Maine West's football players motivated to succeed on court

Maine West's boys basketball team got off to a slow 2-4 start this season, but football legs were still in the process of turning to basketball legs.

"We return seven players from last year, but we started the season banged up because quite a few of our guys are football players who were just coming back from football," Maine West coach Tom Prokopij said. "A lot of those guys aren't necessarily basketball gym rats, but they are really good athletes and when they are healthy, they give us a team that is deep with athletes."

Prokopij has at times started three football players - Danny Kentgen, Sean Collins and Jacob Riedl - while giving another, Isaiah Siem-Davis, major minutes off the bench.

Kentgen was the quarterback of the football team and took a few days off after football season. Collins broke his thumb during the football season but has played basketball with it taped up. Riedl is a busy three-sport athlete with volleyball also in the mix and Prokopij tries to give him rest as much as possible to preserve his body.

Meanwhile, Siem-Davis is operating with a torn meniscus and an ankle injury, but he was determined to play his senior basketball season with his friends.

"A lot of these football guys have grown up playing football and basketball together since fifth or sixth grade. It's a tight-knit class," Prokopij said. "Isaiah is a true warrior and competitor because I know he is just playing through the pain.

"But I also think his motivation is something that pushes all the football players. They feel like they have unfinished business from football season. Their season ended earlier than they wanted and they are motivated and that is carrying over to the basketball court."

Holding down the fort: While Maine West was slowly but surely getting its football players back into the fold, three players were trying to provide some consistency.

Lucas Glaister and Jared Pearson are basketball-only athletes who have been dialed in since the summer, and AJ Ross was on his game right out of the gate, earning the team's first "Warrior of the Week" award for his play over Thanksgiving.

"Those three have really put the work in over the offseason," Maine West coach Tom Prokopij said. "They've been our most consistent three while we've been getting our football players back."

Glaister has been starting at point guard while Pearson is leading the team in scoring along with Kentgen. Both are averaging about 10 points per game.

"Lucas is a very skilled point guard," Prokopij said. "He's really good at breaking people down off the dribble. We are working with him to be a facilitator, too."

Meanwhile, Ross is Maine West's defensive specialist.

"AJ stuffs the hustle stat sheet and he loves to defend against the other team's best player," Prokopij said. "He's quick and strong and tough and he's just a really great athlete. He's a really good basestealer in baseball. His father played minor league baseball, his older brothers were all athletes. He's grown up in a competitive household and that's given him a competitive edge."