Chicago Simeon High School...More Than About Basketball

Chicago Simeon is one of the most successful high school Basketball programs in the State of Illinois.  With a list of celebrated alumni, such as former NBA star, Derrick Rose, Simeon strives to be at the top of its game every year and one of the last teams standing when tournament time comes around. 

Coach Tim Flowers, who was also a teammate of Rose when he played for Simeon, is at the helm of the program and like many of us who coach inner city youth, seek to make the best of our opportunities to expose kids to the world and help them gain a greater sense of place and purpose which directly impacts their futures.

And such was the case when the Simeon team was invited to play, in its off season, in a SLAM tournament in China. The problem was that exposing the kids to greater opportunity led to a team penalty and coach suspension under the so called IHSA (Illinois High School Association) rules ...You see, this Association, which has bylaws and procedures, some of which are ridiculous, suspended this coach and his staff because allegedly, high school coaches and staff, are under restrictions during the off season and cannot "coach their teams"...OK, if it were that simple, this would be a non-story...but it's not that simple, especially in light of the cultural upheaval that we are witnessing within our community today. 

Coach Flowers followed the rules. After being penalized some years ago, this time the coach, as you will hear in his own words, followed the rules and received APPROVAL from his school AD (Athletic Director) and Administration. Neither the school district nor the local school was on the hook for cash. Kids, were excited and came with completely new perspectives and, as they expressed, found a level of respect that they had never experienced before. YET...all that began with a violation of IHSA Rules, at least according to the IHSA. 

I hate to use this as a time to point towards public policy, but in Illinois, it amazes me the lengths that the powers that be go to, to keep the community and Black people in particularly, down...I mean we have a totally ignorant Chicago Mayor, who would rather see Black youth killed and illegal migrants in his city, and a totally lunatic Governor on the same political trope, all with the result of damaging the Black community above all others that suffer...For them, and evidently the IHSA, it's like, let's single out who we wish to single out and they don't care what the implications and results are...

Interestingly, in track and field, the IHSA does similarly...while not officially having oversight of an indoor season, they regulate what events and which places the athletes can compete even prior to the season opening, EXCEPT when it is an event THEY want to endorse, such as the Indoor Top Times meet in Bloomington, IL,. which is by the way, overseen by mostly "White" organizers...YEP...Looking back...there was a meet in Chicago, called the VibeFest, overseen by Black individuals, and mostly inner city teams and the IHSA sent messages that schools were not to use any resources to support the meet and had to register as independent athletes, and could not wear school uniforms...This was atrocious, but along the lines of what the IHSA does...

Why??? BECAUSE that can...

Listen to Coach Flowers as he explains this, while trying to tip toe through this mine-field and not draw any more sanctioning of the IHSA...The school seems to have abandoned him, so he may as well speak for himself. 

Blessed!