ETHS boys basketball: Wildkits give coach a happy homecoming - Evanston RoundTable

DUBUQUE, Iowa – He was calved successful Ohio, but Mike Ellis’ roots are firmly planted present successful the bluffs adjacent to the Mississippi River.

And his hoops squad helped marque it a blessed homecoming for the Evanston manager Saturday nighttime astatine the Wendy’s/MidwestOne Classic held astatine Loras College.

Evanston improved to 13-4 connected the play with its triumph implicit Dubuque Homestead connected Saturday astatine the Wendy’s/MidwestOne Classic successful Iowa. Credit: Travis Muir

In beforehand of a assemblage that featured his parents, Charlie and Ruth Ellis, and different household friends, Ellis led the Wildkits to an casual 68-39 triumph implicit Dubuque Homestead astatine the shootout lawsuit that marked the archetypal clip the seasoned manager has brought 1 of his teams backmost to play successful the authorities wherever helium was raised.

It is besides believed to beryllium the archetypal clip since the 1980s that an ETHS hoops squad has played successful an lawsuit wherever a changeable timepiece was successful place. More connected that later.

Senior defender Jonah Ross fired successful a game-high 21 points, connected 7-of-12 shooting from 3-point range, and Ephraim Chase and Morgan Brown each contributed 10 points successful the lopsided win.

Evanston improved to 13-4 connected the year.

Ellis insisted that the homecoming wasn’t astir him, but however his squad performed connected the overnight travel here. But the information that the Kits enactment their champion ft guardant aft a lackluster show successful their erstwhile crippled against Maine South was intelligibly satisfying for the ETHS coach.

And the triumph was besides a spot of payback for Ellis. He rapidly flashed backmost to the information that Hempstead was the schoolhouse that knocked his squad – Dubuque Senior High – retired of the Iowa authorities hoops playoffs erstwhile Ellis was a elder backmost successful 1988.

“You ever retrieve that past nonaccomplishment successful precocious school. Everybody does,” Ellis said. “But I ne'er wanted this travel to beryllium astir me. It’s a large lawsuit successful a large metropolis and they’ve been trying to get america to travel present for the past 7 oregon 8 years. This twelvemonth it conscionable worked out, and it worked retired good for america tonight.

“I’ve lived my full beingness present and contiguous I’m conscionable thankful that my parents were capable to beryllium present to spot america play.”

Evanston manager Mike Ellis, seen astatine a Dec. 16 game, grew up successful Iowa and the Wildkits’ Jan. 7 matchup against Dubuque Homestead was the archetypal clip helium had brought 1 of his teams backmost to play successful the state. Credit: Michael Kellams/thatphotodad.com

Ellis’ begetter moved the household westbound successful 1974 pursuing his ain Hall of Fame coaching vocation successful Ohio. Mike Ellis is simply a subordinate of Dubuque Senior’s diversion Hall of Fame aft starting astatine constituent defender and backmost arsenic a inferior and elder astatine the school. He besides lettered successful way and played play there.

The play travel featured a shoot-around signifier astatine Dubuque Senior High connected Saturday morning, though not successful the aforesaid gym wherever Ellis played. “There’ve been a batch of upgrades astatine the schoolhouse and it’s truly beauteous there,” helium said. “I privation it looked similar that erstwhile I played.

“We request trips similar this to walk clip unneurotic arsenic a team. This benignant of question helps them acquisition what it’s similar to question and play astatine the adjacent level.”

Evanston’s Jonah Ross, seen astatine a Dec. 2 game, scored a game-high 21 points connected Jan. 7. He changeable 7-of-12 from 3-point range. Credit: Michael Kellams/thatphotodad.com

Ross drained 4 3-point baskets successful the archetypal 4th – a mates of them from down the arc for the collegiate players – arsenic the Wildkits broke retired to a 22-8 pb successful the archetypal 4th and ne'er looked back.

Another 3-point changeable by Ross conscionable earlier the halftime buzzer boosted the winners to a 37-19 advantage, and that gave Ellis the accidental to wide his seat successful the 2nd half. Seventeen players saw enactment for the Kits, including Brown, who scored a career-high 10 points, 8 coming successful the 4th quarter.

Hempstead was paced by Drew Lewis with 15 points and Reed Strohmeyer with 12.

Evanston changeable 60% from the tract successful the archetypal fractional and had nary problems puncturing the
Mustangs’ 1-2-2 portion defense. Point defender Hunter Duncan collected six assists and besides scored 7 points and Josh Thomas snatched a game-high 9 rebounds to backmost Ross’ violative outburst.

“Our guys did a large occupation of uncovering the blistery manus [Ross] tonight,” Ellis said. “They recovered him successful places wherever helium could marque the defence pay. We’ve typically played amended successful the 2nd fractional successful astir of our games, but we recovered spots wherever we could nutrient against their defence and we enactment a batch of unit connected them close from the commencement tonight.

“They felt similar it wasn’t their champion effort past nighttime [against Maine South] and I deliberation they were anxious to beryllium a point, that they’re amended than that.”

If helium needed immoderate much enticement to instrumentality to his roots to play a game, the lure of an lawsuit with a 35-second changeable timepiece successful spot was surely capable to pull Ellis’ interest. He’s a staunch advocator of a alteration helium believes would payment the precocious schoolhouse crippled and noted that Iowa has beaten Illinois to the punch erstwhile it comes to changing the rules to let the usage of a timepiece successful regular play games.

Evanston volition play successful 2 much events, the War connected The Shore tripleheader astatine ETHS and the E-Town Showdown astatine Northwestern University, that volition diagnostic a changeable clock. The Illinois High School Association granted peculiar support to usage a timepiece for those events.

There was 1 changeable timepiece usurpation successful the Evanston-Hempstead crippled Saturday – by
Hempstead aboriginal successful the 2nd 4th – and the ticking timepiece didn’t look to interaction the different 5 games astatine the shootout event.

“I privation we could drawback up to the surrounding states alternatively of making excuses arsenic to wherefore we can’t person a clock,” said Ellis. “Football and h2o polo person play clocks. States similar Iowa person been capable to instantly enactment the timepiece successful and successful Illinois, we person to hold for the superintendents and principals to decide. I privation the IHSA would bash thing to assistance the kids out.

Evanston’s Hunter Duncan passes astatine a Dec. 2 game. On Jan. 7 helium scored 7 points and collected six assists. Credit: Michael Kellams/thatphotodad.com

“I deliberation it’s inevitable that we’ll person a clock. I conscionable anticipation I’m not retired by then. The changeable timepiece enhances the crippled and makes players much alert connected each possession. Both teams played amended contiguous due to the fact that of that awareness, and I cognize each 1 of our players would bask playing hoops the mode they spot it played connected tv [college and pro].”

Duncan said the changeable timepiece adds lone a small much unit for a pb defender similar him. The Wildkits spent the week starring up to the crippled practicing end-of-clock situations that could occur.

“I truly similar playing with a changeable clock,” Duncan said. “In signifier this week we did a batch of 5-on-5 drills with a 12-second changeable timepiece wherever we had to spell close to a play.

“When the timepiece is winding down similar that, it really gives maine much assurance to instrumentality a changeable if I person to. And erstwhile you tin get a halt connected defense, it decidedly feels much rewarding to get the shot backmost similar that. And you cognize the timepiece volition beryllium determination for the adjacent level [college basketball], and a batch of america privation to play astatine that adjacent level.”