SHEAHEN DOWLING - OTE ALUM
At OTE our coaches strive to make a positive impact on each and every student athlete. On occasion, there is a student athlete that ever so effortlessly makes an everlasting impression on their coach. This everlasting impression on me was made by a little girl, now a grown woman, named Sheahen Dowling.
Sheahen was always eager to learn and had a hunger to excel. She always embraced constructive criticism from her OTE coaches. Sheahen consistently displayed a strong work ethic, I remember how her freckles would disappear into her rosy red cheeks. I will never forget her contagious smile and positive attitude.
Sheahen was highly receptive to OTE’s skills, drills, and coaching. This young lady most definitely acquired a solid foundation of fundamental basketball training at OTE. We are so very proud of all her accomplishments and achievements!
~Coach Caitlin~
FALL TRYOUTS - 2024 BY COACH EDDIE
AMAZING WEEKEND OF TRYOUTS
Parents, we had an amazing weekend of tryouts. Coaches have some very difficult decisions to make. Rosters will be posted Wednesday. I will send an email out to let everyone know. If your child's name is on the roster you have until Friday to claim your spot. If your name is not on the roster we have skills clinics available. More information below. Take a look at this tryout video Coach Eddie put together!
2024 FALL SKILLS CLINICS - CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
Want your game to reach the next level and you don't know where to begin? Our skills clinics are the perfect place. 20 plus years in teaching and coaching the fundamentals, Over the Edge puts an emphasis on teaching the game the right way. For more information about our skills clinics click on this link.
NATALIE ESHOO
Our own Natalie Eshoo (headed into 7th grade - has been playing up with the 8th grade girls (now 9th grade) all summer) was chosen to attend the USJN and Bluestar Invitational Summer Camp held in Indianapolis, Indiana last weekend. Natalie was one of 150 kids chosen from all across the United States for this invitation only camp. What an incredible achievement for Natalie! Being selected for such a prestigious event is a testament to her talent and dedication. It's exciting to see her hard work paying off, and I'm sure she has a bright future ahead. Congratulations to Natalie—her journey is just getting started!
8th GIRLS - AAU
8th GRADE GIRLS - STILL ROLLING! 5TH PLACE finish at the AAU World Championship in Ohio.
The 8th grade girls went 5 and 3, and a 5th place finish this past weekend in Ohio as the competed in the World Championship for AAU. Although I know the girls probably feel they could have won it all, this is the highest OTE has ever placed in Division ll AAU basketball!
Thanks to Coach Croix, Coach Justin, and Coach Marissa for leading the charge this past week. We are so lucky to have great coaches and people to be mentoring our girls.
8th GRADE GIRLS - TAKE 3RD PLACE USAB OPEN BRACKET CHAMPIONSHIP IN WINSTON SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA
The 8th grade girl's piggybacked last year's success as they took 3rd place in Washington DC at the US Jr. Nationals in 2023, by again, taking 3rd place at this USAB Open Bracket Championship held in Winston Salem, North Carolina this past weekend. The girls went 3-1 (only loss was to the eventual champion) as they competed against 16 teams from around the country.
Their next stop is the AAU World Championships 6/26 to 6/30 in Kings Island Ohio.
We are so proud of the girls and the way they represented themselves, our program, and Chicago! Congratulations, girls. GO EDGE!
2023 USJN U13 Milwaukee Windy City Classic Champions!
WOW, what a weekend in Milwaukee for the girls, parents, and coaches! Congratulations to all of you and the girls. And thank you for making this a wonderful event. Teamwork makes a dream work! We don't have to dream any more, we are the 2023 USJN U13 Windy City Classic Champions! I am so proud of our coaches, Coach Croix, Coach Marissa, Coach Justin, and I want to thank them for giving their time and energy so this event could happen for our girls.
7th Grade Girls - 3rd PLACE US JUNIOR NATIONALS - D1
July 21-24 was a fantastic week for the 7th-grade girls. They competed at the USJN NATIONAL TOURNAMENT in Washington DC and did amazing! They captured 3RD PLACE in D-I. An outstanding accomplishment, led by Coach Croix, Justin, Marissa & Coach Keith. We are all so proud & very excited to see what they can do next year! Congratulations, Girls!
OTE 2023-2024 - This is what we are all about!
GREAT WOLF LODGE - WEEKEND OF FUN!
What a fantastic way to end the season. We ended up winning 9 medals, went 26 and 12 this last weekend between all of our teams, and we re-established our end of the season celebration at Great Wolf Lodge. Keith and I would like to thank you for all of your support this past session. It has been a difficult transition between losing Greg and Deb, who have been an integral part of the program for as long as I can remember, trying to get a high school program started and probably the most challenging is having our gym being sold this past week and looking for new places to call home. Our mission has always been to help the young athletes on our teams learn, grow and have fun together on and off the court, and we appreciate your help in making that happen. We are especially pleased to recognize the contributions of our 8th grade players as they prepare to enter high school. Many of these players have been with us for as many as five years, and it has been one of the great privileges of our coaching staff to help all of them grow into the student-athletes they are today. OTE would like to thank our USA Basketball gold certified coaches and administrative staff for their dedication to our players. Most of all, we want to thank you, our OTE family, for placing your trust in us. It is a privilege to play a meaningful role in the lives of your children. We will have more details shortly about our spring season, which begins next week. We hope to see you in the gym, and if not, we hope to see you at our summer clinics and camps and our tryouts for the fall-winter 2023-24 season in September.
8th Girls - DOMINATE AT STATE! 4th Boys - 2nd Place Finish
Both the 8th-grade girls and 4th-grade boys continued on their respective rolls this past weekend with the girls going a perfect 5-0 and winning State the boys going 3-1 and coming in 2nd at the University of Illinois. The 8th grade girls, led by Coach Croix and Coach Keith, put on a fantastic performance and took home rings and medals for winning! The boys, led by Coach Eddie went 3-0 Saturday which got them into the championship game Sunday, where they fell to a very talented team from Park Forest. It was a hard-fought battle and the boys played their hearts out! Great job, boys! We will see them next year! Same place, same time! Congratulations Ladies! Keep up the amazing work!
OTE 7th Girls win 2021 state AAU championship
OTE is proud to announce its latest championship team. The 7th grade girls team won the 2021 AAU state championship Division 1 by sweeping all four games it played May 1-2 in Rockford. Ill. The team is coached by Brandon Lathon and Shawn Cirton, and won each game by 10 or more points. The team prevailed by sharing the ball, playing tough team defense and winning the battle for loose balls and rebounds. Congrats to the girls!
OTE 7th grade girls roll at 2019 AAU Nationals!
Congrats to the OTE 7th grade girls, who finished 6th out of 34 teams in the National AAU championship in Knoxville, Tenn. The girls had a great run, losing by five points in the quarterfinals to the eventual AAU champs. The team was on fire all week, averaging 53 points a game -- one of the top-scoring teams in the tourney. Thanks to the players, parents and coach Croix for a terrific week of basketball! The OTE family is proud of all of you!
OTE WINS 2017 AAU NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
OTE 8th girls became National AAU champions this morning, July 17, 2017 in Orlando! We're so proud of our players -- Angelica, Illiana, Maeve, Charleen, Lily, Caroline, Nicole, Christi -- and coaches Keith and Jean. What a great run! Congrats!
OTE - This is what we are all about!
OTE'S MISSION:
MISSION - WE PREPARE OUR PLAYERS TO EXCEL IN BASKETBALL, AS WELL AS LIFE. BEGINNING IN 3RD GRADE THROUGH THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVELS, OTE, IS A PROGRAM THAT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR 20+ YEARS AND OVER 90% OF ALUMS HAVE GONE ON TO PLAY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL AND HAVE EXCELLED. OTE IS SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE WE ARE "OVER THE EDGE ON FUNDAMENTALS."
Mission Statement: Our mission is to inspire and empower young athletes through the sport of basketball by fostering a positive, inclusive, and supportive environment. We aim to develop not only their skills on the court but also their character, discipline, and teamwork. By emphasizing sportsmanship, respect, and a love for the game, we strive to build confident, resilient individuals who excel both in basketball and in life. Our goal is to help each player reach their full potential, nurture lifelong friendships, and instill a passion for continuous growth and learning.
