They met on the eve of the Class AA baseball tournament, searching for the right words that might light up an entire team.
One by one, the New Trier players spoke their piece, mostly rah-rah stuff. Finally, it was Matt Lottich’s turn.
The school’s most gifted all-around athlete since ex-Minnesota Twins star John Castino stood up to his full 6-feet-4 inches, stared at Trevian coach Mike Napoleon and said: “I guarantee you a state championship.”
Perhaps Lottich was seeking to redeem himself from one of his worst performances, when he shot 2 for 19 and scored just seven points in New Trier’s 68-48 quarterfinals loss in the Class AA basketball tournament.
Maybe the New Trier quarterback wanted to bury the memory of the fifth-seeded Trevians’ 28-14 opening-round loss to No. 28 seed Glenbard East in the Class 6A football playoffs.
Whatever the reason, Lottich kept his promise in leading New Trier to its first state title in football, basketball or baseball. He went 5 for 8 and batted in six runs in the three-game event at Elfstrom Stadium in Geneva, and his two-run double and RBI sacrifice fly in the title-game victory over Joliet Catholic earned him the most valuable player honor.
Combining that achievement with second-team All-State selections in basketball and baseball along with All-State special mention in football, this young man for all seasons earned the distinction of Tribune Athlete of the Year. The award was announced Tuesday night at the annual Preps Plus awards banquet at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, where Utah coach Rick Majerus was the featured speaker.
Not since Centralia’s Dike Eddleman in the early 1940s has one athlete had such an impact in three major sports.
Lottich, who signed a basketball letter of intent with Stanford after initially being recruited by the football staff, began this marvelous run by passing for 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns in the fall. He averaged 23 points, six rebounds and six assists in basketball and batted .458 this spring with 10 doubles, three triples, three home runs, 47 RBIs and 27 stolen bases in 29 attempts.
Winning a state title was the defining glory that enabled the 17-year-old Lottich to surpass another extremely deserving candidate, York track and cross-country champion Donald Sage.
“He is a big-time player in three big sports, and nobody else can match that,” said East St. Louis All-State basketball player Darius Miles, possibly one of the top five picks in next week’s NBA draft.
In the showdown for the conference football title, Lottich chased down and recovered a bad snap before calmly firing the winning TD pass against Maine South. He hit nine three-pointers in a basketball game against Peoria Central. He had 33 points in the first half against Elk Grove.
“What set him apart from a lot of kids was the way he practiced–like a relentless competitor,” New Trier basketball coach Rick Malnati said. “It’s rare to have such a gifted athlete be so committed to hard work.”
Football coach Dan Mortier said Lottich’s most amazing feat took place on the practice field.
“Never in my 20 years of coaching have I seen a kid winning every sprint at the end of practice for two years,” Mortier said. “It almost became an obsession with him. In this day and age of the pampered athlete who sets himself above everything, here’s a kid who goes against that.
“He is the purest athlete and the best competitor I have ever seen. You’re talking three separate sports with a change in mechanics and all the adjustments he had to make. To exceed in all three is phenomenal.”
Even after the most demanding football practice, Lottich went straight to the gym afterward to shoot jumpers and work on his ball-handling. Right after Malnati’s intense basketball workouts, Lottich took batting practice and worked on his throwing.
“No matter how tired I was, I had to go out and practice that other sport,” Lottich said. “I needed to keep my edge on the other kids. It was tough to balance three sports and all my schoolwork. Yeah, sometimes I’d put aside a math assignment–temporarily–to go shoot hoops.”
He didn’t exercise the best judgment when he joined a group of classmates in a seniors-only tradition of lighting up cigars on campus to commemorate the completion of four years. They were all done with classes, but Lottich was still in season. Principal Wes Baumann had no recourse but to suspend him for one game.
Yet there is another side to this elite athlete that he reveals only to family and close friends.
Lottich stayed with basketball teammate Ivan Pjevecvic when the Yugoslav transfer student was unable to attend his mother’s funeral last winter. His close friendship with Todd Townsend paved the way for the latter to leave behind life as an abandoned teenager in the city and become part of a new family in Kenilworth.
Twice a month Lottich coaches mentally challenged athletes in basketball at New Trier.
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“He has a great heart, especially for a kid who grew up without a mother,” Malnati said. “He is sensitive and feels for other kids’ needs–and he does a great job of hiding that.”
Dave and Cynthia Lottich were divorced when Matt was 13 months old, and the father prevailed in the custody battle. Dave said the last time Matt saw his mother, who lives in Florida, was 12 years ago.
No sacrifice was too great when it came to his son. Dave and Matt live in a one-bedroom condo in Winnetka, with dad sleeping on a mattress in the living room. As a single parent, Dave passed up more lucrative jobs in the construction industry so he could provide a proper upbringing.
“Dad always put me first, and he made a lot of decisions in his life based on what would be best for me,” Matt Lottich said.
“I learned from him how to recognize when people are hurting and when they need someone. He instilled in me a competitive spirit, but at the same time he gave me a caring heart. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what he’s done.”
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
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Year Athlete School
2000 Matt Lottich New Trier
1999 Jon Schweighardt Wheaton Warrenville S.
1998 MaryAnne Kelley Fremd
1997 Shakedia Jones Waukegan
1996 TJ Williams Mt. Carmel
1995 Tai Streets Thornton
1994 Terry Zemaitis Downers Grove South
1993 Joe Williams Mt. Carmel
1992 Jennie Driscoll St Francis
1991 Cliff Floyd Thornwood
1990 TJ Dortch Mundelien
1989 Joey Gilbert Andrew
1988 Dana Miroballi Wheeling
1987 Kent Graham Wheaton North
1986 Mike Morrison Deerfield
1985 Katie Meier Wheaton Central
1984 Nancy Reno Glenbard West
1983 Eric Kumerow Oak Park
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