School: Notre Dame
2018-19 record: 19-12 (6-3 East Suburban Catholic Conference)
Postseason results: Lost to Evanston in Class 4A regional finals.
Players to watch: The junior class is stellar for the Dons. Guard Anthony Sayles is a Division I prospect who also excels on the football field. Forward Troy D'Amico is a mid-major prospect who can score at a high level. And Evanston transfer Louis Lemond could be one of the area's breakout players this season with a bigger role and multiple high-major scholarship offers.
Why they're in the power rankings: Notre Dame looked like they immediately clicked this summer once Lesmond entered the lineup. The Dons already had talent and size last season thanks to D'Amico and senior forward Jason Bergstrom. Now with an added year of experience, and the addition of Lesmond, the Dons have massive expectations. Although most of Notre Dame's core is juniors, they're talented enough to compete for a state title this season.
Did you know? Notre Dame's program has done a great job of capturing regional titles (17). The program has struggled to make longer runs in the IHSA playoffs, however, as the Dons only have two sectional titles in school history.