Joliet West 77, Niles West 53: The first day at Pontiac often feels like an audition. One side of the gym is full of local fans. They don’t have favorite teams or a rooting interest, they just want to watch great basketball. The first team to wow those judges on Wednesday was Joliet West. Elijah Ward and Eddie Creal each threw down tremendous dunks in the first 90 seconds of the game. Then senior Teyvion Kirk delivered a Player of the Year caliber performance. The 6-4 point guard finished with 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight steals. He had 20 points at halftime, the Wolves had scored just 18. Joliet West clearly has the pieces to win the tournament, but so do several teams. Kirk, who signed with Drake, was released from his letter of intent this week. A recruiting frenzy is building. SIU and Kent State offered him after the game. Northwestern was in the gym watching. Nebraska and several other schools are expected on Thursday.
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A solid performer for Joliet West as a junior, Kirk's progression embodies that of the Tigers.
Noticeably stronger after splitting his off-season workouts between the gym and the weight room, the 6-foot-3 point guard is averaging 17.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He averaged 12.5 points as a junior.
"Last year I feel like I was pretty good, but this year I feel like I'm on a whole new level," Kirk said. "I worked my butt off over the summer. I wanted to come into this year as an All-Stater and a Mr. Basketball candidate."
