CHAMPAIGN—At first glance, nothing stands out about Caden Workman’s game. Brother Rice’s 6-4 senior isn’t a flashy guard or a talented big. He isn’t whipping behind-the-back passes or blocking shots into the stand.
The more you watch Workman play, the more you realize how special his talents are and how crucial he is to the Crusaders’ success this season.
Workman defends well in the post, has excellent floor vision as a passer and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time for an easy bucket.
None of this was new on Thursday in Champaign, Workman has been doing it all year and small college coaches are in love with his ability.
But State Farm Center provided the biggest stage so far for Workman’s unique talents. They all cropped up in the key fourth-quarter run that sealed Brother Rice’s 48-33 win against St. Patrick in the Class 3A semifinals.
“During this playoff run we’ve really taken defense to heart,” Workman said. “Early in the year, we weren’t as intense every possession.”
Workman scored six points, had a key block and played stifling defense in the Crusaders’ 13-0 run that encompassed most of the fourth quarter. He finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Brother Rice’s Caden Workman (21) shoots the ball against St. Patrick’s Rj McPartlin (15) during the Class 3A semifinals.
Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times
“What happened in the fourth quarter is what happened to us a few times this year,” St. Patrick coach Mike Bailey said. “Our offense went a little bit cold. And like a lot of teams when our offense went cold our defense was impacted.”
St. Patrick (28-8) led 31-30 in the final seconds of the third quarter. Then a turnover led to a pretty step back three-pointer by Brother Rice senior Jack Weigus. That gave the Crusaders the lead for good and sparked the fourth-quarter domination.
“I knew the clock was winding down,” Weigus said. “I just went and got the ball and shot it. You could hear the crowd after that and we were able to lock in more.”
Weigus scored 15 points and Citadel recruit Marcos Gonzales added 11 points and five assists.
“I love this team,” Brother Rice coach Conte Stamas said. “We have tremendous chemistry. I’m just trying to steer this thing a little.”
Cooper Kavanaugh led St. Patrick with 10 points and senior EJ Breland added seven points for the Shamrocks. It was the first appearance at state for St. Patrick.
“When you could see the look on these guys’ faces on Monday night [after winning the supersectional],” Bailey said. “The look on our student’s faces, just our regular students. Our Joe Shamrock guy. And our alums. This meant the world. We are disappointed right now. But we will go and get the third-place trophy tomorrow.”
Brother Rice (31-6) will face the DePaul Prep-Glenwood winner in the Class 3A state championship game on Saturday at 6 p.m.
