Biography
Mike Helfgot has spent most of the last 15 years writing about high school athletics and has been a Chicago Tribune Preps Plus contributor since 2007. He covers high school football, basketball and baseball for the Tribune.
Girls soccer | Burns sisters leading Loyola into the playoffs
May 7, 2013
Loyola's opponents were accustomed to being scarred by Burns while trying to find the back of the net.
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Boys hoops blog | 4 top challengers to dethrone Simeon next season
March 18, 2013
The talent he will inherit exceeds what any coach would dream of.
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Helfgot makes his 3A, 4A picks
March 14, 2013
There are two ways to look at the surprising scare New Trier gave Simeon Tuesday night.
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Boys hoops blog | Helfgot breaks down supersectionals, picks winners
March 11, 2013
The boss doesn't like really long blog entries.
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Boys hoops blog | Helfgot tackles sectional final exams
March 8, 2013
The physical aspect of playing huge games on consecutive nights shouldn't be a problem.
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Boys hoops blog | Helfgot breaks down Class 4A sectionals
March 4, 2013
The best week of high school basketball is here.
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Boys hoops blog | Alexander-Okafor matchup intriguing, as is Young-Curie
March 4, 2013
If you like basketball and haven't seen Young's Jahlil Okafor and Curie's Cliff Alexander play, shame on you.
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Boys hoops blog | Helfgot breaks down Class 3A playoffs
February 25, 2013
I don't like the four-class system.
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Boys hoops blog | Helfgot breaks down Class 4A playoffs
February 24, 2013
Ignoring for a moment the imbalance of power in the Argo and Bolingbrook sectionals, everybody is on equal footing in the couple of days between the conclusion of the regular season and the start of the playoffs.
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Boys hoops blog | February Madness here Wednesday
February 19, 2013
With football season deep in the rearview mirror and the pontificating about pitchers and catchers having mercifully subsided, basketball takes center stage at least until baseball games count.
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Boys hoops blog | Ulis stands pat as stock soars
January 31, 2013
The Tyler Ulis transfer rumors were addressed last year.
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Boys hoops blog | Checks don't add up for Simeon-Young matchup
January 25, 2013
Young gets the check in the center box. Power forward goes to Simeon. Small forward is too close to call. Simeon gets both guard checks. And none of it matters.
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Boys hoops blog | 25 in a row won't be easy for Hillcrest
January 24, 2013
Hillcrest's 24 consecutive conference championships might be the most impressive such streak in the Chicago area.
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Boys hoops blog | Top 3 could tussle a few times
January 14, 2013
With a point guard from California and another starter from South Carolina, it's fitting that No. 1 Young still is very much alive for what is known as the "mythical" national championship.
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Boys hoops blog | ESCC race will be one worth watching
January 5, 2013
Between them, the top six teams in the East Suburban Catholic Conference came out of the holiday tournaments with a combined record of 69-15.
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Boys hoops blog | Conference races about to heat up
January 4, 2013
The season no longer is in its infancy and the state tournament is still a ways off, but there will be plenty of intrigue in between.
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Boys hoops blog | Act I: The holiday tourneys
January 2, 2013
Coaches like to break down the season into phases. As a writer of one uncompleted screenplay, I see it as a three-act script.
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Quick look at boys holiday tourneys
December 24, 2012
Proviso West gave us a holiday tournament appetizer Saturday thanks to its expansion to 32 teams.
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Helfgot's boys hoops blog | S1MEON or SIM3ON, don't count out Wolverines just yet
December 17, 2012
"SIM3ON All-Access" and "S3MEON All Access" don't have quite the same ring to them.
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Helfgot's boys hoops blog | Simeon, Young in same sectional again
December 13, 2012
Public League coaches were so upset at the way last year's map was drawn that they threatened to boycott the tournament and create their own instead.
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Helfgot's boys hoops blog | How the West is winning
December 11, 2012
When it comes to basketball, the Western Suburbs are known as a football hotbed.
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Helfgot's hoops blog | City-Suburban Showdown schedule set
December 6, 2012
The area's longest-running high school basketball showcase event, the City-Suburban Showdown, is set for Feb. 23 at the House of Hope arena in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood.
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Helfgot's boys hoops blog | And so the fun begins
December 3, 2012
Two weekends passed since we updated our preseason Top 20, which only partially explains the makeover that includes nine teams with an "(NR)" next to their records.
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Helfgot's hoops blog | Morgan Park's Williams cleared to play by CPS
December 1, 2012
Morgan Park’s loaded backcourt is now complete.
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Helfgot's hoops blog | Davis cleared to play for Morgan Park; Williams still awaiting word
November 28, 2012
On the eve of Morgan Park's season opener, Kyle Davis, a transfer from Hyde Park, was cleared to play by CPS administration Wednesday, according to Morgan Park coach Nick Irvin.
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Helfgot's football blog | West the best for a reason or two
November 26, 2012
After weeks of debate and complaint about who should be No. 1, the matter was settled where it should be and almost always is — on the Memorial Stadium turf.
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Helfgot's football blog | Here a pick, there a pick, everywhere semifinal picks
November 15, 2012
Montini does not play Joliet Catholic in the playoffs every year.
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Helfgot's hoops blog | Mayor teams with Simeon, Young to promote Elite Classic
November 15, 2012
Rahm Emanuel, Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor were in the same gym Wednesday, which happens more than one might think.
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Helfgot's hoops blog | Jabari Parker enjoying quiet, wants to commit in December or January
November 12, 2012
Between Sports Illustrated, Good Morning America, recruiting websites and social media, the attention became, in Jabari Parker's own words, "a little too much."
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Helfgot's football blog | He picks 'em, Class 5A-8A
November 12, 2012
The NFL has Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football.
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Helfgot's football blog | Class 8A pick 4
November 8, 2012
Attempting to make a case for a Palatine upset of Loyola, I clicked my way into some troubling information.
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Helfgot's football blog | Tossups, sarcasm and being unseemly
November 5, 2012
I received an email from a Neuqua Valley fan calling my "public surprise" over Neuqua's 44-33 triumph of Bolingbrook "unseemly for someone so knowledgeable."
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Helfgot's football blog | Picks, get your 7A picks here
November 1, 2012
Lake Zurich lost its coach, but I suspect it retained the playoff identity it forged under Bryan Stortz.
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Helfgot's football blog | 8A picks: Bailey's expected return gives host Bolingbrook edge
November 1, 2012
Bolingbrook was 5-0 and leading Lincoln-Way East 7-0 when we last saw Aaron Bailey in action.
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Helfgot's football blog | West Suburban Silver proves its mettle in Round 1
October 29, 2012
Six of the seven teams in the West Suburban Conference's Silver Division made the playoffs.
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Helfgot's football blog | Now it's time for Class 7A breakdown
October 24, 2012
The defending champ, Rockford Boylan, is 9-0. So are Glenbard West, Lincoln-Way East and Batavia. Wheaton North has two college quarterbacks. Lake Zurich always plays great defense. Providence is back. East St. Louis is East St. Louis.
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Helfgot's hoops blog | McDonald's Games to stay in Chicago till at least 2015
October 24, 2012
The McDonald's All-American Games will stay in Chicago through at least 2015.
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Helfgot's football blog | Bailey cleared, but will he play? Class 8A picks, too
October 23, 2012
Aaron Bailey was the biggest difference-maker in the Class 8A playoffs in 2011.
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Glenbard West looking for a little luck in postseason
October 23, 2012
Devante Toney's return is a luxury for Glenbard West.
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Helfgot's football blog | Glenbard North's punishment doesn't fit the 5-year-old crime
October 22, 2012
Glenbard North's seniors were seventh-graders the night things got out of hand following the dramatic 32-28 playoff victory against Fremd that sent the Panthers to the Class 8A semifinals in 2007.
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Helfgot's basketball blog | Proviso East's Sterling Brown picks SMU
October 15, 2012
Larry Brown hired Jerrance Howard away from Illinois to bring Chicago-area players to Dallas.
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Helfgot's football blog | Rankings hardly simple
October 15, 2012
Reasonable minds can disagree about rankings, especially this year, though some might argue I don't possess one.
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Helfgot's football blog | Time for a conference call
October 11, 2012
Regular readers of this blog know how I feel about conference races.
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Helfgot's football blog | Fenwick, Oak Park putting village back on football map
October 8, 2012
Two football programs in Oak Park are experiencing a resurgence this fall.
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Helfgot's football blog | Looking out for No. 1
October 1, 2012
Rankings are subjective, which makes debates over them at once interesting and pointless.
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Helfgot's football blog | Player rankings overrated? Let's have a look
September 29, 2012
The Big Ten's inept showing in nonconference play got me wondering whether recruiting is the problem.
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Helfgot's football blog | Marist game not a total loss for Joliet Catholic
September 24, 2012
Irony reared its elusive head Friday on the Southwest Side.
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Helfgot's football blog | Test time for some teams
September 17, 2012
Bolingbrook and Mount Carmel have done nothing to discredit their rankings.
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Mike Helfgot's football blog | Lake Park makes sense to take West Chicago's place in DVC
September 13, 2012
The DuPage Valley Conference will need a new member with the West Chicago school board voting 4-3 Monday night to leave the DVC for the Metro Suburban.
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Helfgot's football blog | Isn't it ironic, or something?
September 10, 2012
I don't know whether or not it's irony, but I find it (fill in appropriate word here) that the sport most impacted by coaching is the same one that has the largest number of players participate.
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Mike Helfgot on football | A history lesson in Batavia-Geneva rivalry
September 6, 2012
With so many professional and college teams to root for in the Chicago area, and newspaper space dwindling, high school football has become an afterthought in some quarters.
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Football blog | Homewood-Flossmoor, Rolling Meadows rolling right along
September 3, 2012
Despite losses by three ranked teams last week, Homewood-Flossmoor is the only new addition to the Top 20.
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Football blog | Rankings refiled after Week 1
August 27, 2012
So much for preseason rankings.
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Boys hoops blog | Morgan Park's Kyle Davis picks Dayton
August 27, 2012
Morgan Park guard Kyle Davis, one of the top seniors in the state, orally committed to Dayton on Sunday night, according to Morgan Park coach Nick Irvin.
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Football blog | Top conferences, surprise teams, best venues and more
August 23, 2012
One tired man's tired opinion, aka some top three lists:
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Boys basketball blog | Lance Irvin undergoes successful stem cell surgery
August 22, 2012
Lance Irvin, a member of the influential Irvin basketball family, underwent successful stem cell surgery Tuesday at the University of Chicago Hospitals, with an assist from brother Mike.
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Basketball blog | Jabari Parker still resting foot, should be ready by season's start
August 3, 2012
Word out of Simeon is Jabari Parker will be on the shelf for several weeks following the foot injuries he suffered while helping Team USA capture the FIBA under-17 World Championships last month.
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Basketball blog | York's Cohn picks Colorado State; expanded Proviso field set
July 31, 2012
York guard David Cohn orally committed to Colorado State on Tuesday night, according to his AAU coach, Mike Mullins of the Illinois Wolves.
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Basketball blog | Kentucky latest to offer Curie's Cliff Alexander
July 24, 2012
Cliff Alexander was walking around last weekend's AAU event outside of Milwaukee with a boot protecting his sprained ankle, leaving the Curie and Team Rose center's status in doubt for this weekend in Las Vegas.
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Basketball blog | Young's Okafor continues to make big name for himself
July 17, 2012
When Jahlil Okafor wasn't being pushed from behind, it was coming from the front or the side.
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Basketball blog | Jabari Parker plays it cool, correctly
July 12, 2012
Conscious of the power he wields and wary of the size his celebrity, Jabari Parker made a smart move Wednesday by using social media to announce that he is down to 10 college finalists.
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Boys basketball blog | Jabari Parker helps U.S. win gold; Okafor named MVP
July 8, 2012
Jabari Parker put the injury scare behind him to help Team USA win gold Sunday at the FIBA under-17 World Championships in Lithuania.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Simeon's Neely, Curie's Foster go junior college route
July 1, 2012
Two of my favorites from the Class of 2012, underappreciated guards Devin Foster of Curie and Jaleni Neely of Simeon, have signed with junior college powers.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | Scouting Chicago hoops recruits with Scott Burgess
June 25, 2012
Keeping up with the high school basketball scene in the offseason is a full-time job — one Scott Burgess loves.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | Jabari Parker, Kendrick Nunn, Jahlil Okafor named to USA Basketball U-17 team
June 19, 2012
The lack of starpower in the Class of 2012 is behind us.
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Recounting tiny Macon's run at history
May 31, 2012
Lynn Sweet didn't consider himself a coach, and the tiny town of Macon, Ill., had never experienced one like him.
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Mike Helfgot on high school baseball | Regional standouts, sectional breakdowns
May 30, 2012
With sectional baseball underway Wednesday, here's a look at the top regional performers and some of the best sectional matchups.
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Mike Helfgot's on baseball blog | We're talking about the playoffs
May 25, 2012
The spring season always seems to fly by.
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Fight between St. Laurence, St. Rita an ugly reminder of rivalry gone too far
May 21, 2012
With the Class 3A and 4A playoffs set to begin Monday, this should be a blog entry previewing the state tournament.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Headline on Jabari Parker SI cover is a head-scratcher
May 18, 2012
Jabari Parker probably never has been compared to Derrick Caracter before and probably never will be again.
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Kansas' Self aware of Marshall's Doyle, as are many others now
May 14, 2012
Before Milton Doyle left to visit Kansas on Monday morning, interest in the Marshall guard was waning.
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Mike Helfgot on high school basketball | Mount Carmel's Austin commits to Eastern Illinois
May 7, 2012
Alex Austin's breakout senior season did not receive a lot of attention because of Mount Carmel's uncharacteristic struggles this winter.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Alcantara, LaTulip, Angel look to be good college fits
May 3, 2012
Hales took a hit this season when the Armstead brothers moved to California. The move also may have affected Eddie Alcantara's recruitment because he was not surrounded by players who enhanced his game.
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Mundelein's Borucki may return to the mound this season
May 1, 2012
Mundelein has allowed a total of 27 runs in 23 games this season even though Iowa-bound ace Ryan Borucki pitched just 14 2/3 innings before being shut down with a ligament tear in his elbow that was expected to require Tommy John surgery after the season.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | Former Marshall player Garrett moving on to Rutgers
April 25, 2012
Vincent Garrett was a terrific player at Marshall, but 6-foot-5 centers usually don't make successful Division I players.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | Illini's Groce values April recruiting period
April 23, 2012
If John Groce can attract talent as well as he can hang onto it, the Illini could be in good shape.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Time is ripe for DePaul to make inroads
April 20, 2012
I found the announcement that Cory Dolins, Jabari Parker's good buddy from Niles West, will join DePaul's roster as a preferred walk-on to be worthy of note.
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Mike Helfgot on high school baseball | The benefits of the three-game series
April 17, 2012
My favorite thing about high school baseball in the Chicago area is the three-game series.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | Oak Park's Levin headed for prep school
April 11, 2012
Oak Park senior Gabe Levin has not signed with a college, so he is technically one of the top unsigned seniors in the state.
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Mike Helfgot on high school sports | Mount Carmel baseball hits No. 1 and more
April 10, 2012
The preps spring sports season is short, but it may be the busiest for the three-sport writer.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | April recruiting period about to heat up
April 6, 2012
College basketball coaches will tell you recruiting is a 365-days-a-year job, but they'll be busier than usual this April.
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Mike Helfgot on baseball blog | Here comes Minooka
April 3, 2012
Minooka's Josh Jimenez told the Joliet Herald News that he spent last season trying to be Mike Foltynewicz.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | A look back at a memorable state finals weekend
March 19, 2012
Sterling Brown said it best.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Simeon probably will have to beat Simeon
March 14, 2012
Mike Ellis came to Evanston from Peoria Richwoods last year with a stellar reputation and lived up to it during the Wildkits' ride to the Glenbrook South Sectional title.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Don't sleep on understated Ramsey, Warren
March 12, 2012
Chuck Ramsey doesn't make a big deal about himself or what he does.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Young finally healthy, but No. 1 Simeon has edge
March 5, 2012
The upset bug bit Curie and Orr on Friday night, but it didn't spread far.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | First look at 3A tournament
February 28, 2012
Orr, Farragut, Marshall, St. Joseph and North Chicago all have looked like potential Class 3A champions at various points throughout the season.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Breaking down the Class 4A playoffs
February 27, 2012
If Simeon and Proviso East have been on a collision course all season, the crash will occur in a most climactic way.
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First "All-Helfgot" team focuses on players who built reputation in high school games
February 24, 2012
As a member of a high-profile AAU team, the Illinois Wolves, York guard David Cohn was in perfect position to showcase his skills during the offseason.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | Paul's big potential, Fleming's big debut
February 21, 2012
Western Michigan-bound senior Darius Paul of Warren isn't likely to join brother Brandon in the Mr. Basketball fraternity, but four years from now, I think there's a good chance he'll be the most accomplished player in the Class of 2012.
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No. 2 Proviso East has plenty to think about before a matchup with No. 1 Simeon
February 17, 2012
Can No. 2 Proviso East beat No. 1 Simeon?
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Boys basketball | Mike Helfgot's Tribune Top 20
February 13, 2012
Records through Sunday; last week's ranking in parentheses.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Some rough roads ahead in regionals
February 13, 2012
The number of city powers in the Argo Sectional guaranteed that one or two regionals were going to look like sectionals.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | Simeon protests during state seeding but won't boycott tournament, Smith says
February 11, 2012
The placement of several Chicago powers in the Class 4A Argo Sectional created quite a stir this season.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | Scouting the Public League tournament
February 8, 2012
Simeon did not enter the state tournament with any momentum the last two seasons, losing to Morgan Park in the city playoffs and then De La Salle in the City/Suburban Showdown in 2010 and Young and Benet in 2011.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | No sense in city tournament seeds
February 6, 2012
The city tournament seeds remind me of an argument I had years ago with my friend Chuck.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | St. Viator, Metea Valley making names for themselves
February 3, 2012
St. Viator looked like a champion Thursday during the fourth quarter of its 50-42 victory against Benet.
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Mike Helfgot's on boys basketball blog | Farragut takes on all comers
January 30, 2012
Simeon, Young, Marshall, De La Salle, St. Ignatius, Hillcrest, Seton, Crane and Orr all have spent time in the Tribune Top 20 this season, and they have something in common besides being top programs.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | Riverside-Brookfield faces conference showdown
January 27, 2012
Without a single returning starter, Riverside-Brookfield finds itself unbeaten in conference play.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | Why Simeon is still ranked No. 1
January 23, 2012
I have no idea who would win if No. 1 Simeon played No. 2 Proviso East.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | Elgin-Huntley meeting at Sears Centre deserves attention
January 20, 2012
Elgin beat La Lumiere. La Lumiere beat Findlay Prep. Findlay beat Simeon.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Downers South-Proviso East matchup has plenty of conference implications
January 19, 2012
Jay Baum knows he'll see the (basketball) junkies in the crowd Thursday night.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Simeon not No. 1 in the country, but are Wolverines No. 1 in the area?
January 16, 2012
Simeon is not the best team in the country.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | New Trier's Cook headed to Princeton
January 12, 2012
New Trier coach Scott Fricke said Steven Cook had an "unbelievable game" against Evanston the other night.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Illinois recruit Jalen James to transfer to Indiana prep school
January 5, 2012
Mike Edwards is Hope Academy's boys basketball coach because his friend Bob Muzikowski founded the school seven years ago to give students who are not athletes an alternative to a Chicago Public Schools education.
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Mike Helfgot on football blog | Report: Stortz leaving Lake Zurich for Rock Island
January 3, 2012
Bryan Stortz, who has enjoyed six wildly successful seasons as Lake Zurich's football coach, could be on his way to Rock Island.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Holiday tournament musings
January 2, 2012
Simeon, Proviso East, Bloom, Andrew and Plainfield East all entered holiday tournament week without a loss and came home with a championship trophy.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | St. Viator quietly rolls through first nine games
December 20, 2011
A year after St. Joseph left the East Suburban Catholic Conference for the Chicago Catholic League, there does not appear to be much of a difference between the two leagues.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | Balanced Orr a Red-West threat; Grayslake Central, Benet are back
December 16, 2011
There are several more talented teams in the city, but Orr might be as balanced as any.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | No. 1 Simeon still working on its game
December 12, 2011
It may be too early to conclude that Simeon is a flawed No. 1 team, but the Wolverines certainly looked that way in a 50-43 victory against Farragut on Friday night.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Curie's Foster still looking for offers
December 5, 2011
It's not long before everyone in a gym knows Tom Izzo is there.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball | A guide to the weekend's best games
December 2, 2011
Just as I was getting excited about watching 6-foot-7 senior A.J. Avery battle De La Salle's 6-8 juniors Alex Foster and Gavin Schilling on Friday night, word got out that Avery is sidelined again with a wrist injury.
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Mike Helfgot on boys basketball blog | Bloom continues to bloom
November 29, 2011
A 70-45 game was the only basketball score I witnessed in person last week and, come to think of it, maybe the defenders were confused about the rules.
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Mike Helfgot on football | Breaking down the state finals
November 23, 2011
I don't have the vision of a Mike McNamara, Wes Peters or Reese Johnson, but the joke's on them.
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Mike Helfgot on football blog | And the player of the year candidates are …
November 21, 2011
As much as football is about teamwork and synergy and the whole being greater than the sum of 11 parts, championships are won by teams with great individual players.