Area coaches rate value of travel teams

“It was out there and I knew a few people who played,” said Fonda, who was also a standout softball player. “It just wasn’t as prevalent. We’ve never been really known as a basketball school and we have six kids right now that are playing AAU. I’ve definitely seen it grow and if that is going on at Glenbard South, it is going on everywhere else I would imagine.” “The more they can play, they better they will be,” she said. “Is it good for me as a coach? Yeah, because they are getting court time and playing a high level of competition. But it is kind of a catch-22. You wish they had time to be kids and they don’t. They are scheduled out their ying-yang. When I was young, we played in our driveway, that was our AAU.” “Here’s the deal, I’m not the biggest fan of AAU,” Nichols said. “I wish we could be doing high school stuff during this time but that is not realistic and is not happening. So I just go with the flow. It’s a lot of time but not that much. They practice two days a week and then July is the big month with tournaments.” “Almost every kid that is playing in high school is doing it,” Nichols said. “If you don’t (play AAU), you get behind. These kids are playing at a high level of basketball against kids that are very good. It’s a great opportunity for kids to grow. If you are serious about basketball, you have to play club ball, it’s not really an option. Ones who don’t play club ball fall behind.” “It gives (kids) a chance to play for free one day when they are in college,” Nichols said. “Parents pay fees and for plane tickets and hotels, but it is more of an investment. They might spend $10,000 over four or five years but they can reap the rewards. It is nice to get a free education out of it if their son or daughter is good enough.” “When I was in high school, I attended the Five-Star Basketball Camp in Pennsylvania because there was no AAU opportunity at the time,” Sloan said. “It seems like a great thing for the kids if the AAU coaches are not instilling bad habits. Nick Zeisloft (LT grad and Illinois State freshman) benefited from AAU because he played well against some great competition and received offers. If he didn’t participate, he might not have gotten those offers.” Some injuries are bound to happen, but that doesn’t have to derail a player or a team. Two summers ago, Bolingbrook standout (and UConn recruit) Morgan Tuck tore her ACL during summer workouts with the U.S. U-16 national team. It was a scare for Smith and the Raiders as they were looking to defend a state title. But with plenty of hard work, Tuck made her way back for the Raiders and led the team to a state title by scoring 18.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Crime of Fashion: White Gloves, T-Shirts Over Heads, and an ...

If You Recognize This Underwear...

DOWNERS GROVE, July 28—At 2:54 a.m. police responded to an alarm and found the front door shattered at Tobacco Discount, 2321 Ogden Ave., but no one was inside.

The owner estimated 30 cartons of cigarettes valued at $1,500 and 20 incense bottles valued at $160 were taken. Police gave descriptions of the burglars, based on video images of two people inside the store:

Person #1: Medium build, wearing a green jacket, black pants with a hole in the right knee, white gloves, black-and-white gym shoes, and a dark shirt over the head.

Person #2: Medium build, wearing a blue jacket, white gloves, white gym shoes, black-and-white underwear that was showing when the person leaned over, with a white T-shirt over the head.

Intruders with Masks

LA GRANGE, July 27—A La Grange woman reported at about 12:44 a.m. that her garage was open, someone was in her yard and they knocked over the garbage cans. Police said raccoons had been at the property but were gone.

Enforcement by the Book

LA GRANGE, July 25—A village worker called police shortly after 1 p.m. after seeing people with signs walking outside the Borders store, 1 N. LaGrange Rd. They were advertising a sale before the store permanently closes. The signs and people moivng around on the sidewalk are attention-getting devices that are not allowed and could cause a hazard to passing traffic, the employee said. A Borders corporate manager called a halt to the signs.

One of Those Places Where Angels Fear to Tread

LA GRANGE, July 23—A driver went around police officers blocking access to a flooded viaduct on Ogden Avenue at Burlington Avenue on, then got her Chevrolet Cruise stuck in the water, according to La Grange police.

Police said after the vehicle went into the high water at about 3:15 a.m., the driver could not open her door or window and water was up to her shoulder. The fire department was called to extract her.

The 24-year-old driver, from La Grange Park, was ticketed for improper lane usage; failure to yield one lane or reduce speed approaching an emergency vehicle; and failure to notify the secretary of state of a change of address, according to police reports.

Most People Just Wave "Hi"

DOWNERS GROVE, July 22–A woman running in the vicinity of the 6400 block of Woodward Avenue told police a man near a bush, about eight feet from the sidewalk dropped his pants as she approached at 5:50 p.m. She called him “sick” and ran to a nearby currency exchange to call police. The man was described as being in his late 20s to early 30s, 5 feet 11 inches tall, with a medium build and brown hair. He had on tan shorts with a white-and-blue plaid shirt.

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