Eric Vierneisel remembers the long trips to Chicago.

The former basketball star at Jacobs would drive almost two hours when he was in high school to play and practice with the Illinois Warriors, an AAU team based out of Tinley Park. He honed his skills against quality competition and developed into a college prospect through what was one of the preeminent travel programs in the country.

“I had to go down to the city to play for this team,“ said Vierneisel, who went on to play college basketball at California from 2004 to ’08. “There were some of the best players in the state playing for this team, but it was kind of a long haul.”