Fremd's Montella excited about William & Mary decision

You take a quick glance at the roster College of William & Mary women's basketball team and you'll see a lot of players from out east.

In a couple of years, you'll see a freshman from the Mid-Suburban League on the Division I roster.

Perhaps Fremd's Ruthie Montella will be the first MSL recruit the Tribes have ever had.

She can't wait to perform in Williamsburg, VA.

"I never dreamed this would happen," said Montella, one of the top juniors in the state. "It's incredible. I'm so excited and can't wait.

"It was just a combination of basketball and athletics that I really loved and I'm thrilled that my decision is made."

Fremd coach Dave Yates is also thrilled for the talented junior who has started since her freshman year.

"She was recruited by a lot of Division I schools," Yates said. "I'm really happy for her because she got a 32 on her ACT so she really wanted to get that mixture of athletics and academics.

"And that's a great university and she really enjoyed her visit. It's great to have that stuff done. Now she doesn't have to worry about it anymore and I'm really happy for her."

After her sophomore season, Yates said Montella can defend any position on the floor and she continues to add more skills to an already strong offensive arsenal.

She began playing basketball in the first grade.

"Honestly, my parents just wanted me to try out all the sports when I was little," Montella said. "And when I first got on the basketball court, I had no idea what I was doing."

Now the idea of trying to drive past her to the basket or stopping her on a drive are some of the toughest challenges for opponents.

Montella said her parents have always been supportive of her career.

"I've always wanted to make them proud," she said. "And playing with my friends is such a huge motivation. You always want to give it your best shot knowing you are not only playing for yourself but for your teammates.

"That's what I like best about playing basketball. We are all so close. We love hanging around off the court, too, and it just makes the game so enjoyable."

Montella said she will probably study in the health care field.

"It was just a combination of basketball and athletics that I really loved," she said about choosing William & Mary. "And I'm thrilled that my decision is made."

World traveler: Alabama-Birmingham and Wheeling graduate Deanna Kuzmanic spent a few weeks in Illinois serving as an assistant in Fremd's coach Dave Yates program.

She left Fremd a few weeks ago to practice with the Puerto Rico national team and then will head to France for an Olympic qualifier.

If the team is successful, it would qualify for the Olympics in Tokyo.

Kuzmanic has also signed a contract to play professionally in New Zealand from April to June with the Canterbury Wildcats.

Eventually, she'd like to be a math teacher and coach.

"I just wanted to get some coaching experience," she said of her stint with Yates' program. "It was good to be around a high school level team and around the game as a coach. I'm glad coach Yates gave me the chance."

Running Radtke: Playing three sports in high school, Palatine senior Olivia Radtke has been on the run for years.

Her team was running up a storm, too, when the Pirates enjoyed one of their best quarters of the season against Glenbrook North last Saturday.

While outscoring the host Spartans 16-5 in the third period, the Pirates opened the second half with a 16-3 run that began with Radtke's 3-point play and ended with her 3-pointer.

Radtke said the key was matching the Spartans' energy.

"We kind of played to their game," said the senior forward. We tried to speed it up because they were pressing a lot. So we sped up our game as well."

Radtke also plays golf in the fall and soccer in the spring.

She is hoping to study architectural engineering at the University of Cincinnati.

"Olivia is a super kid," said Pirates coach Mark Johnson. "She is an IQ kid so Cincy would be good for her. I think some smaller schools are looking at her, too, but she is thinking of the bigger picture for herself."

Class 4A shuffle: There was some significant change in The Associated Press Class 4A poll this week.

Evanston (19-2) is now the top-ranked team followed by Benet (21-2), Edwardsville (18-1), Maine West (21-3), Marist (21-3), Lincoln Way West (21-2), Whitney Young (18-6), Libertyville (18-4), Homewood-Flossmoor (18-5) and Hersey (20-6).

Seeds soon: Seeds for the upcoming state tournament are expected to be posted on the Illinois High School Association website at about 4 p.m. a week from Thursday.

Maine West and Palatine high schools are hosting Class 4A sectionals which feed into the Conant supersectional.

Hoffman Estates is also hosting a 4A sectional which feeds into the South Elgin supersectional.