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Friday, March 29, 2024

2015-16 Benet Boys’ Basketball Season Preview

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Everyone knows the thought of a Sobolewski leading a Benet boys’ basketball team isn’t a new concept.

After all, David Sobolewski, alongside Frank Kaminsky, Pat McInerney and Matt Parisi, led the program to a combined 55-5 record his last two years.

Five years after older brother David last suited up for the Redwings during a senior year that saw the program go 29-1, Danny Sobolewski gets his opportunity to lead the program as a senior.

“He also brings in a pretty good resume in his own right,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said of Danny Sobolewski. “He’s an all-conference player returning from last year, he was all-tournament at Pontiac. That’s a pretty good resume to start as a junior. He played downstate as a sophomore, played in big games as a sophomore.

“His last name might have a lot to do with it, but his last name might also mean that he’s underrated. I don’t know if people realize that or not. If his last name was Jones or Smith, he wouldn’t be held in that comparison. I don’t compare them at all. They’re different players, but I do know they’re two of the best players that I’ve coached since I’ve been there and I feel comfortable saying that.”

A year after playing quite a bit as a sophomore on the team that won 25 games before losing to Jahlil Okafor and Whitney Young in the Class 4A state title game, Danny Sobolewski had a solid junior year.

On the way to garnering All-East Suburban Catholic Conference honors in averaging 12 points and 4.5 rebounds, Danny Sobolewski was a key cog on a team that won 22 games.

The success Benet will enjoy this year as it tries to win at least 20 games for a seventh straight year starts with the 6-foot-4 Sobolewski.

“Danny brings a lot of things to the table,” Heidkamp said. “He did last year. He gave us a nice boost in a role as a sophomore. This year, we’re counting on him to be a leader for our team, above and beyond giving us things on the offensive and defensive ends. So we’re encouraged. We think Danny’s going to have a good year.

“His experiences will help the younger players that we have. He’s played downstate and he’s played in big conference games. So he’s been through just about everything you can go through. I think that hopefully that’ll be something that our juniors will lean on, as far as his experience goes.”

With Colin Bonnett’s averages of 17 points, four rebounds and 4.2 assists now at Illinois Weselyan, Jason Malonga and James Dockery are the other two players who Heidkamp knows will start.

The expectations placed upon both Malonga (just under six PPG) and Dockery (just nine PPG) in bigger roles now as seniors are there.

“We think Malonga and Dockery are good players,” Heidkamp said. “I think both of those guys will contribute at a high level this year. They need to play consistently and they know that. I know there’s a big difference between being a senior and being a junior and they both had good offseasons.

“They both had good summers and we’re looking on them to give us a big boost and to play like seniors. So we’re hoping for good things from both of them.”

Juniors Jack Nolan, Liam Lyman, Justin Enochs, Matt Teglia and Mitch McKay are all guys who could see time as the Redwings look for a rotation behind their three senior leaders.

Heidkamp thinks the junior class will provide some good shooting, but the two hallmarks of the program – rebounding and defense – are question marks in his mind heading into the year.

The last six seasons has seen Benet win a combined 150 games with regional titles coming in 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13 and 2013-14.

In three of those years, a trip to a sectional final has commenced, highlighted by the program’s downstate trip to Peoria in 2013-14.

Whether a seventh straight 20-win season will find its way to Lisle this year remains to be seen, but Heidkamp won’t sweat it if it doesn’t happen.

“Obviously, they want to do well,” he said. “But one thing I talk to our guys about is every team is different and we’re not trying to measure them on the standards of other teams. We want to get the most out of this group of guys that we can. I’ve loaded up our schedule. We’re playing a very, very difficult schedule and those numbers are nice.

“They’re nice to talk about and we’re proud of the fact that we’ve played pretty well over the course of that stretch. But the bottom line is we’re trying to be the best that we can in March and the way we’re going to do that is play a very challenging schedule and if costs us some wins along the way and we don’t end up winning 20 games, then so be it. The goal is to play our best basketball in March.”

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Blake Baumgartner
Blake Baumgartner
Raised in Naperville, Blake Baumgartner is a 2001 Naperville Central alumnus and a 2005 graduate of Michigan State's School of Journalism. Since March 2010, he has covered football, boys' basketball and baseball for both The Naperville Sun and Positively Naperville. Follow him on Twitter @BFBaumgartner.

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