Eight games into the season, players on the Vernon Hills boys basketball team are still getting acquainted with one other. Chalk it up as a byproduct of an historic football season.
The gridiron Cougars fell 62-48 to Peoria in the Class 5A state final on Nov. 26. To that point, the boys basketball team had already played three games, losing two. Five crucial members of the team had yet to attend a basketball practice or, to basketball coach Matt McCarty’s knowledge, shoot a ball in months.
So when the football season finally came to a close, McCarty was faced with a conundrum.
“They played in the state championship that Saturday,” he said. “Honestly, I was really concerned about their bodies. When do you bring them back? When does that process start? They’d just gone through a football season from August to December. It’s grueling. I didn’t want to rush them back.”
Senior shooting guard/wide receiver Chris Mariella — who had eight catches for 99 yards and a touchdown in the 5A final — made it easier on McCarty. The senior, who hadn’t picked up a basketball since “a summer-league game in June,” immediately flipped to basketball mode when the buzzer sounded in Champaign. When he got home that night, he put up shots in his driveway. The next day, he took more jumpers at the gym. And that Monday, Nov. 28, he was at practice.
“Conditioning-wise and the physicality of basketball, all of that stuff is there,” Mariella said. “It might take some time to get my shot there. I’ve always felt good about my 3-point shot, but it’s off right now. I haven’t had that time to practice. I’ve just been trying to get rebounds, distribute the ball and get some easier layups. That’s been the game so far until I’m back in the groove.”
Mariella was joined on the hardwood by 6-foot-3 junior forward/lineman Payton Foster, and Vernon Hills was finally headed toward having a full roster. After losses to Grayslake North and Highland Park their first week back, the Cougars (2-6, 0-2 Central Suburban North) rebounded in a 46-20 victory against Muchin on Dec. 3.
They had the whole team in practice for the first time last week but lost to Maine West 79-65 on Friday in Des Plaines.
“Not being together for three weeks or being able to practice, a lot of the fundamental skill work failed us,” McCarty said before the Maine West game. “We didn’t shoot, dribble, rebound, pass or catch the ball well (against Highland Park). It was a frustrating week, but what could we do?”
Seniors Jack O’Connell and Jack Forester filled in until the reinforcements arrived. Now the Cougars want to continue the football team’s momentum. The five gridiron-to-hardwood players, after all, got plenty used to winning.
“With the football guys just getting back, I think we have a lot of potential but haven’t yet had the time to put the potential to work yet,” Mariella said before the Maine West game. “I think it will come once we all get in the swing of things, get to practice together.”
Rich Mayor is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
