St. Charles hoops harken to past

Former St. Charles coach Ron Johnson will be honored along with two of his former assistants before Saturday's Upstate Eight Conference game between St. Charles East and St. Charles North.

Courier News File

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Things sometimes get chippy when St. Charles East and St. Charles North square off on the hardwood, but the teams will put their fierce rivalry aside for a few moments before tipping off Saturday night at North.

That's because a unifying force will be in the gym as former St. Charles High coaches Ron Johnson, Chuck Rachow and Jim Parker will be honored in a pregame ceremony at approximately 5:45 p.m.

Johnson was the face of the program for 35 years, compiling a 710-406 record from 1962-98. Meanwhile, Parker and Rachow were freshman and sophomore coaches for over 25 years, providing a steadying force for a team that consistently enjoyed success.

A 1991 St. Charles graduate, current North coach Tom Poulin knows the three men well, having played for all three during his high school career. With former players, friends and colleagues of Johnson, Rachow and Parker expected to be in attendance for the game and postgame reception in North's cafeteria, Poulin anticipates a special night.

"What I was most proud of was how we could put something like this on," Poulin said. "The two programs are what these three guys started and developed over 30 years of service to St. Charles basketball, the community and the kids that came up through the community.

"Where we are at this point in the tradition of St. Charles basketball is two programs, and to be able to work with East and take time to honor these guys and celebrate what we've become is something special."

North owns an 8-5 lead in the all-time series, which dates to the 2001-02 season when North opened on the west side of town. North Stars senior Jon DeMoss keyed a 75-64 triumph against the Saints last year, scoring 27 points in the contest.

Although not a former Saint himself, East coach Brian Clodi is well aware of the importance of Saturday's ceremony.

"It's a great thing to honor coach Johnson, Rachow and Parker," Clodi said. "They were definitely a huge part of the tradition that St. Charles East has. The rivalry is what it is and we get a lot of community members there, so it's the perfect time to honor those three."

North (11-5) is on a roll going into tonight's game against Larkin, with eight wins in its past nine games. A big reason for that success is depth.

The North Stars have six different players who average between six and 12 points per game, making it tough for any team to match up defensively.

"We've got a lot of guys that can put the ball in the hole different ways, and I think they all complement each other pretty well," Poulin said. "When we're successful, we share the ball and multiple guys score, and obviously we defend and rebound."

Things haven't gone as well on the other side of town for the Saints, who are 3-12 going into Friday's game against Elgin.

However, things are looking up for East, which has won three of its past four games after losing its first 11 of the season.

Senior Kevin Senechalle is the player to watch for East. He is the area's scoring and rebounding leader with 23.6 points and 11.1 boards per game.

"We feel like we're really starting to gel as a unit and we're starting to play well," Clodi said. "Kev has been so consistent, and we know what we're going to get from him night in and night out."