Curie Metropolitan High School on the city’s Southwest Side has been named as the fifth weekly winner of the Chicago Sky’s 2018 “High School Team of the Week.”
The WNBA team’s “High School Team of the Week” program, presented by Robert Morris University Illinois, recognizes Chicago-area girls basketball teams who have been nominated for their accomplishments on the court as well as in the classroom and community.
“Our team wants to be remembered for hopefully being the first girls basketball team out of Curie to go to win our conference,” said Raegan King, who nominated the team for the honor. “We also want to be remembered for our hard work and dedication. This year has been a tough year, especially because not a lot of people supported us, yet alone believed in us, but we were able to fight through adversity and prove the doubters wrong.
When they aren’t playing basketball, the team spends time volunteering with the Amateur Athletic Union, where the girls mentor younger children in the community on the responsibilities of being a student athlete.
The Archer Heights neighborhood team, which holds a current record of 6-2 in conference, credits its success to the girls’ dedication and sportsmanship.
“Our biggest accomplishment has been sticking together and being ranked as number three in our conference, which most people believed that we didn’t stand a chance.” King said. “We have came so far with limited support, but that didn’t stop us from working as a team to win even when put in the most challenging predicaments.”
Each “High School Team of the Week” award winner in the 10-week program, supported by Illinois Bone and Joint Institute, will be honored at center court during halftime at a Chicago Sky game in the upcoming 2018 season, as well as receive a number of prizes. All teams that compete in IHSA class 1A, 2A, 3A or 4A competitions are eligible to win a weekly honor. Nominations can be submitted on the Chicago Sky website through Feb. 21. Those selected will be entered as a contender for the 2018 “High School Team of the Year” award. The winner will be determined through an online voting process on the Sky’s website and announced on opening night at Wintrust Arena.
The Sky will accept nominations until Feb. 21 from parents, coaches, booster clubs, faculty members and players. Nominate a local team here.