Waubonsee makes remarkable turnaround

Waubonsee's men's basketball team is off to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament, and that is by far the least likely conclusion to what was once considered a disappointing season.

A month ago, coach Dave Heiss questioned whether this year's squad would ever approach its potential.

The Chiefs were straddling a .500 record as they headed into the homestretch, but lost three straight, and with just one game to go before the start of the regional tournament, Heiss feared the season was lost.

"I'd be lying if I told you I didn't feel that way," Heiss said. "We'd been in every ballgame, but we weren't doing what we needed to down the stretch. It was frustrating for us as coaches, and of course it was frustrating for the players."

Then, as though a switch had been flipped, the Chiefs underwent a transformation. The turnaround began with a players-only meeting before the final regular season game at Lake County, a team they had lost to by 13 points, just five days earlier.

"We decided it was going to start with that game," sophomore guard Johnny Walker said. "We weren't going to focus on anything that had happened in the past."

The approach worked, as the Chiefs took care of the ball and squeezed out their first win in two weeks, 88-86.

That win represented the beginning of a dramatic improvement for a team that under-performed all season long.

"There was a point in the season when I felt the team's confidence was down, and the team had given up," Walker said. "But I always knew we had the ability to beat anybody."

Using their final regular season win as a springboard, the sixth-seeded Chiefs went on the road for their opening round game against Prairie State, and led by Torrien Minor's 20 points and Walker's 18, came away with a 76-71 win in overtime.

With the win, Waubonsee not only advanced to the second round, but also remedied a lingering problem.

"Four of our losses this season were in overtime," Heiss said. "That win on the road was a key for us, and you could really see our confidence grow after that."

The Chiefs rode their rediscovered confidence into a round two game at Triton College, and when Jonathan Shields drained a 3-pointer with :03 showing on the clock, Heiss' once underachieving team was headed to the regional final.

"We drew up a play, and the players did a great job of executing it," Heiss said. "To his credit, Jonathan stepped up and hit the shot."

It was Shields' fourth basket from beyond the arc in the final two minutes.

After a nearly a week of what Heiss called, "great practices," the Chiefs took the court for they expected would be a challenging regional final.

But instead of struggling through a tough game and either winning or losing it in the closing seconds, the Chiefs slapped top-seeded McHenry with a 21-point beat down.

"We had control of the whole game," Walker said. "They beat us twice during the season, but it was just our night."

Even Heiss didn't see such a one-sided win coming.

"It didn't surprise me that we won," he said. "What surprised me was how we won."

High-level success usually has many architects, and Waubonsee's late-season surge is no exception. Walker has provided leadership on the floor, as has fellow West Aurora grad Sammie Norman.

"Sammie has been our unsung hero all season long," Heiss said.

Minor, a freshman, has provided an emotional shot in the arm, as well as some much needed scoring punch.

"He's a high energy athlete whose motor never stops," Heiss said.

Like successful Waubonsee teams of the past, this season's Chiefs have relied heavily on contributions from up and down the roster. Players like Marmion alum Nick Gay, and fellow sophomore Tim Young from Aurora Christian have played vital roles.

"We wouldn't be here without their contributions," Heiss said. "They've done the sorts of things that don't always show up in the scorebook."

But despite the boost in confidence that has come with winning a regional title, the Chiefs figure to have their hands full in tonight's National Tournament opener against Kansas City's Penn Valley, the fifth-ranked team in the country.

"We know that they're athletic and have good size," Heiss said. "They play a three-guard lineup, which could work to our advantage."

On the whole, the 15-15 Chiefs are small, which means they'll have to be even more active and aggressive on the boards than usual to have a chance. Waubonsee is easily the biggest underdog in the 12-team tournament which is hosted by Danville Community College, and features schools from as far away as Phoenix and Newark, New Jersey.

"It's a David and Goliath story," Heiss said. "We need to remember what we did to get there, and we have to continue doing those things that have made us successful."

Walker acknowledged that his team faces an uphill battle, but believes attitude could play a major role.

"We can't be happy just to be there," Walker said. "We've been finding ways to win, and now we need to keep our confidence up and go in there and compete."