It’s not wrong to think that Glenbrook South is having a dream girls basketball season.
The Titans, after all, have yet to lose. They’re 23-0, ranked third in the Chicago area and have two players–Pam Findlay and Sara Stutz–who are a dream to coach. Just ask Steve Weissenstein.
“The great thing about them is that they’re the last kids to leave practice every day,” Weissenstein said after his Glenbrook South team dispatched Deerfield earlier this week.
Their names have become a familiar staple in roundups. One night it’s Stutz who leads the team in scoring. The next, it’s Findlay. They are the constants for the Titans, who head into a critical Central Suburban South matchup Tuesday with No. 6 New Trier.
“We definitely knew we could do well,” said the 6-foot Stutz, who will play for Northwestern next season. “I don’t know if we’d be 23-0 well.”
It’s the best start for the girls since the 1996-97 season, when Glenbrook South, led by Dana Leonard, went 29-0–only to fall to Maine West in the sectional semifinals.
If Glenbrook South’s players were dreaming about being unbeaten, the 5-10 Findlay has been dreaming about other things.
“Since I was 4, my dream has been to be a doctor,” the Glenbrook South senior said this week. “It’s always been my dream. Never wavered at all.”
Like Stutz, Findlay has made her college commitment too. She’s headed to play basketball at the Air Force Academy. But unlike most Division I players, Findlay’s commitment isn’t for four years. It’s for 17.
That’s because once she has finished with her undergraduate work in Colorado Springs, once she finishes competing for the Falcons, Findlay plans to attend medical school. And that means she’ll owe the Air Force nine years as an officer in the service.
“To be a doctor, serve your country and play basketball,” said Findlay, who pointed out her favorite childhood board game was, of course, Operation. “I just had this biggest gut feeling I’m supposed to do this.”
Findlay, who also runs cross country, competes in the high jump and runs track, has had to attend to her own physical problems lately. She suffered a sprained ankle in practice on Jan. 22.
Glenbrook South is the No. 1 seed in the Prospect sectional.
Stutz and Findlay each average around 19 points a game, but their paths to success on the court took different routes.
Findlay led the team in scoring as a freshman and has been a four-year starter. Stutz didn’t join the varsity until the end of her freshman year, when Weissenstein called her up for the state tournament. He believes leaving her on the freshman team was a blessing in disguise.
Current point guard Alison Iglehart “suffered a broken ankle when she was a freshman, so Sara had to move to the point,” Weissenstein said. “That’s a big reason why Sara kind of acquired these ballhandling skills.”
Stutz isn’t sure about her major at Northwestern but said she’s not dreaming about following in her mother’s footsteps.
“I have no idea what I want to study,” Stutz said. “But I know what I don’t want to study: My mom’s an electrical engineer. I always joke that I’m not going to be one.”
