So much for figuring out the depth ...

Ashanti Walker and Jackie Cahill both quit the team after last week's loss to Marshalltown.

Highland coach Dean Buckwalter made a call to me earlier on Tuesday, letting me know that they both quit.

Both quit apparently due to playing time.

I've got thoughts, but I'll save them for after the story comes out online tonight in the Journal-Standard and in print on Wednesday.

Roles to change, lineup still unconfirmed

BY JOEY BASKERVILLE
joey.baskerville@gmail.com

Change has come for the Highland women's basketball team.

And no, it's not just that Jackie Barton is no longer there.

Some of the Cougar players themselves will have to change the way they played last year or during high school.

Freshman Courtney Shiffer has been asked to play more from the outside and play the 3 position this year. Shiffer played forward or center for throughout her high school career with the Freeport Pretzels.

"I'm asking her to jump to the 3 this year," Highland coach Dean Buckwalter said. "And she loves it. She absolutely loves it. But that means that she'll have to guard someone that's a little bit quicker.

"But she hasn't missed a beat. Oh, she's just a phenomenal athlete."

This shouldn't be that much of a surprise, considering how well she's moved in the paint with Freeport.

I belive Shiffer is too slinder to be an effective power forward at the JUCO level and since she wants to play at a D-I program, this is probably her best shot.

I haven't seen Shiffer take a bunch of outside shots while a Pretzel, that doesn't mean she can't shoot.

Only in warmups have I seen her shoot 3s and she's made some, so perhaps it just wasn't used because girls like Katie Norman, Kelsey Hoefer and Caitlin Greene were the girls to take those deep outside attempts.

We may finally find out just how underrated Shiffer really has been all this time.

As mentioned on the Journal-Standard, Mallory Magee's role will change as well. Magee is now the team's most versitile play with Jackie Barton now at Western Illinois University.

"We're going to ask her to do a lot of scoring," Buckwalter said. "I think with her and Suporia (Dickens), it's going to open everybody else up."

In all likelihood, Dickens will be asked to do what she does best: drive to the basket.
"Suporia, we went to a jamboree and she looks pretty much unstopable," Buckwalter said. "She gets tired fast, but going to the basket, she hasn't been stopped yet.
"I'm putting in offensive plays just for her."

And now ... your starting lineup ... sort of

When I asked Buckwalter what his starting lineup would be -- something I've been pondering since all the recruits were signed -- he wasn't too sure, but had an idea.

"I don't have a clue Joey!" Buckwalter joked. "I've been racking my brain for the last three days. I've got 10 great players and two were out for volleyball and one fits in perfect.
"I'm probably going to go with Lexi (Alexia Tann), Suporia, Mallory, Renee and Shiff. That's my best defensive team, I think. That's probably the way I'm going against Malcolm X (on Friday)."

I was, admittedly surprised that Deuth would get the nod over new center Ashanti Walker, but Buckwalter said that she's "coming on" to coming back around.

The listed 6-foot-1 forward could still need more work to fit into the offense, play on the defensive end and make this team lethal in this region.

"Ashanti Walker is coming on. She's coming off that blown out knee a couple of years ago," Buckwalter said. "And it's taking her a while to come around. But, she's starting to get her confidence back.

"You could tell she hadn't been on the court in a while, so I think the more she plays, she'll get any better. She's great athlete with a nice shot.

"She's kind of a leader in her own way."

Buckwalter still left the door open for if things change.

"That (the lineup) could change," Buckwalter said. "Ashanti's right there. Taylor (Gallentine's) right there. And Nicole (Olson's) right there. I could start all three at any time.

"If teams are playing zone, I won't have a problem starting Nicole in there at all. We'll see how it goes."

Just how good is the 2009 Freeport VB team?

Photo by Dave Manley
Freeport's Lindsay Ellinor reaches for a tip shot against Harlem's Katie Gray during the game in Freeport on Tuesday.

This year's Freeport volleyball team is a mystery to me.

I'm not sure how good this team really is, but fact is: the Pretzels are a match away from winning the program's first-ever sectional title.

Just like the 2008 team.

"People expected us not to do (well) and this feels so good," Courtney Lawson said Tuesday night. "It's just phenomenal.

Laura Witt added: "Everyone didn't think we'd make it this far. They ranked us low in conference but we came up and we got second in conference."

"We're back to where we were last year, and that just makes us want to push more," Lawson followed.

The Pretzels just a year ago was the best team I've seen. Better than Eastland (before it went downstate), better than Dakota (a team that nearly went downstate, had it not been for Eastland) and better than any NIC-10 team school.

The tandem of hitters Kelsey Hoefer, Courtney Shiffer, Karli Davis and Katie Norman were nearly unstoppable.

Hoefer was the conference MVP, Shiffer was just a step below Hoefer, Davis was a leading hitter in 2007 and could still be effective despite a foot injury that has hampered her to this day and Norman made big plays in the conference title clincher — the first of the program's in 31 years (1977).

And let's not forget about Caitlin Greene, who's probably the best libero in the NIC-10.

People say this a lot about her, but she's everywhere. She continues to make digs that I don't see other back row players make.

At least not at this level.

That team, despite all its talented players and promise, finished just short of a sectional championship after losing to Burlington Central — the same school that beat the Freeport softball team in a super-sectional the previous spring.

Greene's now a senior, along with Laura Witt and Lindsay Ellinor. Witt and Ellinor aren't bad in the back row either and both have some pretty good serves.

They've had to step up, sure.

But are they better and, hence, made the Pretzels better than a year ago?

No. Not in my view.

Hoefer is a better hitter than any current player. Courtney Lawson's solid, Witt has filled in nicely considering she's really out of position (more of a setter than hitter) and Paige Calow is still improving.

Calow and Shiffer don't compare currently. Former Freeport volleyball coach Rodney Pritchett once said "(t)here's not a better athlete in the conference this year than Shiffer" and I believed him.

Calow has a way to go to earn that distinction.

Hoefer and Witt are most comparable, considering both committed to Division I schools.

But Lawson does well enough to be compared to the hurt version of Davis. A healthy Davis is better though.

Defensively is where the two teams seem to parallel.

Greene has been the backbone of the defense for a while and I think this year people are starting to understand just how important she's been to the Pretzels since starting for them.

Witt has always been a starter, but her role has expanded this year and has excelled.

But bottom line: the Pretzels this year are not better, or as good as the 2008 team.

"I don't think anybody expected us to got out and tie for second (in the NIC-10)," Greene said Tuesday night. "And to get back to the sectional finals is just amazing."

The real focus should be that the Pretzels are doing as much about as much as the 2008 team.

And if the Pretzels win an upset against Sycamore, they'll be doing more with less.

Here's your 2009-10 Highland womens basketball team photo and schedule

Season begins Friday, Nov. 13 at home in the Ladies Tip-off Tournament, which features the Cougars, Malcolm X, South Suburban and Spoon River.

Here's the full roster.

Fri/Sat	Nov 13-14	Ladies Tip-Off Tournament (HCC, Malcolm X, South Suburban, Spoon River)	HOME	5/7:00 Noon/2
Thur	Nov 19	Elgin	Elgin, IL	5:00
Tue	Nov 24	College of Lake County	Freeport, IL	5:00
Fri/Sat	Nov 27-28	Marshalltown Tournament	Marshalltown, IA	TBA
Tue	Dec 1	Malcolm X	Chicago, IL	5:00
Thur	Dec 3	Rock Valley	Freeport, IL	5:00
Sat	Dec 5	Illinois Central	East Peoria, IL	2:00
Fri	Dec 11	Lincoln Trail Classic vs Olney	Robinson, IL	6:00
/Sat	Dec 12	Lincoln Trail Classic vs Lincoln Trail	Robinson, IL	1:00
Fri/Sat	Dec 18-19	South Suburban Tournament	South Holland, IL	TBA
Thur	Jan 7	Sauk Valley*	Dixon, IL	5:30
Sat	Jan 9	Kankakee	Kankakee	1:00
Thur	Jan 14	Carl Sandburg*	Freeport, IL	5:00
Tue	Jan 19	Illinois Valley*	Ogelsby, IL	5:30
Thur	Jan 21	Black Hawk*	Freeport, IL	5:00
Sat	Jan 23	Black Hawk East*	Freeport, IL	1:00
Tue	Jan 26	Kishwaukee*	Malta, IL	5:30
Sat	Jan 30	Kennedy-King	Chicago, IL	1:00
Tue	Feb 2	Sauk Valley*	Freeport, IL	5:00
Thur	Feb 4	Black Hawk East*	Kewanee, IL	5:30
Sat	Feb 6	Kankakee	Freeport, IL	1:00
Tue	Feb 9	Carl Sandburg*	Galesburg, IL	5:30
Thur	Feb 11	Illinois Valley*	Freeport, IL	5:00
Sat	Feb 13	Daley	Freeport, IL	1:00
Tue	Feb 16	Black Hawk*	Moline, IL	5:30
Thur	Feb 18	Kishwaukee*	Freeport, IL	5:00
Sat	Feb 20	Kennedy-King	Freeport, IL	1:00
Sat	Feb 27	Region IV First Round @ Highland College	Freeport, IL	TBA
Wed	Mar 3	Region IV Semi-Finals @ Highland College	Freeport, IL	TBA
Sat	Mar 6	Region IV Championship @ Highland College	Freeport, IL	TBA
Tue	Mar 9	District Play-Off	Region XIII	TBA
Tue-Sat	Mar 16-20	NJCAA National Tournament	Salina, KS	TBA

Here's the roster with inflated heights and number changes.

No	Name	Ht	Yr	Position	Hometown
10	Jackie Cahill	5'5	F	G	Stockton, IL
12	Nicole Olson	5'9	S	G	Shannon, IL
15	Courtney DeHaven	5'6	F	G	Orangeville, IL
24	Alexia Tann	5'8	S	G	Beloit, WI
30	Suporia Dickens	5'10	F	G	Freeport, IL
31	Courtney Shiffer	6'0	F	F	Freeport, IL
33	Ashanti Walker	6'1	F	F	Chicago, IL
34	Mallory Magee	6'0	S	F	Stockton, IL
40	Taylor Gallentine	6'0	F	F	Prophestown, IL
42	Renee Deuth	5'10	S	F	Polo, IL

Projected starting line-up for 2009-10 Highland Women's B-Ball team

PG - Alexi Tann
SG - Suporia Dickens
SF - Mallory Magee
PF - Courtney Shiffer
C - Ashanti Walker

Here's why. Tann returns to a team as Highland's floor general with a year under her belt. Her responsibilities at the point will increase with the departure of Jackie Barton.

Dickens has experience as more of a forward, but will likely be asked to be the team's slasher this season. What Dickens lacks as far as a shooting touch, she more than made up for with her speed and athleticism while playing for the back-to-back state runner-up Freeport girls basketball team.

Magee can shoot deep from the outside, including 3-point shots. She, at times, can hit from the outside corner, which is why I think she'll transition to the 3.

Shiffer is a natural power forward, despite her lack of size. She was an excellent post player for the Pretzels last season and I think her skill sets will work just fine for the Cougars this winter.

Walker seems like the perfect fit at center, as she may be the only legit six-footer for Highland this year.

Taylor Gallentine and Renee Deuth I think will work fine off the bench and could fill in just in case they work better for the team. Magee has to stay on the floor, I believe, because of her versatility.

Well

Late growth spurts for Highland women's basketball team?

Every athletic program does it at some point, and the Highland women's basketball team is no exception.

The heights listed for quite a few women on the Cougars have spiked since last year. And it's a little late for these women that are in their late teens or early 20s to have sudden growth spurts.

Simultaneously.

Last year's point guard Alexi Tann is listed at 5-foot-8 on the Cougar women's roster page on Highland's Web site.

She was listed at 5-foot-6 just a year ago.

Freeport alum Suporia Dickens is listed at 5-foot-10, though she was not only listed at 5-foot-8 while a Pretzel, but she was clearly shorter than Towson volleyball hitter and former Freeport forward Kelsey Hoefer, who was listed as 5-foot-10 just a year ago.

Fellow alum Courtney Shiffer continues to be listed at 6-even, but considering she was closer to 5-11 in 2008, that doesn't surprise me.

*** UPDATE (10/6/09): Just found my Highland program from a year ago and it appears that the worse thing that can happen to a basketball player happened over the summer: Renee Deuth lost four inches in height.
Deuth is apparently aging at a very young age and lost shrunk from 6-foot-even to 5-foot-8, as listed below.
Amazing. ***

Here's the full list of the 2009-10 Highland women's basketball team:

No	Name	Ht	Yr	Position	Hometown
10	Jackie Cahill	5'5	F	G	Stockton, IL
12	Nicole Olson	5'9	S	G	Shannon, IL
15	Courtney DeHaven	5'6	F	G	Orangeville, IL
24	Alexia Tann	5'8	S	G	Beloit, WI
30	Suporia Dickens	5'10	F	G	Freeport, IL
31	Courtney Shiffer	6'0	F	F	Freeport, IL
33	Ashanti Walker	6'1	F	F	Chicago, IL
34	Mallory Magee	6'0	S	F	Stockton, IL
40	Taylor Gallentine	6'0	F	F	Prophestown, IL
42	Renee Deuth	5'10	S	F	Polo, IL

Final sign that its an end of an era in elite fantasy tailbacks

This is a sample of what's to come in Thursday's fantasy football column in the Journal-Standard

I haven’t owned LaDainian Tomlinson in three years, including this season.

And for the last two years, I’ve been glad that I haven’t.

Ever since San Diego coach Norv Turner took over the offense, the tailback hasn’t been the same guy. But this year, you can no longer blame the coach, the scheme or an injury for why LT has looked average.

Last Monday night against the Oakland Raiders of all teams, one thing was proved: Tomlinson is no longer an elite fantasy back. At this point, he’s a No. 2 back or flex option. ...

(W)hat other tailback can do what Tomlinson once did? Look at today’s top running backs from a year ago and look at the first week’s finishes.

Hardly impressive.

It’s just another sign that elite running backs just aren’t as pletiful — the end of an era. During LT’s prime, guys like Priest Holmes, Marshall Faulk, Jamal Lewis, Edgerrin James, Tiki Barber, Shaun Alexander, Fred Taylor and Clinton Portis (just to name a few) were can’t miss players that you’d like to take in the first two rounds.

Today, half of those players are out of the NFL, while the other half are shells of themselves.

It's official: She's finally signed

More on this as it develops (won't want to get scooped or anything)

McShane at the top the depth chart at QB

By Stefanie Weiss/The Journal-Standard
Could the McShane era help Freeport return to the playoffs in 2009?

By Joey Baskerville
joey.baskerville@gmail.com

According to the J-S' Jeremy Anders, Freeport football coach Terry Werntz said that Brandon McShane is currently on top the depth chart at the quarterback position.

Anders said that Werntz hasn't quite made the decision for McShane to be the starter, but it's quite possible that he very well could be.

McShane, a standout on the Freeport boys track team, is quite the speedster. How the Pretzels potentially use his speed on the field will be one of the more intriguing storylines this season with a team centered around the spread offense with new personnel running it.

I, personally, haven't seen McShane's arm but he is fleet of foot and could give NIC-10 defensive coordinators a headache.

Nothing is set in stone. McShane has yet to throw a football in a game on the varsity level and there's still enough o-line issues and other personnel changes this year to wonder just how well the Pretzels will be in 2009.

But you've got to wonder just what to expect, should McShane earn the No. 1 QB position.

Finally, the Prima Donna can go quietly into the night

All of his crap should have ended here, but Brett Favre has finally retired for good ... we think.

FINALLY! It's been reported that Brett Favre is going to stay retired and no longer make himself the center of attention instead of the team(s) that he plays for.

I've written about Favre in the past for the publication I work for. I think I wrote two columns on him and I still feel the same way about him as I did back then.

Only difference is that he's done this whole dramatic, reality TV-like decision-making process on playing in the NFL for about 4-5 years.

Remember him crying New Year's Eve during what appeared to be an impromptu retirement speech after the Green Bay Packers beat the Super Bowl bound Chicago Bears?

All of a sudden, he comes back to training camp as though none of what he said happened.

A season before, he contemplated retiring, but I won't judge him on that because of everything going on with his wife, father and his home state of Mississippi.

Fast forward to 2007, Favre has his most successful season in years, breaking John Elway's record wins and Dan Marino's career TD record and most games played with three or more TDs record.

He chokes in overtime to the New York Giants in the NFC championship game, and retires roughly three months following that loss.

Nearly four months later, Favre wants back in.

He's traded to the Jets (and misses all of training camp due to an approximately month-long feud with the Packers). Plays well, then sucks, then retires for the second time in 11 months).

This year, he takes the Minnesota Vikings through hell and back on this self-centered diva that used to be portrayed as a humble, fun-loving, selfless southerner all summer long.

Until training camp was about to begin.

Thank the fans? For what?
Brett Favre let a lot of people down. Fans of two teams in the NFC North have reason to dislike No. 4 (not including Bears fans), not to mention Jets fans that felt like you blew an opportunity to put the team in contention for a ring.

But you thank ... the fans?

"I would like to thank everyone, including the Packers, Jets and Vikings [--] but, most importantly, the fans," Favre said to ESPN according to an Associated Press story.

Thank the fans? For what?

They don't thank you. How do you think Vikes fans feel after this?

You made fans have to choose between being Packer fans or Brett Favre fans. That should never happen.

And I think you know how Jets fans from the East Coast feel, because they've probably already told you (in a really whiny voice).

Don't bother wasting time thanking fans and organizations that had to put up with your petulant ways for summers of torture.

You're not welcome.

Favre to the booth. Dear God, please. No!
It's bad enough that there's quite enough "journalists" out there that make the story more about them than about the story itself.

We see it in sports, but with most sports columnists, the writing is understood as perspective piece and the story should reflect the view of the author.

But I think the public has heard enough, seen enough, vomitted enough about anything regarding Favre.

But Jemele Hill thinks that Favre could join the booth or become an NFL commentator for some media outlet soon.

"But here's a new possibility to consider: Favre as a NFL commentator."

NO!

Just stay in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and don't come back to the NFL in any capacity.

Every great story ends. And as you can see, sequels tend to only make the original worse.

My first perfect game: Buehrle's made dream come true

I finally got to see a perfect game, and the first from a pitcher from a team I love.

So, it finally happened.


I've never seen a perfect game in its entirety before today. Never knew the thrill of watching pitch-by-pitch in anguish hoping the no-hitter remains intact and knowing, that history is just innings away.

On my commute to work, I didn't realize it until the end of the six inning when White Sox radio broadcaster Ed Farmer said that Mark Buehrle was perfect.

By the time I got to the office at The Journal-Standard, it was the bottom of the seventh just before No. 56 would take the mound in the eighth.

To see those last two innings in front of co-workers was a thrill. Dewayne Wise, you've saved yourself from scrutiny for about a week now after that unbelievable grab in the ninth inning.

Great game to watch. I'll never forget this game. Thanks for the great memory!

Only sad thing is, this will in all likelihood bring Buehrle that much closer to retirement.

McNair ... musings on career, death and investigation

Titans quarterback Steve McNair, left, walks off the field with kicker Craig Hentrich. Tennessee lost Saturday's AFC Divisional Playoffs to the New England Patriots, 17-14, in Foxboro, Mass. Charles Krupa / AP

Steve McNair's morphine shots had probably worn off.

He had to grit the pain of a strained calf on his right leg, and a sprained left ankle in the 2004 AFC Divisional Playoff game against the New England Patriots.

Oh, and it was two degrees out with a wind chill of -14. It was one of the coldest playoff games of all-time.

But there was Steve, gimping through the pain, barely able to walk under center or position himself in the shotgun and doing what he did best — lead the Tennessee Titans for a chance at a comeback.

I'll never forget that drive. Not the stats. But circumstances that McNair showed the heart of a champion, despite never having the rings to ever show for it.

It affirmed why I was a McNair fan since the Music City Miracle. The comebacks.

Now, I'm just wishing Steve would come back. ...

As always, circumstances ended McNair's dream

Down 17-14 after Adam Vinatieri kicked a 46-yard field goal that just barely went over crossbar,
McNair had 4:11 left to put the Titans in position. McNair delivered two strikes to NIU alum Justin McCareins and Drew Bennett and rushed for 12 more yards.

Two penalties hurt the Titans and eventually forced a 4th-and-12 heave that was incomplete because of a drop by Bennett.

Every year, it seemed there was some reason why the Titans couldn't move forward and win it all. I tried to blame McNair, but oft-times I found it hard to.

2000 - Eddie George can't hold on to the ball rushing or receiving and Al Del Greco misses three damn field goals in a loss to the hated Baltimore Ravens. McNair didn't blaze the stat sheet up, but, who could against that defense? Wasted back-to-back 13-3 season.

2001 - George has turf toe and Titans are just bad. You could blame everyone for that season.

2002 - Titans comeback from a 1-4 start to finish 11-5, thanks mostly to McNair (remember that comeback win against the Giants?). They lose to the Raiders because the defense has no answers to Rich Gannon.

2003 - Look above to start of blog. During the off-season, Titans lose Jevon Kearse, Robarie Smith McCareins to free agency. McNair's favorite target, Frank Wycheck, retires. A rundown Eddie George is cut and signed by Dallas.
Salary cap capped all hope of Tennessee making another run with Steve on the squad.

2004 - Tyrone Calico tears ACL (thanks, horse-collar Roy Williams) during the preseason. The last vertical deep threat on roster is gone, Chris Brown (not the singer) is Titans' only hope with McNair battles a bruised sternum and misses eight games.

2005 - Goodbye Samari Rolle and Derrick Mason. McNair's the oldest guy on the team next to Brad Hopkins. 4-12 record to show for it. The following season, McNair is unceremoniously traded to the hated Baltimore Ravens after being locked out of Titans facilities.

Born on Valentine's Day, dead on the Fourth of July.

I thought that moment was painful, but that was nothing compared to how I felt when I got a text from a friend last Saturday.

My heart sank when I read "McNair shot and killed" on my cell phone. Over the years, aside from Walter Payton, McNair became my favorite player in the NFL. I stood up for him during his failures like Titans coach — and former Chicago Bears return specialist — Jeff Fisher did so many times before.

I also bragged, unlike McNair ever did throughout his career, when he won the MVP.

But I didn't know how to digest that my favorite player since Payton was dead and gone. Born on a day of love — Valentine's Day — dead on the 4th of July in gunfire.

Very unsettling.

Bothered by a few things
I'm more unsettled by a few things regarding McNair's untimely death.

First. The response. Not by NFL fans or reporters questioning his hall-of-fame status. That was bound to come up.

But the females that continue to judge McNair for dating a woman while married to someone else.

Look, he was wrong for committing adultery, but did he deserve death? Talk to enough women, or follow enough of them on Twitter, and you'd honestly have to start to wonder.

Just ask Holly Robinson Peete, who disrespectfully said that she and her kids wouldn't go to her husband's funeral if he was having an affair with a 20-year-old.

It's a shame, really. Not all women think like this, but some of the scorned out there would actually justify murder for infidelity.

Second is anyone anti-gun that want to go on a crusade after this death. I'm no fan of guns, but people are responsible for the death of McNair and Sahel Kazemi not guns.

If it was a murder-suicide, would we feel different if Kazemi stabbed McNair to death? Would we be anti-knife?

I don't like how people use death as a chance to push some kind of agenda or cause.

Something doesn't add up
I'm far from a detective, so I won't act as though the Nashville detectives aren't doing their jobs.

But things don't add up. A 20-year-old woman is able to shoot McNair four times, twice in the body and twice in the head with no misses?

Understandably, the final shot was point-blank range, but three shots were at a distance, according to reports. If this was the first time she's ever shot a gun, you'd think she'd miss at least once, right?

And just how do you explain the guy being underneath her? Maybe I'm missing something (which is why I'm not a detective), but how do you shoot yourself in the head and end up with the burner underneath your body, as opposed to being on the side of you or in your hand still?

And there doesn't seem to be much of a motive. Did McNair tell her she's not the one that day? If so, then why did she already purchase a gun when Kazemi already said 'Steve has lots of guns'?

And the jealous boyfriend is appearing more and more suspicious to me.

Legacy overshadowed
The saddest aspect of McNair's murder is that his legacy as a quarterback will be lost to a tabloid-death, filled with plots of a mystery long triangle (or rectangle) who-done-it.

Nevermind his community service and player-mentor relationships with players like Vince Young and Troy Smith. Nevermind his play on the field that turned a relocated and renamed franchise from relative NFL nobodies to one of the winningest teams in the league in a five-year span (1999-2004).

Nevermind his family, including his wife and children (who he probably loved through his final days) and the fans who loved who he was on Sundays and Mondays.

For now, McNair's life has been reduced to a love-scandal gone dreadfully wrong.

What will next year's Highland women's basketball look like?

Photo courtesy of Highland Community College in Freeport, IL

Well, until it's confirmed, we're going to assume the Cougars will be with just Courtney Shiffer as one of the members of last year's Freeport 1,000-point club.

Which means the 2010 (weird typing that year out) Highland women's basketball team will have an exceptional frontcourt.

Mallory Magee, Renee Deuth and Shiffer could be on the floor all at the same time.

Not to mention, Taylor Gallentine from Prophetstown.

The question is, will they?

Magee was a solid defender last season in the post. Deuth can be strong on the defensive boards at times and Shiffer is versitile enough to play the 3 or the 4.

Personally, Magee would work better on offense as a small forward, as she can hit 3s. Shiffer can cut the basket, at least at the high school level, better and has some pretty decent post moves to draw fouls and score.

Both can play with their backs to the basket, but Magee (listed at 6-foot) has a better outside shot.

Deuth (listed at 6-foot, but closer to 5-10 can do a bit of both, but is better suited facing the basket for a 15-footer.

Then there's the Ashanti Walker. She's apparently a 6-footer (it's been published that she's anywhere from 5-foot-10 to 6-foot-1) and a legit center.

She'll likely play the 5, depending on her play. It's been two years since she's been on the floor as the former UIC prospect blew out her knee in 2006 and never really garnered playing time.

How much the South Holland native has lost since then will be interesting to see.

Could you imagine how tough it would be for teams to shoot on a line-up with four 6-footers (I'm using that term loosely)?

Alexi Tann is expected to return next season, but will have to improve as a true point guard. She still has ball-handling and vision issues that will need to be corrected in order for the Cougars to have a chance to repeat as Arrowhead Conference champs and make a return trip to Salina, Kansas.

Obviously, there's a big void to fill with everything Jackie Barton brought to Highland's backcourt.

Nicole Olsen played in spurts in 2009, but she's more of a complimentary player than a starter.
If Suporia Dickens commits to Highland soon, she could be the answer to filling up the shooting guard spot.

Dickens showed flashes at times that she can shoot from the perimeter, but she'll need to elevate her game at the JUCO level. With forwards and legit centers as talented in down low as the better NJCAA teams, she'll have to adjust.

She finished better with contact than any other player on Freeport's back-to-back state runner up teams, but she won't be able to depend on that at this level.

Her responsibilities at shooting guard will be different than her forward/guard spot a year ago. Katie Norman was the point guard and Caitlin Greene was the Pretzels' 2-guard, so it'll be interesting to see how the starting roster pans out.

She need to come off the bench, but there's still a gaping hole at shooting guard.

J-S 2009 All-Area votes

It's pretty interesting this year for the J-S All-Area team is shaping up for this season.

Four coaches, to this point, have voted for our the honors of the All-Area team, Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards.

Right now each coach has voted for a different player of the year and coach of the year as well.

River Ridge/Scales Mound's Jeff Steele, Lena-Winslow's Adam Blair, Dakota Cody Jacobson and Eastland's Zach Truckenmiller have all received J-S Player of the Year votes.

J-S Coach of the Year so far is just as scattered in votes. Area mainstays Eastland's Lenny Freidhof and Lena-Winslow's Tom Smargiassi along with surprising votes for Galena's Greg Tancrell and Aquin's Todd Kramer have all earned votes.

Warren/Stockton's P/INF Mike Werkheiser and RR/SM coach Mike Dittmar earned player and coach of the year honors respectively in 2008.

Warren was a beast back in 1985

Just finished talking to War/Stock coach Jim Nielsen about the '85 team that went downstate.

They played schools like Freeport and Belvidere among others that were in what was then the NIC-9.

Here's the official story here.

Also, I talked to two members of the Eastland baseball team that played on the 2003 team. They were the first team in school history to win a sectional in baseball and just missed out on a trip downstate

Here's the article.

I'll have some exclusive content ASAP (internet connection, permitting)

I didn't realize Eastland had a legion baseball team. I may also feature that in my eastland state follow-up column as well. And predictions on next year.
-JoeY

Well, Eastland finished fourth in the state. On Monday, i should have a column on the team's appearance being the first in J-S coverage area in 25 years.
-JoeY

Dickens to sign in two weeks

Here's an update, you guys.

Highland coach Dean Buckwalter informed me that after Suporia Dickens comes back from a vacation, she will officially sign to the Cougars for the 2009-10 season.

She will join Courtney Shiffer as two of the four 1000-point scorers from the back-to-back state runner-up Freeport girls basketball team.

Katie Norman is still weighing her options, apparently.

Dickens verbally commits to the Cougar

Highland women to add another player Freeport Pretzel to the team next year. Buckwalter said in a message left with reporter Joey Baskerville that Suporia Dickens has verbally committed to the Cougars.

More on this, including her potential signing, as the story develops.

Case of the shrinking strike zone

Eastland coach Lenny Freidhof had enough issues trying to put Aquin away on Wednesday in the regional semifinal.

Too many innings did the Cougars leave baserunners stranded, and too many times Eastland decided to swing at less than appealing pitches.

But Freidhof was upset about the shrinking strike zone that relief pitcher Gabe Schrader had to deal with in the seventh inning when Aquin made its late rally to score three runs.

"The umpire squeezed the zone and they can fine me if they want," Freidhof said. "They squeezed it. It was ridiculous. From what he was calling in the beginning of the game — Aquin was complaining about strikes being called outside — and he just zoomed in.
"But you've got to throw strikes. You've got to figure out where they're going to call them and you've got to adjust and Gabe didn't."

Schrader is one of the three pitchers on Eastland that Freidhof has said makes it hard to figure out who is their No. 1 ace. This season, Schrader is 6-1 but likely struggled more than he has all season.

Starting pitchers getting tagged of late

It all started on Monday this week.

Kirk Engelkens didn't have his stuff against Dakota and that, along with Milledgeville/Polo's lack of clutch hitting, helped Dakota all but secure an NUIC-East title outright.

Indians coach Britton Kauffman said that Dakota has never beaten Engelkens more than once in a season. That changed on Monday.

"Kirk's awesome. He's such a great pitcher and I said at the beginning of the year that he was a stud and that they were going to be loaded," Kauffman said. "In four years that I've faced Kirk, he's pitched six out of the eight games we've faced him. ... This is my fourth year of coaching, we've never beaten Milledgeville twice. ... And we got to him this year, and any time you get eight or nine hits off of Kirk, you had a pretty good day at the plate."

Not to pick on the 2009 J-S Boys Basketball Player of the Year, but Friday wasn't any better for the senior.

Engelkens gave up seven hits and three earned runs against Orangeville. Milledgeville/Polo coach Jeff Sands had to talk to Engelkens a few times just to keep his confidence up as the team was close to losing an upset against the Broncos.

Engelkens didn't get much help from his defense, which seemed to agitate the senior pitcher.

"He gets frustrated, he was getting a little frustrated and as a pitcher you can't let it show if somebody makes a mistake behind you," Sands said. "There's no one perfect on the baseball field. No one is perfect. It's my job to correct them.

"I suppose if there's any pitcher out there that's never thrown a ball or walked anybody, I suppose he can get upset, if there's a mistake made behind him.

"If you find him, let me know. I'd like for him to play for me."

Speaking of Orangeville, Broncos' ace Riley Kubatzke was called upon to relief Kyle Werkheiser and come out with the save.

Clearly, that didn't happen.

Kubatzke gave up three earned runs and surrendered five hits in 1 2/3 innings of work. Like Engelkens, the defense's errors cost Orangeville severely.

But both aces were called upon, and both didn't provide what could have been better results.

Enter Saturday with Lena-Winslow junior ace Seth Cory against Forreston. Cory was called up to in relief of Tommy Rothschadl, after the sophomore gave up two hits to open up the sixth inning.

Cory gave up two runs, three hits and a walk in the sixth and seventh innings.

"Yeah, he's been having problems with his left shoulder," Lena-Winslow coach Tom Smargiassi said. "I'm not sure if that bothered him at all. I think Seth made a few good pitches, but it was kind of a tough spot to put him in with nobody out (in the sixth).
"He didn't necessarily get it done on the mound like I though he would, but he led us off in the inning with a double himself."

My Baseball Top 5 (for the NUIC area)

Eastland
Other than Milledgeville/Polo, aside from their two losses to Dakota, Eastland has quietly been the best baseball team in our area. A matchup, which was postponed earlier this year between Milledgeville/Polo and Eastland would really clear things up, but as it stands, the Cougars are tops.

Dakota
You can beat an opponent once and just be lucky. But twice? With Lizer pitching, Dakota is probably 1a to Eastland’s No. 1 ranking. The head-to-head matchup is in favor of the Cougars, despite the late comeback with the Indians’ starters coming in after three innings.

Mville/Polo
Yes, they’ve only lost two games all year. But with both losses to Dakota by four runs apiece, the Missiles fall to No. 3

Lena-Winslow
A win against Dakota last Saturday puts the Panthers in high regard. The 22-6 win against War/Stock put Le-Win in even higher regard and are the second-best team in the NUIC-West.

River Ridge/Scales Mound (subject to change if O’ville beats M’ville)
With War/Stock, Orangeville and River Ridge/Scales Mound losing in unimpressive fashion, this was more of a toss-up. Jeff Steele is just enough to push RR/SM ahead of the pack.
As it stands now, though, there's barely five top teams in the area period.

Orangeville losing to Aquin really doesn't make their case for the Top 5. RR/SM doesn't win any give-me points either by losing to Pearl City, but if their best pitchers meet, I'm taking RR/SM over Orangeville.

Why the Bulls-Celtics series is NOT the best series in NBA history

It's understood that the Bulls-Celtics first round playoff series has been nothing short of exhilarating.

Last night's triple-OT game with Derrick Rose's block on Rajon Rondo — two of the up-and-coming point guards that will be hall-of-famers when it's all said and done in my mind (and I won't regret making that statement either) — will be remembered for a long time for Chicago and Boston fans alike.

OK. And the steal and dunk on Joakim Noah was great too.

But I'd like to offer everyone a moment of clarity.

This is the most entertaining playoff series we've seen in a long while.

It's hardly the best.

See, I like my playoff matchups to feature smart play, great defense and breath-taking tough shots that allow viewers to stare in awe of such clutch perfomances from such great players.

We've seen only one of those features in this series. Well, sort of.

The breath-taking shots have come from Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rose, Rondo and ... Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Noah, Brad Miller, Tyrus Thomas, Ben Gordon and Kendrick Perkins.

Hell, nearly every player that has a roster spot on both squads have managed to hit a big shot for their respective teams this series (sans Mikki Moore, Stephon Marbury and the White Panther)

With Kevin Garnett on the bench and using his chin and multiple f-bombs to annoy Bulls fans, rather than playing and annoying Bulls players with DEFENSE, this series has to be evaluated for what it is — entertaining but far from great, let alone greatest.

There's been better series with more quality defense (which wins championships, ya know?)

I'd rather go out on a limb and say the Lakers-Celtics Finals from just this past season was one of the greater NBA Finals than this (I know better, trust me).

In fact, this isn't the greatest playoff series this decade.

Lakers-Kings Western Conference Finals anyone? How about the Suns-Spurs series just two years ago?

Pick a year for the Bulls-Jazz Finals and can anyone honestly tell me Bulls-Pacers and Bulls-Knicks (again, pick a year) were worse than the Bulls-Celtics series we've watched this season?

This first round has provided spotty defense at best from both team , and it isn't because the players are always the best.

Aside from Kirk Heinrich, the Bulls backcourt can't defend. Rose was exposed this year for his defense deficiencies by ... TJ Ford this year. Ben Gordon, try as he might, also can't defend.

I thought Rondo was a better on-the-ball defender, but like seemingly every Celtic, he's a great help-defender.

And who knew Pierce would struggle in Game 6 to defend, of all people, John Salmons (who I like on my fantasy team. ONLY on my fantasy team)?

Look, four overtimes in a playoff-series is something we don't see all the time. Heck, it's never happened.

But that automatically doesn't make this series great. Just very entertaining.

If they're not championship quality, it's not great in terms of history

The Bulls have proven why they're just an above .500 team and clinched the seven-seed and Boston, time-and-time again, proves it has the worst closing NBA championship team in perhaps league history.

That's why this series has gone on for seemingly months. It's a fantastic matchup, but none of these teams are championship material (unless KG can play again for Boston), so the relevancy of this series is also diminished (notice the trend with the series mentioned above?)

LeBron James, featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers, look stronger everyday while looking at this series and it appears quite clear they'll be playing in the NBA Finals.

The Cavs categorically defend better than the Bulls and the Garnett-less Celtics and in the West, there's the Lakers.

Pay attention to them in the finals if you want to see great basketball and a great series.

Want entertainment? Watch TNT for Game 7, Celtics-Bulls.