Deanna Kuzmanic connects with coach Norton, Birmingham
Deanna Kuzmanic always dreamed of playing basketball at the Division I level.
But she never dreamed she’d do it in Alabama.
At Alabama-Birmingham, to be exact.
That’s the school which received a verbal commitment last month from the Wheeling junior standout guard.
“When I was looking at colleges that interested me, no schools near Alabama even came across my mind,” said Kuzmanic, who scored the 1,000 points of her high school career ten days ago. “Honestly, I knew almost nothing about the University of Alabama at Birmingham before my recruiting process began.”
But that would all change after an unofficial visit to the Conference USA representative.
“After I talked to the head coach Randy Norton (first season at Birmingham) for the first time, I knew that Alabama-Birmingham was a school that I would be extremely lucky to play at one day,” Kuzmanic said. “I made such a strong connection with the coaching staff, and I knew that this was where I wanted to continue my basketball career.”
All of the assistant coaches at Birmingham played for Norton at some point in their careers.
“This testifies to his great character because they all wanted to come back and work with him,” Kuzmanic said.
Kuzmanic will not be the first Mid-Suburban League player to work under Norton. When Prospect girls basketball coach and former Buffalo Grove standout Ashley Sandstead Graham played at Illinois State, Norton was an assistant coach for the Redbirds.
“The coaches at Alabama-Birmingham create a positive environment rather than using negative energy to coach,” Kuzmanic said. “That’s really important to me, and all of the coaches are Christians which is a bonus to me since I am a Christian.”
Kuzmanic has been one of the top players in the area since her freshman season, when she helped lead the Wildcats to the Stevenson supersectional.
If she’s not scoring, Kuzmanic is handing out an assist, slicing the basket for a rebound and or getting a steal.
“There isn’t one part of basketball that I enjoy the most, I just love the game as a whole,” Kuzmanic said. “I feel a rush of adrenaline when I am on the court playing, and it’s like nothing else around me matters.”
Kuzmanic also loves watching the game.
“I watch as much college basketball as I can, first because it is super entertaining and second, because I know that I can learn a lot from watching their high level of play,” she said.
She can also watch her sisters at the next level. Stephanie is a senior for Carthage while Kellie is a sophomore at Cornell in Iowa. Both were former stars for Wheeling.
“I have always had a passion for basketball, ever since I was a little,” said Deanna, who has followed in the footstep of Ashley Wilson, Janelle Cannon and Biance Szarfarowicz as 1,000-points scorers at Wheeling. “I grew up watching basketball all the time, and I was really lucky to see a lot of talented girls basketball players go through Wheeling High School. I was able to see how successful they were and I wanted to continue that tradition in Wheeling basketball.”
But growing up in her own basketball family set the tone for Deanna.
“I developed a love for the game immediately,” she said. “Both of my parents (Bob and Teresa) played basketball in their youth and their passion definitely passed down to my sisters and me.”
Bob and Teresa played a major role in the development of the sisters. They coached in the Wheeling feeder program for two years and then continued to direct the Wheeling girls feeder basketball program for seven years.
“Before I was old enough to actually play on a feeder team I would go to all of Stephanie and Kellie’s games and practices,” Deanna said. “I would always try to keep up with the older girls and do the drills with them.”
By the time she was in third grade, Deanna’s parents decided to let her play on the fifth-grade feeder team.
Along with her family, Deanna also credits Mike Godlewski, Derril Kipp, and Reggie Dawson as the most influential people who helped her gain the opportunity to be a Division I player.
“My parents along with Mike Godlewski coached me throughout feeder and taught me everything I know about the game of basketball,” she said. “My brother Tony (24) and my sisters have always been so encouraging and supportive of me.
“Plus, I saw the hard work that my sisters put in to become college basketball players so they set an example for me and showed that I would need a hard work ethic and nothing would come easy.”
Kipp and Dawson are Kuzmanic’s AAU coaches with the Illinois Hustle.
“They have developed me so much as a player.” Deanna said. “This upcoming season will be my sixth season with them. Coach Kipp and Reggie have made me a smarter basketball player over the years, and they have given me the confidence to be a team leader.
“They took all of the fundamentals that I learned through feeder basketball and applied them to a higher intensity of play; they prepared me to play at a higher caliber.”
Kuzmanic said she is grateful for having all of these people in her life for coaching and encouragement.
“I know that I would not have the opportunity to play at Alabama-Birmingham without them,” she said. “And I want to thank God for giving me the ability to play basketball, providing me with a strong support system, and allowing me to go to a college with such a great coaching staff.
“God has given me so much in life, and I am so thankful that he has put me around such supportive friends and family who have done so much to help me succeed. I am so excited to continue my basketball career.
Women’s golf
North Central College freshman Paige Candra (Fremd) was honored on the 2013-2014 Fall Academic All-CCIW.
Candra, who plans to major in interactive media studies and graphic design, finished the fall season with a stroke average of 93.8 per round, a season-low of 85 and receiving one top five finish.
Women’s basketball
Carthage senior guard Stephanie Kuzmanic (Wheeling) was named the “Most Valuable Player” in the D3Hoops.com Classic in Las Vegas when she helped lead the No. 12 Lady Reds to a 91-77 victory over No. 8 Wisconsin-Whitewater.
In a 119-78 win over North Central, Kuzmanic broke the school’s single game record with 17 assists.
In a 77-69 victory over No. 12 Wheaton, Kuzmanic scored a career-high 34 points (21 in the second half) with 8 assists and 8 rebounds. She connected on 11-of-17 field goals, including 6-of-9 on three-pointers, along with 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
Finally, in a 73-63 win over Millikin, she had 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
For her efforts, Kuzmanic was named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.
Men’s basketball
Washington University senior guard Alan Aboona (St. Viator) scored 17 points, all in the second half including three 3-point baskets and 6 free throws, to help lead the Bears to an 82-72 victory over Brandeis.
Ÿ Washington senior forward Chris Klimek (Fremd) scored 25 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in an 81-65 win over New York University. Aboona added 15 points with four 3-point baskets and 6 assists.
With the two wins, the first-place Bears improved to 3-0 in the University Athletic Association Conference and they are 12-2 overall.
Men’s soccer
North Central College senior forward Jake Muszczynski (Rolling Meadows) earned Academic All-CCIW honors for the Fall 2013 season. He was a second-team All-CCIW selection as a forward and tallied 4 goals on the season for a share of the team lead.
Muszczynski led the Cardinals in game winners with two on the season. He was fourth in both shots on goal (13) and points (8).
Ÿ Senior Declan Garaghty (Schaumburg) was chosen as one of three “Most Valuable Players” for Illinois Wesleyan. Geraghty was the defensive MVP for the third straight year.
He was a first-team all-region selection last fall after being second team as a junior and third team as a sophomore. Geraghty capped off his career by earning first team honors for the fourth straight season on the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin all-conference team.
He had 2 goals and 3 assists for 7 points for the Titans, who finished with a 9-8-2 overall record and a 3-4-0 mark in the CCIW. All three of his assists were in conference matches, tying him for second in the league.
Fundraiser
The Mid-Suburban League bowling conference is doing a “Strike Against Cervical Cancer” fundraiser on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
The event is to raise awareness and money to help fight cervical cancer.
Donations can be made at any of the MSL schools or at Arlington Lanes on the night of the event. There will also be T-shirts sold on the 29th for $10.
The teams will be wearing T-shirts as they bowl to show support for the cause. All proceeds and donations from this event will be donated to the Foundation for Women’s Cancer – Cervical Cancer Department.
Lacrosse
The Arlington Falcons Lacrosse Club will hold its annual informational meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Mt. Prospect Fire Station 14 (2000 East Kensington Road, second floor).
The Falcons are an independent high school boys lacrosse club which competes against other independent clubs throughout the state.
The club draws most of its players from District 214 high schools but is open to all high school boys.
The Falcons have been in existence for about 10 years and experienced one of their most successful years in 2013.
They made it to the championship game of the Washington Invitational and lost 5–4 in a braveheart.
This spring, the Falcons hope to return 20 players including 12 seniors.
The coaches are expecting big contributions from the following seniors: Mid-Field: Grant Burke (Hersey), Zack McDermott (Prospect), Matt Reinhardt (Prospect) and Matt Muzzillo (Prospect); Attack: Justin Fedor (Prospect) and Connor Loughlin (Elk Grove); Defense: Tim Brongiel (Prospect), Sam Mortellaro (Prospect) and Matt Swedberg (Prospect); Goalie: Robert Fahy (Prospect).
For more information contact: Mark Fedor at (847) 401-2461 or visit www.arlingtonfalconslacrosse.com.
Men’s track
Augustana sophomore Ethan Koch (Prospect) took third place (9:10.28) in the 300-meter at Sol Butler Classic. The Vikings won the team title at the University of Dubuque’s A.Y. McDonald Indoor Track.
Women’s track
Augustana junior Becca Sund (Palatine) won the 3000-meter (10:35.77) at the University of Dubuque’s Sol Butler Classic and the Vikings tied with Monmouth for the team championship.
Vikings junior Stephanie Burbidge (Palatine) ran a 1:57.60 to take fifth in the 600-meter.
Ÿ Please email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com or FAX to (847) 427-1173.