Bryce Hopkins had a dominant season despite only getting to play 16 games in five weeks.
If you thought Kentucky’s high school basketball season was cut short by the pandemic, consider what happened in Illinois.
Kentucky signee Bryce Hopkins played for Fenwick High School, located just outside Chicago. His team did not get to start practicing until the last week of January, played its first game February 8, and only got to play until March 12.
“We played 16 games in five weeks. No state tournament,” said Fenwick coach Staunton Peck. “But we were super happy just to play because for a long time we thought we were not going to have a season.”
Fenwick played a demanding schedule but went 13-3 and won the Chicago Catholic League Blue Conference championship. All three losses were by three points or less, including two shots at the buzzer.
“Our league had three teams ranked in the top 10 and four in the top 20,” Peck said.
The 6-7 Hopkins, the only senior to see significant playing time, led Fenwick in scoring (24.5 points per game) and rebounds (12.5).
“Bryce was conference player of the year. It was a unanimous vote by the coaches which was not surprising because he was the league’s dominant player,” Peck said. “He anchored our defense and just made big plays at big times.”
