Z-B coaching combo measures up

NORMAL — They have more than 1,100 wins between them.

They’ve also combined for four state titles.

And they’re both Hall of Famers.

Tanya Johnson and Frank Mattucci are among the most successful and decorated girls high school basketball coaches in the state of Illinois.

They’ve pretty much seen it all.

“Frank and I have definitely been around the block a few hundred times,” Johnson said with a laugh.

Yet, no trip has ever been quite like this.

Johnson and Mattucci were once heated rivals, building their spectacular resumes sometimes at the expense of one another.

Johnson used to be the head coach at Loyola. Mattucci was the head coach at Stevenson. Back in the 1990s, they were heated rivals, constantly fighting for supremacy of the northern suburbs…and beyond.

But now, they are teammates, coaching together at Zion-Benton, which has suddenly become the toast of Normal this weekend.

Johnson is the head coach, Mattucci is her assistant. They took over the floundering program two years ago.

Zion-Benton had long been an afterthought in girls basketball. In the season before the dynamic duo arrived, the Zee-Bees had won just seven games and finished last in the North Suburban Conference.

Now, they’re playing for a state championship.

It’s an incredible transformation, led by perhaps two of the only people in the state who could pull it off.

Zion-Benton, which had never even won a sectional prior to this season, will take on No. 1 and nationally-ranked Bolingbrook, the two-time defending state champions, at 8:15 p.m. tonight in the Class 4A state title game at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University.

The Zee-Bees turned back Maine South 45-37 in their state semifinal on Friday night to secure an opportunity that was beyond their wildest dreams just weeks ago. They were seeded fifth in the Mundelein sectional.

“I’ve really enjoyed these kids and how hard they’ve worked, and the achievements they’ve made and how much they’ve believed in themselves and each other,” Johnson said. “I’ve been really lucky, and Frank has too.

“We’ve been fortunate to have some great kids and this is another team that reflects great kids. I am going to enjoy this (semifinal win) right now.”

Enjoying wins downstate is a right that both Johnson and Mattucci have earned before.

Mattucci directed the Patriots to back-to-back Class AA titles in 1995 and 1996 and then Johnson followed right behind by leading Loyola to back-to-back titles in 1997 and 1998.

The game of one-upmanship between the two was serious back then.

But not nasty.

When Johnson left Loyola two years ago and resurfaced at Zion-Benton, she reached out to Mattucci, who had since retired from Stevenson, to see if he would join her staff.

“We had a lot of battles,” Johnson said. “But we always had a mutual respect for each other. We became good friends.”

In fact, on his way home from his own practices at Stevenson, Mattucci would often stop by the gym at Loyola just to say hello.

“We just always stayed in touch,” Johnson aid. “Loyola isn’t too far from Frank’s house and he’d come by to hang out and chat.”

My how the Zee-Bees have given Johnson and Mattucci plenty to talk about. So much more than they could have ever imagined.