🏁 Meek Chill 🏁

We are proud to announce our 2025-26 IBCA Coach of the Year Award Winners! Link: ibcaillinois.org/news/2026-ibca…

Coach Pop at the Rock today for Spurs practice

6'3 2027 Crane G Jamier "Mitty" Montgomery @5kmitty is a PURE scorer that knows how to get to his spots. He has a 6'8 wing span , has the ball on a string and is very efficient from the field. Already holds a D1 offer and looking to impress more schools this spring‼️🙌🏾

Joe Mazzulla: “The greatest gift you can have as a coach is to have players that have a high, competitive character, care about winning, and want to get better.”

Houston HC Kelvin Sampson - Why Coaches Fail - "I think the coaches that fail at every level, are the coaches that are passive aggressive. Passing aggressive coaches are usually afraid to hold kids accountable, they rationalize." - "If you're going to build a culture, the first thing you have to come to grips with, you're going to have confrontation." - Consistency - Competence - Confidence - Confrontation

Jamier Montgomery not making a single all Junior team is ridiculous. Not even honorable mention

Transactional vs. Transformational Coaching… Dan Hurley shared a story about asking Geno Auriemma for advice after a rough start last season. Geno didn’t mince words: “Listen, if the only gratification and the only part of coaching that excites you is winning the national championship, then you’ve lost your way, buddy! Where’s the joy in the things that you’ve always been about as a coach before you went on the championship run, like relationships with your players, like helping people get better, like making your team the best it can be. Be a coach, man. This is when you really need to be a leader. This team isn’t as good as last year’s, so what the hell are you going to do about it? Are you going home? Are you going to let this thing unravel?” That’s the tension every coach feels: Transactional vs. Transformational. Transactional coaching is outcome-obsessed. It’s about the wins, the losses, the trophies. The problem? When results don’t come, your purpose crumbles with them. Transformational coaching is different. It’s about people. It’s about growth. It’s about building something that lasts, whether the scoreboard agrees with you or not. And this is why mentorship matters so much in coaching. Left on our own, it’s easy to drift into a transactional mode without even realizing it. A trusted mentor can pull us back to center and remind us why we started coaching in the first place. To build relationships. To develop players as people. To make teams the best they can be. Wins matter. But they’re not the why. The why is impact. The why is growth. The why is leaving your players better than you found them. The process is the prize. Stay grounded. Stay on the path. Always remember your why.

Congratulations to 4 IHSA Sectional Champions from our 2025 PIHT field: @mortonpottersbb, @Richwoodsboysb1, @LEOBOYSBASKETB1, and @CraneBoysHoops!!

Final Cougars 57 Hope 55 JR Swift 16 pts Brad Blackman 14 pts, 13 rebs, 7 asts, 6 blks Evan Harris 12 pts Simond Chambliss 11 pts, 5 rebs @michaelsobrien @Tim_OBrien10 @NestoHoops @HardwoodPrepsIL @HSBBALLjg @CoachTreal2 @tdc200

Final Cougars 71 Wells 54 Jamier Montgomery 19 pts, 4 stls, 3 asts Brad Blackman 12 pts, 4 rebs JR Swift 11 pts, 6 rebs @michaelsobrien @Tim_OBrien10 @NestoHoops @HardwoodPrepsIL @HSBBALLjg @CoachTreal2 @tdc200

Final Cougars 111 Cristo Rey 21 Brad Blackman 28 pts, 15 rebs, 5 blks (800 rebs & 400 blks) Jamier Montgomery 28 pts, 4 asts JR Swift 13 pts, 8 rebs Simond Chambliss 12 pts, 5 stls @michaelsobrien @Tim_OBrien10 @NestoHoops @HardwoodPrepsIL @HSBBALLjg @CoachTreal2 @tdc200

Tomorrow 2/14!!!!!!

Final Cougars 65 Lindblom 48 Jamier Montgomery 19 pts Brad Blackman 16 pts, 14 rebs, 4 blks JR Swift 11 pts, 4 stls Jayden Hall 8 pts, 9 rebs @michaelsobrien @Tim_OBrien10 @NestoHoops @HardwoodPrepsIL @HSBBALLjg @CoachTreal2 @tdc200

It's time to begin selecting players for All-Area and All-City. Coaches and AD's, find the info on how to nominate your player here: chicago.suntimes.com/high-school-ba…

Congratulations to Brad Blackman on reaching 1,000 career points!!!!! @Brad5kk

Final Cougars 72 Oak Lawn Richards 43 Brad Blackman 19 pts, 8 rebs, 4 blks (1,000 points) Evan Harris 16 pts Jamier Montgomery 12 pts, 4 rebs, stls Arshaun Archibald 9 pts @michaelsobrien @Tim_OBrien10 @NestoHoops @HardwoodPrepsIL @HSBBALLjg @CoachTreal2 @tdc200

Final Cougars 62 Orr 31 Brad Blackman 23 pts, 10 rebs, 6 stls, 3 blks Jamier Montgomery 12 pts Evan Harris 11 pts, 5 rebs @michaelsobrien @Tim_OBrien10 @NestoHoops @HardwoodPrepsIL @HSBBALLjg @CoachTreal2 @tdc200

Final Cougars 70 Intrinsic Downtown 44 Brad Blackman 29 pts, 10 rebs, 7 blks JR Swift 15 pts, 6 stls Jamier Montgomery 10 pts, 4 rebs Simond Chambliss 7 asts @michaelsobrien @Tim_OBrien10 @NestoHoops @HardwoodPrepsIL @HSBBALLjg @CoachTreal2 @tdc200

Final Cougars 66 Westinghouse 51 Brad Blackman 20 pts, 17 rebs, 4 blks Evan Harris 15 pts, 6 rebs Jamier Montgomery 10 pts JR Swift 8 pts, 5 asts @michaelsobrien @Tim_OBrien10 @NestoHoops @HardwoodPrepsIL @HSBBALLjg @CoachTreal2 @tdc200