Meet The Times 2020-21 Boys Basketball All-Area Team

Despite the Illinois prep basketball season being delayed and shortened, a number of Times-area teams produced solid seasons, led by conference championships for Ottawa, Fieldcrest and Streator.

Special seasons are created by special players such as the ones you’ll find here on The Times 2020-21 Boys Basketball Team, selected via vote of The Times Sports staff (* denoting a unanimous pick):

FIRST TEAM

*Anthony Cooper, Ottawa, Sr.

One of three unanimous choices, Cooper was a player who opposing teams game planned to stop, or at least slow down, but found it a tough task to accomplish.

A silky-smooth guard in the open floor and when shooting from the outside, Cooper averaged a Times-area best 23.1 points a game to go with 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals. The 2020-21 Times Player of the Year poured in 37 points with seven 3s against Plano.

Cooper was named the Interstate 8 Conference Player of the Year and an I-8 First Teamer. He was a Times All-Area Second Team honoree as a junior.

*Jaxon Cusac-McKay, Fieldcrest, Sr.

The second of the three unanimous picks, Cusac-McKay finished his fourth consecutive season as the floor general for the Knights.

The play-making, ultra-quick guard who gave opposing coaches nightmares averaged 16 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.8 steals and was a unanimous First Team All-HOIC honoree for the second straight year. He had a season-high 29 points against Eureka, 28 against Flanagan-Cornell and 26 vs. Dwight.

Cusac-McKay was a Times All-Area First Team member as a junior and earned Honorable Mention honors in both his sophomore and freshman seasons.

*Jack Haynes, Streator, Jr.

The final of the three unanimous selections to this season’s first five, Haynes improved across the board from a breakout sophomore go-around.

The lanky, athletic slashing forward who can score and rebound with the best of them registered a team-best double-double average of 15.5 points and 10.6 rebounds as well as 1.1 assists and 0.8 steals. He had a 27-point, 18-rebound game against Peotone, 17 points and 13 boards against Manteno and 20 points and nine rebounds against Wilmington.

Haynes was named to the All-Illinois Central Eight First Team and The Times First Team for the second consecutive season.

Lucas Hoffman, Marquette, Sr.

Over the past four years, Hoffman has made a pretty good name for himself as a cross country ace. He wasn’t too shabby on the basketball court for the Crusaders either.

The 6-foot guard, who averaged a team-leading 12.3 points and was the team’s leading rebounder, had 16 points against rival Woodland, 41 points and double-digit rebounds combined in a pair of games against Tri-County Conference champion Roanoke-Benson, and 27 points and seven boards in his final game in Blue and Gold against Putnam County on his way to All-TCC First Team accolades.

This is Hoffman’s first appearance on The Times All-Area Basketball Team.

Henry Lorton, Fieldcrest, Sr.

Coaches will tell you being able to put the ball in the hoop is the name of the game, but most will add stopping the opponent from doing so brings with it wins and championships.

While Lorton posted norms of 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists a game for the Knights, it was his effort on the defensive end, which included 1.5 steals, that was a key factor in the team from Minonk finishing 12-1 with a share of the Heart of Illinois Conference championship. Lorton, who had a season-high 22 points in a win over Dee-Mack, was named to the All-HOIC First Team and for the second straight season to the league’s All-Defensive First Team.

This is Lorton’s first appearance on The Times All-Area Team.

SECOND TEAM

A.J. Benning, Streator, Sr.

The Bulldogs posted a 10-3 record, including an IC8-best 8-2 mark, with Benning helping lead the way. The shifty guard registered 8.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals a game, earning First Team All-IC8 honors. He produced a viral highlight to the season by netting 18 of his game-best 24 points in the fourth quarter in a victory at Reed-Custer.

This is Benning’s first appearance on the Times All-Area Team.

Luke Cushing, Ottawa, Jr.

Cushing was a key cog in the Pirates finishing 14-1 and capturing the I-8 championship by averaging 8.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.6 steals. He recorded an 11-point, six-assist effort in a win at Kaneland and popped in 17 points with six rebounds and five assists in a triumph over Morris that helped him claim First Team All-I-8 honors.

This is Cushing’s first appearance on the Times All-Area Team.

Alex Krejci, Somonauk, Jr.

The Bobcats finished the season on a nine-game winning streak, with a 13-4 record and placed second in the Little Ten Conference regular-season and tournament, with Krejci being a key contributor. He averaged 13 points, five rebounds and 2.4 assists and was a unanimous selection to the All-Little Ten Conference Team. He netted 18 points in the LTC Tourney title game and 24 in a season-ending win at Serena.

Krejci was a member of The Times All-Area Third Team in 2019-20.

Tyler Pfaff, Flanagan-Cornell, Jr.

The sharpshooting Falcons guard put together a productive season, averaging a team-leading 14.3 points to go along with 6.4 rebounds. Pfaff scored 24 points against Fieldcrest and poured in a season-best 27 against Hall, in both games sinking eight shots from beyond the 3-point arc. He was selected to the All-Heart of Illinois Conference Second Team.

This is his first appearance on The Times All-Area Team.

Brendan Roberts, Somonauk, Jr.

The Bobcats’ long-range marksman and leading scorer, Roberts posted 14.4 points while adding 6.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and an eye-popping 46.7% from 3-point range. He had a game-high 25 points in a victory over Newark in the Little Ten Tournament semifinals, 23 points in a win over Midland and 17 points in a triumph over rival Serena. He was named to the All-LTC squad.

This is his first appearance on The Times All-Area Team.

THIRD TEAM

Sean Bundy, Woodland, Sr.

Bundy was a solid all-around performer in his final prep season for the Warriors, averaging 12.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals on his way to a Tri-County Conference Second Team selection.

This is his first Times All-Area Team appearance.

Jacob Heilemeier, Sandwich, Sr.

Heilemeier paced the Indians attack with 13.8 points a game to go along with 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He was an Interstate 8 Conference Honorable Mention selection.

This is his first Times All-Area honor.

Cory Land, Fieldcrest, Sr.

Land was the second-leading scorer for the Heart of Illinois Conference champion Knights with 11 points an outing to go with 4.3 rebounds, two assists and 1.2 steals. He was named to the All-HOIC Second Team.

Land was a Times All-Area Honorable Mention pick as a junior.

Zach Pfiefer, Seneca, Sr.

Pfiefer posted norms of 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals for the Fighting Irish in the shortened season and was named to the Tri-County All-Conference Second Team.

This is his first Times All-Area selection.

Jared Slivka, Newark, Sr.

Slivka, a unanimous All-Little Ten Conference honoree after posting 12.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists, helped the Norsemen place third in both the league’s regular season and tournament.

This is his first Times All-Area Team nod.

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HONORABLE MENTION

Phoenix Cooper, Woodland, Jr. (10 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.7 apg)

Camden Figgins, Serena, So. (13.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.5 apg)

Amarion Ford, Streator, Sr. (9.8 ppg, 2 rpg, 2.2 apg)

Noah Lemke, Earlville, Sr. (10.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg)

Nick Melvin, Marquette, Sr. (10.2 ppg)

Noah Nordstrom, Fieldcrest, Sr. (10.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg)

JD Ruddy, Flanagan-Cornell, Jr. (13.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg)

Levi Sholders, Ottawa, Sr. (4.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.0 apg)