1A- Ridgeview (4-0)
2014-15 record: 29-2
Ridgeview ended last year as the third team in 1A. It is improving from its promising season of 2014 and sat at 4-0 after defeating Dwight to win the Route 17 Thanksgiving Classic title. In the AP’s latest poll, Ridgeview received five out of 10 first-place votes, just narrowly edging out Okawville by a point.
2A - Uplift (Chicago) (5-0)
2014-15 record: 28-5
The Uplift Titans were the Class 2A champions last season. The Titans were the lone Chicagoland team to win a state title in Illinois last b. Junior wing guard Demarius Jacobs is emerging as the team’s star in 2015. He opened the season with 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a win against Elk grove. He’s averaging 23 points in Uplift’s first five games and has two double-doubles early into the year. Coming off a state title, this is a team with good pedigree that wants to repeat.
3A-Belleville-Althoff (3-0)
2014-15 record: 29-4
Althoff defeated a much-favored Morgan Park in the class semifinals last season, but was defeated by St. Joe's in a close championship matchup. Senior guard Jordan Goodwin looks to improve on a season in which he compiled 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
4A
Simeon (0-0)
2014-15 record: 27-3
As usual, Simeon will boast the most talented team in the state. As a powerhouse program, it will field some of the best athletes in the state. In the past decade or so, Simeon has fielded the likes of Derrick Rose, Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor. This season, the big name prospect has yet to reveal himself as the Wolverines open the season against Chicago Vocational Dec. 15. However, the combined effort of the team will likely be enough to separate Simeon from the other contenders.
Morgan Park (0-0)
2014-15 record: 21-5
Even though the team’s top player from a year ago, Marcus LoVett Jr., graduated and plays at St. John's, Morgan Park has a lot of length and is well-coached. In the frontcourt are junior forward Melo Burrell (6-8), senior forward Alonzo Chatman (6-8) and junior forward Lenell Henry (6-9). Morgan Park also looks forward to the play of highly regarded transfer guard Ayo Dosumno from Westinghouse.
