ST. LOUIS — There are no shortage of schools and athletes to highlight in St. Louis this high school basketball season.
But when it comes to looking at the combined girls and boys programs of a school, it doesn't get much more dominant than what the teams at John Burroughs are putting together in 2024.
First, there's the winning.
The Burroughs girls are 11-1 to start the season. Their only loss is to an Incarnate Word Academy team that has not lost a game in over 100 contests. And that was just a 4-point loss.
The Bombers won the state title two years ago, and want another banner to hang this season.
"I would say it's our main motivation for sure this season after winning last season, too. So we know what it's like to win and what it's like to lose at the end of the season. I think we want it way more this season than we've ever wanted it before," senior Allie Turner said.
"Senior year in all facets it's all or nothing. Because it's the last chance to do anything. So when we look up at our banner it's the first time we got a basketball state championship on the boys or girls side. So to do it again would mean a lot," senior Monet Witherspoon said.
And this team is loaded with talent.
Turner may be the best shooter (boys or girls) in St. Louis, and is heading to play at basketball-crazy Gonzaga in college.
"I'm so excited. I think it's (Gonzaga) very similar to Burroughs in that everyone cares about sports and academics," Turner said.
"Allie's going to be hard not to be on the Mount Rushmore of Burroughs girls basketball players, just because she's done so many things across her career when it comes to stats, but also what her and those seniors have accomplished," head coach Jacob Yorn said.
But it's not just Turner. There are athletes all over the Burroughs roster.
"I think one of the interesting things is how much talent could be on our team... I think most of our kids if they wanted to, could (play in college). But they have other interests. Whether it's another sport, or academics.. I think that's a unique thing here. We're not just basketball players," Yorn said.
There is no talent drop-off on the boys' side, either.
Head coach Pee Wee Lenard's squad is off to a 12-3 start this year.
"They're pushing each other to become better. So the best thing I can do is just get it out there, teach them and let them go have fun and play basketball," Lenard said.
And this is an equally confident bunch.
"State. We're going to make it down to Columbia. Yes sir," sophomore Tristan Reed said.
"I don't think there is a ceiling. I think we can go all the way and get it all this year," senior Ramzi Salem said.
The talent on this team is one to watch for years to come.
The Burroughs boys boast a pair of near-7-foot sophomores in Reed (averaging 19 points a game )and Sheek Pearson (averaging 12 points a game). Both have already been highly sought after in the recruiting battle.
"It's going pretty well. Just gotta get acclimated to it. Seeing my brother go through it kind of helped me along the process," Reed, who has a brother who plays for Michigan, said. "I have a few offers from Mississippi State, Kansas State, Michigan, SLU and Mizzou. I've heard from them and a few other schools as well."
"Tristan is naturally just a physical specimen. And a lot of times I tell him to just embrace the dominance he has," Lenard said of the 6-foot-8 sophomore. "He is beginning to start liking the game more and more. And he's very humble, and a great listener. I realize he's a sophomore, but once he understands the work ethic and commitment it takes to be one of the great ones, he's gonna be a force to be reckoned with."
Pearson has offers from Iowa State, Missouri and SLU as well. And knows the tandem the towering sophomores form in the paint.
"There's really not much they can do. Most teams only have one dude as big as me or him. So if they guard one of us, it's a mismatch on one of us," Pearson said.
Together, the boys and girls for Burroughs are 23-4 this year. There's a long way to go to hoist two state title trophies, but for now, the basketball vibe at Burroughs is second to none.
"We both really want to win this year. Both the boys and the girls. And I think we have the perfect teams to do so," Turner said.
"I think most people who watch us play these last two and a half years just see how much fun the girls have playing with each other. Similar to the boys in that sense. We win while also doing it together as a team," Yorn said.