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John Radtke returns! Re-entry begins with a look back at the legendary 2022 Glenbard West boys basketball team

Back in August, when I retired from the Daily Herald, people asked me what's next, and many of those who asked said they hoped I'd keep writing.

Well, I'm happy to report that I am.

Beginning today and through the remainder of the high school sports season, I'll be writing a column each week for the Daily Herald's sports section. I'll also be contributing to softball coverage, among other things.

I'm a free agent and this is strictly a freelance gig. I am not coming out of retirement, but about 99 percent of retired people I know like doing side gigs, especially if they get a chance to do what they loved for 48 years, the past 27 of those with the Daily Herald.

I've been out of the loop since last April when a triple bypass surgery was the final health issue that kicked my butt into retirement. Any story ideas you might have, please don't be shy about sending me an email. My address will be at the end of each column.

I'm looking to write about things that are beyond the games themselves, and from all corners of the suburbs. I have enjoyed tremendous reader support for many years, and I can only hope that continues.

That said, today's re-entry begins with, of course, basketball. With the girls' state tournament having just concluded and boys' supersectionals on tap on Monday night, we'll start today with a look at the key players from the 2021-22 state Class 4A champions from Glenbard West, a team many believe was the best - most certainly one of the best - high school teams ever assembled in Illinois and what they're up to today.

Those Hilltoppers went 37-1, their only loss coming in early February to Sierra Canyon, a national power out of California, on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in front of 10,000 fans at Wintrust Arena.

At the state finals in Champaign, GW sealed the deal by beating Bolingbrook by 30 points in the semifinals and then Whitney Young by 22 in the title game.

All five of West's starters were seniors and all five are still playing basketball, with one of them, Caden Pierce is having such an outstanding freshman campaign in college he's in the thick of the conversation for Ivy League freshman of the year.

Pierce has burst onto the scene at Princeton, where he's a starting forward and has helped the Tigers to a 19-8 regular season that includes a share of the Ivy League title, after their 77-69 overtime win over Penn on Saturday. Princeton hosts the league tournament beginning March 11, with the winner getting an automatic bid to The Dance, something the Tigers haven't achieved since 2017. The Tigers will play Penn again in the tournament semifinals (only the top four teams in the league play in the tournament).

"Making the tournament has been something that this team has had our minds set on since the first day of practice," Pierce said last week. "We knew that we had all the pieces, we just needed to make it happen. Going forward, we need to play with a 'one possession at a time' mindset since the Ivy League is so competitive. The majority of the games in the league come down to one or two possessions, so it's very important that we play a complete 40 minutes, not taking any plays off."

Pierce, a 6-foot-6 forward, hasn't taken many plays off himself this season. He's started all 27 games for the Tigers, averaging nearly 29 minutes per game. He's shooting 43 percent from the field (34 percent from 3-point range), and he averages 7.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He's been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week four times.

When he chose Princeton, stats like those as a freshman were just a dream.

"Coming in as a freshman, I really had no expectations as to what my role would be," he said. "I knew that there would be opportunities for me to make an impact, since the team the year before had graduated a good amount of guys in the rotation. Since the team from last year had so much success, I knew there were going to be expectations to have another successful season, so I just came in and worked hard each and every day to play my role in the team's success."

Princeton coach Mitch Henderson, now in his 11th season, was impressed with Pierce from the get-go.

"He played on a terrific high school team and he was a huge part of their run of success," Henderson said. "We felt he could help us this season and make a contribution, but right away it was clear that he understood all of the little things and how to win."

Henderson has been pleased with Pierce's progress, especially on offense.

"His offensive game improves daily, and this is what we discussed with him in the recruiting process," the coach said. "He just needs to keep trying things; it's all there. His confidence continues to grow, and it's been so fun to watch. And he's having fun. He's just going to get better and better."

That's not to say being a freshman athlete at an Ivy League school has been easy.

"The biggest challenge off the court for me has definitely been managing my time," said Pierce, whose dad, Greg, played basketball at Northwestern and whose mom, Stephanie, played volleyball at Cincinnati.

"Living away from home for the first time in my life has presented me with more freedom than I'm used to having, which means making more of my own decisions. Early on I struggled with managing my time, specifically with schoolwork. Princeton is obviously no joke academically, so I've learned to manage my time by making daily to-do lists to stay on top of my work."

Pierce, whose brother Alec is a wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts, said he's had to adjust on the court as well.

"On the court, I think the biggest adjustment for me was the physicality of the game," said Pierce, whose other brother, Justin, played three years of basketball at William & Mary before finishing his career under Roy Williams at North Carolina.

"Coming from high school where I was usually one of the biggest on the court at all times, it was definitely a shock to me early on how much more physical the college game is."

And along the way, Pierce has reveled in the college experience so far.

"The most fun part of my freshman year so far has been meeting so many new friends here at Princeton," he said. "What makes Princeton so unique is that it is so diverse and that there are students from all over the world, with very different backgrounds than me. I've loved becoming close with not only the guys on the team, but also the other students here at Princeton that each have their own unique backgrounds and stories."

Those other Hilltoppers:

The other four starters from last year's Glenbard West team are taking different paths, but all four are continuing their careers, according to GW coach Jason Opoka.

Braden Huff, last year's scoring leader, is a redshirt freshman at Gonzaga, Paxton Warden has played in 10 games for Illinois, Ryan Renfro is at Army West Point's Preparatory Academy (one year of prep school), and Bobby Durkin is at IMG Academy in Georgia (prep school). He committed to Davidson in October and will play basketball for there next year.

Rockets' booming voice silenced:

Mark Einwich has manned the microphone as the public address announcer for Burlington Central football and basketball games for the better part of 30 years, all on a volunteer basis.

But late last summer Einwich, a 1986 BC grad and former football player, was diagnosed with cancer, and the BC Hall of Famer has been battling the disease since. The bills have continued to mount for Einwich, the father of six children, and his family. There is now a GoFundMe account that has been organized to help the family.

• John Radtke can be reached via email at johnradtke75@gmail.com

Princeton forward Caden Pierce (12) competes for a rebound against Navy forward Daniel Deaver (31) during the first half of a November 2022 game. The former Glenbard West standout is having such an outstanding freshman campaign in college he's in the thick of the conversation for Ivy League freshman of the year. Associated Press
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