Glenbard East players get fond welcome home
A couple hundred cheering members of Ram Nation turned out Sunday to honor the Glenbard East varsity basketball team for a thrilling season that brought home the school’s first state trophy.
The team, arriving home from Peoria after winning Saturday’s Class 4A third-place game, was treated to a rousing rally Sunday afternoon at the Lombard school. School administrators, parents, alumni and fans — many of them wearing black T-shirts that said “Dream the Dream” — gathered to express their gratitude to the squad.
“We thought this would be a nice opportunity for those who couldn’t get down to Peoria for the game to show their support,” Glenbard East Principal Josh Chambers said before the rally. “It’s great how the community came together around this team.”
The Rams defeated Normal Community 57-50 on Saturday. The victory gave the team 28 for the season, which broke the previous single-season record for the program.
Varsity coach Scott Miller said that one of things that impressed him most about the team was its ability to bounce back after defeats.
“We only had three losses, and when we lost we got better,” he said.
Miller also thanked the parents and fans who made the trip down to Peoria to support the team.
“You have no idea how inspiring it was for our guys to come out and see that sea of black shirts,” he told the crowd.
After Miller spoke, the team’s captains walked to the center of the gym with the third-place trophy. The crowd stood up and cheered.
Zach Miller, a senior guard and one of the captains, said he and his teammates are not likely to forget this season.
“This weekend and the past few weeks have been the best experience I’ve ever had,” he said.
Among those in the crowd at Sunday’s rally were several Glenbard East alumni from the Class of 1964 — the last year in which the basketball team went to state.
Carol Stream resident Rick Degnan was one of those alumni.
“It was fantastic, watching this team,” Degnan said. “They always played hard, they always found a way to come back.”
Degnan moved to Lombard in 1959, before Glenbard East opened, he said.
“I look at this as my hometown, and this school is very special, so it feels great to see that trophy here,” he said.