Imagine the nerve of Galesburg, stealing Joliet’s rightful nickname.
It isn’t right. Truly, there is only one team in this Elite Eight that should be called the Streaks, and it resides in Joliet.
Consider Joliet’s season. Win 11, lose two, win six, lose four, win seven. And they call themselves the Steelmen?
Coach Bob Koskosky has an explanation for all this streakiness. Several explanations, actually.
First, there is discipline off the court.
“I have taken a no-nonsense policy this year to our disciplinary code,” Koskosky said. “We had couple of players who had problems, and since then we had a couple of suspensions.”
Koskosky said that missing players were the reason for the four-game losing skid, and that the subsequent elevation of underclassmen Roger Powell Jr. and Antoine Jackson to the varsity fixed the situation.
Then there is discipline on the court. Koskosky said sloppy play early practically has been eliminated.
“We had some intense practices, some focused practices,” he said. “If you’re undisciplined, how can I, or any coach, put you on the floor and expect you to execute?”
Of course, there is also the schedule to consider. After winning its first 11, Joliet lost to four-time state champion Peoria Manual, then lost its next game to a tough Moline team. So it wasn’t necessarily a Joliet dry spell that caused the two-game drought.
Finally, there is luck. In its four-game losing streak, Joliet lost in overtime to Bloom and in double-overtime to Stagg.
Not that the Steelmen can complain about losing close games. Nineteen of Joliet’s games have been decided by 10 or fewer points, and the Steelmen have won 15 of them.
That’s why Koskosky is not too concerned about his team’s inconsistency. When his team needs to win, it usually does.
“We know what to do in clutch situations,” he said. “Nine guys are able to play well together.”
Joliet (24-6) will need that chemistry in Peoria, where it faces Quincy (25-5) in a quarterfinal at 1:45 p.m. Friday. The state tournament comes at a good time for the Steelmen, who have been both hot and lucky lately. They beat No. 5 Richards 64-63 at the East Aurora supersectional Tuesday night.
The game was the embodiment of Joliet’s season. The Steelmen opened up a 49-39 lead, only to watch it shrink to 60-59. They needed every last bit of energy to hold off Richards. That kind of effort will be required again this weekend. As always, on-court discipline will be critical for the Steelmen.
“Obviously, we’re going to try to fast break, but with a team like ours that is sort of a giddyap team, we have to slow guys down and be patient,” Koskosky said. “We can’t shoot the wild three-pointer.”
