Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
Whatever it takes, senior guard Evan Frieders enjoys crunch time for Kaneland. Long and lean, the versatile 6-foot-6 Frieders can answer plenty of questions for coach Ernie Colombe.
Whether it’s hitting a big shot, grabbing a much-needed rebound, coming up with a stop or a steal or even drawing a charge, Frieders fills the bill as a four-year varsity regular for the Knights.
“I like to say I’m like a glue guy,” Frieders said. “That’s how the guys around me sometimes like to put it. They’ll even say Draymond Green sometimes, but I think I’ve got a little more skills.
“I like to win. I’ll do whatever I have to do for the team to win.”
Behind Frieders’ do-everything effort Tuesday night, Kaneland remained undefeated with a 66-50 nonconference win over host Marmion in Aurora.
Frieders flew below the radar when it came to scoring Wednesday, shooting 3 of 6 from the floor for his nine points, which were fourth highest for the Knights (7-0).
He contributed in many more ways, however, with six rebounds, four blocked shots, three assists, two steals and a late charge, changing possession to keep a rally bid by the Cadets at bay.
To Colombe, none of it was a surprise, either.
“He’s the winningest player in program history,” Colombe said. “In his four years, we’ve had 26 wins, 26 wins, 32 wins and now have seven. He’s just a kid that makes winning plays.
“He took a big charge, moves the basketball, hit a few threes. That’s a senior doing what a senior is supposed to do. He’s always unselfish, so it’s good to see him step up and hit some big shots.”
As is usually the case, he wasn’t alone in that respect.
Marshawn Cocroft, a 6-0 senior point guard, led Kaneland with 17 points, while 6-9 junior forward Jeffrey Hassan had 14 points and 11 rebounds and 6-1 senior guard Jalen Carter added 10 points.
Joseph Kramer, a 6-foot junior guard, was held to two points in the first half for Marmion (4-3). He erupted for 13 points in the third quarter, finishing with a game-high 18 points and four 3-pointers.
Junior guard Ben Piekarz scored 11 points and senior guard Ali Tharwani added 10 for the Cadets.
Kaneland, however, went 18 of 20 from the free-throw line, led by Cocroft at 9 of 10.
“That was nice to see the guys step up and hit free throws,” Colombe said. “It was physical both ways with everybody playing hard. It was a really good test for us.
“We overcame some stuff we hadn’t faced so far.”
Kaneland assistant Dominic Bruno, who coordinates the defense, explained the team’s plan.
“They’ve got shooters everywhere,” Bruno said. “So our goal was to drive them off the 3-point line with Jeffrey in the post to give help.”
And that’s also where Frieders comes in.
“Evan provides great leadership, especially on the defensive end,” Bruno said. “I can tell him to lock down pretty much positions one through four. His man had five points and fouled out.
“He did a phenomenal job. He can switch to other guys because he’s so versatile.”
That versatility should land him a spot at the next level. Interest in him is high from several NCAA Division III programs and junior colleges.
Frieders confirmed he doesn’t worry about scoring.
“I like to win and I’ll do whatever I have to do for the team to win,” he said. “My role can change every night. We had some guys in early foul trouble, so I stepped up and hit a few shots.
“One thing that is always going to stand out is defense, though. That’s all effort, so every day, I’m gonna play defense. If we’re winning, I’m happy.”
