Chicagoland TOC Bound Mac Irvin Fire Has Stars, Depth



The Mac Irvin Fire program in Chicago seems to have it all for college recruiters — top of the charts superstars, plus a long list of athletes who will be playing collegiate basketball on some level.

At the top of their roster, the Fire has two of the nation’s premiere prospects in the Class of 2016. Tori McCoy is a phenomenal 6-3 power forward who is currently rated as the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2016 by the All Star Girls Report. Kiara Lewis isn’t far behind McCoy on that list. ASGR has Lewis, a 5-8 point guard, ranked at No. 17.

“Everyone knows about Tori and Kiara, but we feel like we have a lot of very good players,” Irvin said.

at the upcoming Chicagoland Tournament of Champions. The event, which will feature many of the top clubs in the Midwest, will be played at Bolingbrook High School from Sept. 27-28.

All those athletes will be showcased at the upcoming Chicagoland Tournament of Champions. The event, which will feature many of the top clubs in the Midwest, will be played at Bolingbrook High School from Sept. 27-28. Irvin is looking forward to playing against top-flight competition in the Fire’s back yard.
“We have traveled a lot this summer, so it’s going to be nice to stay at home for this one,” Irvin said. “It’s going to be great for the girls to sleep in their own beds, and then get to play in front of all those coaches.”
One of the Fire leaders this summer has been Danielle King, a 5-5 point guard who is rated as the No. 159 recruit in the Class of 2015 by ASGR.
“Danielle had a very, very good summer, and she is getting a lot of interest” Irvin said. “She is a pure point guard. She cn score if you need her to, but she distributes the ball like a traditional point.”
“King’s stock definitely went up this summer,” added ASGR analyst Bret McCormick. “She is very quick, she sees the floor well and she has a high motor. King can also make some acrobatic moves in traffic.”
The Fire also boasts a pair of outstanding 2016 prospects in Isabelle Spingola (6-0, WF) and Chardonnay Hamilton (6-6, C, ASGR’s No. 108), plus 2017 standout Hanan Richmond (6-0, WF, No. 119).
“Isabelle is a three-point shooter who is getting a lot of attention,” Irvin said. “Chardonnay is a post player with a tremendous upside. She can’t teach that size, and she has made tremendous strides this year. She was focused on basketball for the first time this summer, and she really improved. Hanan is a long, versatile player who is getting a lot of calls. She can do it all — handle, push it down the floor, shoot the three, rebound and play defense.”
“Spingola is an athletic, intelligent player with deep three range — her shooting is the main thing,” McCormick said. “Hamilton is going to be another in a long line of quality post players for Mac. She is good now, and she has a very bright future because Mac does a great job developing post players. Richmond is an athletic wing. She has good size, and she can post you up or attack you from the perimeter. She is also an aggressive defender.”

 Photo of Northern Illinois coach Kathi Bennett by Scott Walstrom, NIU Media Services.