Bloom and Marian Catholic, the public and private schools located about one mile apart in Chicago Heights, didn’t play one another last season. Considering the two combined for a 53-9 record and were ranked all season, that’s a shame.

They didn’t meet in the annual Chicago Heights Classic over Thanksgiving week and they fell one game short of meeting in the Eisenhower Sectional championship game in March, both losing in the sectional semifinals.

The good news for south suburban basketball fans, particularly those in Chicago Heights, is both should be better and ranked higher this season.

Here are 10 reasons why the lights will shine bright on Chicago Heights basketball this winter.

Talent and depth in Chicago Heights

Aside from the metropolis of Chicago (and its 2.7 million residents), you won’t find another city or community in Illinois with more individual talent this coming basketball season than Chicago Heights (population nearly 30,000).

Overall, five players at Bloom and Marian Catholic are ranked among the top 25 prospects in the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s Class of 2020 player rankings, including three of the top six. In addition, six of the top 35 and eight of the top 60 prospects in the senior class will be playing at these two schools.

The right men leading the way

In addition to the talent in place, the leaders of the two programs –– Bloom’s Dante Maddox Sr., and Marian Catholic’s Mike Taylor –– are coaches who fit their schools and understand their programs.

Taylor built Marian Catholic basketball. The heavy lifting was done years ago.

Before Taylor there was one regional championship and one 20-win season in 42 years of Marian Catholic basketball. Since Taylor’s arrival in 2003 there have been seven regional championships, three sectional titles, a third-place finish in Class 3A in 2018 and an average of 23 wins a year in the last seven seasons.

While Maddox has only been in charge of the Bloom program since 2015, he knows this group so well, which includes his son Dante Maddox Jr. He’s nurtured them and grown with them and done so with a professional approach and without putting too much pressure too early on a talented group with upside.

The coach made the decision to go young two years ago and scratched out a 15-11 record, improving to 26-4 last season and is now set for what hopes to be a memorable four months of basketball this winter.

Bloom is a bona fide state title contender

This is the year, Blazing Trojans. Everyone has been waiting for the 2019-2020 season. No pressure.

But this ballyhooed group of Bloom seniors, led by Keshawn Williams, Martice Mitchell, Dante Maddox and Donovan Newby, is ready. They’ve grown together over the years while evolving as players. With four Division I senior prospects, including two with high-major offers leading the way, on paper this is the best Bloom team since the Wes Mason-coached teams in the 1970s.

Bloom was a ranked team all last season, losing in the sectional semifinals to Homewood-Flossmoor. The Blazing Trojans finished with 26 wins, an eye-opening win over Morgan Park in December, reached the final of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament and beat ranked teams in Morgan Park, St. Viator, Homewood-Flossmoor twice, HIllcrest and Oak Park.

This year Bloom will be among the top two or three teams when the preseason rankings are released in November. The goal, maybe even the expectation, is to a return to Peoria for the first time since finishing fourth in the state in 2012.

Marian Catholic will be a top 10 team

This is an exiting team, probably the most talented team coach Mike Taylor has had at Marian Catholic since Tyler Ulis’ senior year when the Spartans reached their second straight Class 4A super-sectional and finished 28-3 in 2013-2014.

Ahron Ulis is a super talent –– experienced, poised and a leader at a key position. The 6-2 point guard is the headliner, but the Spartans have a lot of key pieces returning from a team that finished 27-5 last season and lost by two points to Simeon in the sectional semifinal.

This will be a versatile team, especially defensively, with the experience and the length the Spartans possess.

Ahron Ulis

You won’t find many player with more substance than Ulis, a point guard who brings a blend of scoring and table-setting talents.

As mentioned, Ulis is the one who makes this team go. He’s bigger and better than a year ago when he was the East Suburban Catholic co-Conference Player of the Year, Chicago Sun-Times all-area and a City/Suburban Hoops Report and IBCA second-team all-stater.

Ulis is among the top prospects in the senior class in Illinois but has yet to be recruited like one. That is slowly changing. Iowa did step up with a recent offer and joins a list that includes Illinois State, Tulane, Siena, New Mexico, Toledo and Southern Illinois.

Martice Mitchell

There just aren’t many players like Mitchell, who at a legit 6-9 runs the floor with ease and impacts the game with his length and agility at both ends.

But what sets him apart is a budding skill level at his size. That combination of size and skill raises his ceiling as a prospect going forward to a different level. He can put it on the floor in small doses and able to step out to the three-point line.

Mitchell was July’s breakout prospect in Illinois, adding offers from Xavier, Maryland, Minnesota, South Florida and New Mexico. Those five join a lengthy list of previous offers, including Rutgers, Colorado State, Tulsa, Murray State, George Mason, VCU and others.

Keshawn Williams

An explosive talent in the backcourt, the 6-2 combo guard emerged as a high-major prospect with his play this summer. He sports offers from West Virginia, Colorado and Kansas State.

Williams does things athletically others in this class simply can’t do, turning the corner on a defender, getting to the basket and playing above the rim. The skill package and his assertiveness continue to improve.

Dante Maddox Jr.

When you really watch this 6-2 guard he becomes easy to appreciate. In addition to being a bona fide scorer on the perimeter with three-point range and accuracy, Maddox is a willing, on-the-ball defender who puts pressure on opposing guards with his tenacity and strength. Those players are hard to find.

Maddox has added nine low-major and mid-major offers in the past two months.

Donovan Newby

Yes, there is a third Bloom guard with Division I potential. Steady and strong, Newby, a rock solid point guard, should not be forgotten.

Newby remains a bit undervalued and under-recruited by college coaches. He isn’t flashy. However, he’s strong with the ball, will knock a shot down, doesn’t force things and plays within himself.

Emerging talent at Marian Catholic

Yes, Ulis is the unquestioned catalyst for Marian Catholic. But the supporting cast, while not household names yet, impressed over the summer. The trio of Joe Green, Yemi Elitulo and Elijah Jones all played major minutes a year ago and are college basketball players at some level going forward.

Green was instrumental last season for the Spartans as a ballhandler, scorer and defender as he put up numbers and produced at a high level last season. Jones and Elitulo, however, have made significant strides this summer.

Jones is a long, active and athletic 6-6 versatile player who has refined his game a bit and is playing with added confidence. He’s a scholarship player, whether that’s at the Division II or Division I level.

The 6-3 Elitulo burst on the scene this summer and showcases an extremely high ceiling for a player who appears to be just starting to tap into his talents.