Sidelines: An ‘underdog’ finds his calling
D’Amonte Ellis called himself “an underdog my whole life.”
Perhaps he’s undervalued himself.
Willowbrook High School’s head sophomore boys basketball coach and a paraprofessional within the school’s Learning Services Department, Ellis spent the NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles after he was selected to be a Jr. NBA clinician.
Forty of the top youth coaches in the country made the trip.
“It was amazing. It was one of the best experiences of my life,” said Ellis, 33.
Despite falling in love with basketball when he was 5, Ellis didn’t play at York High School before he graduated in 2010. But he’s coached plenty, starting in a training academy while playing at the College of DuPage.
Ellis went up the ladder from the Chicago Hoops AAU program (he currently coaches its 16-under Elite team) to coaching a junior high school team and running school athletic programs in Chicago’s Lakeview area.
In June 2022 Ellis landed with the Chicago Bulls as a youth coach, enlisted by Kyle Cummings, the Bulls’ director of basketball programming.
It was there, speaking with thousands of young players in for camps, where Ellis really gained confidence in his leadership ability.
Within two years Ellis was the Bulls’ representative for Jr. NBA coach of the year. After completing a training program last year along with 100 other youth coaches — among Ellis’ tasks were submitting his practice plans and visual demonstrations — he joined 40 invitees to go to Los Angeles.
Leaving early last Wednesday and scrambling to get back to Willowbrook basketball practice on Monday, Ellis met NBA greats past and present such as Joakim Noah, Larry Johnson, Donovan Mitchell, and Stevenson High School’s Jalen Brunson.
Hobnobbing was not Ellis’ assignment, although he admitted that during that night’s Rising Stars game he “was able to be like a little kid.”
Ellis coached clinics, put players through drills, oversaw games, ran the scorer’s table during a Special Olympics clinic, and helped conduct wheelchair basketball activities.
“Nobody would have ever thought that I’d be doing this,” Ellis said.
He has a good habit of thanking people who’ve helped him, such as Cummings and NBA Social Responsibility Coordinator Phaethon Bolton; and Willowbrook Principal Dan Krause and basketball coach Chris Perkins.
Ellis learned that while he was gone, his sophomore team won its last two games. After a 3-11 start his Warriors finished 12-15 and second in the West Suburban Gold.
He loved hearing that — plus, NBA executives in Los Angeles gave him good feedback.
“I’m excited to see what else is in store for me,” Ellis said.
The wonderful ‘Wiz’
Earlier this month, retired Geneva High School football coach Rob Wicinski was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame.
He joined Claire Ginsberg, a 10-time all-state gymnast and the 2014 all-around champion; and Michael Ratay, who in 2008 averaged better than 200 yards rushing to lead Geneva’s football team to second place in Class 7A.
He also joins his daughter, Lauren Wicinski, a 2020 inductee for her volleyball skill.
First of all, it seems hard to believe Rob Wicinski already is five years retired as Vikings coach, a tenure that lasted from 1999-2020.
Second, he has to be on the local Mount Rushmore of funniest high school football coaches.
Wicinski’s postgame wit was classic, occasionally centered on his unique approach toward special teams and an aversion to punt on fourth down. As we’ve seen lately from winning NFL and college football coaches he was well ahead of that curve.
“Tried 300 million of them, and none of them happened,” Wicinski said after the Vikings recovered two onside kicks and converted a fake punt in a 2011 win over Wheaton North. “I hope I didn’t hit my quota now and I’m off to another 12-year dry spell.”
Geneva players heard Wicinski’s material every day. One of his teams gave him a T-shirt printed with some typical Wicinski-isms.
A few:
“He is a ham-and-egger,” Wicinski called blue-collar grinders.
“You gotta get low, like a Maserati,” describing proper pad level.
“This ‘Yockey-Dock’ ain’t for us,” when players’ minds strayed from football.
“Bring the arms, then ‘Whoom!’” a Madden-esque blurt on delivering a big hit.
And, when Wicinski wanted his players to show their appreciation: “Love your momma.”
doberhelman@dailyherald.com