As a freshman, the scouting report on Joliet Catholic’s Eli Passehl was brutal.
You’ll have to take his word for it, too, because Passehl was the one giving the harshest assessment of his raw skills from two seasons ago.
“I wasn’t the best and I wasn’t the strongest,” he said. “I was just a flail kind of flimsy kind of player. I didn’t know the game. I had a bad IQ on the floor. But now I’m starting to get it step by step.”
Passehl stepped up again Wednesday night.
The 6-foot-8 junior forward had 15 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots to help the host Hilltoppers to a 57-50 East Suburban Catholic Conference win over Niles Notre Dame.
Junior guard Donavyn Simmons was also on fire with 23 points and six rebounds for Joliet Catholic (19-11, 4-4), while Danny Cervantes added 12 points on four 3-point baskets.
Emran Alispahic, a freshman wing, led Notre Dame (14-15, 2-6) with 18 points and six rebounds.
According to JCA coach Adam DeGroot, Passehl’s critical analysis of his freshman year may not have been too far off the mark, either.
“It was a scenario where he grew so fast and he was kind of thrown into that coordination aspect a little bit,” DeGroot said of Passehl. “And when you get thrown into East Suburban Catholic basketball and you have to grow — basketball gets real, real quick.
“It’s not just run-around time anymore.”
Passehl, meanwhile, credited DeGroot for helping him improve on all aspects of the game. DeGroot pointed out that Passel isn’t a finished product yet, which is scary.
“He’s just scratching the surface,” DeGroot said. “A kid like that usually doesn’t move as well as he does. He’s a really good mover for a kid who is 6-8, and I think has another inch or two to gain.
“He can step out and shoot it. He’s comfortable around the rim. It’s going to be fun to see him continue to develop and to continue to see him play in college.”
On the other hand, Simmons enjoys watching his tall teammate right now, even though he can still be unpredictable.
“At times, it’s like ‘Eli, ‘What are you doing?'” Simmons said of Passehl. “Other times, he can turn us up with a dunk and the energy he brings being strong at the rim.”
For those watching the Winter Olympics, longtime figure skating announcer Terry Gannon used to play basketball at JCA. He was a sharpshooter on the 1980-81 team that won 20 games.
Since that season, the Hilltoppers have won 20 or more games just once — in 2015-16.
They are top seed in the Class 3A Hinsdale South Sectional, however, and hope to get that 20th win in the semifinals of the regional they host at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
“We’ve built a good team — a great team — and we’re just getting after it,” Simmons said of winning that elusive 20th game. “It’s coming.”
“Hopefully, we can get that one and take care of business,” DeGroot said.
Passehl confirmed that he got into the sport at the insistence of his father Rob, a JCA graduate who now teaches at the school.
“I picked up a basketball when I was in sixth grade at St. Jude in Joliet,” Eli said. “It was mostly my dad who wanted me to play because I was having a few growth spurts and he said I should play basketball.”
Heading into the postseason, Passehl is getting comfortable on the court. And his teammates are getting comfortable with winning.
“The team and everyone in the program has gotten stronger,” Passehl said, “We’ve become a family. We’re more than just a team.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
