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Here are the top 3 questions for the boys basketball season in the Springfield area

bill welt, springfield state journal- register
·3 min read

We’re already couple of weeks into the high school boys basketball season.

Here’s what to know in the Springfield area.

Here are the results from the Showcase Saturday boys basketball shootout

What’s new in the Central State Eight Conference?

LINCOLN is back where it belongs. The Railsplitters lasted six seasons in the Apollo Conference before returning to the CS8 this season. They won four Apollo titles over that time: 2018-20 and 2022. Neil Alexander, in his 33rd season, still remains at the helm and recently surpassed 775 wins in the red and green. He ranks second all-time in IHSA history with more than 930 wins over his entire 49-year coaching career. That means the rest of the league will surely have to brace for the 1-2-2 zone defense.

SACRED HEART-GRIFFIN is pivoting to a new era. It lost its entire starting lineup from the past two seasons, including a couple of the area’s top players: Jake Hamilton and Zack Hawkinson. That accomplished group won the Class 3A state title in 2022. Guards Jamarion Bardwell and Bryce Musgrave will help carry the mantle.

More: Here are The State Journal-Register's top-24 boys basketball players for 2022-23

DECATUR MACARTHUR could be the team to beat. The Generals have certainly flourished over the past three seasons under coach Terise Bryson with a stellar 66-16 record. He will rely on seniors Stevie Tatum and MJ Murphy after bidding farewell to former stars Makhi Wright, Chase Cunningham and Azarion Richardson. Sophomore Sean Lee, who scored 17 points in a 68-59 loss to Bolingbrook in the Decatur Turkey Tournament championship game, could surface as a breakout player.

CHATHAM GLENWOOD, JACKSONVILLE and SPRINGFIELD HIGH each usher in a new head coach. Well, maybe not so much in Glenwood’s case. Todd Blakeman previously spent 16 seasons with the Titans before stepping down in 2021. He replaces Kody Kirpatrick after just two seasons. Former Pleasant Plains and MacMurray College standout Michael Cameron takes over at Jacksonville with a promising core while former Lanphier standout Marques Warfield, who played with Andre Iguodala and Richard McBride, will attempt to catapult the Senators into the upper echelon.

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Who are the top teams to follow in the area?

LANPHIER just may feature the best tandem in the league in juniors JaiQuan Holman and Shaunassey Hatchett Jr. Holman, a guard, was the only underclassman to reach the all-CS8 team last season with 15.6 points per game. Hatchett, a 6-foot-3 forward, posted 13.7 points and 7.1 rebounds.

NEW BERLIN once again boasts the 6-4 twin towers: seniors Gannon Dodd and Lucas Bixby. The Pretzels recently won the Gene Bergschneider Turkey Tournament after they claimed the outright Sangamo Conference title last season. Dodd was named Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all-state second team. That said, the Sangamo is shaping up to be a dogfight with a slew of other contenders – Pleasant Plains, Williamsville and Petersburg PORTA/A-C Central among them.

Calvary's Connor Brown goes up for a layup against Centralia Christ Our Rock Lutheran during the Capital City Showcase at the Bank of Springfield Center on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
Calvary's Connor Brown goes up for a layup against Centralia Christ Our Rock Lutheran during the Capital City Showcase at the Bank of Springfield Center on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.

CALVARY won its first regional title since 2011 and retains most of its core. That most notably includes senior guard Connor Brown and junior forward Luke Blackford. They combined for 47 points in a 68-67 double-overtime win over Pleasant Plains at the start of the season. Brown was IBCA all-state second team in 1A last season.

Which teams could be poised for a breakout season?

SOUTH COUNTY has already netted key wins over Jacksonville Routt (54-49) and New Berlin (50-48) this season, led by seniors Trevor Colwell and Noah Lyons. Colwell chalked up a team-high 16 points to defeat the Pretzels and was all-MSM Conference first team last season.

JACKSONVILLE may have something brewing at The Bowl with Amaree Burries. The junior guard averaged 24.8 points per game through the first four games. That included 19 points in a 55-54 overtime win over Alton, handing the Redbirds their first loss of the season.

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This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA boys basketball: Top questions for Springfield area for 2023-24