Lake Central’s Alex Myszak has been interested in dentistry for years.
Myszak’s younger sister Emma had a hand — or teeth — in making that a career choice.
“I always just liked going to the dentist growing up,” Alex Myszak said. “I really enjoyed getting the dentist appointments. That made me want to be a dentist because I liked going there.
“When I was younger, I used to pretend to clean Emma’s teeth. I pretended I was a dentist on her. So it just stuck with me as I got older.”
Alex and Emma Myszak have stuck together for the Indians (11-12, 4-3), who finished fourth in the Duneland Athletic Conference and will play Munster in a Class 4A sectional semifinal on Feb. 6.
Alex Myszak, a 5-foot-9 senior guard, was averaging 5.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals off the bench before the regular-season finale against Washington Township on Thursday.
Emma Myszak, a 5-10 sophomore guard, is Lake Central’s second-leading scorer behind sophomore forward/center Jill Beaderstadt as a starter and was averaging 7.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and team highs of 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals.
The Myszak sisters don’t take playing together for granted.
“It’s fun,” Emma Myszak said. “I’ve played with her for a while. This is the last of it, so we’re trying to make it last as long as possible. After we lose, we’re done. It’s my last time playing with her.”
Alex Myszak believes it’s going well.
“We’re sisters, so I feel like we have good chemistry, a different type of chemistry that you just don’t have even with your friends,” she said. “That helps us. We do get along well.”
Lake Central coach Joe Huppenthal does recall a few instances when Alex and Emma Myszak butted heads.
“There’s been a couple times at practice where they’ve been barking at each other,” he said. “But they’re inseparable. That’s good to see. Families have squabbles. One shooting drill, one of them gave the other one a bad pass, and one was barking at the other. But that happens. It doesn’t matter if you’re sisters or not. But their relationship is really good.
“The way Alex has handled her situation, she could be like, ‘My sister is starting in front of me.’ But she is more than supportive of Emma in that role, and Emma is supportive of Alex in her role. That’s important. That’s what makes it go.”
Alex Myszak took her bench role in stride, according to Huppenthal.
“Alex has had a problem with confidence,” Huppenthal said. “So all summer, all year, we’ve been telling her, ‘Next play, be confident.’ It’s a lot better than where it was. She can still grow there, but I like where she is right now. The one thing about Alex, her little sister is starting before her, and this kid has taken that and understands what’s best for our team and has just accepted her role in a great way. I haven’t even talked to her about it. That tells you the kid, the person, she is.
“That’s not easy. Your little sister’s starting, you’re not, you could be asking why. Alex could start. But what’s best for our team and what’s best for Alex, she gets to ease into the game and comes in with some confidence. We started her a couple of games, and it didn’t go so well. I said, ‘Let’s keep it this way.’ She’s grown as a person and as an individual, which for me and our program is so important. The girl’s going to be a dentist. That speaks volumes.”
Alex and Emma Myszak are part of an athletic family. Their brother Ethan, who graduated from Lake Central in 2020, played baseball growing up, and their sister Amayah, who graduated from Lake Central in 2023, competed in wrestling and soccer.
The Myszaks’ father, Jeff, is a 1997 Lake Central graduate who played baseball at St. Joseph’s in Rensselaer and is entering his first season as Calumet’s baseball coach. He was an assistant for the Indians’ 4A state championship team in 2012 and worked as the hitting coach at Calumet College under his father, Tony, who died Dec. 12.
“Jeff’s a competitor, and that’s instilled at home,” Huppenthal said. “These kids are gym rats. They’re always up here shooting, trying to get better. They have that work ethic.
“Both of these kids were thrown into the fire, thrown into varsity basketball in big roles in a program that’s been highly successful, and they’ve adjusted to the process and bought into the process. It’s not easy, and it’s not supposed to be, and I’m super proud of them.”
