Frederking inspires Geneva teammates

It’s very rare in high school, but basketball players have been known to complain about not getting enough shots.

They should talk with Geneva’s Alex Frederking.

Games, practices, off-days, the senior guard gets at least four of them every day, no problem.

Diagnosed before his 11th birthday with Type 1 diabetes — once known as juvenile diabetes — Frederking maintains his daily regimen of insulin shots while serving as a reserve guard for the Vikings’ varsity.

“There are times when I think about why would it have to be me, necessarily,” said Frederking, a two-year player for coach Phil Ralston.

“But I’ve been working on it and I’ve come to the point where I accept that I have it and I just have a few more things I have to do,” Frederking said. “And I try to live as normally as possible, just slow down and check my (blood sugar) numbers. That can be tough as a teenager sometimes.”

On the teenager’s parents, too. A check of the Internet suggests the normal pediatric blood sugar range before a meal is between 70 and 110 milligrams per deciliter. Frederking said his father once found him in bed in the morning, unresponsive. His blood glucose level was 27. An immediate rush of orange juice was administered to get sugar into his system.

Those instances are not the norm, and Frederking typically adheres to his four to five insulin shots a day, at meals and before bed time. This is serious business, considering fainting or even coma can result if his sugar level is precipitously low. A doctor’s note had to be sent to the Department of Motor Vehicles before Frederking could get his license, and the boy’s college — Iowa, Illinois or Utah, it looks like — will also be notified.

Ralston is a sucker for inspiring athletes with great attitude who overcome adversity.

“I really have a tremendous amount of respect for what he has to put up with,” said Ralston, an English teacher who has had Frederking in class.

Ralston said Frederking has never requested preferential treatment. Should he need a break during practice to check his levels or slam some Gatorade, like any Viking grabbing a water break Frederking simply subs out and jumps back in when ready.

“He puts up with more adversity in one day than our entire team combined,” Ralston said. “And for him to do it without a second thought and to put it behind him and excel with it, it shows tremendous character.”

Before games and especially practices Frederking must make sure his sugar levels are higher than usual due to the expenditure of energy. By now teammates and trainers are familiar with how he looks when he’s fit or when he’s peaked and pale, and a granola bar is never far away.

“One friend on the team, Marcus Stierwalt, he’s been someone I hang out with outside of basketball, and he can always tell if my numbers seem off and I have to check,” said Frederking. None of Alex’s immediate family has diabetes, including former Vikings point guard Christian and eighth-grade brother Mitchell, but two uncles do.

Basically once he left the hospital as a newly diagnosed fifth-grade diabetic Alex has administered his own shots, preferring his touch to that of his parents.

“They’d poke me too hard or too slowly,” he said.

That problem solved a long time ago, Frederking said his challenges are few.

“I can still do everything any other kid can do,” he said. “I still go and eat sugar. As long as I’m taking care of it, it doesn’t affect my grades or my sports at all.”

Frederking does affect others, though.

“He’s a very quick-witted and humorous and funny kid,” Ralston said. “And in a way, for him to come to practice with a smile on his face, it kind of makes who he is all that much more enjoyable.”

Wunderkind

Paige Dusek was just a freshman midfielder last fall for the Drake women’s soccer team, coming out of St. Charles North. Although the Bulldogs were celebrating Senior Day on Oct. 17, that didn’t stop her from scoring both goals in Drake’s 2-0 win over Missouri State.

Her first goal that day was among 4 game-winners the 5-foot-4 Dusek scored in Missouri Valley Conference play, leading her team and the league. That’s the sort of thing Dusek did to earn a place on the MVC All-Freshman Team.

Also taking home Second-Team All-Conference honors, Dusek led Drake in goals with 5 and points with 11 to help the Bulldogs to an overall record of 10-6-3.

Rivalry game

Marmion first-year boys varsity basketball coach Ryan Paradise was still the freshman coach during last year’s “rivals” match against Aurora Central Catholic at the High School Hoops Showdown at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates.

Paradise was on the bench, however, as Marmion rallied from a 43-30 deficit with 4 minutes, 8 seconds remaining to win 54-47.

Saturday’s rematch at Sears Centre, a triple-header featuring Marmion-ACC at 4:30 p.m. followed by Lockport-Schaumburg and Benet-Glenbard East, will be Paradise’s varsity debut in the rivalry.

“It’s one conference game, so in the grand scheme of things I wouldn’t want to blow it out of proportion,” he said. “I would definitely, in the rivalry, like to get off to a 1-0 start, no doubt about it. It means a lot to our guys, it means a lot to our students and alumni. So I would definitely like to come out with a win on the first try, but it’ll be a big challenge.”

Some principals of last year’s game — Marmion’s Mark Peters, ACC’s Joey Guth and Steve Hollon — have graduated. Marmion now brings sharpshooter Eddy Grahovec while ACC counters with Robert DeMyers and Ryan Harreld.

Paradise recalls senior Mark Berdelle coming off the bench in last year’s game to help hold ACC to 0-for-5 shooting over the last 1:36.

“He gave us a huge spark,” Paradise said.

It’ll be the 70th basketball game between ACC and Marmion. ACC owns a slim 35-34 margin. Last year’s game was the best-attended of the three at Sears Centre.

“The atmosphere at Sears Centre, playing in like a big-time college game is exciting,” Paradise said. “Couple that with the rivalry of us and ACC, a lot of students came out, a lot of alumni, so it made for a great atmosphere. ...I think it’ll be a real good fight between the two teams, and we’ll see what happens in a great atmosphere.”