Por STEPHEN WHYNO y ROB MAADDI

John Harbaugh y los Giants de Nueva York están trabajando en un acuerdo para convertirlo en el entrenador en jefe del equipo, dijeron dos personas con conocimiento de la decisión el jueves por la madrugada.

Las personas hablaron con The Associated Press bajo condición de anonimato porque el acuerdo no ha sido finalizado. Las negociaciones están en curso, pero se espera que Harbaugh termine en Nueva York.

Harbaugh se entrevistó en persona con los Giants el miércoles. Pasó horas en las instalaciones del equipo en East Rutherford, Nueva Jersey.

Se creía que el estratega, alguna vez ganador del Super Bowl con los Ravens de Baltimore, era el principal candidato de Nueva York en la búsqueda del sucesor permanente de Brian Daboll.

Despedido por los Ravens tras perderse los playoffs debido a un intento de gol de campo fallido en el último segundo del final de la temporada, Harbaugh está en camino de elegir a los Giants sobre otros posibles destinos, incluidos Tennessee y Atlanta.

Los Ravens llegaron a los playoffs 12 veces con Harbaugh a cargo y ganaron el Super Bowl en la temporada 2012, un año después del campeonato más reciente de los Giants.

El gerente general Joe Schoen, quien regresa para una quinta temporada dirigiendo el departamento de operaciones deportivas, dijo que lanzaría una red amplia en la búsqueda de entrenador. Entrevistar a Raheem Morris y Antonio Pierce satisfizo los requisitos de la Regla Rooney de la NFL para candidatos de minorías o mujeres y la visita de Harbaugh al norte de Nueva Jersey allanó el camino para hacer una contratación antes de que más de la mitad de los equipos con una vacante lo hicieran.

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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/15/john-harbaugh-y-giants-negocian-convenio-para-nombrarlo-su-entrenador-segn-fuentes-de-ap/ 

Por ELAINE KURTENBACH

BANGKOK (AP) — El chatbot de IA de Elon Musk, Grok, no podrá editar fotos para mostrar a personas reales con poca ropa en lugares donde eso sea ilegal, según un comunicado publicado en X.

El anuncio, realizado tarde el miércoles, siguió a una reacción global por la generación de imágenes sexualizadas de mujeres y niños que incluyó prohibiciones y advertencias por parte de algunos gobiernos.

El estado de California, por ejemplo, anunció una investigación el miércoles sobre la proliferación de material sexualmente explícito no consensuado producido a través de Grok.

Inicialmente, las consultas de los medios sobre el problema solo recibieron la respuesta: “los medios tradicionales mienten”.

La empresa de Musk, xAI, ahora dice que bloqueará geográficamente el contenido si viola las leyes en un lugar particular.

“Hemos implementado medidas tecnológicas para evitar que la cuenta de Grok permita la edición de imágenes de personas reales con ropa reveladora como bikinis, ropa interior y otras prendas reveladoras”, afirmó.

La regla se aplica a todos los usuarios, incluidos los suscriptores de pago, que tienen acceso a más funciones.

xAI también ha limitado la creación o edición de imágenes sólo a suscriptores de pago “para garantizar que las personas que intenten abusar de la cuenta de Grok para violar la ley o nuestras políticas puedan ser responsabilizadas”.

El “modo picante” de Grok había permitido a los usuarios crear contenido explícito, lo que provocó una reacción de gobiernos de todo el mundo.

Malasia e Indonesia tomaron acciones legales y bloquearon el acceso a Grok. El Reino Unido y la Unión Europea estaban investigando posibles violaciones de las leyes de seguridad en línea. Francia e India también han emitido advertencias, exigiendo controles más estrictos. Brasil pidió una investigación sobre el mal uso de Grok.

Las funciones de edición de Grok estaban “facilitando la producción a gran escala de imágenes íntimas no consensuadas y falsas que se están utilizando para acosar a mujeres y niñas en internet, incluso a través de la plataforma de redes sociales X”, dijo el anuncio de California.

“La avalancha de denuncias detallando el material sexualmente explícito no consensuado que xAI ha producido y publicado en línea en las últimas semanas es impactante. Este material, que muestra a mujeres y niños en situaciones de desnudez y sexualmente explícitas, ha sido utilizado para acosar a personas en internet”, indicó en el comunicado el fiscal general del estado, Rob Bonta.

“No tenemos tolerancia para la creación y difusión basada en IA de imágenes íntimas no consensuadas o de material de abuso sexual infantil”, expresó.

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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/15/firma-de-musk-afirma-que-grok-su-chatbot-de-ia-no-podr-hace-imgenes-de-desnudos-donde-sea-ilegal/ 

Dear Eric: I am the youngest of four and the only girl. I happen to be deaf (I speak and read lips). It’s always been a challenge communicating with the whole family. Often the conversation feels like watching a ping-pong game and I often miss snippets of conversations and jokes.

My oldest brother got married to a woman who has a teenage daughter. They have bonded with my youngest brother who has two teenage sons.

The two families travel together often. My youngest brother is the only one who invites me along, but it happens later in the planning process. I have a family too, with kids who are a little older than the teenagers.

I hear nothing from my oldest brother and his wife. This has been going on for a few years now and I feel excluded from my own family. I’ve often felt like saying something, but not sure what the point is. It’s hard enough being the only girl and having a disability. What do you think I should do?

– Left Out

Dear Left Out: Within a family, different pairs of siblings often have different dynamics. That’s normal. But from your letter, it’s clear that this dynamic between your brothers is bringing up old pain.

For that reason, it’s a good idea to talk to your younger brother about the relationship you’d like to have. Go into it using “I” statements and try to focus on solutions. It’s not your job to fix everything – or anything – but the conversation will be more productive if you go into it knowing what you’d like to be different.

For instance, if you’d like him to include you earlier in the planning process for vacations, you can ask for that. If you’d like to take your two families on a trip together, you can ask for that, too.

What is your relationship like with the fourth sibling? Is that something on which to build?

As for the older brother, it may be helpful to think about what you’d like from that relationship first. Would you like to be in more regular contact? Have you reached out? It may be that this isn’t a relationship that serves either one of you right now, which is OK. But by reframing it or accepting it for what it is, you may start to see the family differently.

The family isn’t your two brothers, with you on the outside. The family is all four of you (and your families). Your two brothers’ time together is one aspect of your family’s larger dynamic, but you also have the power to cultivate the relationships within your family that nourish you.

Dear Eric: For as long as I can remember, my older sister has emotionally abused me. Her comments on my weight were partially hurtful to me. I’m not model material but not fat.

She has criticized everything about me, such as the way I dressed, the way I walked, my choice of music, pets and friends and food. I let this go on for far too long and would like to tell her how hurtful she’s been to me over the years, but I know she will either say “I don’t remember saying that” or “you’re too sensitive.”

I would like to get closure on this, but at the same time I don’t want to look like I’ve been holding a grudge all this time. Am I right for confronting her, or am I just overthinking it?

– Sister Situation

Dear Sister: It can be so frustrating, and hurtful, to get responses like the ones you’re anticipating from your sister. Sometimes, closure doesn’t mean everyone agrees about every detail of the past. Indeed, that rarely happens. But closure can mean an acknowledgment of feelings, an awareness that there is something broken in a relationship, and a shared desire to build a healthier relationship moving forward.

From what you’ve written, I’m not certain that the latter version of closure is likely either. It’s not impossible, but your sister needs to be in a different place than she is currently for a conversation to be fruitful.

So, it’ll be helpful to first work on closure internally. Talk to a therapist about the relationship and the hurt you’ve experienced. It will be helpful to have someone listen to you without judgment. A therapist can help guide you to healing, which is, itself, a form of closure. A therapist can also help you practice for and plan for a conversation with your sister.

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The most important thing to remember is that your sister isn’t the key to your freedom from this. What she says and what she accepts responsibility for are a part of it, but even if she doesn’t accept responsibility for anything, you can still find peace.

(Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.)

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/15/asking-eric-i-feel-excluded-from-my-own-family/ 

Illinois’ trip to play its first of two rivalry games with Northwestern this season didn’t get off to a great start even before tipoff Wednesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

The 13th-ranked Illini’s two attention-grabbing freshmen — Keaton Wagler and David Mirković — were struggling pregame.

Wagler, the three-time Big Ten freshman of the week this season, was battling back spasms. Mirković, the two-time freshman of the week, had been down with the flu for a couple of days and was missing from the bench to start the game because he was getting an IV.

It was bad enough that Illinois coach Brad Underwood said he was “probably more worried about cleaning up messes on the court” than how many minutes he would get out of Mirković.

Photos: No. 13 Illinois 79, Northwestern 68

But the situation didn’t stop Wagler or Mirković — and it didn’t stop the Illini from topping Northwestern 79-68 for their sixth straight victory and fourth Big Ten road win of the season.

When Underwood asked Mirković if he would be OK to play, the 6-foot-9 forward told his coach, “I’m tough.” And then he played 30 minutes, with six points and five rebounds.

When Underwood checked on Wagler at halftime after a tentative first half with just two points, the 6-foot-6 guard said simply that he was good, shrugging off any concern about how he would make it through the game. Then Wagler went out in the second half and scored 20 of his team-leading 22 points.

“He’s just so nonchalant and casual about it,” Underwood said. “It’s just what that young man does. It’s truly what he does. We’ve come to — not take it for granted — but we’ve come to expect those performances.”

Wagler scored 16 of Illinois’ first 24 points of the second half to help the Illini stretch a 38-33 halftime lead to 62-47. He had three 3-pointers in the stretch, including one on a fast-break feed from guard Kylan Boswell and another long one with a hand in his face.

“I just had to get going and try not to think about it as much,” Wagler said of his back. “Warmups, it was bothering me, but then once I got out there, started playing, got into the flow of the game, I didn’t feel anything at all, especially in the second half. And my back feels much better now.”

Northwestern guard Jayden Reid, a South Florida transfer, kept the Wildcats (8-9, 0-6) in the game in the second half by scoring 20 of his 28 points. He scored eight straight points during a 10-0 Northwestern run that cut the Illini lead to five with 7 minutes, 50 seconds to play. That included a technical foul on the Illinois bench on associate head coach Orlando Antigua.

Illinois guard Keaton Wagler (23) puts up a shot against Northwestern forward Nick Martinelli in the second half at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Jan. 14, 2026, in Evanston. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

But Illinois (14-3, 5-1) then turned to its veterans.

Tomislav Ivišić had 11 of his 21 points in the final 7:12. When he hit his second straight 3-pointer with 1:58 to play for a 75-65 lead, he let out a scream toward the Illini bench as he backpedaled.

Wagler finished with a jumper and two free throws down the stretch to seal it.

Underwood said Ivišić has put up “thousands and thousands of 3s” in the gym as he works on his shot.

“It feels great,” Ivišić said. “If somebody has an off night, somebody doesn’t feel well — like David, he was very sick the last two days, wasn’t supposed to play — but we have other guys that can step up and can do their role. I’m just glad we can end up as winners in those situations.”

Boswell added 13 points, six assists and four rebounds and helped hold Northwestern star Nick Martinelli to what Underwood called “a quiet 20 points.” Underwood called Boswell and “all caps, PROBLEM SOLVER” for what he was able to do on defense.

Illinois’ balance of talent — and in particular the combination of Wagler, Ivišić and Boswell — proved too much in the end for Northwestern, which has struggled despite having Martinelli return for his senior season.

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Northwestern entered the game on a three-game losing streak, falling to Minnesota, Michigan State and Rutgers. The Wildcats have yet to win a game in the Big Ten, and they have undefeated Nebraska coming to town Saturday.

“We’re definitely battling,” Martinelli said. “We’re laying our hearts on the line every night but just can’t get it done. … You can keep having stretches of being in the game and not being able to get it done. At one point, you just have to change.

“It’s just mental mistakes. It’s not coming from a bad place from anybody. We just can’t have those types of mental mistakes at the end of games if we want to win. I truly believe everybody wants to win. It’s obviously been a difficult stretch. But if you jump off the boat, we’re going to go with other guys. I’m going to stay on the boat as long as this thing goes.”

Illinois, meanwhile, has back-to-back home games for the first time since November when they host Minnesota and Maryland.

The Illini believe they have a lot to build on.

“It for sure gives me confidence,” Wagler said. “I have great teammates, so I know if I’m not scoring the ball, just trying to make plays for others. They can score too. The second half, it was me and Tomi’s half, and that’s what we do. We stuck with us two, and it got us the win.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/15/illinois-northwestern-keaton-wagler-big-ten/ 

Associated Press

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Los centros de votación abrieron el jueves para las elecciones presidenciales de Uganda, a pesar de un bloqueo de varios días al acceso a internet que ha sido considerado un gesto antidemocrático en un país donde el presidente ostenta el poder desde 1986.

Se formaron multitudes y largas filas en algunas zonas debido a la demora en la apertura de las mesas de votación y a que el material electoral se entregó después de la hora de apertura prevista, las siete de la mañana.

El presidente, Yoweri Museveni, de 81 años, se enfrenta a otros siete candidatos, incluido Robert Kyagulanyi, un músico convertido en político más conocido como Bobi Wine, quien reclama un cambio político.

En el país de África Oriental, con aproximadamente 45 millones de habitantes, hay 21,6 millones de votantes registrados.

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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/uganda-vota-en-elecciones-presidenciales-en-medio-de-cortes-de-internet-y-retrasos-demoras/ 

Just about everything is new this season for Brother Rice’s Adam McBrearty.

The junior forward is at a different school after transferring from Mount Carmel. He’s in his first year of varsity basketball. And he’s being asked to play a different role than he’s accustomed to.

One thing remains the same, though. McBrearty always plays with passion and full effort. And now he’s giving his new team a big boost off the bench.

“When I’m on the bench, I try to keep everybody hyped up,” he said. “I try to start most of the chants. When I get in the game, if the team is down on energy, I know I can bring them energy right away.

“If they already have a bunch of energy, I know I can just build on that and take it even higher.”

McBrearty certainly energized the host Crusaders on Wednesday night. He tied his career high with 21 points, scoring 19 in the second half of a 64-47 Catholic League Blue win over St. Laurence in Chicago.

Brother Rice’s Charlie Wizgird (13) and Adam McBrearty (15) celebrate after beating St. Laurence as fans rush the court in a Catholic League Blue game in Chicago on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)

Aiden Henderson and Joe Niego added 16 points apiece for Brother Rice (13-6, 2-2), with Niego also coming up with six rebounds. Quinn Nolan scored eight points.

The Crusaders avenged a 58-46 loss to the Vikings on Dec. 30 in the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic championship game.

Markese Peoples led St. Laurence (18-3, 2-2) with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Reggie Stevens scored 15 points, while Noah Corro chalked up seven points and seven rebounds.

McBrearty, meanwhile, took over in the second half. He poured in 11 points in the third quarter and added eight more in the fourth. The Crusaders led most of the way and pulled away for good with a 10-0 run in the fourth that built their edge to 60-45.

Brother Rice’s Adam McBrearty (15) converts a layup against St. Laurence during a Catholic League Blue game in Chicago on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)

The 6-foot-4 McBrearty was just about unstoppable under the basket. That’s more impressive when considering he had not played in the lane much before this season.

“Last year, I was more of a get downhill, shoot threes guy, not as much post-up stuff like I’m doing this year,” he said. “But the way I score doesn’t matter. If the ball goes in the basket from me or other people, that’s all I care about. Just as long as we win the game.”

McBrearty apparently is at his best against the Vikings. He also scored 21 points in the teams’ first meeting.

Brother Rice coach Rick Romeli is confident McBrearty can always provide his team with a boost.

Brother Rice’s Adam McBrearty (15) asks for the ball on an inbounds play against St. Laurence during a Catholic League Blue game in Chicago on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)

“He brings us energy and a little spark,” Romeli said. “He’s really embraced the role. In a lot of ways, he could really start for us. But from a rotational standpoint for us, it flows a little bit better with him coming off the bench.

“We’re trying to get him in as soon as we can to get that spark.”

Niego scored 14 points in the first half but sat for much of the second half as he dealt with some pain in his knee.

That meant extended playing time for McBrearty, who Niego was confident would be ready.

Brother Rice’s Adam McBrearty (15) gets a shot off in traffic against St. Laurence during a Catholic League Blue game in Chicago on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)

“Adam’s a tough kid,” Niego said. “Me and him go at it every day in practice and he makes me better and I make him better. When he gets in the game, he gets after it right away.

“When he’s in there, I know we’re going to play with toughness and grit and I like our chances over anyone.”

McBrearty grew up playing soccer in addition to basketball, but the latter won his heart despite some family ties to the former.

“My dad (Eddie) came from Ireland so he was a big soccer guy,” McBrearty said. “He wanted me to play soccer and I played from fourth to eighth grade.

“But when it came down to it, he didn’t really care what sport I wanted to play. He just wanted me to be happy and I just love basketball.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/adam-mcbrearty-brother-rice-st-laurence-ihsa-boys-basketball/ 

Por JOHN PYE

MELBOURNE (AP) — Coco Gauff y Venus Williams podrían enfrentarse en la segunda ronda del Abierto de Australia, más de seis años después de que chocaron por primera vez en un torneo importante.

Gauff tenía 15 años cuando venció a Williams, ganadora de siete torneos del Grand Slam, en la primera ronda de Wimbledon en 2019, en su debut en las grandes citas.

Ahora es la tercera cabeza de serie y ha ganado dos torneos importantes. Williams, de 45 años, acude con invitación al Abierto de Australia, donde juega por primera vez en cinco años.

Williams está a punto de convertirse en la mujer de mayor edad en competir en el cuadro principal del Abierto de Australia, superando el récord previamente en manos de la japonesa Kimiko Date, quien tenía 44 años cuando perdió en la primera ronda en Melbourne Park en 2015.

El sorteo para el primer torneo importante del año se realizó el jueves en Melbourne Park. El torneo comienza el domingo.

Gauff comenzará contra Kamilla Rakhimova, clasificada en el 91er sitio. Williams, ubicada en el puesto 576 y quien debutó en el Abierto de Australia en 1998 y ha llegado dos veces a la final, comenzará contra Olga Danilovic, 68va del escalafón.

Están en la misma mitad del cuadro que la número uno del mundo, Aryna Sabalenka, quien ganó títulos consecutivos del Abierto de Australia antes de perder la final del año pasado ante Madison Keys.

Sabalenka tiene un posible encuentro en la tercera ronda contra Emma Raducanu, ganadora del Abierto de Estados Unidos en 2021.

Keys, la campeona defensora, fue sorteada en el mismo cuarto que Jessica Pegula, número seis, y Amanda Anisimova, número cuatro. Iga Świątek, segunda del mundo, está en el cuarto inferior de ese lado del cuadro y tiene un posible partido de cuarta ronda contra Naomi Osaka.

Jannik Sinner y Novak Djokovic cayeron en la misma mitad del cuadro, preparando una posible semifinal entre el campeón defensor y el ganador de 23 majors.

Carlos Alcaraz, clasificado número uno, está en el lado opuesto del cuadro a Sinner y Djokovic.

___

Tenis de AP: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/coco-gauff-y-venus-williams-podran-enfrentarse-en-2da-ronda-del-abierto-de-australia/ 

Por JON GAMBRELL

DUBÁI, Emiratos Árabes Unidos (AP) — Irán cerró su espacio aéreo a vuelos comerciales durante horas sin explicación alguna en la madrugada del jueves, mientras la tensión con Estados Unidos seguía en su punto álgido debido a la sangrienta represión de Teherán contra las protestas a nivel nacional.

El cierre duró más de cuatro horas, según las directrices para pilotos emitida por Irán, que se encuentra en una ruta aérea clave entre Oriente y Occidente. Las aerolíneas internacionales rodearon el país por el norte y el sur, pero después de una prórroga, el cierre parecía haber expirado y varios vuelos nacionales transitaban por su espacio aéreo poco después de las siete de la mañana

Irán había cerrado su espacio aéreo durante la guerra de 12 días contra Israel el pasado junio y cuando intercambió fuego con Israel por el conflicto en Gaza. Sin embargo, ahora no había indicios de hostilidades, aunque la medida repercutió de inmediato en la aviación global.

“Varias aerolíneas ya han reducido o suspendido servicios, y la mayoría de las compañías evitan el espacio aéreo iraní”, afirmó la web SafeAirspace, que informa sobre zonas de conflicto y rutas aéreas. “La situación puede indicar una mayor actividad de seguridad o militar, incluyendo el riesgo de lanzamientos de misiles o una defensa aérea intensificada, aumentando el riesgo de identificación errónea del tráfico civil”.

En el pasado, Irán ya identificó erróneamente un avión comercial como un objetivo hostil. En 2020, sus defensas antiaéreas derribaron el vuelo PS752 de Ukraine International Airlines con dos misiles tierra-aire, y mataron a las 176 personas a bordo. Durante días, Teherán rechazó con contundencia la acusación de haber derribado el avión, calificándolas de propaganda occidental, antes de reconocerlo.

El cierre del espacio aéreo coincidió con las recomendaciones de evacuación para parte del personal en una base militar clave de Estados Unidos en Qatar. La embajada estadounidense en Kuwait también ordenó a su personal “detener temporalmente” las visitas a las múltiples bases militares en el pequeño país árabe del Golfo.

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, hizo el miércoles una serie de vagas declaraciones en las que no aclaró qué acciones llevará a cabo, o si habrá alguna, contra contra Irán.

En sus comentarios a reporteros, el mandatario dijo que había sido informado de que los planes de ejecuciones en Irán se habían suspendido, pero no ofreció muchos detalles. El cambio se produce un día después de que dijera a los manifestantes en suelo iraní que “la ayuda está en camino” y que su gobierno “actuaría en consecuencia” para responder a la letal represión de la República Islámica.

El ministro iraní de Exteriores, Abbas Araghchi, también trató de suavizar la retórica, instando a Washington a encontrar una solución negociada.

Preguntado por Fox News acerca de qué le diría a Trump, Araghchi respondió: “Mi mensaje es: Entre la guerra y la diplomacia, la diplomacia es un mejor camino, aunque no tenemos ninguna experiencia positiva con Estados Unidos. Pero aún así, la diplomacia es mucho mejor que la guerra”.

El cambio de tono por parte de Washington y Teherán se produjo horas después de que el jefe del poder judicial iraní dijera que el gobierno debía actuar rápidamente para castigar a los miles de detenidos.

Los activistas advirtieron que las ejecuciones de los detenidos podrían ocurrir pronto. La campaña de represión contra las movilizaciones han causado al menos 2.615 fallecidos, de acuerdo con la Agencia de Noticias de Activistas de Derechos Humanos, con sede en Estados Unidos. Esta cifra supera a la de cualquier otra ronda previa de protestas o disturbios en Irán en décadas y recuerda el caos que rodeó la Revolución Islámica de 1979.

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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/irn-cierra-su-espacio-areo-a-vuelos-comerciales-por-horas-en-plena-tensin-con-eeuu/ 

Last week, Marian Catholic’s Ty Jackson breathed a sigh of relief after picking a college.

The senior guard committed to Southwestern Illinois in Belleville, where she will play basketball and study law enforcement.

“It’s such a relief,” Jackson said of her decision. “I’m really excited.”

On Wednesday night, Jackson breathed another sigh of relief.

She was a big factor as the host Spartans snapped a six-game losing streak, scoring 18 points to spark a 41-26 East Suburban Catholic Conference win over Joliet Catholic in Chicago Heights.

Marian Catholic (9-13, 1-6) had been winless since before Christmas, and in the Spartans’ last three losses, they scored 35 points each game.

Marian Catholic’s Ty Jackson (1) goes up for a shot against Joliet Catholic during an East Suburban Catholic Conference game in Chicago Heights on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (John Smierciak / Daily Southtown)

“I don’t feel like we played out best,” Jackson said. “But it was a good relief to win. It was just like a deep breath.”

“Any player — I don’t care what age you are — any win is going to be a good one,” Marian coach Mike Taylor said. “I think we played better in the losses, but they needed a confidence builder.”

Jackson, who scored all seven points for Marian in Wednesday’s third quarter, finished with seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Nyila Williams had six points, five rebounds and two steals.

Gabrielle Gavin led JCA (10-10, 1-5) with eight points. Emma Birsa added seven.

Marian Catholic’s Ty Jackson (1) blocks a shot by Joliet Catholic’s Makenzie Keltz during an East Suburban Catholic Conference basketball game in Chicago Heights on Wednesday, Jan, 14, 2025. (John Smierciak / Daily Southtown)

It’s been a different experience this winter for Jackson, who has been on the varsity since her freshman season and has been on three teams that made it to a Class 3A supersectional.

“I’m trying to stay positive and keep everyone’s head high,” Jackson said. “No matter what we are going through and what kind of adversity we have have to fight through, we fight through together.

“We just want to get better. Even though we played really tough teams, we try to win but we want to get better as a team.”

Williams, a senior guard/forward who will be giving up basketball and is hoping to study music in college, appreciates Jackson’s leadership.

Marian’s Ty Jackson (1) drives around Joliet Catholic’s Gabrielle Gavin (2) during an East Suburban Catholic Conference game in Chicago Heights on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (John Smierciak / Daily Southtown)

“She definitely brings in a lot of experience,” Williams said. “She has a lot of seniority as she has been with those teams that were successful and had big winning streaks.

“She brings all of that energy with her, and she’s always positive and always trying to get the team up. She doesn’t worry about any negativity.”

Still, it has been a different dynamic for the Spartans, who have gone through two coaching changes since last summer.

“I’ve tried to stay positive through it all,” Jackson said. “I’m a religious person. I pray about it and we just keep working.”

Taylor, a Hall of Fame boys basketball coach, took over the girls program six games into the season and looked for a leader to step up.

He got one in Jackson.

Marian’s Ty Jackson (1) drives past Joliet Catholic’s Makenzie Keltz during an East Suburban Catholic Conference game in Chicago Heights on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (John Smierciak / Daily Southtown)

“She’s been good to coach,” Taylor said of Jackson. “We’re asking a lot out of her. We’re going to continue to ask more of her. She’s responded really well. She knows we’re going to challenge her.

“She’s starting to understand that. Hopefully, she’s going to finish her senior season with a bang.”

The 5-foot-11 Jackson said that she was always tall and refused to play the sport because she didn’t want to be stereotyped because of her height.

Once she began with basketball, however, it was a different story.

“I started in sixth grade just to give it a try and then COVID happened,” she said. “I started training and realized that I enjoyed playing and tried to get better at it every single day.

“I became very competitive. Basketball is a safe space for me to get away from school and stuff. I love the relationships with my teammates and coaches and it’s really a fun environment.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/ty-jackson-marian-catholic-joliet-catholic-ihsa-girls-basketball/