Knights win Ferris State team camp title; reach semifinals of Ridgewood league.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
IC Catholic Prep boys basketball coach TJ Tyrrell labeled his squad’s summer as “great.”
He had plenty of reasons to do so. The Knights reached the semifinals of the competitive Ridgewood summer league where they lost to Benet Academy.
“That was a very competitive league,” he said. “We played some big schools such as Lane Tech and St. Patrick and Lincoln Park and DePaul Prep, which is a big Class 2A school. We played there twice a week and did well.”
The Knights also partook in the Hoops Mountain shootout at Batavia where it beat Oswego and lost to Naperville North, while also beating West Chicago.
“We beat a very good Naperville North team at Hoops Mountain,” said Tyrrell.
IC Catholic Prep also trekked up to Michigan to Ferris State University for a team camp.
“That was a new overnight camp for us,” said Tyrrell.
The Knights won the championship at Ferris State, going undefeated with only seven players.
“Our guys battled and played very well together,” said Tyrrell. “We have a couple new faces on the team. These kids are coachable and they listen. As a coach that gives you energy when you have that type of reception.”
Tyrrell was pleased with the progress he saw from seniors Zen Bakhtalovska, Kris Askew and Nico Gaudio.
“Zen didn’t make the team last year,” said Tyrrell. “He came back this summer and was focused and started for us in the post. He fit in extremely well. We’re excited about Zen and are high on him. Kris Askew did an outstanding job in a starting role this summer and Nico also started and is a guy who gave us a lot of minutes in the post last year. These guys get the job done and play hard and are smart and listen to what the coaches are trying to implement in our system. We also have unselfish players. There is a lot of things to be encouraged about.”
Tyrrell revealed Amari Reed, who played on the team last year, has transferred to Fenton High School in Bensenville. He also noted that Luke Ricobene, who played last year, did not play this summer in order to focus on football where he is the starting quarterback on the defending state-championship IC Catholic Prep team. Tyrrell noted Ricobene told him he did plan on being back for basketball in the fall.
Junior Mike Carpanzano and sophomore Dom Gaudio (Nico Gaudio’s brother) also will help the Knights. “Mike gave us an outside presence and Dom is a sophomore we brought up who will help us out,” said Tyrrell.
The coach did not forget about the contributions of returning all-conference players Kevin Cheng and Alex Meurer.
“Kevin and Alex are extremely focused,” said Tyrrell. “They have put in a lot of work. They’ve put on some muscle and have improved their game. We expect very big things out of both of them.”
Yet another contributor is senior Pat Shannon. “Pat is working really hard,” said Tyrrell. “Defensively he is a bulldog for us. We’re excited to have him in the rotation.”
Tyrrell sees a lot of positives heading into a new season. “We finished the season very strong last year,” he said. “We won conference and won the regional. We have some players returning who have a great deal of experience. I’m energized and excited and focused. The entire coaching staff is. We’re looking forward to keeping the momentum going.”
