Schneider commits to Western

John Schneider was motivated by more than just his own dreams of playing college basketball at the Division I level.

The Barrington senior grew up in a single-parent household and wanted to reward his mom Stephanie for all of her sacrifices and hard work. But Schneider also knew it would take a lot of work and sacrifice on his part to make their dream come true.

So, Schneider said he's not sure who was more excited when he made a verbal commitment earlier this fall to accept a basketball scholarship to Western Illinois.

“She told me if I wanted to go to college I needed to earn it myself,” Schneider said. “I wanted to make her proud and she said the only thing she wanted for me was to go to college.

“It's definitely been a long-time dream … and all of my determination was right there. All of the games where I'd see her in the stands screaming, it was for her.”

The 6-foot-7 Schneider has been on the Barrington varsity since his freshman year and has been a key part of regional and Mid-Suburban West championship teams the last two seasons.

Schneider said Western Ilinois' interest really picked up after he played this summer in a national AAU tournament for Team NLP, run by former Chicago Bull Dickey Simpkins.

“When I spoke with the coaches, they said they liked my heart, competitiveness, overall game and versatility,” Schneider said.

He liked everything he saw when he visited the Macomb campus — from fourth-year head coach Jim Molinari to players such as Warren graduate and senior Ceola Clark.

“I felt like it was the right fit and I could see myself being there,” Schneider said. “I felt, why wait any longer and drag out the process when this fit.”

Molinari is trying to get Western Illinois turned around after an injury-plagued 7-23 season. The Glenbard West product had successful head coaching stints at Bradley and Northern Illinois and was an assistant during DePaul's glory days of the late 1970s and ‘80s.

Schneider thinks he'll be well-prepared to play for Molinari.

“I got a very good vibe from him and he's a funny guy,” Schneider said. “He reminded me of (Barrington) coach (Bryan) Tucker a little bit. The way he coaches with a defense-first mindset and the way he interacts with players.”

Schneider, who is still deciding what he wants to study at Western, has a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and scored 25 on the ACT. But he's glad he took care of this decision to focus on a season that begins next month.

He said he's already seen the benefits from an offseason of getting stronger physically. He's also prepared to take on a bigger leadership role.

“This could be one of the best seasons we've had in awhile,” Schneider said. “If you want something to get done, you have to go get it. There's no holding back for your last season.”

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com