Widlowski will leave big shoes to fill at Fremd

Intensity and class.

That has always been the standard that Fremd coach Bob Widlowski has set and maintained during his 23-year tenure at the Palatine school.

And while the standard is in place, it will have to continue without Widlowski, who is retiring as a social studies teacher at the end of the school year.

Former players, assistant coaches, family, friends and even a former team manager will gather on Friday before Friday’s tip against crosstown rival Palatine to honor Widlowski, the Vikings’ head coach for 23 years.

Widlowski is retiring from teaching. He is looking to spend more time and travel with his wife Jen. They plan to watch their sons Bobby, who plays club volleyball at Illinois State, and Trey, who is a junior and plays football and wrestles at Palatine.

Widlowski was the third head coach for Fremd when he was hired by former athletic director Jack Drollinger and Don Crandall, who was Director of Student Activities for District 211.

“They gave me an opportunity and I want to thank them both for hiring me and believing in me as the head coach at Fremd,” Widlowski said. “I also want to thank all my assistants throughout the years and current. Especially those who has worked as the varsity assistants in Ron Cregier, Mike Brown and Jason Hogrefe.”

Widlowski is currently 391-206 as head coach. He graduated and played basketball at Palatine before going on to get his teaching degree from Northeastern Illinois. He first taught at Lake Zurich but became a varsity assistant in 1994 under head coach Mo Tharp. After two seasons, he then transitioned to sophomore head coach for eight seasons.

Tharp was the longest tenured head coach at Fremd with his career spanning from 1975 to 2002 with a record of 406-327. Leon Kasuboske was the first head coach at Fremd from when the school opened in 1966 to 1975.

Eric Millstone, who is in his 16th season as head basketball coach at Palatine and coached Widlowski’s son Bobby, said the Widlowski people see on the basketball court is far and away a different person off the court.

“Bob is the best,” Millstone said. “The average basketball fan is just watching a game that Fremd is playing in, will see the scowl and see him stomping around. They don’t realize that is not who he is. But he will kill me saying this, but he is a big old teddy bear. He is one of the funniest guys I know. We play a lot of golf over the summer away from the court. He is just good for people.”

His teams have two undefeated regular seasons in 2014 and 2017. His teams have also won four MSL titles (2010, 2014, 2017, 2019), eight regional titles (2003, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022), one sectional title in 2017 and one supersectional title, also in 2017.

That 2017 team and season were magical for both Fremd and Widlowski.

“In 2017, we had a group of athletes that grew up playing together and were extremely close,” Widlowski said. “They had a bond that made that season special. They believed that we could win every game we played and prepared in that fashion.”

After finishing the regular season undefeated, including a game-winning three-pointer by Kyle Sliwa to beat Conant, Fremd would move through the regionals and first round of the sectionals easily.

They faced Conant in the sectional final. Sliwa stabbed the hearts of Conant fans again when he drained a three-pointer at the buzzer to move the Vikings on.

In the supersectionals at what was then named the Sears Centre, Fremd battled one-loss Jacobs, who was led by Cameron Krutwig, before an estimated crowd of 7,000. The game went into overtime, before Fremd prevailed.

At the state finals in Peoria, Fremd fell behind eventual state champion Whitney Young by 17 points midway through the second quarter. The Vikings fought back to tie the game with just under four minutes to play before losing 53-47.

The Vikings also lost in the third place game to Bolingbrook 70-66 to finish fourth in the state with a school-record of 30-2.

“The buzzer-beaters are what people remember,” Widlwoski said. “But the togetherness was what set them apart. They believed we could win the state championship as a group. That belief is a strong force.”

Hogrefe has been on Widlowski’s staff for 18 years, the last eight as varsity assistant.

“Bob’s intensity you see on gameday is the same as it is during practice,” Hogrefe said. “Bob has been a terrific mentor to learn from. Most importantly, he is a great friend and has been a model of what it is to be a great dad.”

Ricky Kolze, who is now an assistant varsity coach at Libertyville, played for Fremd in Widlowski’s first two seasons as head coach. He said that the things he has learned from Widlowski has helped him not only coaching his players, but in other facets of his life.

“Coach Widlowski was one of the people in my life to help instill values of toughness, integrity, and commitment,” said Kolze, who played college basketball at Loras. “Coach was there for me as a player and has been there for anything I've needed since. I'm honored to have said I played for him. When I reference Fremd basketball to our own players, it's always with a sense of pride and admiration. He's built a program that alumni are proud of.”

“Coach played a major role in my development as a player, person, and coach,” Kolze said. “He wasn't just interested in the player I was. He cared about developing me into the best person I could be. Coach invests and is invested in the whole version of his players and students.”

Rolling Meadows assistant coach Sean Benka, who played for Widlowski in that undefeated regular season before losing to Stevenson, said that it is difficult to fathom not seeing Widlowski on the court.

“It’s hard to believe the legend is retiring,” Benka said. “Bob not only helped me become a better student-athlete, but his passion to connect and make a difference in the lives of his students inspired me to become a teacher and coach.”

Benka said that Widlowski always had him and his teammates prepared.

“His game plan preparation, the discipline, and standard he holds his players to, consistently create a Fremd program that is one of the toughest teams to go up against,” Benka said. “It has been a true honor to have been able to have Bob as a teacher, coach, mentor, and colleague. His impact will be everlasting in the Palatine community.”

Widlowski had a plethora of talented players that he developed over his career. They include Kolze and Sliwa along with Zach Monaghan, Riley Glassmann, Garret Groot, Ben Carlson, Chris Klimek along with the Benka brothers, the Hopkins brothers and all four Schoffstall brothers.

“I have been very fortunate to coach many great players and more importantly great people,” Widlowski said. “There are too many to list without leaving someone out, but these were a few that stuck out. What I remember most was that our teams competed on a daily basis and our players represented Fremd in a positive manner on the court.”

And so did their coach.