5 Takeaways: St. Ignatius vs Hope Academy

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First game of the season we caught St. Ignatius who has been downstate the last two seasons in their opener against Hope Academy who is under new leadership with head coach Ronnie Fields.&nbsp; Early on Hope jumped out on Iggy with their quickness, defense, and creating turnovers.&nbsp; Gill got it going late in the first quarter and in the second half they shot lights out from three to win 77-61. To beat top tier Chicago Catholic League teams St. Ignatius will need to play better than they did in this one, but they answered after getting put on the floor early.<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gill Lives Up to Top Spot in Junior Debut</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are four legit contenders for the top spot in the 2025 class in Illinois.&nbsp; We went with St. Ignatius junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1385292' first='Phoenix' last='Gill'] in a close call in our latest update.&nbsp; The shooting guard has all the tools to be an impact player at the high major level.&nbsp; Frame and athleticism on the wing really shine.&nbsp; Got things going early with a pair of corner threes.&nbsp; Then he started to take it to the rack.&nbsp; Showed burst and explosion on straight line takes through defenders for acrobatic conversions at the rim.&nbsp; Crisp handles also allowed him to get to the line on a regular basis.&nbsp; Liked his all-around floor game as he passed it well especially in drive/kick situations along with making the extra pass on the perimeter.&nbsp; Rebounded for his position and moved his feet on the defensive end.&nbsp; He had 28 points in the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Ignatius Backcourt Trio Going to Be Backbone</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ignatius returns two other impact guards who also made their presence known in this one.  [player_tooltip player_id='1285517' first='Reggie' last='Ray'] is a 2024 combo guard that missed most of last season with an injury.  He is back and was a huge spark in the first half with the way he flew down the floor coast to coast over and over again for buckets.  Also hit a couple threes and was active on the glass for 21 points.  [player_tooltip player_id='1285523' first='Phillip' last='Erickson'] is a plus shooting combo guard that is best playing off the ball as a spot up threat.  Drained four triples on his way to 19 points while also showing off his IQ as a passer.  Small college gem! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Iggy 2026 Transfer Big One to Track</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They have a transfer big man that we were able to check out for the first time in [player_tooltip player_id='2323283' first='Chris' last='Bolte'].&nbsp; The St. Ignatius 6'5” post is a lefty that rebounds well in his area, gets second chance points, and runs the floor.&nbsp; Could be a great compliment once elite football prospect Justin Scott returns.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ronnie Fields Brought His Team Ready to Play</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First game for Ronnie Fields at his new home of Hope Academy.&nbsp; He had them fired up and flying all over the floor on the defensive end early making plays happen!&nbsp; Bright future for Fields and this program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hope Small Backcourt Can Make Noise in 1A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were a pair of dynamic smaller guards for Hope that shined in this one.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2323304' first='Tyuan' last='Hunter'] was bombing in deep threes one after another in this game.&nbsp; He drained four of them from well beyond NBA range along with mixing in some scoop shots for 23 points.&nbsp; Josh Dillon got them going early with his nifty soft touch finishing game around the hoop for 13 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->