Boys basketball: Tri-Cities all-area team

Mark Adams, Aurora Central Catholic

This 4-year starting guard is leaving ACC as the school's best basketball player, as he finished his career with 1,593 total points, which is a school record, in 121 games. This year, he averaged 19.1 points per game (573 points), including a 34-point performance in the Chargers' final game against top-ranked Marshall. He also finished co-MVP of the Suburban Catholic Conference and is a two-time All-Area and all-conference selection. He's also a 3-sport athlete, as he played football and baseball. "He had a phenomenal career," ACC coach Nate Drye said. "It's unreal."

David Bryant, Batavia

This two-time All-Area and Western Sun Conference first-teamer will no doubt be Batavia's leader next year. This year, he was Mr. Clutch, especially against Geneva, DeKalb, Elgin and Wheaton North. In his third year on varsity, the hard-nosed junior was second on the Bulldogs in scoring (13.1 ppg for 354 points) and was third in rebounding at 5.1 a game. He was the area's best free throw shooter at 89 percent and took a team-best 10 charges. "He really turned the tide of the game a number of times," coach Jim Roberts said. "He also did a good job rebounding."

Max Cary, Geneva

He's athletic (he also was on the All-Area soccer team), he's clutch (he hit the game-winning basket numerous times this season) and he was the only player in the area to tally 42 points in a single game -- his final game against Naperville Central, when he also had 6 assists. In 29 games, he scored 533 points (18.4 ppg, which led the team) and had an area-best 2.7 steals per game. "Max was outstanding as anyone in the county," coach Tim Pease said. "Talk about a kid who can get to the basket. He was able to get his teammates good looks as the season progressed."

Nick Czaja, Aurora Central Catholic

In his first full season on varsity, the 6-foot-6 junior center was second on the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game and rebounds at 5 a game and second in the area in field goal percentage (60 percent). As the season progressed, he was able to step out of the paint at times to knock down jump shots. "I thought he was going to have a good year, but it ended up great," ACC coach Nate Drye said. "That was a great thing for us. He was a nice back-to-the-basket post player for us. He gave us a nice threat in the post, and he was an outstanding passer, which is an added bonus."

Jonathan DeMoss, St. Charles North

"De-Mo" has been on varsity since his freshman year, and every year since then, he's made strides. This year, the junior led the North Stars in scoring at 12.2 points per game. His best overall outing was in the comeback win against St. Charles East, when he netted 27 points. "He did a good job of being a leader," coach Tom Poulin said of this first-team Upstate Eight Conference choice. "He was a leader by example. He really started to blossom and was able to score in bunches when we needed him to. He did a good job of figuring out when we needed him to step up."

Dave Dudzinski, Kaneland

He's the tallest (at 6-foot-9) and youngest (sophomore) on the All-Area team, as the center enjoyed his first year on varsity leading the Knights on the boards (7.1 rpg), in blocks and free throw percentage (81 percent) while second on the team in scoring 12.5 ppg. He was also on the Western Sun Conference's first team. Expect big things from him in the next two years. "He developed all season long," Kaneland coach Dennis Hansen said of Dudzinski, who grew 6 inches over the past year. "He was a great addition to varsity. He scored, rebounded, blocked shots. You name it, he did it."

Sean Fichtel, Marmion

This do-it-all junior guard did it all for the Cadets, as he led the team in scoring (14.2 ppg) and assists (4.5, which was second in the area). He was second on the team in rebounds and made the Suburban Catholic Conference's first team. "He was our best all-around player," Marmion coach Rashon Burno said of Fichtel, who also plays football for the Cadets. "He had a lot of responsibility and really stepped up. He was our leader on and off the floor. He did everything for us. We'll be leaning on him a lot next year."

Nick Fruendt, Batavia

Fruendt caps an amazing career at Batavia as a two-time captain and the only member of the All-Area team to make it all four years. The Northwestern-bound Fruendt led the area in scoring at 19.9 points a game this year, despite battling mono and missing 8 games of the season. He also led the team in rebounding at 7.2 boards a game. He finished with 1,849 total points in 103 career games. In his time at Batavia, the Bulldogs went 88-23 with three conference titles, two regional championships and reached two sectional championship games.

Nick Neari, St. Charles North

The North Stars' point guard has a bright future ahead of him next year, as he enjoyed his second year on varsity leading the team in assists (3 a game) and steals (2 a game). He was third in scoring at 9.2 points per game and second on the boards at 4.7 rebounds a game. "Nick was someone who helped us out in a different way every night," St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin said on Neari, who is also the football team's starting quarterback. "He got better as the year went on. He can really have an effect on the game."

Collin Pryor, St. Charles East

Pryor had a breakthrough year last season and ended his senior campaign on a solid note, as he tallied his 1,000th point (in just two seasons) in the Saints' final game of the season against Elgin, when he scored 29 points. This 6-foot-6 forward, who is heading to Division II's Northern State University in South Dakota, ended up the area's second leading scorer at 19.8 ppg to go with his 7 rpg. He also earned MVP honors in the Upstate Eight, where he averaged 22 ppg. "It's unbelievable to scored over 1,000 points in two years," coach Brian Clodi said. "The best is yet to come with him."

Joe Redmond, Aurora Christian

West Carroll coach Josh Knuth called this three-year starting point guard, "a heck of a player" after the Eagles' sectional semifinal loss. Redmond was exactly that for Aurora Christian this year, especially in the playoffs, when he scored 17 and 27 in the AC regional, which the Eagles won for the second consecutive year. In the regular season, this Private School League first-teamer led his team with 13.2 points, 2.9 steals and 4.9 assists per game. The assists led the area. "He really played well toward the end of the season," coach Don Davidson said. "There were several games where he took over."

Kevin Senechalle, St. Charles East

There's more to come from this 6-foot-6 junior center, who developed into a strong basketball player after years of struggling for playing time when he was younger. He was second on the Saints in scoring (12 ppg). He was second in the area, first on the team on the boards at 7.8 rebounds a game. "He was our anchor in the post," coach Brian Clodi said of this Upstate Eight honorable mention selection. "I'm so proud of the way he's progressed. He's a great kid and I'm glad we have him back next year."

Jordan Smith, Batavia

This 6-foot-3 senior forward came back from a back injury last year and ended up Batavia's second-best rebounder at 6.8 boards a game to go with his 11.7 points a game, which was also second on the team. He had his best showing at Elgin's Holiday Tournament, where he averaged 16.5 ppg to help shorthanded Batavia win the title. "He's a guy who did a lot of things for us," Batavia coach Jim Roberts said. "He wasn't noticed for the flashy things. He's a player we really relied on defensively to guard the other team's best player, and he had some big putbacks throughout the year."

Tyler Thompson, West Aurora

Thompson, a 6-foot-5 forward/center, gave up football to focus on basketball his senior season. Even though he struggled with a broken finger and sore knees, the Division II Quincy University-bound senior led the Blackhawks in scoring (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg) in his third year starting. This is his second appearance on the All-Area team and DuPage Valley Conference first team. "He was broken up a bit (with the injuries)…but he generally had a good year," West Aurora coach Gordie Kerkman said. "I thought he was playing good basketball at the start of the year."

Alex Turnowchyk, Geneva

This senior guard is one of the most improved players in the area, as he earned all-Western Sun Conference first team honors after leading the area in 3-pointers made (65), which is probably one of the main reasons why he averaged 17.2 ppg, which was second-best on the Vikings. "The thing with Alex is that he was so determined to make the most of his senior season," Geneva coach Tim Pease said. "I don't think anyone else spent more time in the gym in the off-season. He was relentless to get in the gym. Everything he did this year is because of the off-season."