For St. Martin's Gee, Winning Top Priority

St. Martin de Porres basketball star Jerry Gee insists he is moreconcerned with his team's success than individual glory . . . eventhough he is off to a brilliant start that could spell player of theyear recognition.

After opting not to make an early commitment, saying he was "tooconfused" to choose among Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, the 6-7,225-pound senior is concentrating on leading St. Martin to theCatholic League championship, the Class A title and . . .

"I'm not thinking about myself, only what I can do to help myteam," said Gee, who is averaging 32 points and 12 rebounds for the7-0 and fourth-ranked Silver Eagles. "Basketball is a team sport,not an individual sport.

"I will play hard every night but it only matters if our teamwins. I don't get wrapped up in being the best player in the city orthe state. I feel I have to play the way I am expected to play.If I can handle pressure and play well, that's the mark of a goodplayer."

Gee, who will test unbeaten and fifth-rated Brother Ricetonight, said he still thinks about the recruiting process. He isstill considering the same schools. "My decision will come, maybebefore the end of the season," he said.

"Now recruiting is on the back burner, now he is concentratingon playing ball," coach Mike Manderino said. "Once the earlysigning period ended and he decided to wait, you could see he wasrelieved. He was getting impatient with the process. Now he is moreat ease. He's having a good time now."

"He made a very wise decision to wait," Rockford Boylan coachSteve Goers said. "Some college will have a quality scholarship tooffer in April. He has size and a velvet touch around the basket.He has a great temperament, he plays hard and he's having fun."

WINNING STREAK: Aurora Christian's 52-game home winning streakwill be at stake against Hales Franciscan Saturday. Last season, theEagles were 26-2, losing to Hales in the regular season and thesectional opener.

Coach Don Davidson said his 4-0 club, led by 6-3 juniors JoshWayne (16 ppg) and Joe Mann (10 ppg), is as good as his 1990 squadwhich was 30-4 and finished fourth in the Class A tournament.

But the Eagles have no one taller than 6-3 and are facing "thetoughest schedule we've ever had." It includes 15 Class AAopponents and a date in the East Aurora holiday tournament.

Other starters are 6-2 junior Brad Punke (13.3 ppg), 6-2 juniorNathan Thompson and 5-8 senior point guard David Mann, Joe's brother.

"We feel we will be in every game," Davidson said. "We canshoot with anyone and our defense is very strong. We're just alittle bit short again."

TRAVEL PLAN: Near North dropped out of the Lincoln-Way holidaybasketball tournament after one year to sign a two-year contract toparticipate in the 3-year-old Nebraska Holiday Prep Classic Dec.27-31 in Lincoln, Neb.

The 16-team event will include teams from Texas, Utah, Florida,Pennsylvania, New York, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas and Washington,D.C. At Lincoln-Way, Near North was replaced by Cregier.

Near North coach Greg Motley learned about the tournament whileparticipating in last year's Vashon Thanksgiving tournament in St.Louis.

"It's a chance-in-a-lifetime for our kids, a great opportunityto get national exposure," Motley said. "Our kids are prisoners oftheir own neighborhood. This is an opportunity to be treated likecelebrities. Everyone admires Chicago basketball."

Near North has made trips to St. Louis and Louisville thisseason. Motley starts only one senior, 6-5 Eric Cotton (19 ppg).Other starters are 6-6 Willie Wilson, whom Motley calls "the bestfreshman in the state," sophomore point guard John Bentley andjuniors John Washington and Frederick Johnson.

Motley said he is afraid if his underclassmen receive too muchmedia attention, "somebody will snatch them away from me." Lastyear, he lost Toporis Nash to King and Keith Spears and MarlowWilliams to Curie. While he was frosh-soph coach at Prosser, he lostEddie Washington, Alexander Morris and Jermaine Williams to King.

"Must have been bad coaching," he said.

SOPH TO WATCH: Mount Carmel sophomore Marlo Miles averaged 17.5points in the first three games, picking up the scoring slack in theabsence of senior stars Antoine Walker (suspension) and DonovanMcNabb (football). When Walker and McNabb returned for Friday's Catholic Leagueopener, Miles did not start and played sparingly in the Caravan's103-64 rout of Loyola.

"He's tremendously talented," Mount Carmel coach Mike Curtasaid. "Like any sophomore, he has to get used to making decisionson the varsity level. With Antoine and Donnie out, we were lookingto a sophomore to step up at the end of a game. But with those twoback, you have to realize we're going to be a senior-dominatedteam."

Curta started five seniors Friday - Walker, McNabb, WillieJones, Jay Driscoll and Eugene McIntosh.

"You'd be hard-pressed to find a team that's better," Loyolacoach Karl Costello said. "Was the score an indication of how muchbetter they were than us? Yes. As the margin got bigger, they justkept elevating their game to the next level. That's a mark of theirmaturation since last year."

NOT PLAIN: Dave Stephens, Plainfield's first-year coach, sayshis 5-0 team is for real and could become the school's firstconference and regional champion since 1986 and its first 20-gamewinner in history.

Stephens, 28, has one of the tallest backcourts in the area in6-4 point guard Cody Salter (21 ppg) and 6-3 Brandon Self. Othercontributors are 6-7 Chris Glenn (14 ppg, nine reb.), 5-11 BradEldred, 6-5 Dave Thompson, 6-8 junior Nate Fox, 6-3 Paul Vogt and 6-4Matt Zwoliski.

"We have size, teamwork, good shot selection and we're hitting55 percent from the field," Stephens said. "Our goal is to win 20games. If we keep doing well, we'll have to start checking theschool record books. Nobody can remember a team that had a betterrecord than last year's 16-10."