The Illinois High School Association lifted its suspension and allowed Kenwood boys to participate in the state basketball playoffs tonight, but several players and coaches were removed from the team. 

According to a Thursday evening release from the IHSA, the association suspended Kenwood boys from the 2024 state series yesterday over a discovery that several players violated residency requirements to attend the school. Kenwood Academy appealed the decision to the IHSA’s board of directors that afternoon, who postponed the Broncos regional basketball game, scheduled for that evening, so the school could make its case. 

On Feb. 22, the IHSA ruled Kenwood could participate in the playoffs, but five student-athletes, the head coach, Mike Irvin, and two assistant coaches will not be eligible to participate due to the IHSA violations. 

According to the IHSA, that ruling was then appealed via a Temporary Restraining Order request in Cook County Circuit Court at 3:30 p.m, where the judge ruled in favor of the IHSA. 

The Class 4A regional semifinal game against Morton High School was rescheduled for 6 p.m. on Feb. 22. 

“This is a very unfortunate situation, and we take no solace in delivering a ruling like this,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. “It is the job of the IHSA to enforce the rules its member schools have put into place in order to provide equity for all of the high schools competing in IHSA State Series tournaments.”

In the release, an IHSA spokesperson said that allegations that several student-athletes were ineligible to enroll at Kenwood has been the subject of an ongoing Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Office of the Inspector General (OIF) investigation. 

On Jan. 25, the OIG presented evidence and documents from its investigation to the IHSA. 

“The CPS OIG investigation provided evidence that multiple current student-athletes on the Kenwood Academy varsity boys basketball team used falsified items (such as utility bills) in order to meet the residence requirements to attend Kenwood Academy,” reads the release. “Others provided home addresses that were inaccurate to meet the residence requirements to attend Kenwood Academy.”

After convening with Kenwood Academy officials and CPS administrators, the IHSA conducted its own investigation. The state association presented evidence from its investigation to Kenwood Academy administrators on Feb. 12.

“The school had not refuted any of the evidence obtained by the CPS Office of the Inspector General or the IHSA,” the release reads.

Administrators from Kenwood Academy could not be reached as of press time.

The story is developing.

Name, School games played total points PPG (min 10.0) Quinn Kwasniak, Cornerstone 21 713 34 Sean Register Jr, North 22 637 29 JP Dragas, Madison 21 601 28.6 Ian Ioppolo, Mentor 19 508 26.7 James Gadomski, Fairport 21 493 23.5 Matt Biddell, Mentor 19 447 23.5 Troy Domen, Cardinal 22 514 23.3 Walter Cable, Wickliffe 17 369 21.7 Thai Duncan, Euclid 21 451 21.5 Landon Lear, West Geauga 14 285 20.4 Delond Moss, South 21 381 18.1 Evan Dugger, NDCL 15 268 17.9 Owen Pugh, Cornerstone 19 325 17.1 Justin Belcher, University 19 323 17 Alec Congdon, University 20 325 16.3 Jack Hastings, Berkshire 21 340 16.2 Jeremiah Martin, VASJ 20 322 16.1 Vince Tomasic, Perry 20 320 16.0 Quandell Wright, VASJ 19 303 15.9 Armani Hall, Harvey 22 338 15.4 Peyton Budrys-Rini, Lake Catholic 21 314 15 Taj Caver, Hawken 21 313 14.9 Teo Suarez, Andrews Osborne 21 307 14.7 Yomar Castellano, Fairport 21 308 14.7 Sammy Sulka, Chardon 21 303 14.4 Luke Barbo, Geneva 21 299 14.2 Derreon Malone, Perry 20 281 14.1 Dorian Jones, Richmond Heights 21 296 14.1 Josh Parsons, Fairport 20 278 13.9 Nate Tadiello, North 22 305 13.9 Luke Smith, Geneva 18 247 13.7 Vince Carriero, Kirtland 22 304 13.7 Quintin Wilson, South 21 286 13.6 Nick Barisic, Kirtland 22 291 13.2 Kris Smith, Benedictine 19 247 13 Colin Whiting, West Geauga 14 182 13 Darren Sultzer, Andrews Osborne 14 177 12.7 Carson Frost, Chardon 21 266 12.7 Sean Shenker, VASJ 20 254 12.7 Ace Peterlin, Lake Catholic 21 264 12.6 Luke Galfidi, Chardon 21 262 12.4 Aiden Webb, Lake Catholic 20 246 12.3 Hosea Steele, Richmond Heights 21 258 12.3 Demarris Winters, Richmond Heights 21 256 12.2 Antonio Brown, VASJ 17 207 12.2 Mason Lathan, Mayfield 22 264 12 Aliyy King, Brush 22 264 12 Greg Price, Hawken 22 258 11.7 Colin Durkin, Riverside 21 246 11.7 Caden Proy, Geneva 21 241 11.5 Xavier Vickerstaff, Mayfield 22 253 11.5 Brayden Richards, Perry 20 230 11.5 Chase Goines, Harvey 21 237 11.3 Damari Dammons, Brush 22 242 11 Jimmy Lawless, Gilmour 21 228 10.9 David Pfundstein, Gilmour 21 227 10.8 Jaxon Mangelluzzi, NDCL 8 86 10.8 Daron Hill, Hawken 21 221 10.5 Angelo Newman, Mayfield 22 231 10.5 Gavin Hipp, Berkshire 21 218 10.4 Jacob Kay, Chagrin Falls 19 197 10.4 Sam Rogers, Kenston 16 163 10.2 Cross Nimmo, Lake Catholic 19 193 10.2 DeErick Barber, Richmond Heights 12 122 10.2 Connor Hernan, NDCL 21 211 10.1 Kaleb Burge, Brush 22 220 10 Jeremy Wilson, Richmond Heights 21 210 10

TOP OF THE CROP

Boys basketball

1: (1) Richmond Heights (12-9)

2: (2) Mentor (13-7)

3: (3) Brush (13-9)

4: (5) VASJ (15-6)

5: (4) Hawken (16-6)

6: (6) Gilmour (13-8)

7: (7) Madison (15-6)

8: (8) Geneva (14-7)

9: (9) Kirtland (15-7)

10: (10) Fairport (16-5)

Watch list: North (15-7), West Geauga (13-7), Perry (11-9), South (11-10), Cornerstone (12-9)

The Purdue men’s basketball team suffered its third loss of the season with a 73-69 defeat to Ohio State on Feb. 18 and will look to bounce back tonight against Rutgers.

Despite the loss, Purdue (23-3 overall, 12-3 Big Ten) is ranked No. 3 in the country and first in the conference. Rutgers, which is 14-11 overall and 6-8 in league play, travels to West Lafayette to try and avenge its 68-60 loss to the Boilermakers on Jan. 28.

Sam King will have analysis throughout, and we will have scoring updates, highlights and more. Please remember to refresh.

The Boilermakers have outscored Rutgers in the second half so far, 13-8. Zach Edey now leads all scorers with 18 points. He also has 7 rebounds.

Purdue 65, Rutgers 38

Rutgers hasn’t made a field goal since the 6:45 mark. Purdue is shooting 63% from the floor while Rutgers is at 33%.

Braden Smith leads all scorers with 13 points while Zach Edey has 12 points and 5 rebounds. Camden Heide scored 11 points and Lance Jones has 10.

Purdue 52, Rutgers 33

Rutgers got close early on, but the Boilermakers are now up by double figures. Braden Smith has 13 points.

Purdue 43, Rutgers 27

The Scarlet Knights cut Purdue’s lead to 22-21 after Gavin Griffiths made a layup. The Boilermakers responded with a Camden Heide 3-pointer. Both teams have been called for technical fouls so far. Most recently, Heide was T’d up after his 3.

Purdue 25, Rutgers 21

Purdue is hitting its shots and is 4 for 4 from the floor. But Rutgers has been aggressive on the boards and has 5 offensive rebounds already.

Purdue 11, Rutgers 9

7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana.

TV: FS1

Radio: Purdue Sports Network (96.5 FM in Lafayette, 1260 AM in Indianapolis), with Rob Blackman (play-by-play) and Bobby Riddell (analysis).

Streaming: SiriusXM Channels 196 and 958, Varsity Network, Fubo, Sling

How to watch: What channel Purdue basketball vs. Rutgers on? Start time, TV, Zach Edey watch

Zach Edey: He’s Purdue basketball’s best rebounder … but he can pass, too

Moving on: Is Purdue basketball loss an anomaly or sign of things to come?

Purdue vs. Ohio State player ratings: Buckeyes frustrate Zach Edey in upset win

Day, date	location, opponent	time, TV/result
Oct. 28, Saturday	at Arkansas (exhibition)	L, 81-77, OT
Nov. 1, Wednesday	vs. Grace (exhibition)	W, 98-51
Nov. 6, Monday	vs. Samford	W, 98-46
Nov. 10, Friday	vs. Morehead State	W, 87-57
Nov. 13, Monday	vs. Xavier	W, 83-71
Nov. 20, Monday	vs. Gonzaga in Hawaii	W, 73-63
Nov. 21, Tuesday	vs. Tennessee in Hawaii	W, 71-67
Nov. 22, Wednesday	vs. Marquette in Hawaii	W, 78-75
Nov. 28, Tuesday	vs. Texas Southern	W, 99-67
Dec. 1, Friday	at Northwestern	L, 92-88, OT
Dec. 4, Monday	vs. Iowa	W, 87-68
Dec. 9, Saturday	vs. Alabama in Toronto	W, 92-86
Dec. 16, Saturday	vs. Arizona in Indianapolis	W, 92-84
Dec. 21, Thursday	vs. Jacksonville	W, 100-57
Dec. 29, Friday	vs. Eastern Kentucky	W, 80-53
Jan. 2, Tuesday	at Maryland	W, 67-53
Jan. 5, Friday	vs. Illinois	W, 83-78
Jan. 9, Tuesday	at Nebraska	L, 88-72
Jan. 13, Saturday	vs. Penn State	W, 95-78
Jan. 16, Tuesday	at Indiana	W, 87-66
Jan. 20, Saturday	at Iowa	W, 84-70
Jan. 23, Tuesday	vs. Michigan	W, 99-67
Jan. 28, Sunday	at Rutgers	W, 68-60
Jan. 31, Wednesday	vs. Northwestern	W, 105-96, OT
Feb. 4, Sunday	at Wisconsin	W, 75-69
Feb. 10, Saturday	vs. Indiana	W, 79-59
Feb. 15, Thursday	vs. Minnesota	W, 84-76
Feb. 18, Sunday	at Ohio State	L, 73-69
Feb. 22, Thursday	vs. Rutgers	7 p.m., FS1
Feb. 25, Sunday	at Michigan	2 p.m., CBS
March 2, Saturday	vs. Michigan State	8 p.m., Fox
March 5, Tuesday	at Illinois	7 p.m., Peacock
March 10, Sunday	vs. Wisconsin	12:30 p.m., Fox
March 13-17	Big Ten tournament in Minneapolis

College of the Redwoods basketball teams honored sophomores before the home games against Shasta College on Wednesday evening. After a couple of ceremonies, and a couple of Corsair wins, the focus turns to the playoffs with both teams hoping to see their name in the California Community College Athletic Association state playoffs that will be announced this weekend.

The women’s team got a 51-33 win with the defense keeping the Knights uncomfortable on offense all night. The game got off to a slow start, with the Corsairs taking a lead into the second quarter. In the second, things connected for CR, winning the quarter 22-6 thanks to steals by freshman Olivia Railsback and a pair of baskets by freshman Moriah Bowles.

The Corsairs maintained a lead for the second half. The Corsairs wrap up Golden Valley Conference play tied for second place at 5-3 while sitting at 11-14 on the season.

Along with the win, the team celebrated its four sophomores who all got the starting nod Wednesday.

“It was good to have some success for them because last year was so tough. Lily Shelton had an injury that she didn’t play last year; Molly Slayton actually is playing with a torn ACL right now. So seeing her finish it out and then seeing Ronnee (Norwood) and Lily Hoban who worked their butts off last year and had to do a lot of different things,” Corsairs’ women’s head coach Jain Tuey said of her sophomores enjoying a winning conference season after going 1-9 in the GVC last year. “It feels good to have them experience that here.”

Slayton was injured in November and has been limited to 11 games this season. After getting an MRI, she was informed that the surgery would still be “months out” so she’s got a brace and is back out on the court for the Corsairs.

“She’s a little bit slower but she does all the right things, she plays well, she’s such a smart kid,” Tuey said of the sophomore Slayton. “Molly’s one of the toughest kids I know. … You give her a task and she’s going to do it and put her all into it.”

Despite the team not playing as crisply as Tuey would have liked to see, they still managed to get the 18-point win. On Sunday, the CCCAA will announce the playoff bracket with a first-round matchup likely coming on Wednesday.

“The resilience of knowing that we weren’t playing at our best and they were able to still stick it out, battle through it and get the win,” Tuey said. “We’re the most successful when we make the other team uncomfortable.”

CR’s men’s team moved to 7-3 in the GVC with a 101-74 over Shasta, the win likely concludes an unbeaten two years at home for the seven Corsair sophomores honored pregame, except for an “almost zero” chance that the team hosts a playoff game, the Corsairs will finish the season 10-0 at home.

After a so-so first half for the Corsairs, holding a 37-36 halftime lead, the highlight was when freshman Mason Mottashed got out on a fast break and set up an alley-oop off of the backboard for sophomore Lucq Anderson that brought a roar out of the crowd.

“We were ready to play but it’s inevitable that guys are going to have other things on their minds. They have all their family in town, the emotion of it being the last game in this building,” CR men’s coach Ryan Bisio said. “And the playoff implications. It’s a lot to think about.”

CR then dominated the second half 64-38 as the team caught fire to close out the regular season. In the likely last home game with College of the Redwoods, the Neff brothers showed out, combining for 50 points and 10 made threes. With Trey finishing with 31 and 10 rebounds and Ty having 19 points and five assists, the pair jumped on the Knights to start the second half burying triple after triple.

“He had that look in his eye, you could just feel that even before the game, that he was going to be great,” Bisio said of the reigning all-state player, Trey Neff. “He’s going to have to lead the way in the event we make the playoffs. If we’re in some road environment, whether Trey likes it or not, we’re going to be looking to him.”

As a team, the Corsairs hit 16 threes and tallied 28 assists along with 22 steals to close out conference play scoring 90+ points in six of their last seven games.

“It felt like a fitting way to close, not only in terms of just playing well but playing with the type of flare that this group is capable of playing with,” Bisio said. “In the second half, we were able to display that. Not only just the shooting, but the passing, the movement.”

CR will learn of its playoff destiny Sunday. Bisio sees them as a team on the bubble of the playoff picture after going 7-3 in the GVC and 17-11 overall. If they do make the playoffs, they’ll likely be on the road, where the team is 3-7 this year.

“We’re a top-25 team in the state and we’re really playing like it,” Bisio said. “If we get in, I couldn’t imagine a team would be enthused about drawing us in the first round.”

Dylan McNeill can be reached at 707-441-0526.

SYLACAUGA, Ala. – Sylacauga Parks and Recreation will be hosting an exciting Basketball Shoot-out set to take place at the J. Craig Smith Community Center gym on Friday, Feb. 23, starting at 5:30 p.m.

This event will include two competitions tailored for boys and girls aged 8-15. The lineup includes a skills competition and a three-point shootout.

Participants will showcase their abilities in the skills challenge, which features a timed dribble, pass, and shoot obstacle course. Age groups 8-10, 11-12, and 13-15 will vie for top honors in this contest.

With only 10 slots available per age group, players are encouraged to secure their spots. Registration, priced at $10, can be completed online at sylacauga.recdesk.com under the Special Events category.

Prizes will be awarded to the top two performers in each age category.

The grind of the regular season of basketball is the platform for building depth for the time when the games really matter, when one loss can end a season. And, as district play transpires this week in the small-school ranks for girls, it’s those deeper teams that typically find a way to power through those smaller tournaments on their way to the 32-team state tournament bracket.

Many programs in Class 3A, 2A and 1A are looking toward their experienced junior and senior girls to front the effort, but there are several teams getting a spark out of talented underclassmen.

Here are a few sophomores and freshmen looking to help carry their team to the next level.

Class 3A

Eve Brustkern, So., Bishop Machebeuf: Has made a huge impact for the 10-9 Buffaloes ever since the beginning of January, averaging 16.8 points. She scored 18 against SkyView Academy in a 38-37 MBHS win last week, the same team they’ll play Friday in the 3A Mile High/Foothills district tournament semifinals.

Kinley Asp, So., C.S. Christian: With state title aspirations on the minds of the Lions, Asp has provided consistent scoring night after night — as she did last year as a freshman, too. Her 15.7 point scoring average is second to Brustkern among 3A sophomores, and she’ll get a chance to improve that number Friday as CSCS plays Salida in the Tri-Peaks district semis.

Finley Queen, Fr., Forge Christian: The Fury face off against St. Mary’s Academy in Friday’s district semis, and Queen is hoping her efforts are similar to the last time the teams met, albeit with different team results. Her 19 points in that game last Friday led all scorers, but Forge Christian lost 67-65. Of note, Queen (11.5 ppg) tops a list of five freshmen/sophomores that front Forge’s offensive attack.

Class 2A

Claire Goodwin, So., Mancos: The leading sophomore scorer in the classification, Goodwin poured in 45 points in a game last week for District 3’s top seed as they wrapped up the regular season. She carries a 19.1 point average, with eight games better than 20 points, into Friday’s district opener against Telluride.

Kya Piel, So., Merino: Piel is the undefeated Rams’ leading scorer at 15.8 points per game, heading into a Friday district semifinal against Akron. She’s shooting 52% from the floor, including 43% from 3-point land, and has averaged 18 a game in February.

Kandace Pargin, Fr., Sargent: The leading freshman scorer in the classification, Pargin has a 13.1 scoring average and has three 20-point games to her resume already. The Farmers have their work cut out for them Thursday night as they face Sanford in the District 1 semis.

Class 1A

Lila Fairchild, So., Creede: Fairchild has been popping off all season long, as she’s been credited with five games of 30 points or more with a season high of 41 (on 16-of-33 shooting) Feb. 3 against Antonito. The Miners — sitting close to the bubble of the CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index at No. 31 — face Sierra Grande in Friday’s District 6 semis, a rematch of a Jan. 26 game won by Creede, 54-41, on the strength of Fairchild’s 30 points.

Abrielle Gomez, So., McClave: Gomez is a frequent mention on the site, but it’s because she keeps doing great things while the Cardinals aim for a championship. Already with 716 career points over one-plus seasons, Gomez’s 17.3 ppg this season is buoyed by seven 20-point outings. McClave faces Kit Carson Thursday in the District 2 semis.

Addie Dodds, Fr., Mile High Academy: The Mustangs are situated nicely for a spot in the 1A state tournament field despite having lost their District 8 semifinal against Flatirons Academy on Tuesday. They’ll play Front Range Baptist in the third-place game and give Dodds a chance to expand on her stellar freshman season, as she’s averaged 18.9 points a game with eight outings of 20-plus points so far.

The 2023-24 men’s basketball season marks the sixth season of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, which replaced the RPI prior to the 2018-19 season as the primary sorting tool for evaluating teams. In May 2020, the NCAA announced there will be changes made to the NCAA Evaluation Tool to increase accuracy and simplify it by reducing a five-component metric to just two.

The remaining factors include the Team Value Index (TVI), which is a result-based feature that rewards teams for beating quality opponents, particularly away from home, as well as an adjusted net efficiency rating. The adjusted efficiency is a team’s net efficiency, adjusted for strength of opponent and location (home/away/neutral) across all games played. For example, a given efficiency value (net points per 100 possessions) against stronger opposition rates higher than the same efficiency against lesser opponents and having a certain efficiency on the road rates higher than the same efficiency at home.

We’re here to help you understand what’s valued in the NET rankings and how they’re used.

What did the RPI calculate? How is the NET different?

The Ratings Power Index (RPI) was made up of three components:

• A team’s winning percentage
• Average opponent’s winning percentage
• Average opponent’s opponent’s winning percentage

The NET includes more components than just winning percentage. It takes into account game results, strength of schedule, game location, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses.

NOTHING BUT NET: Get to know the NET rankings — and what they mean for the NCAA tournament

It’s both a results-driven and predictive metric.

How was the NET rankings system created?

The NET rankings system was improved in the summer of 2018 after consultation with the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, top basketball analytics experts and Google Cloud Professional Services.

Late-season games from the 2017-18 season, including from the NCAA tournament, were originally used as test sets to develop a ranking model that used machine learning techniques. The model was used to predict the outcome of games in test sets and it was optimized until it was as accurate as possible.

That model is the one used for the NET.

Is there any notable data not included in the NET?

Game date and game order were not included in the NET rankings so a team’s first game counts the same as its 30th.

With the changes announced in May 2020, the NET will no longer use winning percentage, adjusted winning percentage and scoring margin. The change was made after the committee consulted with Google Cloud Professional Services, which worked with the NCAA to develop the original NET.

“When we adopted the NET in 2018, we had reviewed several seasons worth of data and we insisted that we would continue to evaluate the metric,” said Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s senior vice president of basketball. “We’ve been very satisfied with its performance thus far, but it became evident after two seasons of use that this change would be an improvement. While we will continue to monitor the metric, I don’t anticipate any additional adjustments for several years. We believe this change will result in more precision throughout the season and will be easier for our membership and the public to understand.”

The updated NET is consistent with the women’s basketball NET, which was revealed after the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee worked with a team from Google Cloud to evaluate women’s basketball statistical data for a 10-year period.

In addition, the overall and non-conference strength of schedule has been modernized to reflect a truer measure for how hard it is to defeat opponents. The strength of schedule is based on rating every game on a team’s schedule for how hard it would be for an NCAA tournament-caliber team to win. It considers opponent strength and site of each game, assigning each game a difficulty score. Aggregating these across all games results in an overall expected win percentage versus a team’s schedule, which can be ranked to get a better measure of the strength of schedule.

How are the NET rankings used?

Since the NET rankings serve as the primary sorting tool for Division I men’s basketball, they play an important role in establishing a team’s resume. The men’s and women’s basketball NET rankings and team sheets will be provided publicly on a daily basis on NCAA.com and NCAA.org starting in December.

DEEPER DIVE: What to know about college basketball’s newest tool to help select the NCAA tournament field

Using the quadrant system, which was in its fourth season in 2020-21, the quality of wins and losses will be organized based on game location and the opponent’s NET ranking.

• Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
• Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
• Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
• Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353

The number of Quadrant 1 wins and Quadrant 3/4 losses will be incredibly important when it comes time for NCAA tournament selection and seeding.