Twelve teams will lace them up on Jan. 13 and Jan. 15 at the annual J-Hawk MLK Showcase with the New Trier Trevians being among the headline teams.
New Trier is powered by junior post players, Ciaran Brayboy and Spencer Boehm, but it is senior guard Andrew Kirkpatrick who makes the team go. The Trevians are ranked No. 9 in Illinois by MaxPreps.com.
Two other top 100 Illinois teams - at least according to MaxPreps.com - are in the field. Elgin Larkin, with 6-10 center Jalen Shaw and 6-3 guard Anthony Lynch, are ranked 80th, while the host Jefferson
J-Hawks come in at No. 67.
Three teams haven't entered enough data into MaxPreps.com to get a ranking, but two are off to excellent starts. Winnebago, a traditional small school power, is off to a 6-0 start. Batavia is 4-1 so far this year.
The NIC-10 will be well represented with Guilford, Belvidere and Harlem in the field.
If you're looking for a chance to see some solid basketball, the best matchups at this year's MLK Showcase are:
Saturday, January 13
12 p.m., court 2: South Elgin (#160) vs. Batavia (#74)
3 p.m.: Johnsburg (#318) vs. Jefferson (#60)
6 p.m.: New Trier (#28) vs. Johnsburg (#318)
7:30 p.m.: Jefferson (#60) vs. Batavia (#74)
Monday, January 15
10:30 a.m., court 1: Elgin Larkin (#95) vs. Woodstock Marian (#37)
1:30 p.m., court 2: Woodstock Marian (#37) vs. South Elgin (#160)
3 p.m., court 1: New Trier (#28) vs. Elgin Larkin (#95)
4:30 p.m.: South Elgin (#160) vs. Jefferson (#60)
