Benet, Glenbard East answer opportunity
Opportunity doesn't knock often in high school boys basketball.
That's why Benet and Glenbard East both are answering this season, starting with their holiday tournament appearances.
The powerhouses are making the most of a window of talent a window rarely seen in DuPage County by taking on every competitive challenge they can find. Most challenges, though, are finding them.
Neither coach hesitated to beef up his respective schedule when tournament and shootout organizers came calling last season.
“We were certainly looking for good competition, and we were willing to accept a lot of the opportunities offered to us,” said Benet coach Gene Heidkamp. “If we lose some games, we lose some games. But these are opportunities our kids will remember the rest of their lives.”
Of course, neither team is experiencing losing so far this season. After Benet's win on Wednesday, the Redwings and Glenbard East were a combined 14-0.
Both teams expected this immediate success and tailored their schedules accordingly. Benet accepted an invitation to the prestigious Proviso West Holiday Tournament and could face state title contenders such as Morgan Park and Hillcrest. The Rams are making their debut appearance at the State Farm Holiday Classic in Bloomington and Normal, where Peoria Notre Dame is seeded second behind the Rams.
“They called us last season, and it came at a good time,” said Glenbard East coach Scott Miller. “Knowing the kind of team we had coming back, we wanted to take advantage of some opportunities.”
Division I basketball talent is relatively uncommon in this area, especially when compared to the abundance of college-caliber football and baseball players.
Glenbard East and Benet, however, are exceptional exceptions.
After meeting in last year's Class 4A Neuqua Valley sectional final, both teams entered this season with a pair of players committed to Division I colleges. It's a unique situation for DuPage County boys basketball.
Benet boasts Northwestern-bound point guard Dave Sobolewski and 7-foot center Frank Kaminsky, committed to Wisconsin. Glenbard East point guard Zach Miller is headed to Northern Illinois, and teammate Johnny Hill accepted a scholarship offer from Illinois State.
On their own few teams can match that individual talent. Benet and Glenbard East, though, also have strong supporting casts that further necessitated the boost in competition.
While the boost started last summer with more games in more-competitive venues, the true test starts this holiday season and continues in the coming months.
“It's almost like a never-ending process,” Miller said. “Summer is crucial because you can find some real good competition and you can play a lot of games in a short amount of time. And for the regular season we didn't really have to go out and sell our talent. It was others coming to us.”
Glenbard East will play in two shootouts next month, beginning Jan. 15 at Downers Grove North to face West Suburban Gold favorite Proviso East. One of Benet's second-half highlights is a Feb. 18 rematch against Simeon the team that beat the Redwings in double overtime in last year's Class 4A supersectional at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
The Redwings also face Oswego at the Naperville North shootout on Jan. 15, but the biggest game of all comes the following weekend when Benet plays Glenbard East at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.
Not only will those games break up the monotony of conference play, they'll also be a tremendous measuring stick for how Glenbard East and Benet stack up against some of the best teams in Chicagoland.
As both teams eye a March trip to Peoria, preparation is the key.
“Our kids want to play the best competition possible, and that's the kind of schedule we've tried to set up for them,” Heidkamp said. “They get especially excited for the big games, and we've definitely given them plenty of opportunities.”
kschmit@dailyherald.com