Glenbard East's state run a year in making
After Glenbard East's boys basketball team suffered a gut-wrenching upset loss to Benet in last season's sectional final, the Rams never felt sorry for themselves.
They simply got back to work.
Johnny Hill spent the very next day at a neighborhood fitness facility working on his jumpshot. Even after 29 games he didn't want to take time off.
“To be honest, that loss to Benet I took extremely hard,” Hill said. “We were such a close group and I just felt like I put our team in a tough position the way I played. I just wanted to get myself better.”
For Hill and the entire team, mission accomplished.
The Rams (27-3) face defending state champion Simeon (28-2) in the Class 4A semifinals at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Peoria as the program makes its first Final Four appearance. Win or lose, Glenbard East will bring its first state boys basketball trophy back home to Lombard.
Upon their return the Rams will be welcomed by a police escort to the school and a rally in Glenbard East's main gymnasium at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
“I'm just so proud of these kids, and I'm excited to continue this journey with them,” said Rams coach Scott Miller. “It's going to be awesome.”
Entering the season the Rams were challenged with the daunting task of replacing three quality starters around the Division I tandem of Hill, committed to Illinois State, and fourth-year point guard Zach Miller, who will play at Northern Illinois.
The process of getting to this point began immediately. While Zach Miller and Hill hit the ground running, the rest of the group gradually raised its level of play.
The ceiling turned out to be pretty high for Glenbard East's “role players.” Between junior Dante Bailey and Pat Walsh, and seniors Tyree York, Steve Kinney, Kevin Priebe and Kendall Bridges, the Rams have gotten a boost with scoring, rebounding and defense.
In the playoffs especially, they're the reason the Rams have soared.
“We've all talked about just growing up and taking on our own roles,” Zach Miller said. “This year with this team, some of these guys hadn't really played that much. It's something we've just tried to develop throughout the year. We all threw our egos aside and worked as a team.”
Miller's work began back in 1999 as a youngster watching his father coach Plano to a fourth-place finish in Class A. For the past 12 years they've worked to repeat that moment.
Now that it's actually here, the moment almost seems surreal.
“This is what we've talked about and dreamed of,” Zach Miller said. “After last year and the losses this year, people doubted us, but we proved them wrong. We always kept believing in ourselves.”
In their own way and their own time, each Glenbard East player worked to build this team into a potential state champion.
Two wins away from the top prize, they've turned last season's disappointment into this season's triumph.
“Everyone took that Benet loss hard, but they never lost faith that we could accomplish this,” Scott Miller said. “It's a credit to them what we've achieved this season.”