Waukegan Offers Glimpse of Future at Sectional Semi. Boy, is it Bright

WAUKEGAN --- A few minutes after his boys basketball team won a Class 4A sectional semifinal on its home court over Notre Dame Wednesday, Waukegan coach Ron Ashlaw walked up the stairs from his team's locker room with a look on his face I've never seen from him before.

When he reached the top step, he gently wiped a small amount of sweat from his brow, then put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath.



It reminded me of a kid who didn't want to get too excited when he was about to open presents on Christmas morning. And who could blame him after what he witnessed his players do during their 75-63 victory, sending them to the Sweet 16 for a showdown against powerhouse Evanston on Friday?

Part of the look on Ashlaw's face, which came painfully close to including a smirk, had to do with the performance of 6-foot-4 sophomore forward Bryant Brown, who was an absolute monster, racking up a triple-double the hard way with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 blocked shots.

Another part of this almost befuddled expression on Ashlaw's face had to do with 6-2 sophomore guard Ja'Dyn Brown's night, All he did was tally a double-double thanks to his 17-point, 11-rebound effort that included him making his first five field goal attempts in the first half, when Waukegan collectively shot 62 percent (18 of 29) from the floor.

Sophomore guard Jordan Brown, who also started the game for the Bulldogs, finished with 10 points on 5 of 7 shooting, and threw in five boards for good measure.

How good was this sophomore trio, who all share the same last name --- yet in a remarkable coincidence, aren't related?

So good that Ashlaw couldn't contain himself when asked how excited he was. So efficient that the Bulldogs dominated while their star player, senior Carson Newsome (12 points, six assists), missed most of the fourth quarter with foul trouble.

"It's been my dream to have guys like this who can all play," Ashlaw said. "We let our players play."

Ashlaw made this comment before anyone even asked him about the game senior DeShawn Davidson had. All Davidson did was lead all scorers with a game-high 24 points. He shot 9 for 12 from the field, and made all four of his fourth quarter field goals against a Notre Dame defense that absolutely played its tails off, to no avail.

All five Waukegan starters scored in double figures. At one point in the second half, colleague Rusty Silber, who was sitting next to me near midcourt, turned to me and said, "Waukegan's bench isn't that deep."

"It doesn't have to be Rusty," I replied. "Not tonight. This is what team basketball should look like. This is what every coach dreams their team will play like."

The Bulldogs were so red-hot from the floor, in fact, they went 30 for 48 from the field --- an absolutely ridiculous number for a team playing this late in the postseason. That's 62.5 percent, folks. That just doesn't happen.

What's even more remarkable, the Bulldogs dominated without the longball, taking just five threes, and making two of them. That's a rarity in this Steph Curry-esque chuck it from downtown, era.

When you think about all the talent Ashlaw had in Waukegan during his prior coaching stint there, which included names like Jereme Richmond, Akeem Springs, Quan Conner, Aaron Johnson and countless others, it makes his comments stand out that much more. To see a coach marvel and rave so openly to the media about his players after a postseason victory (especially when three of those players are sophomores) is like finding a diamond sitting on the ground. It just doesn't happen.

"Last year, when those sophomores all started together as freshmen, they were undefeated," Ashlaw said. "They know how to win. And tonight they showed they can win, and more importantly, play as a group, while doing so on a huge stage."

Make no mistake, it's not as if sixth-seeded Waukegan was playing subpar competition. The second-seeded Dons had just captured their third consecutive regional title, and posted a 24-5 record prior to Wednesday's loss.

"With 25 seconds left in the game, (Notre Dame) is still making substitutions and putting kids on the floor, and I'm just ready to collapse to my knees," Ashlaw said. "They're awfully good and awfully experienced."

The question now is, can the Bulldogs sustain this momentum, and somehow pull off another magical upset over top seed Evanston, which has won its first three postseason games by an average of 21 points?

On paper, the answer is no. But given the fact Waukegan will be playing on its own home court, and given what they looked like tonight, there's no way I'd rule an upset out. Especially not after Ashlaw revealed this gem after the game.

"Midway through the season, I spoke with CLC coach Chuck Ramsey, who as you know, used to coach at Warren," Ashlaw said. "I don't want to reveal what he told me, but he saved our season. And that's saying something, because it's not like we got off to some terrible start. We started the season 12-4. The things he told me have made all the difference in the world for my kids. I can't thank him enough."

It wasn't what Ashlaw said that struck me as much as how he said it. This is a man who has been here before. This is a coach who knows what it takes to lead a team to the promised land.

Maybe the Bulldogs bow out on Friday night. Maybe they pull off an upset and there's yet again pandemonium inside the properly nicknamed "Dawg Pound," the same way there was when Jereme Richmond sank his unbelievable half-court buzzer-beater to win a sectional crown.

Whatever happens, all I know is this:

Winning basketball is back at Waukegan High School, and it's gonna be there to stay for a while. In the meantime, the Bulldogs are suddenly the darlings of Lake County boys basketball.

I, for one, can't wait to see if the same team shows up Friday night.