Mount Carmel's Basketball Resurgence: How Freshmen Duo Led the Caravan to Super 25 Success
In a stunning turnaround, Mount Carmel's basketball program has taken the first steps towards dominance in Chicago high school hoops. Just eight months ago, the team was on the brink of collapse after six players transferred, including star point guard Noah Mister. However, the arrival of freshmen Da'Kylen Heard and Ronald Johnson has changed everything.
Heard, a 6-5 guard, and Johnson, a 6-3 guard, brought with them high expectations from fans and coaches alike. Initially relegated to the bench, both players have steadily improved, leading the Caravan to an impressive 13-5 record. Their chemistry is undeniable, as they worked together seamlessly in their victories over Lincoln Park and Loyola.
Coach Phil Segroves praises the duo for their work ethic, patience, and coachability. "They are just really good, and they are coachable," he said. "In this day and age kids want instant gratification. Johnson and Heard have been very patient... They are learning to play high school basketball."
Heard and Johnson have become key players on the team, with Johnson adding 13 points and seven rebounds in their recent win against Lincoln Park. Da'Kylen Heard delivered a standout performance of 15 points and nine rebounds in their victory over the same team.
Young teammates like sophomore wide receiver Marshaun Thornton are also making waves. "We are trending in the right direction now," he said. "Everyone is playing hard, everyone is giving good minutes... [The freshmen] grew up a lot. They've learned the system and are starting to put the ball in the basket."
While it remains to be seen whether the promising freshmen will attract more top talent to Mount Carmel than they scare away, there's no denying their impact on the team so far. With Segroves' emphasis on teamwork, it's clear that the Caravan is heading in the right direction.
Here are the updated rankings:
* Benet (19-1)
* DePaul Prep (15-3)
* Curie (15-1)
* Kankakee (13-1)
* St. Ignatius (17-2)
* Warren (14-1)
* Marist (16-1)
* Bolingbrook (10-5)
* Neuqua Valley (16-1)
* Evanston (13-3)
* Waukegan (13-5)
* Homewood-Flossmoor (15-2)
* New Trier (13-4)
* Fremd (14-1)
* Mount Carmel (13-5)
* Glenbard East (17-2)
* Loyola (15-4)
* St. Laurence (17-2)
* St. Patrick (14-2)
* Hersey (14-2)
* Palatine (14-3)
* Young (13-6)
* Kaneland (16-0)
* Glenbard North (12-3)
* York (15-3)
In a stunning turnaround, Mount Carmel's basketball program has taken the first steps towards dominance in Chicago high school hoops. Just eight months ago, the team was on the brink of collapse after six players transferred, including star point guard Noah Mister. However, the arrival of freshmen Da'Kylen Heard and Ronald Johnson has changed everything.
Heard, a 6-5 guard, and Johnson, a 6-3 guard, brought with them high expectations from fans and coaches alike. Initially relegated to the bench, both players have steadily improved, leading the Caravan to an impressive 13-5 record. Their chemistry is undeniable, as they worked together seamlessly in their victories over Lincoln Park and Loyola.
Coach Phil Segroves praises the duo for their work ethic, patience, and coachability. "They are just really good, and they are coachable," he said. "In this day and age kids want instant gratification. Johnson and Heard have been very patient... They are learning to play high school basketball."
Heard and Johnson have become key players on the team, with Johnson adding 13 points and seven rebounds in their recent win against Lincoln Park. Da'Kylen Heard delivered a standout performance of 15 points and nine rebounds in their victory over the same team.
Young teammates like sophomore wide receiver Marshaun Thornton are also making waves. "We are trending in the right direction now," he said. "Everyone is playing hard, everyone is giving good minutes... [The freshmen] grew up a lot. They've learned the system and are starting to put the ball in the basket."
While it remains to be seen whether the promising freshmen will attract more top talent to Mount Carmel than they scare away, there's no denying their impact on the team so far. With Segroves' emphasis on teamwork, it's clear that the Caravan is heading in the right direction.
Here are the updated rankings:
* Benet (19-1)
* DePaul Prep (15-3)
* Curie (15-1)
* Kankakee (13-1)
* St. Ignatius (17-2)
* Warren (14-1)
* Marist (16-1)
* Bolingbrook (10-5)
* Neuqua Valley (16-1)
* Evanston (13-3)
* Waukegan (13-5)
* Homewood-Flossmoor (15-2)
* New Trier (13-4)
* Fremd (14-1)
* Mount Carmel (13-5)
* Glenbard East (17-2)
* Loyola (15-4)
* St. Laurence (17-2)
* St. Patrick (14-2)
* Hersey (14-2)
* Palatine (14-3)
* Young (13-6)
* Kaneland (16-0)
* Glenbard North (12-3)
* York (15-3)
I mean, it's a game changer. They have this amazing spicy sauce that just takes the whole thing to another level. I had them at lunch yesterday and now I'm craving it again just thinking about it 
. What do you think is the key to making a good food truck successful? Is it the menu, the location, or something else entirely? 
OMG, have you seen this graph of Mount Carmel's team progress? 
They went from 2-5 to 13-5 in just 8 months! 
That's a 67% increase in wins! 
And it's all thanks to the arrival of these two freshmen, Da'Kylen Heard and Ronald Johnson. Their chemistry is on point, with both players averaging over 10 points per game now. 
That's a huge turnaround.
But Mount Carmel is definitely on track to make some noise this year. 
Those freshmen Da'Kylen Heard and Ronald Johnson are straight fire! 
They've brought a new energy to the team and it's amazing to see how they've meshed together. Coach Segroves is right on point with his emphasis on teamwork – it's all about working together towards a common goal.
Those freshmen Heard and Johnson are on FIRE 
. The system's working for them, no doubt 
. #CarmelCaravan
now let's see if they can keep this momentum going and attract some more talent to the team 
gotta keep an eye on that Caravan, they might just do some damage in the Super 25! 
. i'm not even a basketball fan but i started watching because of him lol. i love how the team is all coming together now too, it's like they're finally gelling 
. I'm curious to see how this story unfolds, though... will we see more top talent flock to Mount Carmel? Only time will tell! 
! I mean, they went from struggling to having a bunch of wins under their belt. The addition of those two freshmen, Da'Kylen and Ronald, has been huge 
. Marshaun Thornton is looking pretty sharp as a sophomore, and it's clear that he's been feeding off the energy of the freshmen. I'm curious to see how the rest of the season plays out for them - will they be able to attract even more top talent or hold onto their momentum? Only time will tell 
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i'm loving how mount carmel's basketball team is on the comeback trail! those freshmen, da'kylen heard and ronald johnson, are bringing so much energy to the court. it's awesome to see them meshing with their teammates like marshaun thornton. coach phil segroves must be doing something right 
i'm curious to see how they'll do in the rest of the season - will they attract more top talent or stay steady? 
and coach phil segroves is the man for acknowledging their hard work & patience 
i'm loving how the team is trending upwards right now 
lets see if they can stay on top and bring home that super 25 win 
, and it's awesome to see how well they mesh together.
. He's emphasizing teamwork and coachability, which is so important in high school sports. And it's paying off big time! 
. But for now, I'm just excited to watch them play some great basketball 
their work ethic and patience are truly inspiring, especially with how they've improved so much from being relegated to the bench 
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. If they can keep this momentum going, who knows what the future holds? Maybe we'll see Mount Carmel take down some of those top-ranked teams? 
#MountCarmelBasketball #FreshmenFrenzy #ChicagoHS hoops