The Evanston boys basketball team’s 65-33 victory over rival New Trier on Friday in front of a packed Beardsley Gym in Evanston was extra special for Wildkits sophomore guard Ryan Bost.
His grandfather, a longtime Evanston basketball and baseball assistant coach who died in 2012, is the inspiration for the Bob Bost Classic, which is the name given to the annual boys and girls basketball doubleheader between New Trier and Evanston at Beardsley.
In its fifth year, the Bob Bost Classic took on even greater meaning this year because of Ryan Bost’s presence.
“It’s his night. It’s his grandfather we’re honoring,” Evanston coach Mike Ellis said.
Just before the Central Suburban South game, Ellis informed Ryan Bost, normally a key reserve, that he would be in the starting lineup. But Ellis said this was not a token start.
“Ryan had the best practice out of all of us this week,” Ellis said. “He was our leader at practice. This wasn’t something we just handed him. He didn’t just show up tonight to play this game, he showed up all week in practice to play this game.”
Ryan Bost responded to the start by helping Evanston overwhelm New Trier (11-10, 3-4) in the first half.
Ryan Bost (four first-half steals) and classmate Lance Jones (seven first-half steals) led the Wildkits defensively as they forced 17 first-half turnovers en route to a 46-11 halftime advantage.
“Well, I’m always trying to set the tone on defense. I was just playing my game and we had a good game this time,” said Ryan Bost, who earned extended minutes throughout the game.
Evanston senior forward Elyjah Williams said: “When Ryan sets his mind to defense, when he plays his hardest, we have to keep him out there. When he’s playing defense, it gets the rest of us riled up on defense, it gets the rest of the sophomores riled up and we just go out and play great defense out there.”
The Wildkits (19-3, 8-0) were so dominant early in the game that they were up 21-7 before Purdue-bound senior Nojel Eastern even got on the floor.
Eastern, who didn’t start because he missed practice with an illness, ended up leading the way with 15 points. He delivered several highlight-reel plays, including a powerful dunk in traffic, a couple no-look passes for assists and one length-of-the-court bounce pass.
Jones finished with 12 points and senior guard Chris Hamil added eight.
“This probably was one of the team’s best performances,” said Ryan Bost, who finished with four points and six steals. “But we’re always coming out strong. We have to work on the third quarter, that’s (sometimes) when we lose it. But today, we came out in the third and did what we have to do.”
The Wildkits starters were on the bench midway through the fourth quarter, getting a well-earned rest ahead of Saturday night’s game against Belleville Althoff at the Bank of O’Fallon Shootout.
After the game, the Wildkits were hurrying to board a bus for the five-hour trip to the St. Louis suburbs. But Ryan Bost still had time to offer some memories about his grandfather, a 1964 Evanston graduate who served as a middle school teacher and administrator in Evanston.
“Well, he had a major influence on me,” Ryan Bost said. “He’d drop me off at preschool every morning. He didn’t really coach me much, it was always my dad (Bobby) coaching me. But (Bob Bost) coached my dad, so he basically coached me.”
Bobby Bost, Ryan’s father, played at Evanston in the mid-1980s and he was one of several members of the Bost family recognized before the game. Ryan Bost, who joined the group at center court, said the moment was special.
“It’s huge for me to see how much he meant,” Ryan Bost said. “Before the game, when we were standing in the middle and everybody was cheering, it was just a major (honor). I’m just trying to be as big as he was.”
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
