No Shot Clock

No Shot Clock, Ep. 75: Diving into the mailbag

Joe Henricksen and Michael O'Brien's weekly Chicago high school basketball podcast. It is mailbag time. We do our Two Takes and then hop into a massive mailbag full of listener questions.

Some of the topics:

-Is Talen Horton-Tucker the toughest player to guard?
-What will Simeon have next year?
-Who are the top five players in 2019?
-What happened with Illinois recruiting after 2005?
-Why is O'Brien watching Momence?
-What are the top three supersectionals?
-Sectional dark horses
-Could four DVC teams win regionals?
-Is Niles North underrated?
-Where should CPS hold the quarterfinals?
-Can anyone knock off Providence-St. Mel before the super?
-Will Belleville West or Normal West come to Chicago next season?
-Which Illinois coaches have hit the 800-win mark?

Have a question for next week's episode? Email mobrien@suntimes.com

That and much more...

No Shot Clock, Ep. 74: Public League playoff talk

Michael O'Brien and Joe Henricksen's weekly Chicago high school basketball podcast.

It is city tournament time. We break down the bracket, all the way from the first round games to possible title games. Picks are made and key games highlighted.

Some of this week's topics:

-Who are the area's top defenders?
-What's going on at Julian?
-Which teams could pull off first round upsets in the city tournament?
-Is this Orr's year?
-This season's best coaching jobs
-Which team should be the top seed in the Maine East sectional?
-What team is most likely to beat Simeon in the city playoffs?
-Young has turned things around, can the Dolphins make a charge?
-Andrew's unlikely hero, Dan Gierhahn

Have a question for next week's episode? Email mobrien@suntimes.com

That and much more...

No Shot Clock, Ep. 73: Three big questions

Joe Henricksen and Michael O'Brien's weekly Chicago high school basketball podcast. 

We get into a big listener mailbag first and then hit our two takes. After that we try out a new feature, Three Questions.

Some of the topics include:

-How could the IHSA and Peoria fix state?
-How good is Belleville West's EJ Liddell?
-Rants on Leo, Loyola, the Public League playoffs and more.
-Which team that has never been ranked could make a playoff run?
-Where are the top eighth graders heading to high school?
-Who are the top five senior point guards?
-What is the season's biggest disappointment?
-What star player has been under the radar all season?

Have a question for next week's episode? Email mobrien@suntimes.com

That and much more...

No Shot Clock, Ep. 72: The stock report

Michael O'Brien and Joe Henricksen's weekly Chicago high school basketball podcast. This is easily the longest episode ever, just second short of two hours.

We get into a big, fun listener mailbag first and then hit our two takes. After that we get into the Stock Report, deciding whether to buy, sell or hold teams based on their potential for success this season. Almost 100 teams are discussed. 

Some of the questions answered include:

-Who are some of the best players that have had to go JUCO over the past seven years from the area?
-Why doesn't Illinois have any McDonald's All-Americans and why is there such a talent drought happening?
-Which north suburban team could make a big run in the playoffs?

Have a question for next week's episode? Email mobrien@suntimes.com

That and much more...

No Shot Clock, Ep. 71: The best unsigned seniors

Joe Henricksen and Michael O'Brien's weekly Chicago high school basketball podcast. Another hour plus of hoops talk this week.

We get into a big, fun listener mailbag first and then hit our two takes. After that we break down a long list of the area's best uncommitted seniors. 

Some of the questions answered include:

-What about Carmel?
-Could any Lake County teams make a run in the playoffs?
-Could downstate teams win Class 3A and Class 4A?
-What is wrong with all the in-state colleges? Why aren't they going after the right local players?
-Could Robert Smith, Nick Irvin or Tyrone Slaughter take over at UIC or NIU and succeed?
-What rule change needs to take place next? Shot clock? Halves instead of quarters?
-Why are the same few teams always at the top of the rankings each year?
-Why are the south suburbs down?

That and a ton more.

No Shot Clock, Ep. 70: Ten breakout players

Michael O'Brien and Joe Henricksen's weekly Chicago high school basketball podcast. This week's episode has a nice mix of talk about current players and historical high school basketball thanks to some great questions. 

We get into a big, fun listener mailbag first and then hit our two takes. After that we each pick five breakout players from this season. 

Things wrap up with a look ahead at a big week of games. The schedule is loaded with important conference matchups and Martin Luther King tournaments and shootouts. 

Some of the questions answered include:

-If the season ended today who is Player of the Year?
-What are the best teams of the past decade?
-What does Corliss have to do to get ranked?
-How talented was Imari Sawyer?
-Best and worst schools to cover a game?
-Top five guards in Chicago area?

No Shot Clock, Ep. 69: Holiday tournament breakdown

Joe Henricksen and Michael O'Brien's weekly Chicago high school basketball podcast. There were nearly 1,000 games last week, at holiday tournaments all over the state. We take a look at Proviso West, Pontiac, Big Dipper, Hinsdale Central, Wheeling, York, Bloomington and Centralia. We break down our hits and misses for each tournament and go on some quality rants about what is and isn't working for each tournament.

There is also a huge listener mailbag. Questions answered include:

-What determines team and prospect rankings? What information is used?
-Is Lincoln Park a legitimate contender to win a sectional?
-What about Aurora Christian?
-What is going on with Glenbrook South?
-How far can Niles North advance in March? Will the schedule hurt them?
-Which teams are just outside the Super 25
-What is the outlook for the Catholic League Blue?

No Shot Clock, Ep. 68: Holiday Tournament preview

Michael O'Brien and Joe Henricksen's weekly Chicago high school basketball podcast.

The holidays have arrived. There is no better time of year for a high school basketball fan than holiday tournament season. This episode is all holiday tournament talk. There are no takes, no mailbag, just bracket talk.

We breakdown the brackets of all the top holiday tournaments: Proviso West, Pontiac, Bloomington, York, Hinsdale Central, Rich South and Wheeling. 

Pekin, Plano and DeKalb are also discussed. 

No Shot Clock, Ep. 67: The kids, freshman and sophomore standouts

Michael O'Brien and Joe Henricksen's weekly Chicago high school basketball podcast.  This week's special feature focuses on the kids, the freshmen and sophomores that have stood out so far this season.

Questions answered include:

-What's up with the City-Suburban Showdown
-Is this year's Bolingbrook team better than last year's?
-A look back at Patrick Beverley's recruitment
-What about Willowbrook?
-Can Crane or Farragut return to the spotlight?
-Who leads the Player of the Year race?
-Can the Catholic League get a team to Peoria?

No Shot Clock, Ep. 66: The surprise teams

Michael O'Brien and Joe Henricksen's weekly Chicago high school basketball podcast. On this week's episode we give our two takes and dive into a big mailbag. This week's special feature is a breakdown of the season's surprise teams: St. Laurence, Naperville Central, Sandburg, Glenbrook North, Mundelein, Latin and Schurz. We also make a plea for info about undefeated Westmont.

We look back at Orr vs. Danville and Romeoville vs. Hillcrest and look ahead at all of the week's best games, including an extended preview of Bolingbrook vs. Romeoville.

Questions anwered include:
-Why weren't more blue bloods involved with Derrick Rose's recruitment?
-Has Chase Adams lived up to the hype?
-Where would Danville, Belleville West, Bloomington, etc. fit into the Super 25 if they were eligible?
-Who is the most entertaining player to watch in the city?
-Which teams in the north suburbs do you think could make a run to Peoria?

That and so much more....