Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Bolingbrook High School Anthony Smith was chosen to coach some of the best girls basketball players in the country.
Bolingbrook High School girls basketball coach Anthony Smith led the West Team to an "easy victory" Wednesday night’s in the Midwest McDonald’s All American game at the United Center, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. The West team beat the East 92-64. Smith coached rival Whitney Young High School player Linnae Harper in the game. "She did a great job coming out, anticipating, getting steals and buckets for us," said Smith told the Tribune. "That's the type of kid and player she is. It was great to see." Editor's note: This story has been corrected from its orginal version. Read more about the Midwest girls All-American game in the full Tribune report. Read more about how Smith feels about coaching a rival in the Tribune.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Bolingbrook head coach Tony Smith feels his 2011-12 squad is very similar to previous championship years.
The Bolingbrook High School girls basketball team might be 13-1 at the moment—riding high on senior forward Morgan Tuck’s outstanding play—but how do the Lady Raiders compare to past state champions at the midway point? Quite favorably, according to Lady Raiders head coach Tony Smith. Smith has led five previous Bolingbrook squads to 4A IHSA state titles, including three-straight and a second-place national finish last year. Now, he says can see many similarities between his 2011-12 girls and past teams. “I think they’re right there with them,” Smith said. “Every year, we question whether our kids want to and how tough are they. To be a champion, you have to be tough and have a lot of heart. We can’t see if we are yet until playoff time. …
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Lady Raiders senior forwards Nia Moore and Morgan Tuck combine for 41 points.
VILLA PARK—While Monday’s final McDonald’s Shootout contest was supposed to be about Bolingbrook’s Morgan Tuck and Niles West’s Jewell Loyd, Lady Raider Nia Moore perhaps had the most impressive game. The Raiders’ senior forward scored a career-high 15 points as Bolingbrook rolled over the Wolves 67-36 on Monday. Moore, an Illinois-recruit who has been working on her scoring this season, missed her first three shots in the first half. In the second half, she was 5-of-6 from the field and stayed aggressive in the post to force Niles West (16-6) to defend someone else besides Tuck. “At halftime in the locker room, my coaches and teammates told me to keep my head up and stay focused and they would look for me,” said Moore, who also had eight …
Monday, January 9, 2012
The senior forward is trying to win Ms. Basketball of Illinois again with an incredible season. Tuck won the award three years ago as a freshman.
Morgan Tuck helped lead the Bolingbrook High School girls basketball team to a third-straight championship last season, was named to the USA U-19 national team and was widely acclaimed as one of the best high school talents in the country. So what does the senior guard have to work on this year? Tuck was the youngest winner of Ms. Basketball of Illinois as a freshamen. She has three state titles and will play for the University of Connecticut next year. Despite these accomplishments, the 6-foot-2 Tuck has driven herself to keep upping her game year after year as she desires to reclaim her Ms. Basketball title. "It was hard a little bit," Tuck said of continually improving in high school. "You start feeling yourself a bit when the accolades…
Friday, December 16, 2011
Lady Raiders force 36 turnovers en route to fifth-straight win.
LOCKPORT—The Bolingbrook High School girls basketball team provided a first-quarter knockout punch against Lockport Thursday night in a game that was never close. The Lady Raiders (5-0, 2-0 Southwest Suburban) bolted to a 25-0 lead and blew out the Porters 74-21 in a game where Bolingbrook's defense forced 36 turnovers. “We take all the wins,” said Bolingbrook head coach Anthony Smith, whose team shot 31-of-60. “We came out with a lot more energy then we did Tuesday night (against Carl Sanburg). We came out a little flat that game and we didn’t play Bolingbrook hard. We played to do enough and not excel.” Smith’s squad played with high intensity the entire game, holding Lockport (1-5) to 6-of-27 shooting with seven of their points coming …
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The Lady Raiders gave up 22 and 25 points in their last two contests, yet head coach Anthony Smith said his players could improve on the defensive fundamentals.
The Lady Raiders (4-0, 2-0 Southwest Suburban) figure to blow out most local opponents on the hardwood this season. But that doesn't take away from the team’s sense of continual improvement in its quest for a national championship. One area head coach Anthony Smith wants to focus on is the defensive effort, even after his Bolingbrook squad dismantled Lincoln-Way Central 77-22 and Sandburg 56-25. Smith’s squad failed to put the Eagles away Tuesday night, letting them hang around 24-14 at the half. During the halftime huddle, Smith told his players to play with more defensive intensity. “After the first few minutes of the first quarter, they hung their heads with the missed layups,” said Smith, whose team he said lacked intensity the first …
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Senior forward Morgan Tuck had a double-double while the defense held the Eagles to 20 percent shooting.
Despite lacking intensity, the Bolingbrook girls basketball team was able to pull away from Carl Sandburg 56-25 Tuesday night for its first home victory of the season. The Lady Raiders (4-0, 2-0 Southwest Suburban), who are the top-ranked team nationally in the USA Today polls, lead just 24-14 at the half as the Eagles (2-2, 0-1) got them out of rhythm. Bolingbrook committed an uncharacteristic eight first-half turnovers while missing many close lay-ups, keeping the Eagles in the game. “We just didn’t come out to play,” Bolingbrook senior forward Morgan Tuck said. “Coach (Anthony) Smith was definitely on us on getting out and starting up our defense with some stops. That was something we struggled with was getting our energy and aggression…
Friday, November 25, 2011
Head coach Anthony Smith’s squad has finished in the Top 5 nationally the last few years, including a second place finish in 2010-11.
Close doesn’t cut it if you are the Bolingbrook High School girls basketball team. The Lady Raiders want to be national champions, but fell a game short and finished second best last season. Bolingbrook lost 59-54 to California’s Brea Olinda in a double overtime game in the Nike Tournament of Champions, which wound up costing the team national bragging rights. “They were a team we could’ve probably beat if we were all focused that night,” Smith said. “It was a bad night for us and it came back and bit us in the hand. So we had to settle for second. “We’ve always wanted to be the best. Not just the best in Bolingbrook. No just the best in the state of Illinois. We want to be the best in the country, so we try to go out and play the toughest…
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The eight seniors returning on the Bolingbrook High School girls basketball team are looking to lead by example and wind up playing for a national championship.
How do you top a third-straight state championship? Easy, members of the 2011-12 Bolingbrook High School girls basketball team say: win a national title. The Lady Raiders return eight seniors this season, and they're all eying national hardware. All eight have received scholarships to play Division I basketball next season. “I think it shows that we put in a lot of hard work and dedication and it paid off in the long-run,” senior guard/forward DaLacy Anderson said. During head coach Anthony Smith’s 11-year tenure, this class tops his 2006-07 senior class, which had six girls receiving DI scholarships. Keeping track of eight could-be college standouts could pose difficult for many, but Smith said his girls are coachable. “It’s pretty easy…
Russ Fletcher
10:19 am on Thursday, April 4, 2013
I believe the last sentence needs correction. more ›