The annual Thanksgiving boy’s varsity basketball tourney emphatically marked the birth of a fantastic new era. The varsity team’s early successes have been clearly defined by intense full-court defensive pressure as well as excellent rebounding combined with lightning quick fast break.
The ultimate results of their early-season efforts culminated with a 4-0 sweep of Rich South, Brother Rice, Lincoln-Way Central, and Lincoln-Way East. The team on average throughout the tournament beat teams by a total of 25 points.
Jamere Hill won the MVP for the Turkey Tourney for all schools with a total of 81 points from all four games. Jaiden Lee was the MVP for just Joliet West in the tournament with scoring over 40 points throughout the four games.
This year’s crowd and student section has been like no other in Joliet West’s previous years. Each game up to this point has been electric and outstanding to witness. The amount of fans that fill the stands and get the gym rocking is so crucial to the team’s success. Fans try to keep the stands packed for every game and keep bringing the noise.
The new and improved atmosphere is led by Coach Krieger, the new head coach of this year’s team. When asked about his team’s philosophy, he said, “Our base defense is what we want to win games with, hard man-to-man pressure and playing help-side will get our team out and run in transition.”
Coach Krieger was able to take over the program during the off-season and began his head coaching career with a Thanksgiving championship. Since taking over, players have responded positively in all areas. Terrance Moncrief, second-year point guard, expressed the overall sentiments of the team when he stated, “We view Coach Krieger and his staff as positive role models, who we look up to and words and life advice we cherish.”
Boy’s basketball began their conference season with an 11 point win over the Romeoville Spartans. Through the first five games, the Tigers are 5-0 and look to stay on the right track as the conference schedule starts to come to a full swing.
This Turkey Tourney first-place finish is truly just the beginning of what is destined to be a thrilling tiger varsity boys campaign. This season has just begun and there is a lot of more exciting basketball to come. Make sure to come out and cheer on our 2019-2020 team in their quest for court excellence.