Justin Bosworth is no stranger to Tuscola. He grew up there. He played basketball for the Warriors.
Now, in his seventh season walking the sidelines at his alma mater, he is the coach of the top-ranked boys basketball team in Class 1A less than two weeks before Christmas.
That’s what the first Associated Press poll of the season revealed late Wednesday afternoon, with the Bosworth Warriors firmly in first place. It’s a ranking they’ll hold until the new year since the next AP poll won’t be released until after the holiday tournaments.
It’s a statewide ranking that makes sense, too, considering the Warriors won 31 games last season, played in the 1A state championship at State Farm Center in Champaign, brought home a third-place state trophy to Douglas County, and returned four starters from last year . A record-setting team with an 8-0 record through the first three weeks of the season.
So Bosworth also knows his hometown well when he makes the following statement.
“The rankings are a great conversation starter for the four to five local morning coffee groups in Tuscola,” Bozarth said. “It makes me happy to know that their morning conversation revolves around Tuscola hoops during the long winter months. Other than that it is what it is. Our kids have put in a tremendous amount of work to develop their skills as basketball players. It makes you proud to see their efforts noticed, but the goal is… Our back got bigger.
The same was true for two other boys basketball teams in the area who also saw their team name mentioned in the AP poll. Unity, off to a strong 6-0 start for a program that last won an IHSA Class 2A regional title in 2012, is ranked sixth in the first 2A poll. St. Joseph Ogden, which is undefeated at 7-0, is 10th in 2A for a program that won the 2A state title in 2016 and is fresh off winning back-to-back regional championships.
“It’s a nice honor and it’s fun for the fans to have that speculation, but for us, we’re just focused on the process of getting better,” Unity’s first-year coach Matt Franks said. “Our kids have been working hard and getting better, and it’s fun to see that.”
Sixth-year SJ-O coach Kel Duvall is accustomed to his program attracting attention from beyond the halls of his school. Especially the last two seasons where Ty Pence, Illinois State’s current freshman guard, has been able to come up with 40 points every time last season’s News-Gazette Player of the Year takes the court.
However, it’s a new season for the Spartans. New roles, even for starters like senior guards Tanner Jacob and Logan Smith.
“For us, the ranking doesn’t really matter,” Duvall said. “We know it’s a long season and there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs along the way. I’m proud of the way the guys have played so far to earn some recognition. To have a bunch of new roles, and to lose an all-state player like Pence who’s obviously a big-time scorer, it’s lost.” These guys adapted well.
Finding Balance Latest News-Gazette Top 10 Rankings (The complete breakdown is on the B-5), which will be released every Friday during the season, has SJ-O in first place. It’s based primarily on road wins against Big 12 foes Normal West and Danville, with Tuscola in second and Unity in third.
Tuscola won its first eight games by a wide margin in Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. home game against Tri-County. Including two lopsided wins last week, as the Warriors beat Uni High 84-7 last Friday night and then won 78-14 over Heritage on Tuesday night.
Making sure Tuscola’s key players, senior forward Jordan Quinn, senior guard Josiah Horten, junior guard Cam Sweetnam, junior guard Parker James and junior forward Sawyer Woodard, get enough playing time is key. But also making sure the Warriors don’t make headlines outside of this area by going 200-0 is key as well.
“We have great respect for the coaching staff at Uni High and Heritage,” Bozarth said. “Their teams are young and in rebuilding modes. It’s definitely not an easy process. We’ve tried different measures where we sit our three seniors at the same time so our young guys can develop and build chemistry not only for this year, but also beyond. We haven’t played our rookie team in the half “The second one is from a JV game because we knew they were going to be playing the majority of the varsity game. Nights like this are great for all of our guys.”
Even with the impressive wins over struggling programs, Bosworth knows the tough part of Tuscola’s schedule is quickly approaching, with a game against rival Arcola (5-2) next Tuesday night. Next, the Warriors will try to win their second straight title at the Monticello Holiday Hoopla in two weeks before five road games to open 2024 — Unity on Jan. 9, Teutopolis on Jan. 13, Clinton on Jan. 19 — say hello to the Warriors.
“Our freshmen will get minutes because we know we have a challenge for the stretch coming up,” Bozarth said.
Winning equals more winning Tough road tests have come to define the first part of the SJ-O’s success. There’s another game ahead – this time at home – when the Spartans host Normal U-High on Friday night.
“We’re trying to prepare ourselves for postseason play on our schedule,” said Duvall, whose team hosts Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin next Tuesday night and plays at Beecher on Dec. 22, before trying to repeat as small-school state champions. Farm Holiday Classic later this month. “We want to see as many good styles, players and programs as possible to put us in a good place for the postseason. These guys have taken on the challenge which says a lot about their character. We couldn’t ask for a better group of players in our program right now.”
Franks feels the same way about the Rockets, most of whom started late to the basketball season after playing key roles on a Unity football team that reached the 3A state quarterfinals. Senior guard Eric Maibach, senior forward Dalton O’Neill and sophomore Dane Eisenmenger, among others, have traded in their football pads for basketball shoes and continue to have success. The comeback win 55-46 at Champaign Central on Tuesday night is proof of that.
“It helps our confidence tremendously,” Franks said. “Our guys were really motivated to get this win. We played hard and had to overcome some adversity, which is great. It’s part of this building process, but it makes it easier because we have kids that are so competitive.”
Rolling out the mats Not only is Tolono home to a state-ranked boys basketball team these days, the southern Champaign County village will be rolling out welcome mats to wrestling teams across the state this weekend.
The action-packed Friday of wrestling will begin in Unity on Friday night when the Rockets host Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, Benton, Carterville, Olympia, Peotone, and Tremont in the Unity Duals.
Then, there’s a quick turnaround as the Rockets host the 16-team Unity Invitational tournament starting Saturday morning. Hoopeston Area, St. Joseph Ogden and Orana are the area teams that will participate.
“For the program, it’s a great weekend,” said Logan Patton, the unit’s seventh-year coach. “Friday night at duals, we make it a unified Christmas dual for our team and the whole team wears ugly Christmas sweaters. That’s something we’ve done the whole time I’ve been here, and Friday night duals are now the main residency for Ugly Sweater Duals. Saturday is a great day to have Individual heroics for our team, especially coming off three tough doubles on Friday night but doing it at home.
The Rockets, under Patton’s leadership, have established themselves as not only one of the top wrestling programs in Champaign County, but also in Class 1A. Having back-to-back state champions in Nick Nosler and Tavious Housley maintains that credibility, but the Rockets are adjusting to new personnel in their lineup early this season.
“It’s been very up and down so far this season,” Patton said. “We are not at full strength yet, as no players have been certified in the appropriate weight classes, but the standard has always been the same, and the team has been striving to achieve that.”
Matt Daniels is sports editor for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at 217-373-7422 or mdaniels@news-gazette.com.
The Golden State Warriors’ star player, Kevin Durant, recently made headlines when he mentioned the city of Daniels in an interview. This is not the first time that the Warriors have brought up Daniels in their conversations, as the team has often expressed its admiration for the city and its passionate sports fans. In a recent interview, Durant and his teammates discussed their experiences playing in Daniels and the unique energy and atmosphere that the city brings to the game. This ongoing discussion about Daniels showcases the special bond between the Warriors and the city, and highlights the impact that sports can have on a community.