After two years of great promise and heightened expectations, the Dolphins strode mightily and triumphantly to their version of the mountaintop.
The Dolphins played off superior depth and outstanding contributions from every player who stepped onto the court in their 69-66 victory over Waukegan for the Class 4A state championship Saturday night at Carver Arena.
“There have been a lot of haters out there, people questioning us, saying bad things about us, but in the end, we did what we had to do,” Young junior guard Ahmad Starks.
Eight of the nine Dolphins who played scored at least two points.
Playing against accusations of being a glorified AAU team that played a national schedule that stretched across seven different states, Young saved the best for last.
Stanford Brown, a 6-8 senior, scored 14 points to back up Marcus Jordan’s team-best 19 points. Brown shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor.
“People were wondering why we had to travel the country, why did Whitney Young have to play Hawaii or California, but it prepared us for the state tournament,” Brown said.
North Lawndale College Prep played 33 games in the same uniforms this season. There was never a problem with them until Friday at the Class 3A state semifinals.
Before the game against Champaign Centennial, Illinois High School Association basketball director Kurt Gibson directed the referees to assess a technical foul against the Phoenix for a uniform violation.
According to Gibson, the black stripe underneath the arm was too wide. The stripe is only allowed to stretch four inches across.
"Their stripe infringes on the front and the backside of the uniform," he said.
Gibson told the Peoria Journal Star about four conversations he had with North Lawndale coach Lewis Thorpe about the uniform violation.
Thorpe said he had not been notified before Friday.
"We wore these uniforms all year," Thorpe said. "I don't understand why this was not brought up before today."
North Lawndale ended up losing the game by one point.
"It was in our heads during the game," North Lawndale guard Terry Johnson said. "I think it rattled us. Got us down and our confidence down."
Because of the technical, Thorpe had to remain seated during the game.
"How was he supposed to coach if he can't get up and instruct the kids?" North Lawndale assistant coach Terry Johnson said. "And I know it bothered the team. Anything at state that upsets your routine is a problem. That's why we eat at the same places and do the same things every time we are here."
According to Johnson, the team offered to wear their road uniforms, but Gibson said they were too colorful.
"This is the most painful loss I've had since I've been in coaching," Thorpe said.
Clearly this is some bullshit.
Via: The Chicago Sun-Times
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