Conte Stamas could not hide his astonishment. In just his second year as Lyons Township’s head coach, and after a 9-16 record in 1999-2000, his Lions advanced to the Class AA state quarterfinals.
“I don’t know about this quick,” Stamas said. “Maybe I had expectations on myself, but this quick, I don’t think so. It hasn’t settled in yet.”
Lyons is 27-3 heading into its quarterfinal against Moline (25-5) at 8:15 p.m. Friday at Carver Arena in Peoria.
“Everyone said it would take three, four or five years to get things where we wanted,” Stamas said. “When you’re trying to build a foundation, you have to be patient.”
Admittedly, Stamas is impatient, which probably hurried the rebuilding process. Last year, in Stamas’ only losing season as a head coach, the team lost 11 games by four points or less, but current starters Jim Maley, A.J. Allodi and Grant Johnson and sixth man Brian Poetter got plenty of playing time.
“They were in pressure situations last year,” Stamas said.
Maley, a 6-foot-6-inch junior forward, averages 16.6 points a game and leads the team in scoring. The 6-3 Allodi averages 11.2 points and 4.5 assists, and 6-4 junior Cortez Forte averages 12.6 points a game. Senior point guard Tom Scavuzzo rounds out the starting lineup. Lyons is returning to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 1994, when it finished third under Ron Nikcevich, who retired after that season, his 25th at Lyons. David Ray replaced Nikcevich, but stepped down after five seasons.
Stamas gave up a promising career at Evanston to pursue the job at Lyons. He spent five years with the Wildkits and left after a 20-7 season for his “dream” job. Stamas had been a student-teacher at Lyons and an assistant coach under Nikcevich before he became a college assistant and then a high school coach.
Although he graduated from Morton West, Stamas had grown up admiring the Lyons tradition. The Lions won state titles in 1970 under Nikcevich and in 1953 under Greg Sloan.
“I saw the gold uniforms and kids who have didn’t have tremendous talent and athletic ability–they were just overachievers,” Stamas recalled. Nikcevich, a Western Springs resident, continues to be an ardent supporter and a mentor for Stamas.
“We want him around the program,” Stamas said. “I can do nothing but learn from having him around. He’s been really helpful to me.”
Stamas, who is coaching in the Elite Eight for the first time, has won rave reviews from Nikcevich.
“I’m the kind of person who enjoys the purity of basketball,” Nikcevich said. “In a collegiate sense, I love to watch Duke play. They epitomize what basketball is all about. At the high school level, I feel the same about Lyons.
“They’re not flash and dance, glitter and glitz. They play basketball the way it’s supposed to be played. They embody the purity of the game.”
COMEBACK KID
James Han has struggled with one injury after another during the last year, but the Schaumburg senior continues to give his team gritty performances.
In Schaumburg’s last regular-season game of the 1999-2000 season, he sustained a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and had reconstructive surgery. After months of rehabilitation, he was cleared for the 2000-01 season.
In the team’s second game, he injured the knee again. He missed 10 games and returned in January, although he had not fully recovered. He also has sprained his ankle severely, broken his nose and sustained a cut on his head that required six stitches.
“He has gutted out all kinds of adversity,” Schaumburg coach Bob Williams said.
The team was successful during Han’s absence earlier this season, “but when he came back we knew we had the ingredients to be a solid basketball team,” Williams said.
The Saxons have won 18 straight games since he returned. Han averages just 3.5 points a game, but he also averages 4.4 assists, second best on the team behind senior Mark Pancratz. Han had six assists in 13 minutes in Tuesday’s 78-59 supersectional victory over Zion-Benton.
INFECTIOUS SUCCESS
Schaumburg is in the state quarterfinals for the second time. The last trip came in 1999, when the Saxons finished fourth.
The school has been dominant in several sports since the 1980s, with state championships in girls cross country in 1999 and 1982, baseball in 1997 and girls soccer in 1993. The boys cross-country team won state titles in 1985, ’87 and ’88 and finished second in ’99. The football team finished second in Class 6A in 1999.
“When everyone around you is working hard, you’re more likely to do that,” Williams said. “Each program spurs the other on to be successful.”
SHOW-STOPPERS
Morgan Park relies on 6-6 forward Quinnel Brown (19.6 points) and 6-8 center Jonathan Byrd (11.4) to lead the Mustangs on offense. But coach Herb Ray praises overlooked guards Clarence Kelly and O’Neal Carter for their stingy defense.
“They may not score much, but they pride themselves in stopping the other teams’ guards,” Ray said.
Ray points out that his guard tandem held Manley’s Luther Head to nine points in the city playoffs, and they held Julian star Sean Dockery to 15 or less three times this season.
Kelly and Carter, both 6-2, will have a tough assignment Friday against Alton. They’ll guard JoVan Smith, who’s averaging 12.3 points and 4.8 assists.
MEMORABLE MOMENT
Speaking of Morgan Park, Ray was a first-year teacher there when the Mustangs defeated West Aurora for the state title in 1976 in one of the most memorable finals played in Illinois. Ray watched from the bleachers.
“The shot that won, that’s my memory,” he said, referring to Laird Smith’s last-second shot that gave Morgan Park a 45-44 victory. “It was beautiful.”
Ray and West Aurora coach Gordie Kerkman–an assistant in ’76–downplayed the possibility of the teams’ meeting again for the championship.
“It would be nice,” Ray said. “Whoever comes, we’ll be prepared for them.”
Said Kerkman: “It does bring back memories. It would be interesting to get to play Morgan Park again.”
BACK FOR MORE
West Aurora does not have a No. 1 ranking, but that hasn’t diminished the pressure to repeat as state champion. Jamaal Thompson, the team’s leading scorer, is unfazed by the burden.
“If you can recall how he shot free throws at the end of the championship game last year, that’s pretty much how he has handled the pressure this year,” Kerkman said. “I don’t think the pressure has really bothered him.”
Thompson hit four free throws in the last 22 seconds to secure the championship over Westinghouse in last year’s title game. The Blackhawks relied on a balanced attack to win their first state title. This season they’ve relied on two members from that team, Thompson and Derik Hollyfield.
Last year’s tournament energized Hollyfield, a 6-3 forward who had averaged five points going into the quarterfinals and then averaged 15 Downstate.
“I hope he picks up where he left off last year,” Kerkman said. “It really gave Derik a great deal of confidence. He’s much more of a complete player. He plays hard. Because of that he sometimes gets out of control. He hasn’t shot as well [since the 2000 tournament], nor do you expect him to.”
Hollyfield averages 11.6 points.
TEAM THORNWOOD
Thornwood’s Eddy Curry has starred on the basketball court and in a television program. The attention he receives has not hurt the team’s chemistry, Thornwood coach Kevin Hayhurst said.
“The kids have gotten along so well since Day One,” Hayhurst said. “There’s no jealousy. With all the recognition Eddy gets, it’s all positive. It’s more recognition for everyone on the basketball team.”
FAMILIAR CONNECTION
The name–Everage–appears four times on the Alton roster. Senior Ryan Everage is a starting forward averaging 10.7 points a game. His half-brother Blaine is one of the top reserves, and their cousin Terry is a sophomore on the team. Terry’s uncle Bobby is an assistant to head coach Mike Brey.
