Kowalyszyn steps down at Streamwood

Coaching a high school basketball team requires time and attention to detail.

Caring for a newborn baby is a full-time job.

Thus, something had to give in the Kowalyszyn household after varsity coaches Paul and Jill welcomed daughter Brady to the world on Oct. 18.

Both coaches recently completed their seasons - Paul with the Streamwood boys basketball team and Jill with the Maine East girls - with the help of various family members who pitched in to care for the baby on game days when each teacher/coach might work for up to 14 hours.

The couple got through it, but it was a grind. Paul stepped down as Streamwood coach once the season ended.

"The baby is the main issue," he said. "With Jill coaching, too, it was tough. Sometimes you get up at five, don't get home until 10 p.m. and the next day do it all over again. At the beginning of the season, I told my staff this was a possibility depending on how the season went. I kept them updated so this isn't a shock. At the end of the day, I felt I didn't have enough time to devote to the kids and the program that needs to be done.

"I'm not done coaching by any means, but at this point my priorities are much different from they were five years ago, 10 years ago. I'll take some time, recharge the batteries and probably pop up again somewhere as an assistant coach."

Streamwood made headway this season. The Sabres posted an 11-19 record after finishing 8-24 the year before. They went 31-121 in Kowalyszyn's five seasons, during which time he and Jill helped develop a Streamwood feeder system that could impact the program positively for years to come.

"For the most part I think we got them moving in the right direction," he said. "I feel I did everything I could to help the Streamwood basketball community. I just felt it was time to step aside and let someone else have a crack."