Riley wants to see one last Montini state title before he retires

State championship trophies have been nice parting gifts for outgoing Montini athletic director Don Riley this year.

This weekend's would carry special meaning.

Few, if any people, at the Lombard school can appreciate where the Montini girls basketball program has been, its current state and the satisfaction of winning a state championship like Riley.

Riley coached the Montini girls from 1989-98, winning 226 games with state quarterfinal appearances in 1989, 1990 and 1993.

Montini experienced its lull. "We had fallen on some hard times," Riley said, "like everybody does unless it's our wrestling program."

Over the last seven years he's watched Jason Nichols come in and lead Montini to 189 wins. Those numbers are unmatched in DuPage County. They put Montini in the neighborhood of the Fenwicks and Bolingbrooks.

"Since Jason's come on board the program's made a huge step back to where it was in the late '80s and early '90s," Riley said. "He's brought that dynamic back. Kids want to come to Montini. He's re-established the traditions we had and built on them."

Riley appreciates not only the quality of players on the current Montini roster but the quality kids they are. On Jan. 22 against Rosary, 11 of Riley's 1989 group came back for a reunion at Montini.

"The kids on the bench, as my kids were being introduced they looked at them like, 'Wow they are the ones that started this,'" Riley said. "It's a generation removed, but they have the common bond of putting on the Broncos uniform.

"These kids are a great representation of the school. It's been a treat to watch them play."

Last week Montini became one of only seven schools in IHSA history to win six straight sectional championships in girls basketball.

Four of those went on to win state championships.

Riley witnessed what it meant for Chris Andriano to win the "big one" in football in 2004, and again this year.

Now he hopes it is the girls' turn.

"We've had a history of being a pretty good girls basketball team over quite a few years," Riley said, "but we were never able to win the big one. Until you put that crowning touch on a team there's always that, 'They're good but not that good.' It's that crowning piece, icing on the cake - now you belong. Two wins would definitely put us in that category."

The 63-year-old retiring coach knows that, and so does Montini's junior all-state point guard.

"A state championship is what we need," Whitney Holloway said. "That would really put us on the map."

jwelge@dailyherald.com