Benet coach Heidkamp earns 300th victory

It might have looked easy on Friday, but it hasn't always been that way for Benet's Gene Heidkamp.

The Redwings' boys basketball coach notched his 300th win with a 69-38 East Suburban Catholic Conference decision over Marian Central Catholic in Lisle.

Benet (9-4, 2-1) led wire-to-wire in an effort that shone in all phases despite the continued absence of starting senior guard Matt Reid, who is out with mononucleosis. Heidkamp downplayed his personal achievement after the dominant performance, noting the contributions of those around him and the program through the years.

When you notch 10 straight 20-win seasons, 300 sneaks up pretty fast. But as a longtime assistant who struggled during his first head coaching job at Nazareth, it's a milestone Heidkamp appreciates.

"I don't take it for granted," he said. "I'm really appreciative of all the coaches I got to work for and the ones I work with. They've done so much for me. And the players have too, obviously. It makes you very appreciative of the players and coaches you've been fortunate to work with."

The Redwings still haven't played with a full roster in a single game this season. While fourth-year varsity member Colin Crothers made his season debut on Dec. 21 against Brother Rice, that was also the first game missed by Reid, whom Heidkamp hopes to get back by the end of January.

"I think we do have a lot of room to grow," said Crothers, who scored 12 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. "Once we can get everyone together on the practice floor and work on everything, I think we can definitely be better than we are now."

Benet made 6 of 9 first-quarter 3-point attempts while hitting 18 of 28 first-half shots. Six players knocked down 3s led by four by Sam Hennessy, who scored 12 points.

Jacob Snell had 12 points and 8 rebounds, while Jack Prock made three 3-pointers and tallied 11 points. Eleven players scored for Benet.

"We knew this was a big game because it was a conference game," Hennessy said. "We've got to come in with a strong mindset against every team and do whatever we can to get the win."

Twitter: @kevin_schmit