Basketball is a big deal in the Chicagoland area. With stars like Kevin Garnett, Dwayne Wade, and more hailing from the city, the high school season offers a chance to see the future of professional basketball in action.
While there are a number of veteran powerhouse high-school programs in the city, this year there's a new addition to the list of must-see teams: the Kenwood Academy Broncos.
"This is Chicago basketball," head coach Mike Irvin said in an interview with the Hyde Park Herald. “Chicago has the best high school basketball in the country. We don't (underestimate) anybody."
The Broncos have dominated the 2022-2023 season. Earlier in the month they secured the No. 1 spot in AP’s Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 4A level poll for the first time in school history.
"To be ranked number one, that means we (can) get things accomplished and go towards our goal… Which is to win city and state,” Irvin said later in the interview.
The Broncos are 15-2 overall, with many notable wins in the Chicago Public League's (CPL) Red South conference, including over the vaunted Simeon Wolverines.
Simeon's legendary program has produced a number of professional players, most notably Derrick Rose. Regarded as one of the best teams in the city, they have routinely defeated Kenwood, but that all changed earlier this month.
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Kenwood secured a three-point victory, the final score 46-43. The team's star guard, Darrin "Dai Dai" Ames, gave the Wolverines a run for their money. The Kansas State University recruit had 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.
In an interview with the Chicago Sun Times, Ames mentioned that he had no idea his school had never won against Simeon.
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“There’s a first time for everything,” he said.
Senior Solomon Mosely was another game standout. The 6'8 player was essential to the team's defensive strategy. He was a strong match against the Wolverines' 6'9 twins, Miles and Wes Rubin.
“Mosley was the key to the game,” Coach Irvin told the Sun Times. “He’s muscle. We can go big or small. That’s the beauty of this team. Mosley knew this was his time.”
Coming off of their historic win Kenwood went on to defeat the Curie Condors, another well-known program. The Broncos will face off against neighborhood rival, the Hyde Park Academy Thunderbirds, on Thursday at 5pm. They will also play a non-conference game against Camden High School (New Jersey) on Friday at DePaul's McGrath-Phillips arena.
