give a preview of the top teams going into the year.  

 These rankings are based on returning players, the June live period, each teams potential, and each coaches ability to get the maximum out of his team. A lot of these teams are familiar and some are new to the conversation. There are also some teams that are on the outside looking in who will move up as the year goes on.  Either way, for those that need you HS basketball fix, here goes our list.

Benet– This team just reloads every year. Expect for them to be a team to watch this year.

Bloom– This is the year it’s all supposed to come together for this group. High major big Martice Mitchell leads the way. Keshawn Williams, Dante Maddox and Donovan Newby are bonafide high school players as well. Big expectations, can they live up to them?

Bogan– A block out away being crowned state champs last season. Can coach Goody and crew get back this year?  Look for a few incoming transfers in the upcoming weeks.

Curie– The 2018-2019 City Champs look poised to be in the conversation again this year. Who will emerge as the leader of a team that lost its best player (Gordon), and only leader (Hamilton).

Geneva– Last years team, that went 32-2 and has won 77 games in the last 3 years, lost in the Class 4A Supersectional Finals is looking to reload. They lost a few key pieces, but expect for them to be right back near the top again!

Fenwick– Any team with Bryce Hopkins has to be considered a contender.  Will the supporting cast step up to help?

Lincoln Park– One of the most under the radar teams in the city. Has one of the best young backcourts in the city.

Notre Dame– This team has a talented group of juniors, but it al starts and ends with Anthony Sayles.  Evanston transfer Louis Lesmond and all area candidate 6-6 Troy D’Amico are also a load.

Morgan Park– Hands down one of the more loaded groups of players MP has had. This team will be led by Wake Forest bound Marcus Watson and Top 25 Adam Miller. Brandon Weston will be the X factor as he can do it all. Will be a fun team to watch.

Orr– I’m not sure who they have, but look for more transfers to join the roster by November. So far former Farragut Admiral and St. Joseph player Reggie Strong and Prosser defect Norvell Meadows have joined the Spartans.

Simeon– They may have lost the top player in the  state and class of 2022 (A.J. Casey), but this team doesn’t lack talent with the return of Ahmad Bynum, Jaylen Drake, and incoming freshman Jaylen Griffin.

Stevenson– Well coached team that plays well as a unit.  The coach’s son (Matthew Ambrose) will lead the charge.  A 4A state title contender.

Westinghouse– This team is making the jump back up the the super conference. A talented junior class will lead them as well as all-city guard Devin Davis and Ryan Brown.  They look like they are here to stay.

Whitney Young– DJ Steward showed much improvement this summer. This team is led by the backcourt duo of Steward and Tyler Beard. Expect for Elliott Seagar to contribute in a big way as well. Talent and youth is up and down this roster.

Outside looking in:  Evanston, Marion Catholic, Riverside-Brookfield, HF, Farragut, Bolingbrook

Next article– A preview of the bottom 4 teams dropping to the White division and will they get back in the Superconference?