The date most Oak Parkers probably have circled on the calendar regarding Malnati is when Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria opens in town (the restaurant is slated to open Feb. 10-17, according to Lou Malnati’s marketing director Mindy Kaplan.
For Fenwick High School boys basketball fans, however, Rick Malnati, the Friars’ new head coach (yes, he is related), has already offered several can’t-miss dates, courtesy of a highly attractive yet challenging schedule.
After he was hired to replace John Quinn last spring, one of Malnati’s top priorities was a demanding schedule for the Friars during their 2013-14 campaign. He adopted a similar philosophy when he excelled as the head coach of his high school alma mater, New Trier.
“I’ve never shied away from competition,” Malnati said in an interview with Wednesday Journal earlier this season. “We’re taking on OPRF, Proviso East at their gym, and several other excellent teams over the course of the season. These kinds of games are good for our team and the overall visibility of the program.”
In one respect, the Friars’ tough schedule resembles one of those rides like Pirates of the Caribbean or Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland. Around every perilous turn with complementary curves and drops, you never know quite who or what is coming at you. The Friars’ rollercoaster ride has already included games against powerhouse teams like Class 3A defending state champion Morgan Park, Proviso East twice (fourth in Class 4A last year), 2012 Class 2A state-runner-up Normal U-High and, of course, crosstown rival Oak Park and River Forest, which advanced to its first sectional appearance since 1977 last season.
The results of these showdowns, respectively, in order are: loss, split two games, loss and win. Throw in other solid-to-stellar clubs like Lyons Township, Morton, Benet Academy and Providence-St. Mel, and the Friars’ 13-5 record including a 5-1 mark in the Chicago Catholic League North looks pretty darn respectable.
By the way, if you’re looking for premier players to push the battle-tested Friars as well, that’s no problem either. Fenwick has already faced several Division I signees, including Normal U-High’s Keita Bates-Diop (Ohio State), Benet’s Sean O’Mara (Xavier) and Proviso East’s Jevon Carter (West Virginia) among others. Fenwick competed in the prestigious Chicago Elite Classic hosted by UIC earlier this season, which featured 14 teams from five states, where 16 of the top 100 high school players in the country, according to ESPN’s rankings, strutted their stuff.
“I love the schedule we have this season,” Fenwick senior center Dan Dwyer said. “We play against great teams and great players in cool environments with good fan support. Whenever we lose a tough game, we always get a second chance to beat another good team due to our schedule.”
Over the weekend, the difficulty of the schedule arguably reached its pinnacle with back-to-back road games against St. Joseph and Proviso East, two programs with storied traditions. St. Joe’s boasts legendary coaches and players like coach Gene Pingatore and former players Isiah Thomas, Evan Turner and even Hoop Dreams documentary star William Gates. The Pirates’ history is even more impressive with four state titles and former coach Bill Hitt, along with a plethora of NBA players past and present, including Jim Brewer, Glenn “Doc” Rivers, Michael Finley, Donnie Boyce, Dee Brown and Shannon Brown.
Fenwick earned an admirable split against the Chargers and Pirates, although I’m sure the uber-competitive Malnati and Friars were looking to take two. On Saturday, Fenwick exacted a measure of revenge against Proviso East with an impressive 66-53 victory. The Pirates previously edged the Friars 59-51 at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament. Unfortunately, Fenwick fell to St. Joseph 68-62 on Friday in Westchester. Keshaun Smith and Scott Lindsey, who both returned to the Fenwick lineup after injuries, scored 19 and 10 points, respectively. Dwyer contributed a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds while sophomore point guard Mike Smith netted 10 points.
“We could have done better against St. Joe’s,” Dwyer said. “It was our first game with both Scott and Keshaun back in the lineup so we had to adjust a bit. Both of those guys bring a lot to our team, both offensively and defensively, so we’re glad to have them back. We’re all going to improve together and be a hard team to beat in March when it matters most.”
The return of Lindsey, in particular, has everybody around the Fenwick program abuzz. While the defensive ballhawking and senior leader Keshaun Smith has only missed some games and carries value, Lindsey is unquestionably the Friars’ best player. He had missed the entire season until his debut return against St. Joseph last week.
Lindsey, who will play for Northwestern and its new head coach Chris Collins next season, was on an unofficial visit at Vanderbilt in early September when he broke both the tibia and fibula in his left leg while playing a pick-up game. The 6-foot-5 swingman now appears ready and motivated for the stretch run of the season. Consider Lindsey a late Christmas present for Malnati and the Friars, who still face several difficult opponents the rest of the way.
The Friars embark on the second half of their four-game road trip with visits to Loyola Academy on Friday (7 p.m.) and then a matchup against host Hinsdale Central at its Hoops Showdown on Saturday (8:30 p.m.). Fenwick faces a tricky Feb. 7 home finale as well against Mount Carmel on Senior Night.
“We enjoy playing our difficult schedule. It’s only going to help us in the long run,” Fenwick senior forward Tom Planek said. “We like to think about getting wins in the Catholic League on Friday and then testing ourselves out of conference on Saturday.”
And don’t forget the Friars’ 51-40 nonconference win over visiting OPRF in front of a packed gym on Saturday, Dec. 21. On that memorable night, Smith paced the Friars with a game-high 19 points and Planek chipped in 10 points and 11 rebounds.
“It’s challenging sometimes from one [tough game] right into another,” Smith said after that signature win. “It’s tough especially against a top team like [OPRF], but we did a great job.”
Actually, with the exception of one blowout loss to Morgan Park, Fenwick has been doing a great job all season against all comers.