Time was right for Redhawks' Konrad to switch priorities

This sounds more like self-reassignment than a resignation.

In order to spend more time with his wife, Natasha, and two athletically inclined sons, on April 5 Konrad told Naperville Central athletic director Marty Bee he was resigning as Redhawks varsity boys soccer coach. He made it official after informing the team Friday.

"It's been a great run," said Konrad, who like older brother Jim at Naperville North is a former all-state player, a former Rockford Raptor pro and a member of the Naperville North and Chicago Magic halls of fame.

"I've had an awful lot of fun," Jay said. "As much as I know I'm going to miss coaching high school soccer, the time is right to kind of reprioritize a little bit."

As he told his buddy Ed Watson - who, Konrad wanted to emphasized, just won his 300th game as Redhawks girls soccer coach - he may return to high school soccer.

Just not now, while 10-year-old Mitch and 7-year-old Ty are banging the ball around and forcing Jay and Natasha (nee Dudek, a Montini grad), both teachers at Naperville's Washington Junior High, to catch up.

"They just love sports," said Konrad, who coaches his sons in the Eclipse West club soccer program. "Right now they're pretty busy with soccer and basketball. Those are their two favorite sports, but we have no delusions - they want to play lots of sports, and we want to be involved."

Konrad - a 1991 Naperville North graduate named Gatorade's Illinois player of the year and an All-America as a senior - won his 100th game with the Redhawks boys in a 2009 regional final.

"Jay has been outstanding for us," noted Bee, who figures interviews to fill the spot will begin within two weeks.

"He has demanded a lot from his kids, but he has always treated them with a great deal of respect. He has been everything I want in a head coach."

Konrad had great mentors, not to mention contemporaries like Watson at Central, initially a rival on the field.

Konrad was brought up in the coaching ranks by Naperville Hall of Famers Dave Bucher and Al Harris, who gave him volunteer jobs when he'd return from Northern Illinois University. When Harris retired as coach Konrad took over the girls program and won 56 games with the Huskies.

Relationships with coaches, athletes and families, the competition, the DuPage Valley Conference grind, even the tactical games he played out in his mind while jogging - that's what he'll miss.

Well, not entirely ... not with Ty and Mitch around.

"You've got to be passionate about something in life, and every fall that's something I've been passionate about," Konrad said. "It's been really fun, I've had so many great memories - but it's time to make some more memories, just in a different area."

Get looked at"There are so many kids that are overlooked it's absolutely a crying shame," Ed Ross said.His basketball business attempts to reduce that number.Ross, typically spied midway up the bleachers watching local boys high school basketball whenever it's being played, is director of Hoop Mountain Midwest, an instructional basketball camp whose big summer confab runs annually at Illinois Wesleyan.Meanwhile, there's the Hoop Mountain Midwest Spring Showcase Games, to be held May 2 at West Aurora. It's for unsigned seniors and "underclassmen who feel they have the potential to be college prospects," Ross said. Last year 120 players showed from towns throughout Illinois and even into Iowa.This will be Hoop Mountain's fourth Showcase Games. The idea is to get as many college coaches there as possible to watch the players. Division I coaches aren't allowed because of NCAA rules, though Ross said attending scouting services fill them in fine. He invites every college coach within 250 miles of Aurora, and said about 30 of them attend on average.Players are guaranteed three games, and everybody gets the same amount of playing time, Ross said. Detailed info sheets on players are distributed to coaches and scouts in attendance. For cost and details, he can be reached at (630) 539-2100 or edrosssr@aol.com."Butler had some players nobody wanted, or nobody knew about them," Ross said. "You give them a chance, and look what happens."There's something about MeghanMeghan Boler has been on both ends of the soccer spectrum - sparingly used as an Illinois State freshman, three years later she was all-Missouri Valley Conference and the Redbirds' career assists leader.She's brought that range of experience and boundless enthusiasm to her first season as coach at her alma mater, St. Francis."There's something about soccer," said Boler, who graduated in 2003 with Spartans records for goals (87) and assists (47). "I've been around it all my life. I've played it and I still play it. I just can't get enough of it."A Wheaton resident embarking upon a teaching career at Salt Creek Primary School in Villa Park, Boler was a fixture at St. Francis summer programs. She assisted former St. Francis boys and girls coach Tim Dailey and was promoted to head girls coach when Dailey resigned following the 2009 boys season."I wasn't expecting to be a head coach this soon, but things happened," said Boler, 25, who had the Spartans at 3-3-1 through Tuesday.She credited the support from new boys coach Chris Payton and volunteer assistant Fran McMahon, as well as her parents, Maggie and Tom. "It's a bigger world than I was expecting," she said.It's a world not just of fun stuff like practices and games but scheduling and uniforms and e-mail trees and teaching things she did instinctively as a player. There's something about soccer, though, and she's thrilled to be coaching it at her alma mater."I'm going to get that first year under my belt, know my role, and hopefully next year when I get that full-time teaching position I'll have this down."