Oak Park boys' basketball team bounced by top-seeded Campbell Hall
Chevalier coaches his final game for OPHS
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

Before Oak Park High boys' basketball coach Ed Chevalier could end his coaching career, his team had to deal with a holiday it would have rather avoided.

The Eagles' season, one that saw the team win the Tri-Valley League and finish with a 23-7 record, finally ended Tuesday night when they ran into Campbell Hall senior Justin Holiday and his younger brother, Jrue. The Holiday brothers combined for 53 points as Oak Park lost 74-36 in the Division IIIAA semifinals.

Campbell Hall came into the game ranked No. 2 in the state and No. 20 in the nation, according to USA Today.

"They (Campbell Hall) were as good as I thought they were, and we weren't quite as good as I hoped we would be tonight," Chevalier said. "They played at a level we usually don't see during the season. However, I thought our guys played tough and think we had a great season. It certainly exceeded my expectations."

Early in the first quarter, it looked as if Oak Park might give the Vikings a run for their money when Eagle senior Kareem Maddox hit his first four shots, including a 3-pointer from the top of the key, to help tie the game 9-9.

With the contest knotted at nine, Jrue Holiday decided to take over. The younger Holiday scored seven points as CHHS went on a 130 run to take a 229 lead. The junior, who's the No. 2 prospect in the nation from the 2008 class, according to www.draftexpress.com, would score 20 points in the first half alone and put the Vikings up 3715 at intermission.

By the end of the contest, he would finish with a game-high 33 points. His brother Justin would finish with 22 points.

"He's good," said Chevalier about the younger Holiday. "He is very athletic and picks his spots very well. Another thing I like about him is he varies his speed and tempo extremely well. He is never out of control."

Although Chevalier liked the play of Holiday, he said he was equally impressed with Maddox, who led Oak Park with 19 points in his final game as an Eagle. The Princeton-bound forward was given a standing ovation from the crowd and a hug from his coach as he left the game with three minutes remaining.

"I think Holiday was good, but he is also surrounded by many great players," Chevalier said. "How good would Kareem be on a team surrounded by that much talent?

"Kareem is one of one many great characters on this team. He had a wonderful senior year, and it was great to watch him play."

When the game was over, Chevalier took time to reflect on how much he'll miss coaching, especially the 2007 team.

"I'll always remember this team's growth," Chevalier said. "I will miss seeing how much they would develop game by game. This team had a lot of personality, and they all played here since their freshman year. This has been a great school and community, and I've enjoyed coaching here."

Chevalier had previously coached for 18 years at Thousand Oaks High before serving as the head coach for the last six years at Oak Park.