Countless hours of practice pays off for Cary-Grove's Frericks

Beau Frericks would shoot basketballs all day if he could.

The Cary-Grove senior describes himself as "basketball crazy."

He regularly stayed 30 to 60 minutes after preseason practices to hoist around 200 shots.

Spring sports often need the gym for practice after school on bad weather days. To avoid conflicts, Frericks asked Cary-Grove boys basketball coach Adam McCloud last spring to open the gym at 6 a.m. That way he and his teammates could hone their shots.

It was the same morning routine in the fall once girls volleyball practice started.

"He was getting us up early four days a week because he's passionate about basketball," McCloud said. "He is a gym rat."

On some days the driven 17-year-old Cary resident worked with local player development coach Zac Boster, a Huntley graduate, at Harvest Bible Chapel in Crystal Lake.

"I wish I had 50 Beau Frericks," said Boster, who trains preps-to-pro clientele. "That kid is one of the hardest workers I've ever met."

Frericks occasionally shot around in the gym at Holy Cross Church across the street from his high school when it was not in use. Kristin Frericks, his mom, has a connection there, he said.

Beau does not like to be idle. Down time to him just means more opportunity to play basketball, the sport he was introduced to in second grade by his dad, Lance Frericks.

"I think it's just my inability to sit still," Beau said of his kinetic nature. "I don't feel great about myself if I don't do something every day. It was my drive to be the best. I just love to be in the gym. There is no place I'd rather be than shooting in the gym with my friends."

All that practice translated to a record-breaking season for Beau Frericks, the Captain of the Daily Herald Fox All-Area Boys Basketball Team.

Opposing coaches knew what was coming this season after he scored 19.4 points per game as a junior. They threw constant double and triple teams at him, gimmick defenses, the kitchen sink.

Huntley was the only FVC team to slow Frericks down and get a win. The Red Raiders used a box-and-one defense to do so.

"You can't treat Beau like most players because he's not like most players," Huntley coach Will Benson said.

Despite constant attention from defenses, the 6-foot-1 guard added 680 points to his three-year total in 34 games. He leaves the program as Cary-Grove's all-time leading scorer with 1,540 career points.

Frericks averaged 20 ppg on 46% shooting from the field (229 of 448). He made 94 of 246 attempts from 3-point range (38.2%). The two-time all-Fox Valley Conference pick averaged 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals.

Frericks teamed with 6-foot-9 Belmont recruit and good friend Frank Jakubicek - Cary-Grove's all-time leading rebounder (679) and second-leading scorer (1,153 points) - to form one of the most potent combinations in Fox Valley Conference history. They led the Trojans to a school-record 31 victories, an outright FVC title and the program's second sectional final berth.

The Trojans' dream season came to a sudden end last Thursday. Cary-Grove was set to face St. Charles North in a highly anticipated sectional final matchup the next day, but the IHSA canceled the rest of the tournament due to the spreading COVID-19 virus.

"It's pretty heartbreaking, but there are way worse things going on than losing basketball," Frericks said. "We told each other to be happy that it did happen and not be sad that it ended because the way we played was remarkable."

St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin scouted Frericks for the game that never was. He said the Cary-Grove guard reminded him of former BYU star Jimmer Fredette "because of his scoring ability off the catch and off the dribble. And I love how emotionally invested he was."

The next time Frericks steps on a basketball court as a student athlete, he will be wearing a Lewis University jersey. He committed to the NCAA Division II school prior to his senior season. He takes with him some indelible high school memories.

"Our motto was 'Win the Day' and everybody bought in," Frericks said. "I give all the credit to my teammates. It was an amazing experience."