Sunday Slam (Bulldog Edition): Prospect's O'Grady Wins Major Sportswriting Award
York's Tosh Tournament Preview Snags NBA's Christie and Strus; More National Recognition for Copeland's Illinois-Springfield Baseball Program
P.J. O’Grady didn’t feel like he was in a pickle when he had to write about pickleball in a national journalism contest in mid-November.
Sure, it would have been more comfortable for O’Grady to do a rundown on a sport like baseball. After all, it’s the sport the junior plays at Prospect and has also been a big part of his family.
But O’Grady has learned through being a part of Prospect’s Knight Media program that telling the story is what matters. He clearly executed well as the only contestant in the sportswriting category to receive the superior award at the Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association Fall Convention in St. Louis.
“I was expecting maybe an honorable mention, but to see a superior award and my name up there … it’s a cool legacy,” said O’Grady, who is copy editor of the Prospector Now school newspaper and has broadcast Prospect football and basketball games.
It’s the second year in a row where Prospect has had the only superior award winner in sportswriting at the JEA/NSPA Convention. Last year’s winner, Cameron Sullivan, is now a freshman at Purdue and covering the nation’s top-ranked men’s basketball team.
“We take some pride in having it back-to-back years from the Knight student media program,” said Jason Block, who is in charge of the program and has taught at Prospect since 2004. “For P.J. to have it happen as a junior is pretty incredible.”
Block said there were 1,119 contestants in all categories at the convention in St. Louis and only 75 received the superior designation. The contestants in the sportswriting category received a fact sheet and then did an interview with the subject of their story.
Not only did O’Grady have a limited amount of experience with pickleball from some units in gym class but this was also his first experience with this type of contest.
“I really didn’t know pickleball,” O’Grady said. “When he said pickleball saved his life it clicked in my mind, this is a perfect quote and a perfect lead. I had a pretty good feeling about what I wrote but there’s no telling how the others did.”
O’Grady said he never had to hit a deadline that quickly but felt comfortable writing a 350-word story in about an hour. The submissions are anonymous and judged by a committee, which Block is part of, to determine who receives honorable mention, excellent or superior status.
Block attended the JEA/NSPA conference when he was a student at Hersey and started bringing students to it when he came to Prospect to teach. Block was the sports editor at the Freeport Journal-Standard from 1999-2001 before transitioning to a teaching career that started at Stevenson in 2002. He also did some freelance work covering high school sports for the Daily Herald.
“The thing P.J. did well, that no one else did as well, is he told a story,” Block said. “I tell the kids you are a storyteller and he’s really embraced that. It didn’t matter what sport he was covering. It didn’t faze him in the slightest and he absolutely crushed it.”
O’Grady said his interest in writing started in the eighth grade at Lincoln Middle School when English teacher Kathy Dahlgren recommended he take a journalism class at Prospect.
“I was always on the fence,” O’Grady said, “but that opened my eyes that I guess I’m a good writer and I should build and develop this talent.”
Block said O’Grady “has made quite an impact” in his 2 ½ years with Knight Media program. O’Grady was the sports editor last year and also has displayed his interests in politics and current events through editorial writing and columns.
One sport he likely won’t be covering this spring is baseball. O’Grady is looking to contribute to the Prospect varsity after playing primarily second base on the frosh-soph level last year. His dad Phil is a long-time assistant to head coach Ross Giusti and Phil and his brother Brian played for Rolling Meadows, Arlington’s American Legion team and in college.
But P.J. O’Grady proved there are plenty of other sports stories he can share. He said he’s not 100 percent sure what direction he wants to go with sports media but said he does enjoy announcing more than writing.
“I like telling sports stories,” O’Grady said. “There is always an angle to tell with the emotion and adversity.”
Student TV Coverage Adds to Growth of York’s Tosh Classic
It is pretty cool to see the growth of York’s Jack Tosh Holiday Classic - aka “The Tosh” - as someone who saw a lot of games there as a kid, student and sportswriter. That explosion to 32 teams in two gyms with some of the best programs in the Chicago area has made Elmhurst a destination for holiday hoop junkies.
If you want a detailed look at the tournament that starts Monday check out the 2022 preview show by York Sports Media’s Bobby Hessling, Gavin Hughes, Gavin Connolly and Joshua Melvin. Not only did they examine every game but they also scored interviews with Max Christie and Max Strus, who went from starring at the Tosh for Rolling Meadows and Stagg respectively to currently playing in the NBA. A number of coaches - including Palatine’s Eric Millstone, Meadows’ Kevin Katovich and St. Patrick’s Mike Bailey - also participated in the show.
Dick Quagliano of the Daily Herald also has an in-depth look at the resurgence and growth of the tournament started in 1975 by York athletic director Jack Tosh. Tosh was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1989 and was head coach of DeKalb’s 1968 team that finished fourth in the state. He also helped make York a hub of high school basketball as it hosted Thanksgiving, Christmas and sectional tournaments.
Copeland Keeps Illinois-Springfield Baseball Red Hot
Former Elk Grove star Ryan Copeland saw his University of Illinois Springfield baseball program gain more national attention as it received No. 14 NCAA Division II preseason ranking by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. Copeland is 95-23 in three seasons as head coach and last year’s team went 48-11 and made its first trip to the NCAA D-II Baseball Championships for the top eight teams in the nation.
Copeland was named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) D-II Midwest Region Coach of the Year and pitcher Quinn Gudaitis, a Hersey graduate, was taken in the 16th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Detroit Tigers. Copeland was also an assistant at UIS for four years.
Copeland was a Daily Herald All-Area captain who led Elk Grove to the Class AA Elite Eight in 2006.
Hawkins Family D-I Football Tradition Continues
Lemont tight end Nick Hawkins, the son of former Schaumburg star Jason Hawkins, signed a letter of intent to play football at Illinois State. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Nick Hawkins was a two-time all-conference pick and an academic all-state honoree who helped Lemont reach the Class 6A state semifinals.
Jason Hawkins was a Daily Herald All-Area football captain who led Schaumburg to second place in the state in Class 6A in 1999 and played linebacker at Northern Illinois from 2001-04.
Notre Dame Recognizes Zelasko
Notre Dame recently hit the 1,000-victory mark for its boys basketball program. At Thursday night’s home game against Loyola the school recognized former head coach Denny Zelasko for the 272 wins he contributed to the milestone.
Zelasko, who was inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame in 2014, won 6 regional titles at Notre Dame. His 1997 team made the Class AA Elite Eight in Peoria and included current Notre Dame head coach Kevin Clancy and former Hoffman Estates head coach Luke Yanule.
Zelasko is still coaching as a sophomore assistant at Loyola. He also coached at Fenwick and Gordon Tech.
