NORTH LAWNDALE — The girls basketball team at North Lawndale College Prep operates as more than a team: They’re more like “sisters,” one player said, and their patriarch is coach Corey Morgan.
Morgan has been at the school, 1615 S. Christiana Ave., for eight years. This is his fifth year as head varsity coach, where he's become a beloved leader of the tightly knit team.
“I love Coach Morgan because he finds a way to connect with us,” said 16-year-old sophomore Jada Thorpe, who plays point guard. Her teammate Kimyra McGhee, a senior center, said she likes his coaching style.
“He makes sure we play hard, but he makes it fun,” she said.
“He’s understanding and very easy to talk to,” said Marquita Thorne, an 18-year-old shooting guard.
But Morgan said he wishes he can give them more than just emotional support. Across the city, Chicago Public Schools budget cuts have hurt extracurricular programs deeply, his school included. So the team recently launched a GoFundMe page seeking $6,000 to help get new uniforms and to cover travel expenses for upcoming games.
“We’re really limited in all of our resources,” Morgan said, which is why they’re trying to raise the $6,000. They launched the GoFundMe in September. So far, the team has only been able to raise $445.
The uniforms are 3½ years old, worn and badly stained, Morgan said.
“We’re trying to have new uniforms, equipment and team gear,” he said. “Sometimes we walk into the gym and we don’t look the part. You got some of the schools from affluent areas, like the North Side and suburban areas, with fresh jogging suits from head to toe.”
This season the varsity girls basketball team will travel to St. Louis, Mo. to compete in the annual MLK Dream Classic Jan. 16-18. They’ll also compete in the State Farm Holiday Classic across four venues in the Bloomington-Normal area Dec. 27-30.
And their budget for both tournaments is "limited," Morgan said.
Despite these limitations, the team has been doing well. Last year they won regionals, sectionals and super sectionals, and were the Class 3A state runner up. The year before they won the prestigious State Farm Holiday Classic. In 2015 they also won the Class 3A Regional Championship. In 2014 they won the Class 4A Regional Championship.
Morgan said he never dreamed he’d be coaching girls, but now that he is he’s all in. Before coming to work at North Lawndale College Prep, he was at Ryerson Elementary School. Its seventh- and eighth-grade girls basketball team won the City Championship in March 2013.
Morgan initially threw his hat in the ring to coach the boys team at Ryerson, but said the principal gave that job to another colleague and he was offered the girls job.
“The principal said ‘You can coach the girls, or you can not coach,’” Morgan said. When that school closed during the mass Chicago Public School closings in 2013, he came to the high school, and some of his girls followed.
“I wouldn’t trade my girls for anything in the world,” he said.
The biggest difference he's seen between coaching a girls' team compared to a boys' team?
"They listen better," Morgan said, and "They’re fundamentally sound."
"I’m enjoying it.”
Besides acting as coach, Morgan has found himself serving a father figure role. Many of the girls in the community deal with adversity both on and off the court, he said, and he tries to help them through both.
In the past, two of the players lost brothers a week apart to gun violence.
“Sometimes we watch it on the news and we say, 'That’s sad,' but these are the realities my young ladies are living every single day,” Morgan said.
Things are financially tight outside of school too. It’s not uncommon for a girl to be sent on an away trip for several days with as little as $12 to cover expenses, he said.
Morgan has taken his girls shopping for school uniforms and shoes in the past. He and his wife will take anywhere from five to 12 students home if they don’t have a ride after practice.
“We find ourselves as surrogate parents,” he said.
He’s even taken them to college fairs.
“I just try to give them exposure outside of what the neighborhood offers to show them that there’s something different outside of this 8-10 block radius or 1-2 mile stretch of land,” he said.
Point guard Jada Thorpe, 16, became interested in basketball in fourth grade after watching her dad play, she said.
“I got attached to it,” she said.
What she loves the most about her team this year is that everyone connects well and has different skills to offer. She was the lead scorer for the team her freshmen year, averaging 15 points a game last season.
Universities like DePaul University and Western Kentucky are already taking an interest in her.
Jada said she’s excited, but just trying to stay focused on the season.
“I know me and my teammates are going to do well,” she said. “We’re working hard in the gym, our coach is making sure we’re doing everything needed to win city and state.”
Kimyra McGhee, a senior center, said she sees a lot of potential in Jada.
“She developed and came a long way from last year,” she said. “She’s going to make a great leader.”
The 17-year-old co-captain said she and the other seven seniors have been preparing the juniors to step up once they’re gone. Kimyra said she knows the team will be in good hands after she graduates.
“We’re like sisters, and it feels good to be around other young ladies who motivate you, not just on the court but also in school,” said Kimyra, who added that she plans to return to the school after graduation to motivate players.
The best part of coaching for Morgan is seeing his players go off to college and then come back to mentor the younger students.
“In 2015 we had six seniors and all six of them went to school for free, so that’s really what we’re trying to do here,” he said.
Principal Tim Bouman praised Morgan for the work and dedication he puts in.
“He works magic,” Bouman said. “His girls would walk through the fire for him.”
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