There are a lot of new faces at Curie this winter.
Gone are the five senior starters from a 31-3 team that won the Public League title and lost by two points to eventual Class 4A champion Homewood-Flossmoor in the Elite Eight.
But veteran coach Mike Oliver is back and so is his son, junior guard Michael Oliver Jr.
They’re aiming to keep the Condors among the city and state’s best, as they have been for years.
“I’ve got to step up like the guys last year did, step up and be a leader,” Oliver Jr. said after scoring a game-high 20 points in Curie’s 70-56 season-opening win at North Lawndale on Nov. 25. “Tell my teammates when they’re right or wrong and encourage them because that’s what the guys last year did for me.
“And just make shots and play team ball like I’ve learned for three years now.”
The Condors do have some other varsity veterans, including seniors Brad Johnson Jr., who missed the North Lawndale game because of an injury, and Jahkil Jackson, who had 16 points and eight rebounds.
“Jahkil is the energy,” Oliver Jr. said. “Once Jahkil gets going, it’s hard for people to stop him. He just plays a little lackadaisical. But once he turns his dog up, he’s fine. I stay on him and he stays on me.”
Mike Oliver expects his son to keep improving this year.
“He’s been around forever,” Oliver said. “Last year, playing with the guards he played with — we expect a lot of things, especially some scoring and making wide-open shots. … His leadership will really help the younger guys.”
As for Jackson?
“Jahkil’s been solid,” Oliver said. “He’s built that confidence in himself (that) he can play with these guys.”
It helps the Condors to have a bunch of reinforcements from the sophomore team that also won the Public League last season.
Though they’re inexperienced, the Condors are deep.
“We’re going to try to get nine or 10 guys in that first quarter,” Oliver said. “We’re going to really try to wear teams down. I think we did a good job of wearing (North Lawndale) down and got some open layups.”
Still, with so many players in new roles, the Condors are a work in progress.
“Looked a little raggedy (against North Lawndale) but we’ll take the ‘W,’” Oliver said. “Losing five seniors (who started), we knew it was going to be rough. We’ve just got to get more organized, learning each other. We’ve got guys playing (varsity) for the first time, trying to figure out their way in. I’m very pleased with the way we shot the ball tonight.”