Boys basketball: Northwest all-area team
Dylan Bartuch Conant
Bartuch's long-range success as a senior may be just a warmup since he's going to play in Grinnell's high-octane offense. He hit 75 3-pointers and averaged a team-high 14.3 points. “He's one of the better deep threats we've have in awhile,” said coach Tom McCormack. “He was a marked man every night and was pretty consistent. He became more than a shooter and found other ways to score.”
Quinton Brown Fremd
There were plenty things “Q” could do in his third varsity season to help Fremd win its first regional title since 2003. The dynamic point guard averaged 9.8 points and 2.6 assists and was a vital part of one of the area's top defenses. “With all of the changes from last year's team he did a real nice job of stepping in for us right off the bat,” said coach Bob Widlowski. “He's one of the quickest kids in the Northwest Suburban area on the defensive end.”
London Dokubo Conant
One of the area's best teams on “D” fittingly started with Dokubo, who also produced his share of offense at point guard at 11.6 points and 4.5 assists per game. “We have to go back a ways to find someone as good as a lockdown defender as he was for us,” said coach Tom McCormack. “When he was on the ball, the ball just didn't penetrate against him. He's one of the best I've seen at guarding the ball.”
Odera Eneogwe Maine West
When Eneogwe brought his “A” game the former freshman “B” player was difficult to contend with at both ends of the floor as the 6-foot-3 senior averaged 14.3 points and 8.8 rebounds. Eneogwe set a single-game school record with 25 rebounds. “The steps Odera took from his freshman year are pretty impressive,” said coach Erik McNeill, “and there is still quite a bit of room for growth.”
Greg Gerrard Barrington
Gerrard was a big part of Barrington's resurgence with a regional title last year and then helping the program win its first Mid-Suburban League division title in 20 years as a senior. Gerrard averaged 9.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists and usually drew the opponent's top offensive threat. “He's a heady kid who is all about the team,” said coach Bryan Tucker.
Conor Hart Maine West
Maine West is glad to have Hart for a third varsity season next year. The strong, 6-foot-1 guard had the ability to work inside and outside for averages of 14.9 points and 4 rebounds. Made 70 percent of his 158 free-throw attempts. “He's kind of an old-school gym rat,” said coach Erik McNeill. “Conor was our most consistent scorer all year and proved to be a difficult matchup for opponents.”
Alex Herrera Leyden
How well can Herrera shoot the ball? The junior missed only 5 of his 67 free-throw attempts (92.5 percent) and will take a streak of 25 in a row into next season. He led the Eagles in scoring at 11.8 points a game, averaged 2 assists and 2 rebounds and hit 58 3s. “He's very even keel and that's what makes him really solid,” said coach Bill Heisler. “The future is very bright for him because he's an even better kid and harder worker.”
Mike LaTulip Prospect
LaTulip had to deal with being the primary target of opposing defenses as the only returning starter for Prospect. The junior guard and repeat all-area pick was on the mark to average 19.6 points, hit 60 3-pointers and make 87 percent of his free throws with a streak of 34 in a row. Also averaged 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists for the Mid-Suburban League champions. “He's only going to get better,” said coach John Camardella. “He's as skilled as any guard in this area.”
Matt Loebbaka Prospect
Not only is making 2 out of 3 shots not bad — it was good enough for the 6-foot-6 Loebbaka to set the school's single-season field goal percentage record. He averaged 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds and blocked 37 shots for the Mid-Suburban League champs after rarely playing as a junior. “He really established himself as a second primary scorer,” said coach John Camardella. “He became a very good post player for us.”
John Lorenz Elk Grove
Lorenz's improvement didn't just happen magically in his senior year. He put in his time to lead Elk Grove in scoring (12.6 ppg), rebounding (3.9), steals (28) and 3-pointers (31) while making 83 percent of his free throws. “John is a good example of what spending the extra time can do for your basketball skills,” said coach Anthony Furman. “He has a sincere passion for the game and respects what it takes to be a solid well rounded player and good person.”
Javon McDonald Schaumburg
The smile and polite demeanor in no way reflected the intensity the senior guard brought to the Saxons' two regional-title runs. He averaged 15 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, hit more than 50 3-pointers, handled the ball and defended top-scoring guards. “He's a great role model for our younger players with his work ethic and ability to handle adversity,” said coach Matt Walsh. “He's such a high-character kid.”
Connor Miklasz Hersey
If Miklasz was playing well it usually meant the same was true for Hersey. The senior point guard averaged 13.6 points, 5.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals and hit 45 3-pointers as the Huskies reached the regional finals. “In terms of a fastbreak point guard he ranks up there,” said coach Steve Messer. “His vision of the court is tremendous and he reads defenses really well. His timing is excellent.”
Zach Monaghan Fremd
Monaghan became the marked man this year for Fremd and responded by leading the Mid-Suburban League in scoring at 22.3 points a game. The two-time MSL West player of the year and three-year starter also averaged 3 rebounds and 2.6 assists and was a disruptive force on the defensive end. “He handled everything thrown at him in a productive manner,” said coach Bob Widlowski.
D.J. Morris St. Viator
Replacing two-time all-area guard Alan Aboona wasn't going to be easy. But it wasn't so tough for St. Viator as Morris averaged 14 points and 3 assists and hit 59 3s in his first varsity season. “His shooting improved a great deal from a year ago and that was one of the biggest keys to his success,” said coach Joe Majkowski. “And he did so much more for us with his ballhandling and defense.”
Brian Nelms Rolling Meadows
If Nelms continues the improvement he's showed in his first three varsity seasons then next year could be something special. The junior point guard averaged 13 points, 6 assist and 4 rebounds and hit 81 percent of his free throws before missing the final six games with mono. “We've had some really good leaders but I don't know if we've had any quite as good as him,” said coach Kevin Katovich of Meadows' career assist leader. “He doesn't care what his stats are. He just wants to win.”
Nick Prus Buffalo Grove
When Prus got loose he could light up opposing defenses in a big hurry. The repeat All-Area pick averaged 14.3 points and hit 61 3-pointers this season and finished a varsity career where he was involved in 69 victories with 878 points and 145 3s. “Nick could change the momentum of a game in an instant,” said coach Ryan O'Connor. “He was a constant threat to score and a focal point of every defense we faced.”
Terry Redding Prospect
Coach John Camardella had one letter to describe the player known as “TR” for the Mid-Suburban League champions. “X-factor,” Camardella said. “He's the type of player who does everything. He defends, shoots and rebounds. All teams need a third option and he provided that for us numerous times.” Averaged 8.8 points and 6.9 rebounds, blocked 48 shots, had 31 assists and hit 14 3-pointers.
Ricky Schwind Wheeling
Schwind could always shoot from long range as he hit 57 3s and averaged 11 points. What the 6-foot 5 senior brought at the top of the ball press gave Wheeling a boost defensively as he led the team in steals with 52 and deflections with 68. “What I was most impressed with was his defensive effort was phenomenal,” said coach John Clancy. “He was more active on that end and it translated to him being better on offense.”
Tom Sutrinaitis Hersey
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Sutrinaitis was more than just a physical presence as he averaged 11.3 points and 6.2 rebounds and shot 60 percent from the field. “He was a great floor leader and a great defensive player,” said coach Steve Messer. “(His game-winning basket in an overtime regional win over St. Viator) was a perfect example where a number of times he was in foul trouble or didn't play well but still did whatever he can do and took care of the team.”
Austin Terry Hoffman Estates
There were plenty of growing pains for one of the most inexperienced teams in Hoffman history. But Terry showed plenty of growth and promise for next year as well as the junior and team MVP averaged 13 points and 6.2 rebounds and hit 31 3s while moving from shooting guard to the point. “He may be a little quiet off the floor but he was anything but when he was playing,” said coach Bill Wandro. “His steady hand at point made his teammates better even though it took away some of his own scoring chances.”
Paul Volkman Rolling Meadows
Volkman lost his starting spot at the end of his junior season but responded impressively this year. The 6-foot-6 senior averaged 15 points and 9 rebounds and helped lead Meadows' second-half resurgence. “Everything we told him to do he did and he made himself into a really good player,” coach Kevin Katovich said. “I think his best basketball is still ahead of him”
Kevin Walsh St. Viator
Walsh's form gives him one of the softest shots around. They go in pretty frequently, too, as he averaged 12.6 points, made 86 percent of his free throws and hit 40 3s at 35 percent. The junior also averaged 2.5 assists and rebounds a game. “Late in the season people were trying to limit what he could do,” said coach Joe Majkowski. “He proved throughout the year he could be a consistent scorer.”
Sam Wacker Buffalo Grove
The 6-foot-7 Wacker went from seeing limited minutes as a sophomore to becoming a player Buffalo Grove didn't want off the floor. Wacker averaged 11 points and 6.2 rebounds, shot 52 percent from the field and blocked 66 shots. “Sam was a presence on both ends of the floor,” said coach Ryan O'Connor. “He was near the top of every statistical category and improved leaps and bounds from last season.”
Tyler Weathered Barrington
Weathered went from scoring 3 points as a junior to becoming one of the Mid-Suburban League's top 3-point threats with 52. The 6-foot-2 guard grew into a more expanded role and led Barrington in scoring at 11.7 points a game while getting 3.9 rebounds and 2 assists for the MSL West tri-champions. “It's nice to see a kid that committed and who worked that hard,” said coach Bryan Tucker.
All-Area team roster
Player School Pos. Yr.
Dylan Bartuch Conant G Sr.
Quinton Brown Fremd G Sr.
London Dokubo Conant G Sr.
Odera Eneogwe Maine West F Sr.
Greg Gerrard Barrington F Sr.
Conor Hart Maine West G Jr.
Alex Herrera Leyden G Jr.
Mike LaTulip Prospect G Jr.
Matt Loebbaka Prospect F Sr.
John Lorenz Elk Grove G Sr.
Javon McDonald Schaumburg G Sr.
Connor Miklasz Hersey G Sr.
*Zach Monaghan Fremd G Sr.
D.J. Morris St. Viator G Jr.
Brian Nelms Rolling Meadows G Jr.
Nick Prus Buffalo Grove G Sr.
Terry Redding Prospect F Sr.
Ricky Schwind Wheeling G Sr.
Tom Sutrinaitis Hersey C Sr.
Austin Terry Hoffman Estates G Jr.
Paul Volkman Rolling Meadows C Sr.
Sam Wacker Buffalo Grove F/C Jr.
Kevin Walsh St. Viator G Jr.
Tyler Weathered Barrington G Sr.
*All-area team captain
Special mention
Peter Bony (Palatine, Sr., G), Luke Comerouski (Christian Liberty, Jr., G), Tyler Gaedele (Rolling Meadows, Jr., G), Justin Jobski (Hersey, Jr., F), Kurt Kempema (Schaumburg, Sr., F), Jack Konopka (Fremd, Sr., C), John Millin (Palatine, Jr. F), John Schneider (Barrington, Jr., F), Brandon Stinson (Leyden, Sr., G), Brian Wadsworth (Conant, Sr., F), Jeff Zabrin (Buffalo Grove, Sr., G), Brad Zaumseil (Barrington, So., G)