Earlier this spring cold, wet weather made it difficult to grip a bat, say nothing of hitting a fastball. Joliet Catholic Academy’s baseball team scuffled. The Hilltoppers’ offense was inconsistent and their schedule was daunting. For every big win their was an equally gut-wrenching loss and not always the one that stared back at the Hill on the scoreboard. JCA lost a string of players to illness and injury. Matt Testa (elbow), Ryan Bannon (wrist), Zach Jackovich (mono), Brock Pluth (knee injury), Nick Dalesandro (wrist), and Cal Placher (arm) all were sidelined for extended stretches, some …

Let me introduce you to two young, professional ballplayers who epitomize what independent baseball is all about. Both are pitchers with the Joliet Slammers in the Frontier League ranks. Let me remind you the Slammers, with a new ownership group in place and a new manager in the dugout, open regular-season play against the Traverse City Beach Bums on Friday night. Joliet mayor Tom Giarrante will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Silver Cross Field. Action begins at 7:05. You’ll want to keep a close eye on the two men who stand at the head of the Slammers’ rotation, right-handers Evan …

When Marquisha Crosby steps into the shot put ring, she also steps into a whole new persona. She loses that charming smile and unleashes her inner beast. Crosby is the Joliet Central High School senior who won the Southwest Suburban Blue Conference championship for the second year in a row. She recorded a throw of 37-2. She knows she can top that. She has thrown the shot 40 feet in practice. Yet, she surprised herself by rising to the top at the conference meet. Crosby is a two-sport standout at Joliet Central. She rolled her ankle near the end of the girls basketball season. The injury sent …

Difficult. Trying. Those two words could be used to describe Joliet Catholic Academy’s softball season. Line drives have turned into outs. Excellent pitching as been wasted on occasion by sloppy fielding. Those two words also could be used to describe how JCA senior pitcher Stephanie Tillman and senior first baseman Alex Kennedy have grown to be stronger individuals during their time with the Angels. They have adapted in difficult times, trying times, and remained steadfast leaders on a very young team. Joliet Catholic Academy has six seniors on its roster—four who regularly start—and the …

I am a believer in the theory the best high school coaches also make for the best high school teachers. And, to my way of thinking, a high school coach can be measured by how successfully he or she is able to convert huge assignment helpings into bite-size parts. I also believe the best high school coaches are the ones who surround themselves with capable assistants and know how to delegate tasks. This affords them the luxury of maximizing practice time without feeling threatened by an underling. And, make no mistake, minutes are precious when you’re dealing with the attention spans of …

In the Joliet Catholic Academy boys volleyball program, Louis Dow and Mike O’Neill have come to be recognized as fixtures. Yep, flip the switch and they turn on their game faces. Dow is JCA’s 6-foot-2 senior setter and opposite-side hitter. He is also the Hilltoppers’ floor leader. He acts as the chief line of communication between coach Rhyen Staley and his teammates. And Dow distributes the ball in a manner that keeps opposing teams from stacking their blockers on one side the net. O’Neill is JCA’s 6-1 senior outside hitter, a left-hander who moves around in JCA’s offense and brings an …

For the two sisters coaching two different varsity sports at two different campuses in the same school district, the path they followed to reach this juncture can be traced to a single starting point. Home. Joliet Central’s Lindsey Suca and Joliet West’s Heather Suca were raised by life coaches—their parents—and taught from a young age there is a right way and a wrong way to go about your business. Those early lessons made a lasting impression. And, naturally, they’ve become coaches themselves. “Mom and dad both—they influenced me to be the way I am, disciplined,” Lindsey Suca said. “…

Many people consider hitting a 90-mph fastball the toughest thing to do in all of sports. And, yet, when Joliet Catholic Academy senior shortstop Chris Tschida talks about hitting, he makes it sound so simple. “I just see the ball, hit the ball, basically, and trust my hands, trust me legs,” he said prior to a JCA workout Wednesday at Fuel Field House in Romeoville. “I work in the offseason. I hit all the time.” Tschida is a recognized expert at his craft. He was an Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association all-state pick after hitting .495 during his junior year at JCA. He had three …

By the age of 5, University of St. Francis shortstop Tori Johnson already was playing a mean game of catch in the back yard with her father. She quickly fell in love with the game and those special bonding moments. “My dad always has been the one to take me out in the yard—throwing balls,” she said. “He was a great baseball player. So, I’ve followed in his footsteps. I’ve tried to make him proud.” Shorewood’s Jeff Johnson was a record-setting home run hitter at Joliet Junior College. His daughter is a chip off the old block. She was a two-time all-state selection at Joliet Catholic Academy …

When a basketball dream comes to an end, the harsh reality of a final setback always is tough to swallow—doesn’t matter if you’re a teen-ager or an adult. For the seven seniors on Joliet West’s boys basketball roster, that bitter pill went down hard following the Tigers’ 65-54 loss to Marian Catholic in a semifinal game Wednesday at the Class 4A Thornton Sectional in Harvey. Yet, that loss is not what should be remembered here. Joliet West’s seniors brought Tiger basketball back, winning 19 games during a stirring run that included a championship at the Lockport Regional. The last time Joliet…

No, there won’t be a special ceremony to mark the occasion before the opening tip. Nor will there be photographs or flowers for a few select Moms. There will be a Senior Night feel to the festivities that go along with the biggest game in more than 20 years of Joliet West boys basketball. The Tigers face Thornton Fractional North at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Class 4A Lockport Regional final. And the seniors—eight of them on the JT West varsity roster—have a chance to add one more piece to their lasting legacy of rebuilding the Tigers’ program by ending the night with a piece of netting hanging …

The little things Joliet West’s big man is doing are starting to add up. Senior Andre Hardy scored six points and hauled down five rebounds in Joliet West’s 63-55 boys basketball victory over cross-town rival Joliet Central. He also used his 6-foot-7 frame to clog the middle on defense, block or alter several Joliet Central shot attempts and to set screens on the other end of the floor. In effect, he has become the lead blocker for teammate Morris Dunnigan. Joliet West coach Luke Yaklich elects on occasion to pull Dunnigan out away from the basket, put the ball in his hands and let him create…

His background is in gymnastics. His forte is wrestling. Actually, the two go hand-in-hand for Joliet West junior Jayvin Bandy, a 132-pounder who takes a 31-5 record into action at the Class 3A Moline Sectional on Friday and Saturday. Many of the skills that he uses to defeat opponents on the wrestling mat first grew from his experiences on another mat—in another gym. “Gymnastics is something I do for fun—the coaches want me to do it for competition,” Bandy said. “I tumble over at Dynamos II in Shorewood. It’s helped me a lot in wrestling. I roll a lot and it’s all funky stuff. “And tumbling …

John Baines works in a building dedicated to his predecessor. The Pat Sullivan Center is named after a legendary figure, one who turned multi-tasking into an art form long before it was part of the modern-day lexicon. The man was a do-it-all during his tenure at the University of St. Francis. Pat Sullivan won more than 500 games in 34 seasons coaching the USF men’s basketball team. He also served as USF’s athletic director and, more importantly, served as a symbol of integrity in a college sports environment so often rocked these days by scandal. Upon his retirement, he reflected on three …

While it is true the Joliet West boys basketball team is lacking in overall size and does not have a dominant big man, it also is true the Tigers’ 6-foot-7 Andre Hardy has had his moments and continues to make progress. And it is true Joliet West makes up for what it lacks in some areas with excellent coaching and team chemistry. The Tigers are a mature team featuring four-year starter Morris Dunnigan. He has grown up under the watchful eye of coach Luke Yaklich. Three-year regular Brandon McCullum is as good a defensive-stopper as there is around. Carl Terrell and Tim Smith have come to …

His orange hair experiment raised a few eyebrows, drew a bit of extra attention. Joliet Central’s Trayvon Zabala didn’t need a bottle of hair color dye to set himself apart from the high school wrestling crowd, though. He is a three-time state qualifier and two-time state medal winner. And, even as his hair fades back to black, he is burning a path toward a big finish to his career with the Steelmen. Zabala is a senior with a 31-0 record. He is ranked No. 3 in the 120-pound weight class by Rob Sherrill, author and publisher of Illinois Best Weekly, heading into the Southwest Suburban …

Mike Breyman was fumbling with the buttons on his Joliet Slammers jersey, preparing to pose for a photograph during a news conference Tuesday at ATI Physical Theraphy’s headquarters in Bolingbrook. An awkward moment quickly turned into a bit of light-hearted humor when an onlooker alerted him that one of his buttons was misaligned. No wonder the new manager’s jersey wasn’t fitting him properly. No worries, either. “That’s what we call a ‘Breyman-ism’—I may make words up, just so you know,” he said. Breyman, 31, was introduced as the new Slammers manager during a get-acquainted shindig that …

Jasmine and Nicole. One boasts a 3.6 grade-point average and plans to work as a pediatrician or physical therapist. The other plays drums in her church choir and marches to her own beat. Two hard-working, nice girls. Two mean basketball players. Jasmine Lumpkin and Nicole Ekhomu would be standouts in almost any arena all by themselves. Together, they are the force behind Joliet Catholic Academy’s girls basketball renaissance. The court is their easel, the place where they bring art to life. Lumpkin and Ekhomu. One uses her size to create mismatches down low or on the wing. The other is a two-…

When Tom O’Connor called, he usually started the conversation without feeling any need to introduce himself. His was the friendly voice on the other end of the line, the one you came to recognize, just as you recognize the voice of a parent or sibling. He called often and shared tips and story ideas with me during my days as a regular golf beat writer. He also generously shared of himself. For that, I will be forever grateful. O’Connor died of a heart attack on Sunday, Dec. 9, at his home in Shorewood. He was 70 years old. The last time I was in his home was to lend Tom a bit of assistance. …

When Joe Gura looks deep in his basketball rearview mirror, he sees the images of Lockport’s Three Amigos. He recalls the fond memories associated with coaching conference champions and playing the role of David vs. Goliath in one of the state’s oldest and most storied holiday tournaments. Gura has coached basketball at six different high schools in northern and central Illinois—Lockport, Thornton Fractional South, Pontiac, Plainfield North, Kankakee Bishop McNamara and Joliet Catholic Academy. He has played gracious host to the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. Never has he enjoyed a season more …