Lincoln-Way West High School

Illinois varsity high school girls basketball game between the Knights of Lincoln-Way Central from New Lenox and the Warriors of Lincoln-Way West from New Lenox, at Lincoln-Way West, on Feb. 7, 2023.  *Part of the photo series Illustrious: The Best High School Basketball Gyms in Illinois. (Photo by Vincent David Johnson)*

Go West on the Lincoln-Way

The newest of the four Lincoln-Way schools, West opened in 2009 as a four-year high school. It is also the largest by campus size of the four Lincoln-Way high schools, sitting on 100-acres of land about as far west in the town as you can get. Butting up along Joliet’s eastern borders in an area that is still largely farm land.

The main gym here is a basic two-tiered gym, a gym with a defined and permanent upper & lower section on each side. It also has a open hallway above the baseline wall on the interior side of the gym. Allowing access to view the games while walking to either upper section. A set of double-exit doors on the exterior-baseline wall of the gym lead to the parking lot.

The gym as plenty of space between the bleachers and the court lines. With retractable bleachers on both levels, the gym has space for multiple functions. The games I’ve been here for often only have one side of bleachers open, opposite team benches. The upper level on the bench side was set up for wrestling practice, but with a drop-down screen, any other sport could hold a practice in the area without worry of stray balls going to the lower level.

The field house has three basketball courts surrounded by a rubberized running track with lanes. Although it is not a full-length 400-meter track. It looks slightly smaller than the once built in the 1994 at Lincoln-Way Central. I’m assuming both East & North have field houses as well, but I have not visited either to know how large they are.