Bolingbrook Magic Celebrates First Place Honors During Recent Tournament

Members of the fifth grade Bolingbrook Magic basketball team are celebrating their recent victory, after taking first place in double overtime at their tournament last weekend.

Wins over the Western Springs Bulldogs, Plainfield Crossover and the Naperville Rockets Red garnered a spot against Highwood Havoc where the Magic emerged victorious.

Bolingbrook Magic basketball team members include Desaun Ratcliffe, Tyler Cochran, Anthony Thompson, Jesse Russell, Elisha Armstrong, Jermari Harris, Demari Grant, Maurice McCullum and Yamani Shareef and Christian Marin.

The Bolingbrook Community Basketball organization and its traveling Magic teams have been around for more than 30 years, said Angela Russell, vice president and travel coordinator for the organization.

Board members who help get the successful program off the ground include Russell, Jetaun Staley, president and tournament director, Montrell Cochran-parent/player rep, Kymia Crum, director of publicity, Donn Martin, director of special events, Mike Parro, director of information, Quentin Oglesby, treasurer, and Lee Hardrick, director of equipment. Coaches include Dan Fisher and Darnell Shareef.

“We offer an in-house program where anyone who has the desire to play basketball, no matter what their level is, is offered the opportunity to play,” she said.

Currently the in-house program is made up of about 30 teams and two travel teams.

This was the Magic's 29th annual tournament, which plays host to local teams as well as those from Chicago, the far south and west suburbs, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa, according to Staley.

Last week's tournament was held at several Bolingbrook locations.

The organization's in-house program runs only in the winter, while the travel program runs year round. The travel team participants are selected through a try-out process twice a year.

“In the summer, we run 10 to 12 travel teams from third grade through the varsity high school level,” Russell said. “We travel to local tournaments, as well as regional and national tournaments, including but not limited to Wisconsin Dells, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Springfield, Illinois and the very popular NAYS National Tournament held right here in Bolingbrook every summer.”