Michael O'Brien's Chicago-area Super 25 basketball rankings

Michael O’Brien’s Chicago-area Super 25 basketball rankings

Bloom’s Keshawn Williams (12) pushes the ball down court. Worsom Robinson/For the Sun-Times.

A wild week of Thanksgiving tournament action is in the books. Things stayed relatively calm in the Super 25, with just three new teams joining. Here’s a look at the changes and a quick preview of the week ahead.

The new additions

Riverside-Brookfield: Bulldogs coach Mike Reingruber has steadily improved the quality of teams at his school’s Thanksgiving Tournament the past couple of years. Last week Riverside-Brookfield went out and beat them all, including highly-regarded Oak Park and Kenwood. The Bulldogs, led by Zach Vaia, Andrew Veon and Patrick Hanley, even had a 30-point running clock on the Broncos to start the fourth quarter.

Providence-St. Mel: The trip to Quincy paid off. The Knights, who have big man Taeyon Neal and a bevy of athletic guards, were disappointed they weren’t included in the preseason rankings. Thanksgiving night they knocked off Waukegan 80-67 and then they beat the host Blue Devils on Friday.

Downers Grove North: It was only a matter of time before the talented back court of Semaj Henderson and Trey Boston managed to get the Trojans into the rankings. Turns out it only took a week. Downers Grove North picked up four wins despite having two probable starters injured.

Dropping out

St. Rita falls after losing to Kenwood and Oak Park. Loyola drops after losing to New Trier. Notre Dame, a young team with key players still working their way back from football, dropped out after losing to Niles North and DePaul Prep. Expect all three teams to work their way back in at some point this season.

The week ahead

The Chicago Elite Classic takes over Wintrust Arena on Friday and Saturday. Simeon makes its season debut Saturday against St. Vincent-St. Mary, Ohio. The best game of the event involving two local teams is Uplift vs. Evanston on Saturday at 1:30.
Providence-St. Mel and Waukegan, the two teams that spent Thanksgiving in Quincy, face serious tests this week. The Bulldogs host Carmel on Thursday and play Kenwood at U-High on Saturday. The Knights are at DePaul Prep on Friday.
Upset watch will be in effect on Thursday in Glenview. Evanston is off to an excellent start to the season, but so is Glenbrook South. Expect coach Phil Ralston to make it a difficult night for the Wildkits in the Titan Dome. Also keep an eye on Kankakee vs. Bloom on Friday. The Kays have size and experience and could be a handful for the hosts in Chicago Heights.

Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 basketball rankings

(with record and last week’s ranking)

1. Young (1-0) 1

Myles Baker starts hot

2. Evanston (4-0) 2

Huge win vs. St. Viator

3. Morgan Park (1-0) 3

Adam Miller put on a show Saturday

4. Bogan (4-0) 4

Rashaun Agee dominated in Rock Island

5. Bloom (4-0) 5

Starting to grow up