The North Lawndale College Prep High
School boy’s basketball team has been on an
extraordinary roll for the past several seasons.
Since the beginnining of head coach Lewis
Thorpe’s tenure six years ago they have
amassed a 139-42 record.
This season is no
different and the team is off to an 8-0 start.
But just like last season their toughest
regular season opponent will be Crane High
School (4-0) who they play Thursday evening
at Crane’s home gym.
North Lawndale lost
to the Cougars by nine points last year and
the outcome against them this week will give
the team a fairly accurate gauge of where they
stand amongst the areas best basketball
programs. The team is ready for the challenge
says coach Thorpe.
“Our kids are pretty pumped up about the
game and it’s going to tell us about ourselves
and where we stand in terms of being one of
the top teams in the city,” Thorpe said.
As goods as North Lawndale has been in
basketball recently they still haven’t received the same type of recognition that
some of the larger schools in the
area enjoy.
A good showing
against Crane should help put
them in the same company as the
city’s elite basketball teams.
“We don’t feel we’re getting
the respect that we deserve and
this will give us an opportunity to
be acknowledged and
recognized,” said Thorpe.
It’s hard not to respect this
team as they dominate opponents
with an intriguing combination of
power and finesse.
The whole
squad makes big contributions on
the court but Thorpe points out
two seniors who lead the way for
the Phoenix: 6-5 forward Isaiah
Evans, and 6-1 guard Cordero
Smith.
“He’s without question one of
the top players in the state,”
Thorpe says of Evans. “He’s a
monster – he’s a very physical,
very powerful player.
He really
has a good feel for the game. He’s
a good passer, he positions himself
well on the floor and he’s very
unselfish – he’s just relentless.”
Thorpe describes Cordero
Smith as “our most explosive
player.” A nice compliment as the
team is loaded with players ready
to bust out both offensively and
defensively.
The Phoenix has a very
physically talented basketball team,
but it’s the mental aspect of the
game that will allow this years’
squad to continue to win and do well
at the state tournament, if they make
it that far.
The tough environment of the
North Lawndale community creates
a toughness in the players that helps
them excel on the court says Thorpe.
“We’re a community with some
very, very tough kids – we’ve got
kids who are mentally tough and
they come over here to NLCP and
they’re ready to give you the effort
that’s needed to be a dominant
team,” Thorpe said.
In addition to the players on the
team coach Thorpe also points out
that his coaching staff and the
schools’ administration have played
a large part in Phoenix basketball
success.
He mentions assistant coaches
he’s worked with such as Randy Brown, Dennis Lasswell, Rev.
Howard Brown and Harvey Jones.
“I’ve been blessed with some very
good assistant coaches,” said
Thorpe.
A lot of the credit comes down
to Thorpe himself, who was
honored with a class A Coach of
the Year award last year.
“I work hard and it’s necessary
in this field because it’s always
changing,” said Thorpe.
He also gives credit to his wife
for being understanding about the
time and dedication it takes for
him to run a quality sports
program.
“I’ve been blessed to have a
wife that’s understanding because
I’m constantly watching tapes,
watching film, and reading and
going to basketball clinics. She’s
been very understanding of that,”
Thorpe said.
The Phoenix game against
Crane is Thursday, Dec 14. Tipoff
is at 4:00 p.m.
Todd Thomas is a freelance
writer for NLCN and other
publications. To comment on this
article visit our weblog at:
www.nlcn.org. |
Friday, September 3, 2010 
