Boys basketball notes: Jacobs’ Jackson Martucci receives good news on injured knee

Jacobs senior Jackson Martucci maintained a positive outlook, trusting what his body was telling him about his left knee.

Martucci, a 6-foot-1 guard and one of the area’s best shooters, hyperextended the knee while stopping going full speed early in the Golden Eagles’ loss to Warren on Dec. 3.

Martucci had an MRI to examine the joint and anxiously awaited for the news, which he received Friday and was favorable. He has an ACL sprain and a small tear in another ligament, which is not serious. He hopes to be back for Jacobs’ Hinkle Holiday Classic, which starts Dec. 27.

“It kind of scared me because I thought it was something worse, with all the adrenaline,” Martucci said. “It wasn’t like pain, it felt really unstable when I would run on it. I was pretty positive through it all because I overall felt fine and felt like I was getting better every day. I felt like if something was worse, I would sense it. But I was pretty positive through it all.

“Luckily, when I got the results, I didn’t have any ACL tear or anything serious that would be affecting me long term. I was very grateful to hear that, but at the same time, I kind of expected some good news, and I felt like it was going to be OK.”

Dr. Pradeep Raju of OrthoIllinois examined Martucci and read his MRI, revealing the good news Friday.

“Now it’s up to me on how long until I feel confident to get back on the court again,” Martucci said. “I am starting physical therapy this week. Every day I feel I can jog on it a little bit better. It’s all about how I feel. I’m hopefully looking at one or two weeks.”

The Golden Eagles battled back from a big first-quarter deficit to beat McHenry 52-44 on Wednesday with Martucci cheering from the bench. Jacobs coach Jimmy Roberts was concerned after the game that they might not get Martucci back.

Martucci and Brett Schlicker are the Eagles’ best shooters. Martucci averaged 8.9 points a game and made 65 3-pointers last season, hitting 38.7% from behind the arc. He led the area in free-throw percentage, making 32 of 35 for 91.4%.

“I feel bad for him because he’s an awesome kid,” Roberts said. “With Brett and Jackson, those guys have to shoot. Every time they get a look, it’s got to go up.”

Martucci does not plan on playing in college, but now should get his final high school season after a brief interruption.

“I really want to play with my friends because I’m extremely close with my teammates. They’ve been my friends my whole life,” Martucci said. “And it’s a lot of fun. As a senior, everyone is younger than me or my age, so in competition I feel like I can compete with everybody.”

Tough to handle: Hampshire forward Aman Adeshina is bound to start showing up in scouting reports as a player opposing defenses must plan for. Adeshina hit 7 of 11 field goals and scored 19 points in Friday’s 55-48 loss to Huntley.

Adeshina, a 6-3 senior, was cut from last year’s team but worked hard to come back and play this season.

“Kudos to him. His work ethic was not there. We had a conversation after,” Whip-Purs coach Mike Featherly said. “Every kid we cut, we said, ‘Hey, if you want to have a one-on-one as to why, come on in, we’ll talk to you.’ He did.

“He said he wanted a chance and he proved over the summer he can. He’s very nimble and athletic. I was impressed with the finesse he brought tonight.”

Adeshina was difficult to stop posting up around the basket. His field goals all came within 6 feet of the basket. Featherly said Adeshina is averaging about nine points a game.

“The thing I liked about his game tonight was he was patient, he wasn’t bull-rushing guys,” Featherly said. “He knew they were going to get a charge out of it. He did a good job of playing it, getting easy buckets.”

Thunder’s Ortiz heats up: Woodstock North senior Cesar Ortiz has put up huge numbers this season, to no surprise for North coach Dale Jandron.

“I predicted he would be Player of the Year in our [Kishwaukee River] conference,” Jandron said. “He’s a gym rat.”

Ortiz, a 6-3 guard, is averaging 21 points a game for North, which is off to a 3-3 start. Jandron said Ortiz learned well from guard Rex White, who graduated last year after earning Northwest Herald All-Area first-team honors.

“[Ortiz] had a great mentor last season in Rexy, and he had played AAU for Players Advantage [Basketball],” Jandron said. “He can score from inside, mid-range or with the 3-ball, so that makes him tough to guard.”

Holiday plans: Marengo’s 72nd annual E.C. Nichols Tournament is the only one involving local teams that will start before Christmas. The tournament begins Dec. 22 and 23, then finishes after Christmas.

Marengo, Crystal Lake Central, Richmond-Burton, Woodstock and Woodstock North are the local teams playing at Marengo.

The Hinkle Holiday Classic adjusted its format to a straight 16-team, single-elimination format with a consolation bracket, so each team will get four games. It runs Dec. 27-30, and the local teams will be Jacobs, Cary-Grove, Crystal Lake South, Johnsburg, Marian Central and Prairie Ridge.

Other tournaments involving local teams will start Dec. 27 at DeKalb (Dundee-Crown, Huntley and McHenry), North Boone (Alden-Hebron and Harvard), Plano (Burlington Central) and Wheeling (Hampshire).