New group has Maine West thinking positive
CENTRAL SUBURBAN NORTHMaine WestCoach: John Bongiorno (third year)
Last year: 8-19
Top returners: PG Julian Dones (5-7, soph.), F Maciej Czerlonko (5-11, sr.), F Marian Johnson (6-2, sr.), F Stefan Balaban (6-2, jr.), G Angel Kelley (5-11, sr).
Key losses: G Matt Acevedo
Key additions: G JoJo Rios (5-10, sr.), C Jon Beaver (6-6, jr.), F Jack Collins (6-4, soph.)
Outlook: The bad news for Maine West boys basketball coach John Bongiorno is that Matt Acevedo, who finished with a school-record 129 three-pointers in his career, is playing at Carthage this season. Fortunately, there's enough good news to offset even that major loss. “We've got a good blend of guys who can score, and guys who can defend,” said Bongiorno. “I think we have the best roster we've had in my three seasons here. We've got some seniors who can really play, and we've got some skilled juniors and sophomores in the mix, too.” Forward Marian Johnson is one of those seniors, who had a strong finish to the season after hitting a game-winning shot against Maine East to cap a comeback which saw Maine West rally from 10 points down with about one and a half minutes left. “After that you could really see the difference in him,” said Bongiorno. “He really blossomed as a player.” Bongiorno says another senior forward, Maciej Czerlonko, is the heart of the team and a tenacious two-way player. The starting backcourt will again feature sophomore point guard Julian Dones, who played all of last year as the starter. He'll be joined by senior JoJo Rios, a transfer who had a couple seasons playing varsity at Niles West, and senior guard Angel Kelley will also play a significant role. There's terrific size in 6-6 junior center Jon Beaver and 6-4 sophomore Jack Collins. For now, Bongiorno is emphasizing the importance of triggering scoring opportunities by denying the opponent's offensive intentions. “Guys are buying into the pressure defense — and we're a pressure team,” he said. “If we can't get our break going, of course we're going to have to be a solid halfcourt team, too. And I think we have the players to do that.” At the very least, Bongiorno is encouraged by a favorable turn in terms of interest in the program. Tryouts for the varsity featured 25 players. “We told everybody at the banquet after last year that we'd be picking the best 12 players for the team this year,” he said. “There were some very hard cuts, but this way we're keeping everyone involved to a higher degree, and I think that will show up in our conditioning. I've already noticed our practices are crisper than before. Every kid we kept could have started on last year's team.” The Warriors host Libertyville, Maine South, Prosser and Chicago Math and Science in the Thanksgiving tournament they'll host starting Monday. Then it's on to a typically tough Central Suburban North slate with the usual quality teams at places such as Deerfield, Highland Park and Niles North — none of which is preventing Bongiorno and Maine West from thinking big.
“Since 1959, there have only been 10 teams here that have won 17 or more games,” Bongiorno said. “We'd like to see if we can get this year's team in that category.”
— Aaron Gabriel