The highly anticipated match-up between Riverside Brookfield and Fenwick at the Texor Minuteman Classic basketball tournament last weekend was a fun and memorable one for RB standout guard Chris Parrish.
The Bulldogs rolled by Fenwick 78-60, sparked by 18 first-half points from the offensively explosive Parrish, who netted some of his points against his good buddy, the Friars’ Derek Tartt.
“Derek and I play on the same AAU team [Illinois Wolves] so that was all about bragging rights,” said Parrish after the game. “It’s great competition to take on guys like Derek because if you take one play off you can be exposed. It helps you keep up the intensity level.”
While Parrish’s impressive skills, including a spot-on jumper and quick first-step, affords him opportunities to be a one-man wrecking crew at times on the court, the Bulldogs showed they are a strong team throughout the tournament, even without Parrish, who missed championship bracket action on Saturday.
“Chris shot the ball really well against Fenwick,” said RB coach Tom McCloskey. “He distributed the ball to his teammates. He knows he has some guys that can play with him. I think we have some good balance with this team.”
Along with Parrish, Dan Oswald, Billy Vandemerkt, Dan Szczesny, Derek Tomasek, Sean McGonagill, Robbie LeBeau, Tyler Baldermann and the Kilcoyne brothers, Anthony and Shane, played well for the sharp-shooting Bulldogs.
Off to a 2-0 start with victories over Fenwick and Argo, Parrish along with fellow guards McGonagill and Dontaye Bosley missed the second day of action at the Minuteman Classic for assorted reasons.
Short handed and trailing a strong Brother Rice team by 15 in the first half, the resilient Bulldogs stormed back to win by nine and advance to the Final Four to take on St. Patrick. The Shamrocks, who went on to win the tournament title, proved too much for RB. The Bulldogs captured fourth place in the standings.
“Our focus is to play with more consistency,” said McCloskey. “During stretches, I think we played one of our best games against Fenwick. We ran the floor pretty well, but one area we also have to work on is rebounding.”
As for Fenwick, after a convincing 56-31 win over Argo (coached by former Fenwick assistant coach Pat Maietta) in their opening game of the Minuteman tourney, the Friars struggled defensively against RB.
“The key for us is playing good defense,” said Tartt, who threw down a spectacular dunk in the second half. “We gave up 78 points [today] so obviously we’re not pleased with that effort.”
Despite a 1-4 showing in the Minuteman Classic, the Friars should be a very good team this winter. Six-foot-4-inch junior forward Xavier Humphrey, currently nursing a sprained ankle, is set to return as the Friars’ leading scorer (13 points per game) along with a plethora of talented players including Tartt (11 points per game), 6-6 senior John Comfort, 6-3 senior forward Matt Condron, 6-4 senior forward Reid Rooney, 6-foot junior forward Mike Black, and senior guard Larry Walker.
“I think we can be a terrific team,” Fenwick coach John Quinn said. “The Minuteman tournament has always been a special one for us. It’s a great opportunity for our kids to play against excellent competition.
Last season, the Friars went 16-10, losing to St. Joseph in the regional championship.
McCloskey, the co-tournament director with his brother, Bill, agreed with Quinn that the Minuteman Classic is an annual summer league winner.
“The tournament went well,” McCloskey said “A lot of work goes into it but things went very smoothly this year.”