Category: News
Evan Nagler shows why this is a season full of promise for Deerfield. Is he ‘the best shooter in the state’?
Welcome to the new season, Evan Nagler.
The Deerfield senior guard emphatically announced his return during the first round of the Mundelein Thanksgiving Tournament on Monday.
“It wasn’t something that just clicked today,” Nagler said. “It comes from months and months of preparation, hard work, always in the gym, always shooting. The months leading up to today is what got me going, not waking up this morning.”
Whatever the reason, Nagler may never play a better half of basketball. Beginning a season full of promise, the 6-foot-2 Case Western Reserve commit scored 24 points, making all five of his 3-point attempts, in the first half of the Warriors’ 68-33 win over Antioch.
In the second quarter alone, Nagler put up 16 points, five more than the Sequoits mustered in the half.
“Credit to him, when the shots were there, he was ready to take them,” Deerfield coach Dan McKendrick said. “I thought the kids did a really nice job realizing he was pretty hot, and they were looking for him and trying to set him up.”
Deerfield’s Evan Nagler (5) puts up a shot as Antioch’s Miles Marabella (12) defends during a game in the Mundelein Thanksgiving Tournament on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (Brian O’Mahoney / News-Sun)
That assessment covered only Nagler’s shooting. The third-year starter did a lot more.
Two of his three assists in the first half resulted in dunks by 6-8 senior forward Jake Pollack, a Dartmouth commit. The first was a no-look pass into the paint in transition, and the other was a pinpoint alley-oop lob that came seconds after Nagler blocked a shot on the other end. On Nagler’s third assist, he drove through the lane and found senior guard Ethan Weiner for a corner 3-pointer.
“We’ve been playing with each other since we were kids, and I know where he is all the time, and he knows where I’m going to be,” Pollack said of Nagler. “He found me a few times, and we got him open. He’s the best shooter in the state, and he hit a few.”
On the first possession of the second quarter, Nagler kept the ball alive on the defensive boards, and his tap was grabbed by junior guard Tommy Donahue. On the possession after Pollack’s second dunk, Nagler shook free in transition and delivered a soaring dunk over an Antioch defender.
“Sometimes I feel he doesn’t get the credit for the athlete he is,” McKendrick said. “He may not look like it, but man, he can get up and down. He can handle the ball, he’s super-skilled and he steadies our mindset.”
Pollack’s presence also is vital for the Warriors, whose 2024-25 season ended with a loss to eventual Class 3A state champion DePaul College Prep in a sectional final. He’s the focus of opponents’ scouting reports, and Nagler stands to benefit.
“My teammates are super unselfish,” Nagler said. “All five of us know that the order of hierarchy goes where Jake gets the most touches. Once teams hone in on Jake, it opens up everyone else. Today, it was me hitting them. Other days, it’ll be some other guys.”
Deerfield’s Evan Nagler, right, looks for a teammate during a game against Antioch in the Mundelein Thanksgiving Tournament on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (Brian O’Mahoney / News-Sun)
Once coaches grade the film, it’s highly likely that Nagler will score well in the points-gathering system that accounts for intangibles that don’t appear in a box score.
“In our program, we track what we call ‘95% points,’ something we stole from the Oregon men’s basketball team,” Nagler said. “You only have the ball for 5% of the time when you’re on the court, so what are you doing the other 95%? How are you going to impact the game? Are you boxing out? Tipping a ball to teammates? Finding open teammates? All of those little things add up.”
Nagler noted the Warriors averaged about 110 such points in wins last season, but that number was closer to 80 in losses. That disparity helps create buy-in.
Not that Nagler needs any more motivation.
“I really wanted to commit before the season so I could focus on our team,” he said. “Our goal this year is to win the 3A state championship, and if I was thinking about recruiting before that, it would have been tough. So definitely a weight off my shoulders.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/25/basketball-deerfield-evan-nagler/
Why Did Democrats Suddenly Go Quiet On Epstein Files?
Why Did Democrats Suddenly Go Quiet On Epstein Files?
Why did Democrats suddenly go quiet on the Epstein files?
Democrats whipped themselves into a frenzy trying to manufacture a “gotcha” moment for President Trump and the GOP over the Epstein files.
According to Bloomberg data, the headline count in MSM for “Epstein” erupted on the day when President Trump signed a spending bill to reopen the federal government after Democrats caved. This was nothing more than a headline deflection by Democrats.
But in recent days, the Epstein story count in MSM has fallen off a cliff. You don’t hear much from the Democrats who chanted “release the files” every day …
That’s because the Democrats’ ongoing information war to delegitimize the president backfired, and the unhinged left fell silent once their colleagues’ coordination with Epstein, Democrat fundraisers, and other politically displeasing headlines started emerging.
Democrats’ Epstein Email Dump Backfires As Trump Sets DoJ On Clinton, Summers, Hoffman, Et Al.
Democrat Plaskett Digs Deeper Grave On Epstein Ties
Democrats did get the headlines they wanted:
And a recent Politico report cited a White House official who stated, “The Democrats are going to come to regret this.”
Tyler Durden
Tue, 11/25/2025 – 07:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/why-did-democrats-suddenly-go-quiet-epstein-files
Daywatch: Winnetka mansion sale sets new record
Good morning, Chicago.
A five-bedroom, 16,000-square-foot Georgian-style mansion on Lake Michigan in Winnetka sold for $34.5 million including personal property — a Chicago-area sales record for the sale of any single residential property in history.
The mansion’s sellers, Jeffrey Quicksilver, who cofounded real estate investment firm Walton Street Capital, and his wife, Ashley, who owns the high-end Winnetka women’s boutique Athene, bought the property in 2013 for $8 million from Carry Buck, the ex-wife of Chicago developer John Buck. The Quicksilvers then knocked down the Bucks’ longtime 13-room mansion and built the mansion that they just sold.
And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including why residents of a raided apartment building formed a union, why Bears defensive end Montez Sweat is heating up and reviews of two bakeries in Chicago.
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President Donald Trump talks after meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office of the White House, Nov. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
White House circulates a plan to extend Obamacare subsidies as Trump pledges health care fix
The White House is circulating a proposal that would extend subsidies to help consumers pay for coverage under the Affordable Care Act for two more years, as millions of Americans face spiking health care costs when the current tax credits are set to expire at the end of the year.
In this July 30, 2008, file photo, Jeffrey Epstein, center, appears in court in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Uma Sanghvi/The Palm Beach Post)
Justice Department renews bid to unseal Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury materials
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton cited the Epstein Files Transparency Act — passed by Congress last week and signed into law by President Donald Trump — in court filings asking Manhattan federal Judges Richard M. Berman and Paul A. Engelmayer to reconsider their decisions to keep the material sealed.
Southside Together member Alajah Wills, center, holds a sign while participating in a chant with tenants and community members in front of the recently raided South Shore apartment building on Nov. 24, 2025. The news conference announced the formation of the 7500 South Shore Tenants Union. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Federal agents raided a Chicago apartment building two months ago. Now its residents have formed a union.
Almost two months after the militarized raid that roused them from their sleep and made international headlines, those who remain living — or trying to live — at 7500 South Shore Drive gathered yesterday morning in the cold outside their deteriorating apartment building in a show of solidarity.
Amid five floors of mostly empty units — some still boarded up from the nighttime immigration raid Sept. 30 — the 36 people who still live there have united to form the 7500 South Shore Tenants Union. The move to unionize comes after a Cook County judge earlier this month appointed a third-party receiver to manage the property and ordered the building to be vacated.
A police investigator walks through the scene of a shooting involving several young people outside the Chicago Theatre in the 100 block of North State Street on Nov. 21, 2025, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Investigation continues into pair of downtown shootings, including one that took the life of ‘vibrant’ teen Friday night
Chicago police continue to investigate a pair of shootings that unfolded in the Loop Friday night, leaving a 14-year-old boy dead and eight other teens wounded in the latest “teen takeover” that marred the city’s start of the holiday season.
Scores of teens were among the crowd that gathered downtown for the city’s annual tree-lighting ceremony in Millennium Park on Friday.
Northwest Indiana Forum President and CEO Heather Ennis tells Lake County Advancement Committee members, Oct. 2, 2025, about a new study on the importance of arts and cultural programs in Northwest Indiana. (Doug Ross/for Post-Tribune)
Amazon plans $15B data center campuses in Northwest Indiana for state’s largest construction project
Amazon plans to spend $15 billion for the largest construction project in Indiana history, building data center campuses in Northwest Indiana and creating 1,100 new jobs, officials said.
Sites for them have not yet been finalized, although AWS is in negotiations with multiple communities, he said yesterday.
Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat (98) celebrates after the Chicago Bears defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-28 at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
With 2 sacks against the Steelers, Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat is heating up at the right time
Sunday marked Bears defensive end Montez Sweat’s sixth game with two or more sacks in his seven-year NFL career, and his first since he had a career-high 2 1/2 sacks against the Cleveland Browns in 2023, not long after the Bears traded to acquire him.
Coach Ben Johnson awarded Sweat with one of two game balls in the locker room after Sunday’s victory. Sweat now has 7 1/2 sacks on the season, including 6 1/2 of those over the last six games.
Bears Q&A: What to make of strength and training staffs in light of injuries? More prime-time games?
Column: One more documentary on the 1985 Bears, the team that keeps on giving
Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese warms up before a game against the Aces at Wintrust Arena on Aug. 25, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago basketball report: Angel Reese goes for gold — and Jon Scheyer comes home for Thanksgiving Classic
Angel Reese was one of 10 first-time invitees to December’s Team USA senior national team camp, where she’ll join notable names such as Kahleah Copper, Brittney Griner, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers.
And a look at upcoming college basketball matchups, including a Chicago-based company that is bringing a Thanksgiving Day doubleheader to the United Center.
Is Nikola Vučević underrated — or overhated — with Bulls? ‘Whatever. Who cares? He’s super important.’
Bulls lose 143-130 to New Orleans, giving the Pelicans’ interim coach his first win
A view of a DC Comics, Superman No. 1 issue is shown, Nov. 24, 2025, in Irving, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a rare Superman comic book! And it fetched $9.12M!
A copy of the first Superman issue, unearthed by three brothers cleaning out their late mother’s attic, netted $9.12 million this month at a Texas auction house which says it is the most expensive comic book ever sold.
Zach Bryan performs at the United Center in Chicago on March 5, 2024. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Zach Bryan announces 2026 US and international tour dates
Zach Bryan is set to embark on his biggest international tour yet, “With Heaven on Tour,” a U.S. and European run of dates kicking off March 7, 2026 in St. Louis at the Dome at America’s Center.
The ricotta and pumpkin cruffin is served at Bad Butter in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. Their cruffin is a cross between a croissant and muffin. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
Restaurant reviews: Bad Butter, a cult favorite bakery, and Blame Butter, a pietisserie, in Chicago
Bad Butter and Blame Butter tell the tales of two bakeries in Chicago. It is the best of times, and it is the butteriest of times. The former is a cult favorite preorder bakery at a hotel in the West Loop. The latter is a pop-up pie shop in the back of a poke shop in River North. By the end of the year, both will be gone as we know them.
My reviews won’t be starred due to the imminent changes, but I had to share in this peak pie and pastry season, writes Louisa Kung Liu Chu.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/25/daywatch-winnetka-mansion-sale-sets-new-record/
The Decline Of Developed Nations’ Fiat Money
The Decline Of Developed Nations’ Fiat Money
Governments assume they can print as much currency as they like and it will be accepted by force. However, the history of fiat currencies is always the same: first governments exceed their credit limits, then ignore all the warning signs and finally see the currency collapse.
Today, we are living the decline of developed economies’ fiat currencies in real time. The global reserve system is slowly but decisively diversifying away from a pure fiat currency anchor towards a mixed regime where gold plays the dominant role, not fiat currencies.
IMF COFER data show that, while the US dollar still dominates, its share of reported reserves has drifted down towards the high 50s. Gold has overtaken the US dollar and euro as the main asset in central banks for the first time in 40 years.
There is a reason for this historic change. Developed economies have surpassed all their limits to indebtedness.
Public debt is currency issuance, and the credibility of developed nations as issuers is fading fast. It started when the ECB, the Fed and major global central banks reported large losses. Their asset base was yielding negative returns as inflation and solvency issues became evident. Mainstream economists and governments dismissed these losses as insignificant, yet they demonstrated the extreme risk associated with the asset purchases made in previous years.
Inflation is a form of de facto gradual default on issued obligations, and global central banks are avoiding the debt of developed nations because they see a deterioration in the fiscal and inflationary outlook. Sovereign debt is not a reserve asset anymore.
Global public debt has reached about 102 trillion dollars, a new historical record, well above pre‑pandemic levels and close to the peaks hit during the most aggressive monetary expansion. Sovereign debt has driven this phenomenal rise, with countries like France and the United States running enormous annual deficits in non-crisis periods. Bidenomics in the United States was the clearest evidence of imprudent fiscal policy, running record deficits and increasing spending by more than two trillion US dollars in a period of strong economic recovery.
How did this loss of confidence happen? Monetary sovereign nations do not have an unlimited ability to issue currency and debt. They have clear limits that, when surpassed, generate an immediate loss of global confidence. Developed economies have breached the three limits, especially since 2021:
The economic limit is reached when ever-higher debt leads to a decrease in marginal growth. Government spending has bloated GDP, but productivity has stalled and net real wages are stagnant or declining.
The fiscal limit arises from the crowding out of productive investment by interest expense and entitlement spending. Despite financial repression, low rates, and monetary stimulus, interest expenses are taking up larger portions of developed nations’ budgets, making financing government obligations more expensive, even as the annualised CPI moderates.
The inflationary limit is reached as repeated monetary financing of government spending erodes confidence in the purchasing power of fiat money and cumulative inflation outpaces real wages, creating an affordability crisis.
The recent combination of high nominal debt, rising interest expense, and structural fiscal deficits in major advanced economies proves this crossing of all limits.
Central banks understand fiat money and know that sovereign debt is not the safe asset that provides stability and real economic returns anymore. Thus, they have responded with an unprecedented wave of gold purchases. Net official buying exceeded 1,100 tonnes in 2022 and remained above 1,000 tonnes in both 2023 and 2024, more than double the annual average between 2010 and 2021. By 2024, central banks officially purchased 1,045 tonnes of gold, marking the third consecutive year above the 1,000‑tonne level and extending a 15‑year streak of net additions. However, unofficial purchases are estimated to be significantly larger. Surveys show that around a third of global central banks plan to increase their gold holdings in the coming years, and more than four‑fifths expect global official gold holdings to keep rising due to concerns over persistent inflation, financial stability, and solvency issues.
The record gold demand is a direct answer to the lack of confidence in the sustainability of fiat liabilities issued by over‑indebted sovereigns. Gold has no default risk and no central bank control, making it a suitable investment when central banks themselves doubt the long‑term credibility of large nations’ currencies.
Many reserve managers believe that the way governments are heavily increasing their money supply during crises, along with only slow returns to normal policies, means that inflation and financial control are now permanent parts of the system instead of just temporary fixes. Thus, purchasing gold reserves is an insurance policy against the gradual taxation of savers through negative real yields and inflation.
Such an outcome does not mean an imminent collapse of the US dollar nor a dedollarisation process, but an unquestionable loss of confidence in fiat currencies altogether, from the euro and the pound to the yen and the US dollar. Indeed, the US dollar remains the dominant fiat currency, accounting for 89% of global transactions and holding 57% of global reserves. But it leads a declining empire of fake money.
Investors and central banks are moving to a hybrid reserve order in which fiat currencies coexist with a structurally higher allocation to gold but also a rising use of decentralised cryptocurrencies.
Some central banks are in panic. The ECB aims to enforce the use of the euro by implementing a central bank digital currency, but this misguided approach reflects both desperation and a desire for control. The Fed and the US government are incentivising stablecoins backed by Treasury bonds as a way of boosting demand for the dollar. This seems a better idea than imposition and repression, especially when the US government seems focused on reducing the deficit and debt. However, if the US government does not accelerate measures to reduce debt through growth policies and spending cuts, the confidence in the currency may weaken fast.
No government in advanced economies wants to cut spending, except perhaps the US administration, which is doing so modestly, despite evidence indicating a loss of confidence in its solvency. With economies facing government debt ratios above 100 percent of GDP, persistent primary deficits, and political resistance to serious spending cuts, fiat currency issuers are likely to remain trapped beyond economic, fiscal, and inflationary limits.
We are living through a historical monetary change that will have long-term implications. Global central banks have stopped believing in paper promises and demand real money. The first nation to adopt sound money and fiscal policies will win. The rest will lose.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 11/25/2025 – 07:20
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/decline-developed-nations-fiat-money
Trump administration plans to review refugees admitted under Biden, memo obtained by The AP says
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration plans a review of all refugees admitted to the U.S. during the Biden administration, according to a memo obtained Monday by The Associated Press, in the latest blow against a program that has for decades welcomed people fleeing war and persecution into the country.
The review is likely to sow confusion and fear among the nearly 200,000 refugees who came to the United States during that period. It is likely to face legal challenges from advocates, some of whom said the move was part of the administration’s “cold-hearted treatment” of people trying to build new lives in the U.S.
The memo, signed by the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, and dated Friday, said that during the Biden years “expediency” and “quantity” were prioritized over “detailed screening and vetting.” The memo said that warranted a comprehensive review and “re-interview of all refugees admitted from January 20, 2021, to February 20, 2025.”
The memo indicated that there will be a list of people to re-interview within three months.
Advocates of the refugee program say that refugees are generally some of the most vetted of all people coming to the United States and that they often wait years to be able to come.
The memo also immediately suspended green card approvals for refugees who came to the U.S. during the stated time period.
If the agency determines that a person shouldn’t have qualified for entry as a refugee, the person “has no right to appeal,” according to the memo, although if they are put in removal proceedings and sent to immigration court, they can then plead their case there. The memo also stated that even those who have already received their green card would be reviewed.
“USCIS is ready to uphold the law and ensure the refugee program is not abused,” Edlow wrote.
People admitted to the U.S. as refugees are required to apply for a green card one year after they arrive in the country and usually five years after that can apply for citizenship.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Department of Homeland Security and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The moves described in the memo are the latest to take aim at the refugee program, which the administration suspended earlier this year and later set a limit for entries to 7,500 mostly white South Africans — a historic low of refugees to be admitted to the U.S. since the program’s inception in 1980. The Trump administration more broadly has ramped up immigration enforcement as part of its promise to increase deportations of illegal immigrants.
The Biden administration admitted 185,640 refugees from October 2021 through September 2024. Refugee admissions topped 100,000 last year, with the largest numbers coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela and Syria.
Refugee advocates slammed news of the review, saying that it will traumatize people who have already gone through extensive vetting to make it to the U.S. in the first place.
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“This plan is shockingly ill-conceived,” said Naomi Steinberg, vice president of U.S. policy and advocacy at HIAS, a refugee resettlement agency. “This is a new low in the administration’s consistently cold-hearted treatment of people who are already building new lives and enriching the communities where they have made their homes.”
USCIS expects to have a priority list for re-interviews within 90 days, Edlow wrote. His language points to a rigorous revisiting of why refugee status was granted in the first place.
“Testimony will include, but is not limited to, the circumstances establishing past persecution or a well-founded fear for principal refugees, the persecutor bar, and any other potential inadmissibilities,” he wrote.
Sharif Aly, President of the International Refugee Assistance Project, an advocacy group, criticized the administration’s actions in a statement late Monday, saying that refugees are “already the most highly vetted immigrants in the United States.”
“Besides the enormous cruelty of this undertaking, it would also be a tremendous waste of government resources to review and re-interview 200,000 people who have been living peacefully in our communities for years,” Aly said.
IRAP is currently part of a lawsuit seeking to overturn the administration’s suspension of refugee admissions.
Spagat reported from San Diego.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/25/trump-administration-refugees-review/
Agencia de la ONU estima que el norte de Nigeria experimentará un hambre sin precedentes para 2026
Por OPE ADETAYO
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Un aumento en los ataques milicianos en el norte de Nigeria está “llevando el hambre a niveles nunca antes vistos” y se espera que resulte en los peores niveles de inseguridad alimentaria en África el próximo año, según un informe del Programa Mundial de Alimentos publicado el martes.
La agencia alimentaria de las Naciones Unidas proyectó que 35 millones de personas probablemente experimenten hambre severa en Nigeria para 2026, la cifra más alta en el continente y la mayor desde que la agencia comenzó a registrar datos en Nigeria.
El PMA también predijo que al menos 15.000 personas en el estado de Borno, el epicentro de la crisis de seguridad de Nigeria, experimentarán hambre catastrófica, incluidas condiciones similares a la hambruna el próximo año. La situación en Borno será clasificado como Fase 5, la categoría más alta de inseguridad alimentaria de la agencia, similar a lo que se ha visto en algunas partes de Gaza y Sudán.
“El norte de Nigeria está experimentando la crisis de hambre más severa en una década, con las comunidades rurales agrícolas siendo las más afectadas”, afirmó el PMA en un comunicado.
Los ataques generalizados por parte de varios grupos armados han disuadido a los agricultores de utilizar sus tierras, dijeron los funcionarios.
En octubre, la filial de Al Qaeda Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin se responsabilizó de su primer ataque en Nigeria, sumándose a la lista de grupos armados que cometen ataques en el país.
Más de 300 estudiantes y 12 profesores fueron secuestrados de una escuela en el estado de Níger el 21 de noviembre, apenas cuatro días después de que otros 25 escolares fueran secuestrados a 170 kilómetros (106 millas) de distancia en el vecino estado de Kebbi.
Nigeria también se ha visto gravemente afectada por una reducción masiva de la asistencia alimentaria de la ONU tras la decisión del presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, de recortar la Agencia de los Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo Internacional.
El recorte de USAID detuvo la financiación al PMA, que dijo que se quedará sin recursos para asistencia alimentaria y nutricional de emergencia en diciembre. Nigeria es uno de los pocos otros países en la región donde el recorte ha profundizado la crisis alimentaria. En julio, la agencia suspendió la asistencia alimentaria en toda África Occidental y Central.
“Sin financiación confirmada, millones se quedarán sin apoyo en 2026, alimentando la inestabilidad y profundizando una crisis que el mundo no puede permitirse ignorar”, indicó la agencia.
___
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
TJ Hillman is the center of attention for Naperville Central. In more ways than one.
Naperville Central senior point guard TJ Hillman knows many people question how successful the team will be this season.
But no one doubts what role Hillman will play.
“Be the leader, be the role model and let the younger guys look up to me and try to be the best guy that I can as a person and a player,” Hillman said. “I’m super excited. I love the group of guys we have.
“I had great leaders when I was a sophomore and junior, and I’m looking to replicate what they did.”
By all accounts, Hillman is off to a good start. The third-year starter is the most experienced and talented player for the Redhawks, who hope Hillman can lead them to greener pastures after they went a combined 24-64 the past three seasons.
“TJ’s leadership is a huge impact on our team,” Naperville Central senior guard Matt Sands said. “He’s pretty much our glue.
“He’s the reason why we’re all giving it 100% in practice. He’s the reason why we care as much as we do for the game, not just on the court but off the court.”
Indeed, Hillman’s leadership began during the offseason, when he made sure the players amped up their work ethic in the gym and in the classroom.
“He’s making sure we’re tight with our grades, and it’s not like he’s bossy,” Sands said. “He does it in a friendship way. He’s a great kid, great player, great person to look after.”
Naperville Central coach Mike Wilson quickly found that out after taking over the program last season. He identified Hillman as someone with potential to be a great senior leader.
“We knew he was going to be a captain from day one,” Wilson said. “We do a lot of open gyms, and we do a lot of weight room, and he’s leading it.
“I don’t have to get on guys to get there because he’s doing it for me.”
Hillman thinks the Redhawks can do more winning this season. It didn’t show in the season opener against Wheaton St. Francis, which got off to a hot start and rolled to a 53-38 victory at Geneva’s Bob Schick Thanksgiving Tournament on Monday.
Hillman picked up two early fouls, and his playing time was limited before he fouled out with 4:05 left in the fourth quarter. Even so, he scored a team-high 11 points to go with two assists.
Naperville Central’s TJ Hillman sets up a play during a game against Wheaton St. Francis in the Bob Schick Thanksgiving Tournament in Geneva on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun)
Sands added nine points, all on 3-pointers. But the Redhawks shot 12 of 54, including 9 of 37 from beyond the arc.
The Redhawks played without post players Casey Cooperkawa and Oskar Eriksson, and the Vikings took advantage, with 6-foot-8 center Ben Whorlow scoring a game-high 20 points to go with nine rebounds and three blocks. Naperville Central was outrebounded 39-26.
“Having our big guys out for the game, I knew we were going to be a little bit overmatched on the glass,” Wilson said. “So we’re hoping to get them back next week.”
That would take some of the pressure off of Hillman, who often sees double-teams.
“You could kind of see his soccer player motor in him,” Wilson said. “He doesn’t really get tired.
“Obviously, he got limited with fouls a bit tonight, and we struggled to see the ball go in the basket. I know he was disappointed tonight, but we’ve got 29 more games, and this is his third year playing varsity, so he knows what the games look like, and he knows there are sometimes games like this that happen.”
Hillman, who took several knocks in the game, did put the result in perspective.
“Take away the positives but see the negatives, that’s what I think,” Hillman said. “We’re going to watch film and see what we need to do better.
“I think there were some positives — energy-wise, we were there the whole game. We really did try.”
Naperville Central’s TJ Hillman (1) and coach Mike Wilson talk during a game against Wheaton St. Francis in the Bob Schick Thanksgiving Tournament in Geneva on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun)
Hillman, who has offers from several Division III colleges, made sure of that.
“We’ve put in so much work all summer,” he said. “Tonight, it wasn’t showing what we showed all summer. We’ll be a better team than last year.”
Sands also thinks better days are ahead for Hillman and the Redhawks.
“I won’t be surprised if TJ gets a ton of offers from big schools,” Sands said. “Central could shock a lot of schools this year with a lot of impressive wins.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/25/basketball-naperville-central-tj-hillman/
The good (and bad) from the Chicago Blackhawks through the first quarter of the NHL season
The 2025-26 season of the NHL is a quarter of the way through. Most teams have 55-plus games left to play, but standards are starting to take place.
The Colorado Avalanche (16-1-5) have only one regulation loss and have made themselves Stanley Cup favorites. Other teams are trending in every which way, with some going in unexpected directions.
The Chicago Blackhawks are a ways away from reaching Stanley Cup contention status, but they have notably improved from last season. That leap has come with its highs and lows.
Here’s all the good and bad the Hawks have shown in the first quarter of the season.
All stats are as of noon on Nov. 24.
Good: Goal scoring
Chicago Blackhawks left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (59) scores a goal on Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord (35) in the second period of a game at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 20, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
To win in the NHL, teams have to score goals. While this is an obvious fact, keep in mind that the Hawks have struggled to do this for quite some time, especially in 5-on-5 play.
In 2024-25, the Hawks ranked 30th in full-strength goals-for/against ratio. The roster was older last season, but the experience didn’t create the offense that general manager Kyle Davidson had hoped for.
That led to their 2.73 goals per game average. If you pointed the finger at the reasons why — lack of chemistry with Connor Bedard and his linemates, turnovers in every zone, the snail-like pace — you’d run out of fingers.
This year’s Hawks get on the puck faster and are somewhat more decisive. They’re second in the NHL in shooting percentage (13.1%) and close behind the league-leading Montreal Canadiens.
Bedard’s two hat tricks, Tyler Bertuzzi’s presence in front of the net and the passing skills of the defensemen have helped with the offensive increase. They are currently 11th in the league in scoring, averaging 3.14 goals per game.
Bad: Shots on goal
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Sam Rinzel (6) is unable to score on Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord (35) in the second period of a game at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 20, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
The positive is that many of the Hawks’ shots on goal find the back of the net. The problem is that they aren’t producing many shots.
They’re bottom three in shots per game average (24.9) and 5-on-5 scoring chance percentage (44.9%). The reason may be the team’s inability to finish breakaways.
On Sunday against the Avalanche, the Hawks’ breakaway attempts were constantly cleared by defenders. Passes by Bertuzzi were fumbled in front of the net by various skaters.
Too many giveaways, especially in the offensive zones, have killed many Hawks possessions. Less sloppy play could make this offense elite, but that will come with time.
Good: Competitiveness and physicality
Shane Pinto of the Ottawa Senators and Colton Dach of the Chicago Blackhawks crash into the boards during the first period at the United Center on Oct. 28, 2025. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Bedard set the precedent after the Hawks’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins. “We’re not taking any (expletive), even if they’re a little bigger.”
And he was right. The Hawks are not pushovers anymore.
Beating them now is not a given. The Hawks have scored first in 15 games, as well as either leading or being tied going into the third period in 15 games. They’ve spent the second-lowest time trailing (80:13) and the fourth-most time tied (355:07) in the NHL.
The Hawks have become a scrappy bunch. On Thursday, Kraken defenseman Ryan Lindgren delivered a hard hit on André Burakovsky, knocking him out for the rest of the game. The second period was filled with Hawks hits of their own, and Blashill said after the game that he thought his team reacted the right way.
Colton Dach is third in the NHL in hits at 88. When teams play the Hawks, they’re going to get bruised up.
Bad: The second period
Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar (8) celebrates with teammates Tristen Nielsen (57) and Jason Polin (14) after scoring a goal during the second period against the Chicago Blackhawks, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, at the United Center. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
The Hawks looked great after one period versus the Avalanche. Colorado outshot the Hawks 19-1 in the second.
The Hawks were up on the Ottawa Senators 3-0 after the first on Oct. 28. The score ended up 4-3 after the second.
The Hawks saw a scoreless tie turn into a 2-0 deficit in the second in Seattle on Nov. 3. The final score was a 3-1 loss.
It’s an unwelcome trend. And it’s costing them games.
There’s no clear reason as to why the Hawks struggle in the second period, as Jason Dickinson would tell you. It’s always a different reason each game.
They have a minus-9 plus/minus in the second period, the third-worst in the NHL behind the Toronto Maple Leafs (-11) and the St. Louis Blues (-13). Hawks coach Jeff Blashill knows that better second-period play will result in more victories.
“We got to play a similar game but play a little better in the second,” Blashill said after the 1-0 Avalanche loss. “If you do that, you put yourself in position to win games.”
Good: Special teams
Chicago Blackhawks right wing Ilya Mikheyev (95) and Seattle Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans (41) get tangled up in the third period of a game at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 20, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Hawks skaters go to the penalty box often. The Hawks are fourth in the NHL with an average of 12.1 penalty minutes a game. Connor Bedard’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the third period led to the Kraken’s game-winning goal in the Hawks’ crushing 3-2 loss to Seattle.
That penalty proved brutal as the loss ended their six-game point streak. A positive, though, is that the penalty kill has helped in previous games.
The Blackhawks have killed 83.3% of their penalties so far, about a 4 percentage point increase from last season. Ilya Mikheyev has been the highlight of the PK units, intercepting passes to end possessions.
The Hawks have 62 power play opportunities through 22 games, which is on pace for approximately 231 for the season. That would be an improvement from the 189 chances they had last year.
Bertuzzi and his teammates know how to draw penalties and the Hawks are learning to take advantage as they did in their 5-1 win in Detroit.
Bad: Faceoffs
The Hawks haven’t been a good faceoff team for a while. Since the start of the 2023-24 season, they rank last in faceoff win percentage (45.7%).
They’ve lost almost 55% of their faceoffs in their defensive zones this year, which leads to opportunities for opponents to rack up shots on goal. The Hawks have spent 42.8% of this season in their defensive zones (1.7 percentage points higher than league average), meaning more icings and having their backs against the wall.
It may not be detrimental, given that the past six Stanley Cup champions were all outside the top 10 in faceoff win percentage. The Hawks, though, need the puck as much as possible to solidify their offensive identity and winning faceoffs could be a step in the right direction.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/25/chicago-blackhawks-quarter-season-report/
Chicago Bears Q&A: What to make of strength and training staffs in light of injuries? More prime-time games?
Brad Biggs answers your Chicago Bears questions weekly.
With all of the injuries the Bears are dealing with this season, will the team re-evaluate the training and strength staffs at the end of the season? — Sherm P., Tinley Park
That’s been the knee-jerk reaction from countless readers over the last week. I’ve got a series of thoughts and opinions on this. The Bears were really wiped out on defense for Sunday’s 31-28 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Soldier Field and the coaching staff did a fine job adjusting. Beyond that one game, I don’t believe the Bears have been as crushed by injuries as most folks would lead you to believe. They’ve been very fortunate with a lack of injuries to their offense.
Yes, they’ve been without cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon for most of the season. It seems off-base to pin Johnson’s situation on the team when he showed up for training camp injured, the result of a workout he was doing on his own. As far as Gordon, he’s a guy who has dealt with a series of soft tissue injuries in previous seasons, ones that generally meant time missed during the offseason and training camp and not as much in-season. He’s got a history of soft-tissue ailments and I am sure it was something the club considered before Gordon’s contract was extended. I’d bet it’s something the team sits down to address with him at the end of this season.
Linebacker T.J. Edwards has been out the last three weeks recovering from surgery to repair a broken hand. He’s also been listed with a hamstring injury, something that slowed him earlier in the season. I view that as more of an anomaly because Edwards has a track record for durability in his career. It’s not like the Bears shifted him to some type of program that made him suddenly susceptible to a muscle pull. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds has also been very durable in his career. These things happen. A lot of athletes in the NFL are very tightly wound. That’s what makes them fast. It’s also something that can lead to injuries.
I guarantee the Bears will sit down at the end of the season and do a methodical study of the injuries, their programs, including player recovery, and every step that was taken along the way. This is standard procedure annually.
Unlikely heroes keep arising for 1st-place Chicago Bears: Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts on the Week 12 win
The voluntary NFL offseason program begins in early April for teams with new head coaches (including the Bears in 2025) and mid-April for other clubs (the Bears in 2026). It’s nine weeks long. Then, players get a break that lasts about six weeks before training camp. Once players leave the facility, they are on their own to work with personal coaches, by themselves or whatever. The Bears’ strength coaches and trainers aren’t doing work with players in that part of the calendar year unless they are choosing to show up at Halas Hall.
The most successful strength coaches and trainers are going to tell you it’s difficult to have a detailed plan for an athlete and then only see them for nine weeks.
The staff probably deserves some credit for managing the groin injury that has hampered running back D’Andre Swift for much of the season. He’s only missed one game. I know players who will say they believe they’re getting quality support from those areas.
There’s no question the Bears will take a close look at this when the season is over. Maybe they make a change at the end of the year. I don’t know. I’m not talking about any specific situations here, but sometimes the player needs to take a level of accountability for injuries. There’s a reason why the most durable players have finely detailed plans to prepare their body for a game each week, plans that involve diet, hydration, sleep, stretching, weight work, recovery time and everything else you can imagine.
With the way Ozzy Trapilo played Sunday, do you think he will be the starting left tackle moving forward? — @williamsfc18
Bears offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo (75) works to protect quarterback Caleb Williams in the second quarter against the Steelers at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2025, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
I don’t envision the Bears making a permanent switch at left tackle based on one game, but that’s just a hunch. I say that because the coaching staff has been pretty consistent with its messaging since Benedet took over for Braxton Jones at the midpoint of the Week 4 game at Las Vegas. Offensive line coach Dan Roushar has cited incremental improvement by Benedet as he’s gone along. Roushar has said it’s not where the team needs the position to be and it needs to be better — but he always circles back to the fact that Benedet is making steady gains.
If we’ve learned anything about how Roushar and the coaching staff operate so far, it’s that they are pretty blunt. I call it real talk. They explained Trapilo hit a wall at left tackle during training camp when he fell out of the competition for the job. Roushar was pretty critical of right tackle Darnell Wright in early August. They call it like they see it and they’re sending the same message to the players.
Based on that, and assuming Benedet’s quad injury doesn’t keep him out too long, my belief is he’ll be back in the lineup when healthy. Trapilo playing well against a talented front gives the Bears some comfort if they want to make sure Benedet is close to 100% before returning.
Trapilo’s play was yet another positive development for the offensive line. I don’t know if he ultimately profiles as a left tackle. That might be something the club has to further explore in the offseason, but for a first showing and to come out of the game without any glaring mistakes that cost the team a possession or similar, it’s a reason for optimism.
“Credit to Ozzy for stepping up and having not played a lot of ball yet this year,” coach Ben Johnson said. “He played a really solid game for us. I thought it was really good.”
Why do they have so many problems making defensive adjustments? — @josemulero5
I thought the Bears did a pretty good job of adjusting on Sunday. They figured out early that Mason Rudolph wasn’t going to challenge them downfield a lot and really didn’t want to throw the ball into the middle of the field, so they stacked the box consistently from then on. Pittsburgh managed only 61 yards rushing on 20 carries in the second half. The Steelers scored 28 points, but one touchdown came on Caleb Williams’ fumble in the end zone. Considering the Bears were down five defensive starters and were wiped out at linebacker, I’d say they adjusted pretty well during the week of preparation and then as the game went on.
Are the Bears a better team than, say, the Week 2 loss at Detroit? I look at the schedule and only the Browns game looks like a W. Not to be a downer but I’m looking forward to next year. Caleb Williams will be one year in with Ben Johnson and I think Williams needs time. — @brooklyncorn
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) is tackled by Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) in the first quarter at Ford Field on Sept. 14, 2025, in Detroit. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
The beauty of the schedule is that we will all be able to make a judgment on how much better the Bears are in relation to the egg they laid in Week 2 at Ford Field when they host the Lions at Soldier Field to conclude the season in Week 18. We can point to statistical improvements the team has made since and note the great run the Bears are on, having won eight of their nine games since that 52-21 defeat. Then, we can watch the two teams go at it in a game that could have major playoff implications.
Yes, I believe the Bears are a much better team than the one that played Detroit in Week 2 and they’re better than the one that played at Washington in Week 6. They’re showing steady improvement.
Based on the way the Bears have played, I think it’s likely they peel off multiple wins over the final six games to get to 10 or even more victories. Johnson has really fast-tracked the rebuild at Halas Hall and there’s real reason for optimism — not just for December and maybe even January but for the 2026 season.
The concern is that it will be difficult to replicate a sustained run of narrow victories over opponents that represent a step up in class.
The Bears’ point differential through 11 games is minus-3. Going back to 1970 for teams with an 8-3 record, that’s the second-lowest figure there is. The 2020 Cleveland Browns started 8-3. Yes, it’s a little difficult for me to recall them having success that recently. That team had a minus-21 point differential at that point in the season. The good news? The Browns went on to topple the Steelers in the wild-card round of the playoffs in a wild 48-37 ballgame. Cleveland then played close at Kansas City in the divisional round before losing 22-17.
The 1987 San Diego Chargers fit the criteria. They had a minus-8 point differential after an 8-3 start but I am excluding them because that season had a three-game stretch with replacement players during the strike.
There have been 162 other teams that began 8-3 since 1970 (excluding 1987) and none had a negative point differential. At the top of the list are the 2012 New England Patriots, who were a remarkable plus-163. The 2023 Dallas Cowboys were plus-162. The 2018 Bears were plus-106. The Bears were also plus-102 in 2012 when they were 8-3 and before the season fizzled. The 2010 team that started 8-3, won the division and eventually reached the NFC Championship Game was plus-50.
The 2022 Minnesota Vikings are fascinating to look at. They were 9-2 through their first 11 games and had a plus-5 point differential. They won the division at 13-4 before losing to the New York Giants 31-24 in a wild-card meeting.
There’s a lot to be said for a team that is playing with momentum and consistently finding different paths to victory with different players rising to the occasion on a weekly basis. Let’s see what the remainder of this season holds before turning our focus to 2026.
Do you see Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon and/or T.J. Edwards back this week? — @ajhundal1
Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards shoves Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels out of bounds in the third quarter at Northwest Stadium Oct. 13, 2025, in Landover, Maryland. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
The fastest way to get into trouble and make mistakes is to start speculating about injuries. It’s like throwing darts in the dark because you’re operating with only a sliver of information.
If you plant your flag based on a hunch, you’re going to be right every once in a while. And then four times out of five (or worse), you’re going to be dead wrong.
Here’s what I know: The Bears pledged they were going to be smart in bringing Johnson and Gordon back from what are the second extended injury absences they’ve had. With this being a short week before the trip to Philadelphia, I think it’s fair to assume the club chose the conservative route in not activating the cornerbacks for Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh. But making assumptions about injuries is stepping out on a limb.
There’s one practice this week — on Wednesday — and if all goes well, I would not be surprised if one or both are back in the mix. It also wouldn’t surprise me if they are on some type of snap count in the game based on the long layoffs they’ve each had. But don’t rule out the possibility that the short week and only one practice puts the team in a spot where it wants to wait for the Dec. 7 game at Green Bay.
As far as Edwards goes, he’s missed the last three games following a broken hand that was suffered Nov. 2 at Cincinnati. He also had a hamstring injury. My hunch is the hand, following surgery, has been the thing holding him out here of late. Given that he was not placed on IR following the Bengals game, you’d think there is a decent chance he’s an option on Friday. That will obviously hinge on what he does Wednesday. Edwards hasn’t been on the field in 23 days now.
You should know by the time you sit down for a Thanksgiving meal if Johnson and/or Gordon are options for Friday. If the Bears plan to activate them for the week, they will have to do so before departing for Philadelphia on Thursday.
Do the Bears have more games that could be flexed into prime time? — A.J., Peotone
I don’t believe the team has any more games that will be flexed, per se, into prime time before possibly the Week 18 finale against the Lions at Soldier Field. There will be only five more games after Friday’s game at Philadelphia. The Packers game on Dec. 7 at Lambeau Field has already been shifted into the 3:25 p.m. national slot on Fox.
The game to watch for right now is the Week 16 game against the Packers at Soldier Field. That is one of two Saturday games scheduled for Dec. 20. The other is Eagles at Commanders. One game will start at 4 p.m. and the other at 7:20 p.m. You can go ahead and earmark that Bears game for the 7:20 slot. I don’t see the league putting a struggling Washington team in prime time. There are three first-round college football playoff games that day, too, with the last one starting at 6 p.m. The NFL will want to go head-to-head with the college ranks for viewers with its best matchup. Of these two choices, it’s easily Packers-Bears.
Week 12 photos: Chicago Bears 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 28
The Bears will play on Sunday night the following week at San Francisco and it’s anyone’s guess what happens with the Week 18 schedule. Lions-Bears could easily be among a small handful of games the league picks from for the prime time slot to wrap up the season.
Why did the Bears opt to use Nikola Kalinic as a fourth tight end instead of Stephen Carlson? — Nathan B., LaGrange
Bears tight end Nikola Kalinic celebrates with special teams coordinator Richard Hightower after defeating the Steelers 31-28 on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
The Bears already used a practice squad elevation for Carlson three times this season and that is the maximum. The good news for Carlson is that three is the magic number players need for a credited season, which will impact his NFLPA benefits when he’s done playing. The bad news for Carlson is that for him to play in a game now, the team will have to sign him from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
With special teams in mind, the team bumped up Kalinic for the first time this season. He had 16 snaps on special teams and was credited with a tackle and a forced fumble. He logged 70 snaps on special teams in previous stints with the Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts, and he caught the attention of the coaching staff on Sunday.
“A guy like Nico, who had been on practice squad all year long, stepped to the forefront there and did a really nice job,” Ben Johnson said. “So that was good. He’s another guy that I didn’t even talk about (Sunday) night but just another example of these guys stepping up when their number is called.”
However, the Bears placed Kalinic on the practice squad injured list on Monday.
Did the Bears get away with an illegal formation on the Colston Loveland touchdown? It looked like the left tackle was uncovered. — @dub24778
That’s a good catch by you. I went back and looked at the play and wide receivers Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze are outside of Ozzy Trapilo at left tackle. It looks like both are a solid yard off the line of scrimmage. I sent a screen grab of the formation from just before the snap to an officiating source and he said, “the camera angle makes it look illegal. One of those two receivers should be on the line but I’d need a better angle to verify.”
Here’s the rub: If line judge Carl Johnson deems Odunze, on the outside, to be on the line, he is. Before the snap, Odunze signaled to Johnson to make sure he was on the line and he got the green light. So, this is a judgment call by Johnson. It’s very close for sure but if you get pre-snap approval from the official, you’re good.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/25/chicago-bears-mailbag-training-staff-injuries/
Chicago basketball report: Angel Reese goes for gold — and Jon Scheyer comes home for Thanksgiving Classic
Angel Reese was one of 10 first-time invitees to December’s Team USA senior national team camp, where she’ll join notable names such as Kahleah Copper, Brittney Griner, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers.
And a look at upcoming college basketball matchups, including a Chicago-based company that is bringing a Thanksgiving Day doubleheader to the United Center.
Every Tuesday, Tribune writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Bulls, Sky and local college basketball teams. Want more? Sign up for our Tribune sports newsletter.
Angel Reese earns first Team USA camp invite
A gold medal is one of the many items on an extensive wish list for Angel Reese. And the Chicago Sky forward took her first step toward that goal Monday with her first-ever selection to senior national team camp.
Reese was one of 10 first-time invitees to December’s national team camp, which will take place at Duke. The group includes newcomers Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Cameron Brink, Sonia Citron, Veronica Burton, Kiki Iriafen, Rickea Jackson, Lauren Betts of UCLA and JuJu Watkins of USC. This young class will join Team USA mainstays Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Dearica Hamby, Brionna Jones and Aliyah Boston.
Although this will mark Reese’s camp debut with the senior team, the forward was identified as part of the national team talent pool as a teenager.
Reese attended her first youth national team trials in 2017 at the age of 15, then made it to the final round of cuts for the U-17 World Cup in 2018. She withdrew from contention for the U-19 World Cup in 2019 and 2021 due to outside commitments and health concerns. In 2023, Reese made her debut with the national team in the 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup alongside Betts and Jackson.
This camp will notably feature first-time collaborations between Reese and many of her WNBA contemporaries, including Clark. The pair have voiced enthusiasm about playing together on the national team throughout their last four years as rivals at the collegiate and professional levels.
“It’s so cool,” Reese said about playing with Clark during the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game. “I know when she gets the ball, I’m running to look for the ball because I know she’s going to throw it. She’s been great to play with. The future — we’re going to be playing with each other a lot. Hopefully, in four years we can be Olympians together.”
A side of college basketball
Duke coach Jon Scheyer talks to his team during the second half against Kansas on Nov. 18, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Mark Starsiak, the senior vice president of college sports for InterSport, has a pitch for Chicago fans. On Thanksgiving Day, after the turkey has been eaten and football has been watched or played, how about some college basketball?
InterSport, the Chicago-based marketing and events agency, will operate the Thanksgiving Classic at the United Center on Thursday. It starts with a Top 25 matchup between No. 4 Duke and coach Jon Scheyer and No. 22 Arkansas and coach John Calipari at 7 p.m. on CBS, followed by Northwestern-Oklahoma State at 9:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Starsiak called this time of year for his team “organized chaos.” They help manage 68 men’s and women’s games in November and December at sites across the country.
In a span of a couple of weeks, Starsiak was headed to White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., for the Greenbrier Tip-Off, then Jacksonville, Fla., for the Florida-Miami game, then back to West Virginia, then to Fort Myers, Fla., for the Fort Myers Tip-Off, which will include No. 11 Michigan State playing No. 16 North Carolina on Thanksgiving Day on FOX. The Fort Myers tournament is the biggest that InterSport owns and operates, but the company also operates the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas, which hosts 22 men’s and women’s teams.
InterSport has long had a relationship with college basketball, but it has blossomed in the last seven years as they try to make an early-season impact on the sport, Starsiak said.
“It just allows you to kind of take advantage of some of the fans and network opportunities and sponsorship activity at that time of the year,” Starsiak said. “At a more macro level, it’s really important for our sport to have these opportunities and these kind of showcase games during that time. So it reminds everyone that there is good basketball. It’s starting. It’s early. Don’t wait till football is over. Don’t wait till March Madness.”
Northwestern guard Jordan Clayton drives up court during the first half against Iowa State on Oct. 26, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Starsiak said he and his team manage relationships with hundreds of basketball programs, coaches and administrators, dozens of venues across the country and a handful of TV partners. They try to keep a pulse on which teams have openings and what types of games, dates, locations and financial details they need.
The Duke-Arkansas game was created about a year ago as CBS expressed interest in expanding its early-season college basketball programming. Then it was finding the right teams that wanted the CBS exposure and the right venue. The return of Scheyer, a Northbrook native, to Chicago was a draw for a United Center game.
“You’ve got to feel like you have a tie-in to ask fans and people to spend their holidays with you watching college basketball,” Starsiak said. “I think with Coach Scheyer being from Chicago, both coaches and schools being very national brands … big cities and where folks want to travel and may reside, Chicago checked all those boxes for us.”
Northwestern was already committed to play in the Greenbrier and was looking for a neutral site game. Given coach Chris Collins’ relationship with Scheyer from his time coaching him at Duke and Northwestern’s branding as Chicago’s Big Ten Team, the event made sense.
The Wildcats went 1-1 over the weekend in the Greenbrier, losing 83-78 to Virginia and beating South Carolina 79-77. Now, they’ll play Oklahoma State on Thursday before meeting the Cowboys next season in Oklahoma City.
December Bulls broadcast moved to Amazon Prime
Bulls coach Billy Donovan yells along the sideline in the second half against the 76ers at the United Center on Nov. 4, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
A hot start helped the Chicago Bulls earn a little more attention from national viewership.
The NBA announced Monday that the Dec. 26 game against the Philadelphia 76ers will be moved off CHSN onto Amazon Prime. The league holds the right to flex a certain portion of the schedule onto exclusive national broadcasts to adapt to changes in interest throughout the season. The game will now tip off at 6:30 p.m.
The Bulls were only slotted to play three games on national television this season — Dec. 1 against Orlando (Peacock), Jan. 16 against Brooklyn (ESPN) and Feb. 5 at Toronto (Amazon Prime). The team was not selected for any major holiday games including Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day or Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
This schedule reflected relatively underwhelming expectations for the Bulls after three consecutive years of missing the playoffs following play-in tournament losses. But after a 9-7 start that included 11 clutch games, the Bulls are beginning to drive buzz as a potential playoff team in the Eastern Conference.
Number of the week: 8
Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, left, steals the ball from USC’s Malia Samuels during the second half Nov. 21, 2025, in South Bend, Ind. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Points scored by No. 18 USC in the fourth quarter of No. 19 Notre Dame’s 61-59 victory Friday.
Hannah Hidalgo hit a pull-up jumper with 1.9 seconds to play to lift the Irish to their comeback victory. She had 22 points, seven rebounds and five of Notre Dame’s 16 steals. It was an important bounce-back win for the Irish after they lost 93-54 to No. 6 Michigan on Nov. 15.
Week ahead: Bulls
Bulls guard Kevin Huerter gestures after getting ejected from the game in the third quarter against the Heat at the United Center on Nov. 21, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Friday: at Charlotte Hornets (NBA Cup), 6:30 p.m. (CHSN)
Saturday: at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. (CHSN)
Monday: at Orlando Magic, 6:30 p.m. (Peacock)
Friday marks the final game of the NBA Cup group stage for the Bulls, who will play the Hornets on the road in Charlotte. But the Bulls are essentially eliminated from advancement in the tournament after losing their last two NBA Cup games to the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat.
The Bulls enter Friday’s game ranked fourth in East Group C, which also includes the New York Knicks. The Bucks sit atop the group with a 2-0 record, while the Heat are attempting to jump the queue with a 2-1 record and a 47-point differential to their advantage. The Bulls sit one loss behind the Knicks and also carry a minus-42 point differential into the final game of the group stage, which will hinder their ability to climb up into a wild-card spot.
Guard Kevin Huerter expressed frustration after a blowout loss to the Miami Heat tanked Chicago’s chances of advancing in the tournament, noting that the game was the team’s fourth in seven days — and taking place on the first night of a back-to-back.
“It’s tough in a Cup game like this, for how important the NBA wants to make these games and the type of schedule we’re on to do it,” Huerter said. “Would’ve liked a different opportunity.”
Week ahead: Best college basketball games
Illinois student fans hold a cutout of coach Brad Underwood wearing an eastern European style track suit as they cheer for a broadcast camera before a game against Alabama at the United Center on Nov. 19, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Nov. 27: Northwestern vs. Oklahoma State at the United Center, 9:30 p.m., BTN
Northwestern’s men’s team enters the neutral-site game 5-1 after pulling off a 79-77 win over South Carolina at the Greenbrier Tip-Off. Arrinten Page made the winning layup for the Wildcats’ second two-point victory of the season after they topped DePaul 81-79.
Oklahoma State, led by Vyctorius Miller’s 17.5 points per game average, has cruised to 6-0 against unranked teams.
Nov. 28: No. 13 Illinois vs. No. 5 UConn at Madison Square Garden, 11:30 a.m., FOX
The Illini men’s team went 1-1 in its first two games against ranked teams, topping No. 20 Texas Tech 81-77 at home and losing 90-86 to No. 8 Alabama at the United Center. Now, they face their biggest test yet on the road against a 5-1 UConn team that has lost only to No. 2 Arizona.
Illinois will hope for a better showing than its last trip to Madison Square Garden. Last February, Duke beat the Illini there 110-67, the worst loss in program history.
Quotable
Bulls center Nikola Vučević celebrates a 121-120 win against the Wizards on Nov. 22, 2025, at the United Center. Vučević scored a game-high 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the victory. (Melissa Tamez/AP)
“For three quarters, we were very soft. We gave no resistance. We didn’t do anything that we talked about. We just played really soft. It was really bad.” — Nikola Vučević refusing to celebrate after the Bulls pulled off a 16-point comeback for a 121-120 win over the Washington Wizards
