IBCA induction brings Tomasiewicz full circle

Growing up in Streamwood, girls basketball opportunities were few and far between for Chris Tomasiewicz.

"My three brothers played in the park district and they didn't have a league for girls at the time," the former Chris Francke told me earlier this week. "I became the first girl to play park-district basketball in Streamwood with the boys. The board had to approve it and everything. Eventually a few more girls came in. I was kind of like a pioneer with getting girls into basketball in the old days."

Tomasiewicz, a 1990 Streamwood graduate, said playing with the boys when she was a child helped pave the way for what turned out to be an outstanding playing career, which culminated as a member of the DePaul University women's team under legendary coach Doug Bruno.

"I would encourage any girls to play with boys," she said. "The best time I had was playing with boys."

Tomasiewicz went on to star at both Streamwood and DePaul. Her accomplishments have led to her induction into the 2016 class of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Tomasiewicz will be enshrined April 30 in Bloomington.

"To be grouped with the people already in there is a major honor," she said. "I never thought something like this would happen. I played because I loved the game. I loved sports and I loved basketball in particular and still love it to this day."

Tomasiewicz, currently the girls varsity assistant coach at Crystal Lake Central, remains Streamwood's second all-time leading scorer with 1,586 points, trailing only Renee Kanak's 1,621 points. She averaged 28.1 points per game her senior year and had a pair of 40-point games to her credit (44 against St. Edward and 40 against Lake Park). She's also the program's fourth all-time leading rebounder (868). She keeps company among a quartet of Sabres all-time greats that includes Kanak, Donna Groh and Rita Castans. Tomasiewicz overcame an ankle injury her sophomore year and returned to help the Sabres reach a Class AA supersectional.

"She started out as a little kid coming to games in junior high," said Streamwood coach George Rosner, who noted Tomasiewicz was part of Sabres teams that won three regional, one sectional and one conference title. "And then all of a sudden she's in high school and she's on the varsity as a freshman. She had quite a run for us. Her senior year she was basically unstoppable. She was a scoring machine. She's definitely one of the most intense players I've ever coached. She could rebound, shoot, handle the ball and play defense."

Tomasiewicz said her time at Streamwood was memorable and Rosner had a lot to do with that.

"Streamwood was one of the best chapters in my life," she said. "Rosner is a really special guy. He started coaching me when I was 7 or 8 years old at Streamwood basketball camps. Streamwood was one of my favorite chapters and it's because he was a big part of it. He's one of the most genuine people I know."

Tomasiewicz said her college choices boiled down to DePaul, Indiana and Northern Illinois. "I picked DePaul because it was a successful program, I knew Doug from going to camps when I was younger and it was close to home," she said.

Bruno was certainly thankful she chose DePaul. "Chris was one of the first suburban girls to bring that boy-like swagger to her game," he said earlier this week. "She was ultraphysical and exceptionally skilled. She had the rare ability to shoot a 3, get to the rim or make a pullup 'J' using a true jump shot."

Tomasiewicz, a three-sport athlete at Streamwood, said she learned a lot during her time as a Blue Demon (she also pitched on the DePaul softball team her freshman year). "College was more challenging than I anticipated," she said. "Doug was tough, but he treated us very well. We were treated like kings there."

Basketball remains a major part of her life in a variety of ways. For starters, the former Streamwood great keeps plenty busy following the sporting exploits of her three children. Her daughter, Taylor, is a freshman on the Prairie Ridge girls team (one of five freshmen on the Wolves' team). She also has two younger sons.

Tomasiewicz, who has recovered from serious injuries sustained in a jet-skiing accident five years ago, also is thrilled to be on the Central sidelines. Prior to coaching at Central, Tomasiewicz had several stints in Rosner's program, first as a freshman coach and then as Rosner's varsity assistant.

"The year we made it to the sectional championship Chris was invaluable to us," Rosner said. "She did a great job coaching and the kids really appreciated her."

Tomasiewicz said she's having a blast staying involved in the sport through coaching. "I love it," she said. "I love seeing the individual results and I love teaching the kids moves and how to use their bodies efficiently. I love seeing them grow."

Rosner said Tomasiewicz's induction into the IBCA hall is a no-brainer. "I was looking at some of these players who were getting in the last couple years and said these are some really good players, but, man, look at Chris' stats," he said. "She's a pure Illinois basketball product from Streamwood and DePaul who produced some totally amazing stats here. She deserves this. She was quite a player."

Mike Miazga has been writing about sports in the Fox Valley for more than two decades. Email him at mjm890@gmail.com.