Stineman grows into leading role at Stevenson

It was like a speeding freight train, with horns blaring and lights flashing, that Kevin Stineman entered Pat Ambrose's consciousness.

"I could see this coming, that's for sure," said Ambrose, the boys basketball coach at Stevenson. "It's been obvious to me for a long time that Kevin just loves, loves, loves basketball."

We're talking a very L-O-N-G time here.

Stineman, a senior guard for the Patriots, joined the Stevenson basketball family long before his freshman year. In fact, he was still in grade school.

Back then, in the late 1990s, his older brother Bobby was a standout guard for the Patriots.

The younger Stineman -- the youngest of six Stineman children -- would often show up at the high school to watch practice, and dream ... and to sneak in a few shots of his own on a side basket.

"That was back when I was short and chubby," laughed Stineman, now a sleek 6-footer. "Right when I got out of school, I would convince my mom (Teri) to take me over to practice. I used to ask Coach Ambrose 'Can I practice with you guys?' He'd kind of laugh and be like, 'Ummmmm ... go make 100 free throws first.'

"I would go over to the side and make 100 free throws and by the time I was done, practice would be over and he'd be like, 'Oh, man. It's too late.' But that was cool. I just wanted to be with the team. I would do anything. I would rebound for them ... anything."

Eventually, Stineman convinced Ambrose to let him be the team's ball boy. He proudly held the position for two years.

"I used to have to constantly kick that little runt out of my locker room," joked Ambrose with a laugh. "No, actually, Kevin was great. He had a lot of fun. He would have all of his (basketball) outfits with him, like three or four changes of clothes for the game. He was so into it."

Nothing's changed.

Stineman is still into it, still a gym rat, still in love with basketball. And clearly, basketball loves him back.

As boys basketball season opens across the state next week, Stineman, a slasher and swift ball handler, is one of the best players on one of the best teams in Lake County.

"I really like Stineman," longtime Warren coach Chuck Ramsey said. "He's a tough son-of-a-gun. I'm just very impressed with him. He's tough and he's a winner. He's just the kind of kid who helps you win."

And win the Patriots have.

Stevenson advanced downstate for only the second time in school history last season, beating Ramsey's Blue Devils in the supersectional to get there. The Patriots finished fourth in Peoria and everyone from fans to college scouts couldn't help but notice the heart and determination of the gritty Stineman, who averaged about 14 points in the postseason and hustled his way to a spot on the all-tournament team.

"I was ranked (by recruiting services) last year before the season and I was getting recruited a little bit," Stineman said. "But going downstate was the icing on the cake. A lot of (college) coaches told me they saw me down there. It showed them that I'm a top-notch player."

Stineman's stock soared and eventually he went on visits to Eastern Illinois, Valparaiso and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, a Division II school that will be Division I by next year.

In October, Stineman chose Southern Illinois-Edwardsville because getting in on the ground floor appealed to him.

"The coaches there told me that I would be able to play right away and I liked that," Stineman said. "I didn't want to sit, I wanted to play.

"To be able to play Division I basketball is a dream. That's been the dream for a long time. Since I first picked up a ball."

Stineman became more and more convinced every time he made a trip to the city with his dad. Bob Stineman used to take him to DePaul men's basketball games when he was young. Bob has been a season ticket holder for 20 years.

"I grew up watching a lot of basketball, playing a lot of basketball," Stineman said. "It's always been about basketball. I think that's why I work so hard at it. I just love it."

That passion is what pulls Stineman out of bed on cold mornings, long before he would normally need to get up for school. He gets to school each day by 6 a.m. so that he can shoot around in the gym before class.

"I have this fear that if I don't kind of practice a little bit and get myself going each day, I won't play good in practice,' Stineman said. "It's not like I like getting up early or anything like that. It's just that I want to make sure that I'll play good -- even in practice."

And usually, Stineman does.

In fact, he impressed Ambrose enough to earn a spot on the varsity as a sophomore.

"One of the things I like most about Kevin is that he shows absolutely no fear," Ambrose said. "Even as a sophomore, he stepped in with the older guys and didn't look back. He was happy to take on whatever role he had to just so that he could soak in the varsity experience and learn as much as he could.

"He's the same way now. He wants to take on any challenge or mountain that's placed in front of him. He's just driven like that."

It's how Stineman made a mountain of 100 free throws look more like a mole hill -- even as a grade schooler.