25 Sports High School Monday - November 6, 2023

(25News Now) - Monday marked the first day of high school boys basketball practice in Illinois and there are quite a few Central Illinois teams with big goals entering the 2023-24 season.

The Metamora Redbirds are the defending Class 3A state champions and return some key players from that team in point guard Tyler Mason and forward Luke Hopp while also adding transfer and Iowa commit Cooper Koch to the fold.

In Peoria, the Richwoods Knights return a boatload of talent from last year’s sectional finalist team and add Rutgers commit Lathan Sommerville.

In the Twin Cities, Normal Community will feature both remarkable size and remarkable talent. All five NCHS starters stand at least 6-foot-4 while five Ironmen players (Braylon Roman, Jaheem Webber [Wright State commit], Noah Cleveland, Niko Newsome and Kobe Walker) have earned Division I scholarship offers.

In small schools hoops, Illini Bluffs returns all five starters and nearly all of their players from a team that was a buzzer beater away from going to state a year ago.

In soccer, some of the area’s best seniors competed in a high school all-star event at IVC on Monday night

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