Boys hoops hasn't looked back since early losses, staking claim among state's best
The chatter was relentless, voices reverberating up to the rafters of the banner-festooned Hinsdale Central gym.
Shouts of praise mixed with sharp scolds for a missed assignment. A cry of release after a strong finish at the basket.
The boys basketball team was in high-octane practice mode, fresh off another winning weekend that boosted the Red Devils' record to 21-2 and their weekly state ranking closer to the summit.
This season's performance has been impressive, no doubt, but senior Tyler Thick said it's really a product of experience gained last year and a commitment to excellence in the offseason.
"We worked so hard in the summer, and really to see the fruit of our labor this season - with the 21-2 record, competing for a conference title, winning our Christmas tourney - it's been awesome," Thick said.
Backing up to the start of the 2024-25 campaign, the team endured back-to-back heartbreaking losses early - by two to Glenbard West in a defensive slog and by three to Guilford in a shoot-out - that could have altered the team's trajectory. But the setbacks instead seemed to impel team members forward on a mission to take their play to another level.
Head coach Nick Latorre said a spirit of brotherhood pushes his charges to compete for another.
"It's been a really fun group to work with," Latorre said. "They're very unselfish."
That trait comes up repeatedly from program members.
"We didn't care (about personal stats). We just wanted to win, and that was when I knew we had a chance to be pretty good," Thick said.
The Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic that Thick alluded to presented the Devils with another pair of tight contests. They first took down top-ranked Niles North in an overtime thriller, then dispatched highly regarded Brother Rice by one in the championship.
Latorre said that triumph really opened the group's collective vision to how good they could be.
"I think it helped bring confidence that we could play with the best teams in the state," he said.
In practice, there's an intensity indicative of a team that's not satisfied. The victory over Brother Rice on Dec. 30 marked the ninth in a row.
That streak is now 18.
"We try to make practices harder than games and try to challenge them every day, so when they're in high-pressure game situations it's not a shock to the system," Latorre said. "We practice well to play well."
Most of the seniors have played together since they were Hinsdale Middle School Spartans. Vince Buzelis and Eric Kozys arrived freshman year.
"It's just the chemistry we've built over the course of the last two years that has helped lift our ability on the court," Thick said.
Senior Dillon Dell said he and his mates know the standard expected - and hold each other to it.
"We had a lot of guys returning this year, so we knew we had a chance as long as we just did our jobs," he said.
One of the sweeter rewards of success for Dell is drawing more people onto the basketball bandwagon.
"You see new people at games every week, different kids and parents that maybe you didn't see before," he related. "It's definitely cool to see everyone coming out to games more."
Latorre also appreciates the buzz the team has generated.
"When you play well and you've got some exciting players, it definitely brings some excitement," he said.
Thick said having a Division I-caliber player in Buzelis, who also happens to be the younger brother of Chicago Bull rookie Matas Buzelis, contributes to their swagger.
"He gives you a leg up on any team we play," he said of Buzelis.
Kozys hearkened back to sophomore season and the team's 27-3 record.
"I felt like once we were seniors we were going to be way stronger," he said.
The upperclassmen also understand their responsibility to carry on the culture.
"With the juniors, sometimes they slack in some drills. So as seniors we make sure everyone steps it up.
"This is no time to slow down," Kozys added, with eight games remaining in the regular schedule and a grudge match at Glenbard West tomorrow night.
Relaxing means regressing, Thick suggested.
"It's always high energy every single second in this gym," he said. "We know that every other team in our sectional and the state is working as hard as us."
For many in the senior class, their competitive basketball journey will likely end when the season does. So the time to give it all is now.
"There definitely more of a sense of urgency and a lot of focus on making every day count," Dell said.