Familiarity helps ease Gilliam’s transition
Addison Trail’s new baseball coach actually strikes a pretty familiar pose.
Steve Gilliam, the head coach at District 88 rival Willowbrook for 11 years, made the switch to coach the Blazers this season. For Gilliam the move has been like a homecoming.
A longtime resident of Addison, Gilliam’s quite familiar with his “new” surroundings.
“I’ve known these kids since they were 5 or 6 years old,” he said. “That makes it easy. It’s had its ups, it’s had its downs. But overall I’m very happy.”
Gilliam’s son, Stephen, is a senior outfielder on this year’s team. The chance to coach his son was one of the many factors luring Gilliam to Addison Trail.
“I’ve known Anthony Milazzo since forever,” Gilliam said of his fourth-year varsity member and ace pitcher. “He and my son have been friends forever. I’ve coached him at St. Phillip’s and grade school basketball. I’ve known a lot of these kids for a long, long time.”
While many of the players have gotten to know Gilliam through the years, a Spring Break trip to the Peoria area helped bond the group together a little bit more.
“The boys have been great, they really have,” Gilliam said. “They’ve made my transition wonderful. Everything for them is new right now. The work that I require, the expectations that I look for. It’s been pretty good so far.”
Waiting Warriors:With Monday#146;s 3-2 Upstate Eight Conference win over Batavia, Waubonsie Valley notched its first victory of the season. A slow start is nothing new to the Warriors, who dropped their first six games before beating the Bulldogs. Making the start even more frustrating, four of the losses were by 2 runs. #147;It#146;s not that they#146;re not trying,#148; said Warriors coach Dan Fezzuoglio. #147;We#146;ve done everything to keep them pretty loose, and they#146;re a real good group of kids. It#146;s still a long way to go.#148;Waubonsie Valley has loads of talent with ace pitcher Mike Murphy, catcher Eric Josupait and infielders Ryan Vega and Harry Vickers among others. Like last year, it may be just a matter of time before the Warriors turn things around in a big way.Last season Waubonsie Valley started out 5-7 before winning 19 of its next 20 games. The year before the Warriors were 3-8 before compiling a 17-6 record down the stretch. The Warriors haven#146;t won an opener since 2007 but, judging by recent history, it#146;s no cause for concern. #147;We just keep plugging away and keep fighting,#148; Fezzuoglio said. #147;Just try to stay as positive as we can.#148;Home sweet home:Since returning from a Spring Break trip to Memphis, Wheaton North has been on a roll. Before coming home, however, the Falcons first had to endure consecutive losses in Tennessee by a combined score of 24-1.#147;We faced really good teams down there and we didn#146;t play that well,#148; said Falcons coach Dan Schoessling. #147;We#146;re in a little bit more of a rhythm right now. It#146;s good to see.#148;After those two losses the Falcons beat Glenbrook South, Downers Grove South and Elk Grove by a combined margin of 30-6. They opened DuPage Valley Conference play with Monday#146;s 5-2 win over West Chicago.