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Mr. and Ms. Basketball of Illinois: How Thornton’s Morez Johnson Jr. and Lincoln’s Kloe Froebe became hometown heroes

steve millar, chicago tribune
·10 min read

Thornton’s Morez Johnson Jr. and Lincoln’s Kloe Froebe took far different paths to get there, but both became heroes in their hometowns.

Johnson and Froebe put the ultimate cap on terrific high school basketball careers by being named the 2024 Mr. and Ms. Basketball of Illinois, as voted by coaches and media throughout the state.

The prestigious awards are presented by the Chicago Tribune in conjunction with the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. Mr. Basketball has been handed out since 1981 and Ms. Basketball since 1986.

Johnson, an Illinois signee, played his first three seasons at St. Rita before transferring to Thornton. It was a special homecoming for Johnson, who grew up in Riverdale.

He became the first player in the storied history of Thornton basketball to win Mr. Basketball.

“I’m excited that I came back home and won Mr. Basketball, and it’s amazing that I’m the first one to win it from Thornton,” Johnson said. “To win it in my hometown, it’s really cool. I’m proud of it.”

Froebe, a Colorado State signee, also made history for her hometown. She led Lincoln to its first team state championship in any sport. The Railers went 38-0 and won the Class 3A title.

“I’ll always remember the way the community of Lincoln supported us, supported women’s sports,” Froebe said. “It was an unreal experience to look up into the stands and see the bleachers full of so many Lincoln fans, and to have people driving from all over to see us at state, it was pretty cool to see.

“To win the first state championship, team-wise, for Lincoln, everybody wanted to be there to experience that. It was really cool.”

Froebe won the Ms. Basketball vote in a landslide, receiving 161 first-place votes and appearing on 89.4% of the 217 ballots. Peoria’s Aaliyah Guyton, Altamont’s Grace Nelson, Okawville’s Alayna Kraus and Loyola’s Aubrey Galvan were the Nos. 2-5 finishers.

Johnson received 130 first-place votes and appeared on 89.1% of 229 ballots. Peoria Richwoods’ Lathan Sommerville was the runner-up, followed by Homewood-Flossmoor’s Gianni Cobb, Mount Carmel’s Angelo Ciaravino and Metamora’s Cooper Koch.

Johnson, a 6-foot-9 senior forward, averaged 20 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and three steals as the Wildcats finished 25-9. Thornton fell just short of state, losing to Peoria Richwoods in the Class 3A Ottawa Supersectional.

For Johnson, his one season at Thornton was quite meaningful.

“It was amazing to come back to Thornton and make the run we did,” he said. “I wish we could have went a little further, but it is what it is and we can’t change that.”

Johnson joins a list of Mr. Basketball winners that features several players who went on to star in the NBA, including Kevin Garnett, Derrick Rose and Jalen Brunson.

“A lot of great players have won it,” Johnson said. “I’m very proud of myself and blessed to be in that category with those players. This is like the mecca of basketball in Illinois. I talked to my parents about how I wanted to win this and it’s crazy that I actually did it.”

Froebe joins similarly special company as she adds her name to a list of Ms. Basketball winners alongside legends Candace Parker and Tamika Catchings.

“It’s an incredible honor to even be mentioned in the same sentence as some of those players who have won this award,” Froebe said. “It’s amazing.”

Froebe, a 5-9 senior guard, averaged 29.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 5.2 steals. She broke a state championship game record with 36 points in a win over Chatham Glenwood.

Froebe was on a mission since the Railers lost the 2022-23 3A state championship game to Nazareth, their only blemish in a 36-1 season.

“We were super motivated, even right when that last final buzzer rang last year and we came up short,” Froebe said. “It lit a fire underneath us. We didn’t want to let that final goal slip through our fingers again, so we were going to do whatever it took to get that state championship.”

Froebe, who has lived in Lincoln since she was a few months old, has embraced a bit of a celebrity status in her hometown.

“I’ve signed quite a few autographs and taken a lot of pictures,” she said. “It’s really fun with the little kids. Sometimes we’ll be walking into the gym or something and you can just hear the little kids whispering, ‘Is that them? Is that the Railers?’ It’s really cool.”

Froebe is preparing to go to Colorado State at an exciting time for women’s college basketball, following an NCAA Tournament that attracted record numbers of viewers who tuned in to watch Iowa star Caitlin Clark and LSU standout Angel Reese, among others.

“It’s so nice to see women’s sports, women’s basketball in particular, get the kind of recognition we deserve,” Froebe said. “It’s really nice to step into an environment where it’s growing and the support is growing.

“Having Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese and all of them lay the foundation, I’m just excited to step in and hopefully help it grow.”

Johnson, meanwhile, is ready to make a big impact at Illinois and, he hopes, beyond.

“I would love to win a NCAA championship at Illinois,” Johnson said. “I want to get drafted and make it to my third contract in the NBA. I don’t want to just get one contract. I want to have a lasting career in the NBA.”

2024 Mr. Basketball voting: 229 ballots

  • Morez Johnson Jr., Thornton: 130, 55, 19 — 834

  • Lathan Sommerville, Richwoods: 39, 59, 45 — 417

  • Gianni Cobb, Homewood-Flossmoor: 18, 28, 19 — 193

  • Angelo Ciaravino, Mt. Carmel: 12, 19, 42 — 159

  • Cooper Koch, Metamora: 7, 26, 31 — 144

  • Jack Stanton, Downers Grove North: 2, 6, 10 — 38

  • PJ Chambers, DePaul: 2, 6, 7 — 35

  • Carlos Harris, Curie: 1, 10, 10 — 35

  • EJ Horton, Phillips: 2, 3, 9 — 25

  • Docker Tedeschi, Benton: 3, 2, 3 — 24

  • Christopher Kirkpatrick, New Trier: 3, 0, 0 — 15

  • Zack Evans, West Central: 2, 0, 0 — 10

  • Will Gonzalez, Curie: 1, 1, 0 — 8

  • Connor May, Palatine: 1, 0, 2 — 7

  • Adyn McGinley, Beecher: 1, 0, 1 — 6

  • Jeshawn Stevenson Jr., Lindblom: 1, 0, 1 — 6

  • Jaheem Webber, Normal: 0, 1, 3 — 6

  • Thaddeus Burns, Uplift: 1, 0, 0 — 5

  • Kennedy DeWerff, Nokomis: 1, 0, 0 — 5

  • Sam Donald, Columbia: 1, 0, 0 — 5

  • Arnez Jones, Clark: 1, 0, 0 — 5

  • Hank Alvey, Illini Bluffs: 0, 1, 2 — 5

  • Bradley Loncor, Quincy: 0, 1, 1 — 4

  • Cameron Ande, Harrisburg: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Kanen Augustine, Waterloo Gibault: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Christian Brockett, Curie: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Amonte Fulgham, Clark: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Isaac Hosman, Massac County: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Rashad McKinnie, Simeon: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Gavin Schunke, Milford: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Tyler Wooton, Brother Rice: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Navontae Nesbit Jr., Mt. Vernon: 0, 0, 2 — 2

  • Bradley Roman, Normal: 0, 0, 2 — 2

  • Bryce Heard, H-F: 0, 0, 2 — 2

  • Mekhi Austin, Riverside-Brookfield: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Miles Boland, Loyola: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Marcus Fossett, Clark: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Jake Hamilton, Springfield Sacred-Heart Griffin: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Jason Jakstys, Yorkville: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Reece Lohman, Nokomis: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Elijah Lovemore, Bloom: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Mason Minor, Curie: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Jayden Riley, Yorkville Christian: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Jemerion Skinner, Madison: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Larenz Walters, Kankakee: 0, 0, 1 — 1

2024 Ms. Basketball of Illinois voting: 217 ballots

  • Kloe Froebe, Lincoln: 161, 19, 14 — 876

  • Aaliyah Guyton, Peoria: 7, 42, 36 — 197

  • Grace Nelson, Altamont: 9, 33, 31 — 175

  • Alayna Kraus, Okawville: 5, 31, 34 — 152

  • Aubrey Galvan, Loyola: 6, 25, 15 — 120

  • Amiah Hargrove, Christopher: 8, 15, 25 — 110

  • Brooke Carlson, Batavia: 2, 27, 15 — 106

  • Xamiya Walton, Butler: 3, 6, 13 — 46

  • Ella Todd, Fremd: 1, 2, 6 — 17

  • Amayah Doyle, Carterville: 2, 0, 6 — 16

  • Denver Anderson, Mt. Zion: 2, 1, 1 — 14

  • Paige Engels, Loyola: 0, 3, 1 — 10

  • Shelby Bowman, West Central: 1, 1, 0 — 6

  • Sariah Allen, Crane: 1, 0, 0 — 5

  • Natalie Brownback, Nokomis: 1, 0, 0 — 5

  • Nora Ezike, Lyons: 1, 0, 0 — 5

  • Mia Gaines, Hyde Park: 1, 0, 0 — 5

  • Danyella Mporokoso, Waubonsie Valley: 1, 0, 0 — 5

  • Kiyoko Proctor, Alton: 1, 0, 0 — 5

  • Anaiya Randall, Hansberry: 1, 0, 0 — 5

  • Sam Schmuke, Columbia: 1, 0, 0 — 5

  • Whitney Sullivan, Orangeville: 1, 0, 0 — 5

  • Kamari Watson, Dyett: 1, 0, 0 — 5

  • Becca Heitzig, Lincoln: 0, 1, 1 — 4

  • Shelby Bowman, Biggsville West: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Jazmyne Bynum, Hyde Park: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Aubrey Calvan, Loyola: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Addie Hefel, Galena: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Destiny Jackson, Young: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Abby Knepp, Nashville: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Victoria Matulevicius, Montini, 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Brooke Miller, Valmeyer: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Taniya Reynolds, Crane: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Ayva Rush, Vienna: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Keyana Sanderson, Dyett: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Hayven Smith, Lincoln-Way East: 0, 1, 0 — 3

  • Lily Luczkowiak, Illini Bluffs: 0, 0, 2 — 2

  • Olivia Austin, Nazareth: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • D’Myjah Bolds, O’Fallon: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Trinity Jones, Bolingbrook: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Jenna Bowman, Lincoln: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Ali Bosnich, St. Bede: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Rajeh Gardner, Dyett: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Za’Nylan Moaton, Crane: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Emory Klatt, Stevenson: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Addison Lucht, Cissna Park: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Mya Wardle, Pooria Notre Dame: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Nikki Kerstein, Montini: 0, 0, 1 — 1

  • Stacie Vonderheide, St. Anthony: 0, 0, 1 — 1

Mr. Basketball of Illinois winners

Ms. Basketball of Illinois winners