It's a great time to be a Patriot from
Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Ill.).
Not only is the school's basketball team ranked No. 10 nationally going into the 2014-15 season by MaxPreps, the Stevenson football team is 10-0 heading into a big Class 8A state playoff game this weekend.
"It's an exciting time," Stevenson head basketball coach Pat Ambrose said. "We are riding a little bubble, an upswing. We have had very good teams in both sports over the years but the current group of athletes here has been tremendous."
The success stories of the two teams are very much connected. Several football players will join the Patriot basketball team once their duties on the gridiron are complete, including standout wide receiver/forward
Cameron Green (609 receiving yards, nine touchdown receptions) and lineman/forward
Nick Dillon.
Guard Jalen Brunson
Photo by John Rowland
While football players will provide valuable contributions for Ambrose this winter, the guard combination of seniors
Jalen Brunson and
Connor Cashaw is the biggest reason for the buzz surrounding the basketball program.
Brunson, a 6-foot-1 Villanova verbal commit, is already Stevenson's all-time leading scorer with over 1,900 career points. He averaged over 25 points per game as a junior and dropped 56 in a state semifinal loss to nationally ranked Whitney Young.
The son of former NBA guard Rick Brunson, Jalen is regarded as a Top 25 Class of 2015 prospect by 247Sports.com.
Cashaw was also highly productive in 2013-14, averaging over 17 points per game and leading the team in rebounding. The 6-4 senior is committed to Rice.
View gallery of Stevenson preseason photo shootMatt Johnson, a 5-11 senior, is a third double-figure scorer back for the Patriots.
While Stevenson doesn't possess the top-to-bottom, elite-level talent that some of its nationally ranked counterparts enjoy, experience and chemistry shouldn't be overlooked. Seven of the team's top eight scorers from a year ago are back and 13 juniors were on the 2013-14 playoff roster.
Stevenson's last five years:2013-14 – 31-2, Class 4A semifinals
2012-13 – 29-5, Class 4A runner-up
2011-12 – 17-11
2010-11 – 15-13
2009-10 – 21-8
