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Chicago Tribune
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Warren happily banks on Javerion Banks in sectional semifinals: ‘Getting him back has been really good for us'
Recovering from surgery isn't the kind of experience that Warren's Javerion Banks envisioned for his senior season. But that was foisted on the 6-foot-1 guard anyway after a bone cyst was found on his left femur in the fall. 'It was crazy, but I got through it,' Banks said. 'I was in a pretty dark place because it was my senior year and I thought originally I might be out for the whole season. It took time, but I kept telling myself that you have to trust the process.' Sidelined for about six weeks, Banks returned to action Jan. 24 and has been making up for lost time, giving the Blue Devils a significant jolt as they try to ride their fully restored nucleus all the way downstate. 'Even though I'm so glad to be back, I try to stay composed and keep my cool, not getting too hyped up,' he said. Banks was all of those things and more on Tuesday, scoring a team-high 16 points and playing disruptive defense during second-seeded Warren's 61-49 win against top-seeded DeKalb in the Class 4A Waukegan Sectional semifinals. Sophomore guard Jaxson Davis added 13 points for the Blue Devils (24-10), who will play top-seeded North Suburban Conference rival Waukegan or second-seeded Rockford Guilford in the sectional championship game at 7 p.m. Friday. Banks looked every bit like the player he had been before surgery, when he earned all-conference honors as a junior and turned heads over the summer. 'Obviously, it hurt not having him, and it showed,' Warren coach Zack Ryan said. 'We struggled without him. We missed his punch, the athleticism he gives us, the added scoring. Getting him back has been really good for us, and I'm happy for him.' Although Banks estimates he's playing at 95% of peak performance, he looked top-notch against DeKalb (26-7). He flashed in a variety of ways, showcasing long-range shooting, slashes through the lane and nonstop activity that sometimes made it seem like he was playing at a different speed from everyone else. The Blue Devils needed that from him. Trailing by as many as eight points in the first quarter, they cut DeKalb's lead to 26-22 by halftime. Then midway through the third quarter, Banks was responsible for what may have been the game's most influential turn, making back-to-back steals and converting both into layups. Banks' flurry not only flipped a 33-31 deficit into a 35-33 lead but got the crowd roaring and illustrated how valuable Banks can be on the defensive end. 'It just happened, and it was a big energy booster,' he said. 'Energy and defense are what I think I'm best at, and offense can be a dab on top of it.' Banks' dab of offense began with a 3-pointer after DeKalb had taken a 13-5 lead. He hit his second 3-pointer at the beginning of the fourth quarter and drove for a layup on Warren's next possession. Banks' last basket, an aggressive move through the lane for another clutch layup, answered two quick 3-pointers by DeKalb that had trimmed Warren's lead to 51-47 with 3 ½ minutes left. 'He can turn the game around, like when he got those steals in passing lanes,' Ryan said. 'He gives us energy, senior toughness and that senior urgency that kids get this time of year when they don't want it to be done.' It may not be done for a while if Banks continues to play at such a high level. Even though he has been coming off the bench since his return, Banks is averaging 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists. 'I completely understand,' Banks said of his sixth-man role. 'Obviously, they see something in keeping me in that position. It definitely is a different mentality, but all I want to do is help us win.' That's music to the ears of Banks' teammates. 'Now he's having a big-time impact on the team, partly because he's crazy athletic,' Davis said. 'His defensive antics lead to offensive energy. When we have him rolling and all the guys on the same page, we're tough to beat. All he wants to do is win, and I love playing with players like that.'
Chicago Tribune
01-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan's Yashir ‘DJ' Cole has seen it all in his 4 seasons. ‘From rock bottom,' he leads the Bulldogs back.
The bookends of Yashir 'DJ' Cole's varsity experience in the Waukegan boys basketball program could not be any more different. The initial luster of Cole's promotion in the middle of the 2021-22 season dimmed considerably amid a seemingly endless string of losses. Three years later, as the only player left from that team, the 5-foot-9 senior guard can truly appreciate how far the Bulldogs have come. 'The program was really bad, and I went through those hard times, all the losing,' Cole said of his freshman season, when Waukegan went 3-27. 'Now I'm here celebrating with my teammates. It's been a long ride for me. But we do this all together.' Cole and his teammates were celebrating after North Suburban Conference co-champion Waukegan's 73-57 win in the Class 4A Libertyville Regional championship game on Friday. By beating the fourth-seeded host Wildcats for the third time this season, the top-seeded Bulldogs won their first regional title since 2019 and advanced to play second-seeded Rockford Guilford on their home court in the Waukegan Sectional semifinals on Wednesday. Cole may not have been a statistical leader for the Bulldogs (23-7). But he was his typically productive self alongside junior wing Simereon Carter, who scored a game-high 21 points, and junior forward Jaali Love, who had 19 points and seven rebounds. Junior guard Carter Newsome added 16 points. Junior forward Bryce Wegrzyn led Libertyville (16-14) with 16 points. 'DJ isn't a star, but he does the dirty work, and every team needs a player like him,' Love said. 'Without him, our energy wouldn't be there. If the gym was quiet, you would have heard DJ. He's the loudest one, and we feed off that. 'This is his first time winning, and I feel good for him.' Cole's efforts exemplify his careerlong buy-in to the idea that the sum of Waukegan's highly talented parts is stronger than any individual. He has been a consistent contributor as the Bulldogs went 12-17 in 2022-23 and 17-14 in 2023-24. Cole is averaging 6.5 points this season, but Waukegan coach Ron Ashlaw listed 'one billion intangibles daily' as an addendum to his stats. 'He does a little of everything,' Ashlaw said. 'He keeps us organized and keeps us pushing when we're flat. He gets on us in timeouts and takes the board out of my hand and puts stuff up there. He helps me run practice. 'He is everything you want out of a high school senior basketball player who has seen us from rock bottom to going back home for a sectional.' Against Libertyville, Cole set the tone early with a steal and a fast-break layup. He also scored on a tip-in at the end of the first half, giving the Bulldogs a 34-24 lead. 'As soon as I saw Simereon take the shot, I saw it was falling short,' Cole said. 'The big guy (Wegrzyn) was on my hip, so I jumped and put my hand in there. I didn't think it was going in, but it did, and that was a nice boost.' Cole, who finished with five points, doesn't expect to score a lot. That's fine with him. 'I don't care about scoring 20 points,' he said. 'All that matters is getting the win. I like to be a complete player who can do a little of everything, and as a team, we try to execute everything perfectly, better than other teams. I try to lead the way, showing how to do that.' One of the ways Cole takes the lead is by rolling up his sleeves on defense. Even with his 160-pound frame, he doesn't back down from a challenge. 'I love to put a body on somebody and make all of the hustle plays,' Cole said. 'Height doesn't matter to me. Weight doesn't matter to me. I just want to get the job done.' Having done his job with such regularity will be Cole's legacy. 'Here's why he's so special,' Ashlaw said. 'He's been part of the climb back. That was unacceptable to him, me and everybody. Now we have four other starters with a lot of firepower, and he doesn't have to be that firepower. You need that spindle for the other dudes to go around, and he's that spindle. 'You can't ask for a better kid, and I am so ridiculously happy for him.'
