Simply six months ago St. Rita was the preseason No. 2 ranked group in the Super 25 rankings, boasting three juniors all committed to high-major programs and one of the leading sophomores in the state.
All eyes were on a program set to take a major step and make headlines in 2022-23. St. Rita was set for a two-year window in which they were set to play in high-profile occasions and compete for state championships.
Today the program is a shell of itself.
James Brown, a much-talked-about young eighth-grader 3 years ago, concerned St. Rita and quickly became a high-major possibility. He committed to North Carolina in December, played out his junior year and then announced he was heading to Link Academy, a prep school in Missouri, for his senior year.
Super sophomore Melvin Bell, who missed out on half the season recovering from a leg injury, departed for La Lumiere, a prep school in Indiana.
And head coach Roshawn Russell, who brought in all of this star-studded talent to the Catholic League school, stepped down recently. He is headed to St. Laurence to be an assistant under close friend Byron Burt.
That leaves 2 major talents at St. Rita. Nojus Indrusaitis, a 6-4 Iowa State hire who is among the leading five potential customers in the junior class, and Morez Johnson, an Illinois hire that is the state's top-ranked prospect in the Class 0f 2024. Where they wind up stays to be seen.
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St. Rita basketball coach Roshawn Russell resigns
The common concern amongst basketball observers has been this: What's going on at St. Rita? How did a growing program with what appeared to be a limitless ceiling at the high school level dissolve overnight?
The scenario occurring at St. Rita differs from anything we've seen in
Chicago location basketball---- ever. Which's saying a lot considering all the drama and headlines this sport has actually generated over the decades.
St. Rita did win the Catholic League championship this past season. The program likewise put together a quite challenging schedule that supplied the school and gamers a spotlight and platform.
In addition to the Catholic League slate, in-state powers Joliet West, Simeon and Young were on the schedule. In addition, Russell included prep school giants Montverde Academy and Link Academy, and a host of other out-of-state powers, including Cardinal Ritter out of
St. Louis and
Kansas City Staley, a 30-2 team that invested most of the season ranked No. 1 in Kansas.
When it was all stated and done, the season didn't exactly fulfill or exceed the achievable however wild expectations positioned on this team back in November-- at least from the outsiders. The Mustangs completed 23-11 and was up to Brother Rice, a group it beat in the regular season, in the sectional semifinals on their home floor.
In reality, this has actually all been percolating for over a year. I frequently joked with Russell lot of times over the past year when we spoke that I needed to sign in with him on the most recent "Rita rumors."
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James Brown, the state's top junior, leaves St. Rita for Missouri prep school
Yes, St. Rita did include Indrusaitis this previous season, a Lemont transfer who played club basketball with Brown and Johnson. There was constantly endless banter each offseason as to which St. Rita gamers were leaving the program for either prep schools or other
Chicago location high school alternatives.
He did his finest to keep the outside noise from hindering the development of his gamers and program. Make no mistake about it, the continuous outside impacts badly affected the potential of this team and program.
While the program was definitely a tinderbox---- and the gifted Brown had made his decision to leave---- the only hope St. Rita had to keep the bulk of its skill was if Russell remained.
St. Rita's James Brown (13) reacts throughout the game against Brother Rice.
Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times
The players, more or less, were familiar with where this was headed before Russell formally resigned. While Brown was out the door and headed the prep school route, keeping the likes of Bell, Indrustaitis, Johnson and others in the program together was still tenable. Russell, after all, had ended up being a pro at keeping it together as much as this point.
So the question still not completely answered is why Russell, a 2008 St. Rita graduate who spent four years as a Mustangs assistant and 4 as the head coach, would step down? He was fresh off winning a Catholic League champion. He was still in the midst of climbing up the mountain of the basketball elites in this state.
What were the outlying factors that might have pushed Russell to take what seems a pretty out-of-the-blue choice two months after the season ended?
This is likewise the athletic program where recently worked with athletic director, Curtis Price, an alum and beloved figure in the St. Rita neighborhood, took a leave of absence in March after just 8 months on the job.
Was the loss of Price another eye-opener for the basketball coach regarding the instructions of the athletic program? Could St. Rita's administration and leaders have done more, whether it be philosophically or in support of the program, to keep its coach?
Russell, on the other hand, has taken the high road and has not pointed fingers. He's kept a low profile and has been a little blasé in responding to specifics regarding why he made the move from leading a program to ending up being an assistant coach in the same league.
" It was fantastic training at my alma mater," Russell said. "I'm extremely pleased with what my staff and I accomplished throughout our time at St. Rita. It was a difficult decision. As much as I wanted to persevere, I know this is the ideal choice for me and my household. I'm delighted to join my good friend Byron Burt at St. Laurence and continue to contend in the Catholic League."
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