CHICAGO — Holiday tournament time on the Chicago basketball scene is a time for making statements and at the 57th Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament, the Orr Spartans made a statement loud and clear: They will be a force to be reckon with come city playoffs time. With strong wins over Morton, Fenwick and Uplift, the Spartans took out the defending 4A Champions Whitney Young 77-62 to claim the Proviso West Holiday tournament Championship this past Saturday.
Now sitting with a 12-2 record with only one of those losses coming in state, Orr coach Lou Adams says the Spartans are hitting a groove. “When the season started we were the number one team in the state on paper and I think it went to our head. But now we are just playing Spartan basketball, playing defense and rebounding, doing what we gotta do to win basketball games.”
And with their big win over perennial powerhouse Whitney Young for the PWHT Championship, Lou Adams wants it to be known that their 2A classification is based on enrollment, not talent. “We’re a 2A team because of our enrollment…we don’t have 2A basketball players… we have 4A/5A basketball players. They can play the game of basketball.”
Led by senior Raekwon Drake, who was crowned MVP of the tournament after his 22pts & 11 rebound performance in the Championship game, the Spartans are loaded with talent at each position. Senior point guard Chase Adams who coach Lou Adams calls “a coach on the floor” and Emmanuel O’Neal are arguably one of the best backcourts in the city while senior forward Dannie Smith(22pts & 12rebs in Championship game) echoes his coaches sentiments when it comes to the passion he has to prove to the rest of Chicago that Orr is not to be slept on. “Everybody thinks we can’t beat Simeon, Morgan Park or Whitney Young. We coming though!”
One things for sure is that the Spartans are on a mission and the city is officially on notice. Orr is for real!
Watch the videos below for interviews with Orr Head Coach Lou Adams & Sr. Dannie Smith!
Congrats to @OrrSpartanBBall and head coach Lou Adams on the 2017 @ProvisoWestHT title. We chopped a lil game with him after the W over Whitney Young. He dropped science on @chasec0urage, pushing forward & the relationship w/his assistant coaches. #TheBIGS #HighSchoolHoop #ItsUS pic.twitter.com/xmc5uBX2MS
— #TheBIGS (@itsthebigs) December 31, 2017
.@OrrSpartanBBall forward @DannoBuckets23 had 22 & 12 in the @ProvisoWestHT final against @WYoungBoysBball. We caught up w/the 1st team all tourney selection. "Everybody thinks we can't beat Simeon, Morgan Park or Whitney Young. We coming though!" #TheBIGS #HighSchoolHoop #ItsUS pic.twitter.com/rdMaTjUXCT
— #TheBIGS (@itsthebigs) January 1, 2018
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