Former NBA and Illinois forward Kenny Battle resigned from his position as Joliet Catholic’s girls basketball coach Tuesday afternoon for personal reasons.
Battle informed his players about his decision to step down during a team meeting Tuesday. In his lone season at Joliet Catholic, Battle guided the Angels to a 20-9 record and Class 3A regional title. The Angels lost for the fourth time in four games to Rich South in the Class 3A Coal City Sectional final.
“I loved coaching the girls, and I had a great group of girls that will probably win state this year, but it just didn’t work out,” Battle said. “It was hard for me to leave. We had a great opportunity there. The young ladies put a lot of heart, sweat and hard work in. They worked hard this summer and looked good and are focused on winning the state championship this year.
“I’m going to miss the girls. This was going to be a special season, and I’m going to miss seeing them achieve their goals. They have a great nucleus, and I wish them all the luck whomever takes over at Joliet Catholic. As I told them today, I’m going to follow the young ladies throughout their lives.”
Battle’s daughter, junior Ty Battle, will also be leaving Joliet Catholic, Kenny Battle said. Ty Battle was named to the East Suburban Catholic All-Conference team for the 2014-15 season. The 6-foot-1 forward averaged 11.9 points and 7.8 rebounds last season.
“It was hard for Ty to leave,” Kenny Battle said. “Ty is going to explore her options and within a couple of days, we will know where she will be going to school.”
Battle’s resignation is the latest hurdle to the Joliet Catholic program since the Angels lost to Montini in the Class 3A state championship game in March of 2014. Two months after the title game, Ed Schodrof left his position as head coach to become an assistant women’s coach at Governors State University.
One of the top point guards in the country, Joliet Catholic senior Nicole Ekhomu pledged a commitment to Florida State on Sept. 6. A Tribune first-team All-State selection in 2014-15, the 5-9 Ekhomu averaged 16.6 points, 5.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 1.3 blocks for the Angels last season. According to two sources, Ekhomu plans to stay at Joliet Catholic.
After leading West Aurora to a third-place finish in the Class AA state tournament in 1984, Battle played two seasons each at Northern Illinois and Illinois, including for the Illini’s 1989 Final Four team. The 27th selection in the first round of the 1989 NBA Draft, Battle played for four NBA teams in four seasons.
Junior forward Jnaya Walker, who is being recruited by Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska and Wisconsin among others, announced in July that she was transferring to Bolingbrook. The 6-foot Walker averaged 7.7 points and over eight rebounds per game last season.
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
