Driscoll grad Arlis looking ahead to crazy weekend
Stacey Arlis could have a very busy last weekend in February.
At least she hopes so.
If the season ended today, Arlis and the Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team would be hosting the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tournament in Bloomington as the No. 1 seed.
That same weekend, Arlis' alma mater Driscoll could be playing in the girls state basketball tournament for the first time in school history. Arlis, a 2007 Driscoll graduate, was a two-time Daily Herald All-Area basketball player and three-sport athlete in high school.
If it sounds like a surreal two days, check out Arlis' season.
Illinois Wesleyan, coming off a school record 26-win season, was ranked No. 10 in the D3hoops.com Division III poll, No. 12 according to ESPN/USA Today. The Titans opened the season with a one-point win over perennial power DePauw.
They haven't looked back since, and on Jan. 6 they ascended to a No. 1 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today poll, the first time in school history ranked No. 1. That same day Arlis scored 15 points in a conference-opening win over Augustana. Illinois Wesleyan, now 21-0, is still No. 1.
"It's been everything you dream of," Arlis said. "We really don't think about it that much and just work hard in practice. But it is kind of unreal."
Arlis averages 6 points in about 12 minutes of action per game off the bench.
"Coach tells me to speed the game up a little bit, because I like to run the floor and I'm quick," Arlis said. "It's nice to know that you have four other players on the court with you that you have complete confidence in at all times."
It is an adjustment from high school, where she averaged 19.6 points per game as a senior.
That 2006-07 season was Driscoll's first winning season in 11 years. Pretty special stuff for Stacey, who grew up watching older sister Jeanette play there.
"The last few years it seems like the program's done a complete 180," Arlis said.
Stacey now watches with pride as former teammates like Gigi DiGrazia and Courtney Lindfors have taken Driscoll to its first sectional championship last year and a 26-1 regular season this winter.
"We progressively got better," Arlis said, "and now they're highly ranked (No. 2 in Class 2A). I'm glad to know that I had a part in it, that I got to play with some of those girls. Hopefully, I made them better because I know they made me better."
Arlis made it to Driscoll's win over Willowbrook during Thanksgiving break, but other than that she relies on Internet newspaper reports to keep up with the team.
That and close contact with DiGrazia and her dad, Tony, a Driscoll varsity assistant. It's pretty easy to keep in touch, with Arlis dating Gigi's older brother Anthony.
"I always send them text messages before games," Arlis said.
Arlis tells the girls she hopes to see them in two weeks in Bloomington. Driscoll needs to win three more games to advance to the Class 2A state semifinals at Redbird Arena. Illinois Wesleyan, two games ahead of Wheaton College in the CCIW standings, would host the conference tournament if the Titans win the regular-season championship.
Then Arlis can begin the fun part of planning her weekend schedule.
"Ever since Christmas it's been a thought in my mind," she said. "It's their goal. I hope they do it because it's an opportunity to see them."
jwelge@dailyherald.com