By Randy Whalen

The bar has been raised for Joliet West boys basketball.

Since Jeremy Kreiger took over as coach in the 2019-20 season, the Tigers have returned to their winning ways.

This season is off to a great start as Joliet West looks to take a step it potentially just missed last season.

“We can all play basketball," Joliet West junior forward Ethan Hillsman said this past week. "We’re all talented. We all have high basketball IQs and can all play.

"We want to make a run for state, and we’re capable of that.”

Yes, the Tigers are. Last season they lost 68-66 in overtime to Homewood-Flossmoor in the opening semifinal of the Class 4A Rich Township Regional.

H-F went on to win the State Championship. 

Would Joliet West have done the same? Every matchup is different, so it's hard to tell. But the Tigers were certainly capable then and believe they are now.

"Every year we have the opportunity to be special," Kreiger said. "That's our approach to the game and our dedication to that."

Through the season's first two weeks, the Tigers are 5-1 with many of their wins being in blowout fashion.

That includes a 78-29 win over Joliet Central in the Southwest Prairie Conference opener on Tuesday, December 3 at home. 

Senior guard Zion Gross poured in 23 points, Hillsman had 11, senior guard Tristian Saunders had nine points, junior guard Aamir Shannon scored eight points, while junior guards Kendall Bosby and Luke Grevengoed each added nine points.

Joliet West scored the first six points and led 22-3 after the first quarter. The Steelmen (1-6, 0-2 through December 7) didn't have a basket until the opening minute of the second quarter. 

It was 47-14 at halftime. Gross had 11 points in a 15-0 run to open the third quarter. The Tigers led 71-16 after three.

“We came out and had fun,” Gross said. “Just as a collective group, we were trying to come out and enjoy it. We didn’t ever relax. Even at halftime when we saw we were up, we never relaxed. We came out with our foot on the pedal and left it on the gas all game.”

Veteran Joliet Central coach Larry Thompson was impressed.

"The intensity brought by Joliet West was probably too overwhelming for them," Thompson said of his inexperienced group. "Credit goes to Joliet West. There are no excuses to be made. We were outplayed, outcoached, and they did what they wanted to do."

So far the Tigers have done a lot of what they've wanted to do. They opened the season on Monday, November 25 with a 76-42 win over Zion-Benton at the Riverside-Brookfield Bill VandeMerkt Thanksgiving Classic

Gross led with 17 points. Hillsman had 10 points and six rebounds, Saunders scored 10 points, junior guard Mickeis Johnson was steady with nine points, six rebounds, and four assists, while Bosby and senior guard Nasir Sears, who added four assists, each scored eight points.

Two days later came a 62-33 win over Thornwood. Hillsman led the way with 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Gross garnered 13 points and five rebounds, and Shannon added 13 points and four assists.

But Joliet West fell 61-47 to a very talented Brother Rice team on Friday, November 29 in what amounted to the title game of the tournament. The Crusaders (5-0 through December 7) were led by Tournament MVP, senior guard Marcos Gonzales (21 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals), and All-Tournament selection, Jack Weigus, a senior guard who transferred from Hinsdale South and also had 21 points. 

Hillsman led the Tigers with 13 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks, Gross and Johnson both had eight points and five rebounds.

In the tourney final, on Saturday, November 30, Joliet West rebounded with a 70-56 victory over host Riverside-Brookfield. Gross had a monster game with 26 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and four deflections. Shannon scored 10 points and had four rebounds, while Grevengoed (3 assists, 3 steals), Johnson (6 rebounds), Saunders (5 rebounds), and Hillsman (4 rebounds) all added seven points.

Gross and Hillsman made the All-Tournament team.

In their most recent game, an SPC matchup on Friday, December 6 at Plainfield South, the Tigers overcame a sluggish start and won 63-35. How sluggish was the start? Joliet West led 5-2 after the first quarter and 13-11 at halftime. 

“We just asked the team to value the basketball," Kreiger said of what he told the team at halftime. "It’s a credit to (Plainfield South) coach (Jeff) Howard and their team to limit possessions to a halfcourt game. Their zone defense and the way it shifts, rotates and everything caused a lot of trouble for us to the tune of 11 first-half turnovers. We came out in the second half and just trusted our process the rest of the way.”

Yes, they did, as the Tigers scored 25 points in the third quarter and went on to a comfortable victory. Gross (21 points 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals), Johnson (17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks), Hillsman (12 points, 7 rebounds), Shannon (6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals), and Saunders (4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists), who Kreiger credited for playing "27 minutes of relentless defense" all contributed.

It was the first loss of the season for the Cougars (5-1, 1-1).

“We’re proud of the work we’ve put in so far,” Kreiger said. “We’re eight juniors and four seniors, so it’s going to take some time to understand how to play the game the way we expect it to be played, but through (6) games we’re really proud of the effort they’ve put in and how much they’ve shared the ball.”

There are three more months of basketball ahead for Joliet West and it should continue to be fun.

"We just want to get the team better as a collective group," Gross said. "I feel we have a very good group and I'm expecting a lot of wins. We can compete with anyone in the state."