Apparently, father knew best.
Aurora Central Catholic junior Brett Czerak credits his father, Kevin, with helping him develop into the skilled sharpshooter he’s become on the basketball court.
“He coached me for several years, starting in grade school, and he made sure my form was good,” the 6-foot-1 forward said. “Once I got to high school, the coaches here just helped me tighten it up.”
Czerak, who’s scoring an average of 19.8 points, has been on the mark this season. He’s shooting 48 percent (123-for-254) overall, including 42 percent (39-for-92) from beyond the 3-point line.
“He’s shooting it really well,” ACC coach Nate Drye said of Czerak. “He’s really improved his game and gotten better off the dribble. He shot about 42-43 percent from 3-point range last year, too. And he never seems to miss free throws.
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“He takes a lot of pride in his shooting. He’s a scorer.”
Czerak, who’s shooting 90 percent (52-for-58) from the free-throw line, is closing in on 1,000 points for his career with 980.
Czerak played last offseason “in a smaller AAU program that went from late March until May and played in more local tournaments.”
Throughout the summer, he said he tried to get at least 45 minutes of shooting in each day.
“He has really compact form so there’s very little that can go wrong with it,” Drye said of Czerak, who is known for his quick release. “It’s very repeatable with little motion in the shot. His shot is simple.”
Czerak’s production has been a welcome sight for the Chargers (10-7, 4-2), who travel Friday to Glenbard South for a key Metro Suburban West Conference game.
ACC trails undefeated league leader Riverside-Brookfield by two games and Glenbard South by one in the standings.
“If we want to have any kind of shot, we have to win,” Drye said of the conference race. “Then, we’ve got to beat R-B the second time we play them and get some help.
“Our first game with Glenbard South was tight. We led by three entering the fourth quarter and ended up losing by five. They’re big and strong and are a tough matchup for us because they’re pretty physical.”
After starting the season with a 4-7 record, the Chargers have won six straight. In that span, Czerak has averaged 25.8 points, topping 30 twice.
“We didn’t shoot the ball well as a team at the beginning of the year but we’re playing better,” Drye said. “Guys are a little bit more comfortable in their roles. Hopefully, we’ll be playing our best late in the season.”
Getting healthy: Senior Malique Ross (broken wrist) has returned to action for Oswego, which is in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Fellow guard Jaylen Jones (thumb) will be out until the final week of the regular season.
“We’re finally starting to get healthy,” Panthers coach Matt Borrowman said. “If Jaylen returns it would be the first time all year we would have played a game at full strength.”
Rivalry game: Together again in the Upstate Eight Valley, West Aurora (5-13, 2-3) and East Aurora (6-12, 0-5) meet Friday for the 221st time in the crosstown series that dates to 1912.
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Remaining tickets for the game will go on sale at 4:45 p.m. Friday at East. The girls varsity teams open at 5:30 p.m., and East Aurora will hold its annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony between games.
The three inductees will also be honored from 4 to 6 p.m. at a reception in the school’s student cafeteria. They are John McCue (football, track and field, Class of 1983), John Passley (football, track and field, wrestling, 1971) and Claudio Torres (football, wrestling, 1996).
Challenge awaits West: A big weekend for coach Brian Johnson and West Aurora will be capped Saturday when the Blackhawks play Benet (17-3) in the second of four games at the 23rd annual Jim and Sylvia Roberts Night of Hoops at Batavia.
Fans can see four competitive games for just $7, starting at 3 p.m. with York vs. DeKalb. After West Aurora-Benet, St. Joseph meets Riverside-Brookfield at 6:15 p.m., followed by Batavia and Lake Zurich.
Sandwich surprise: Sixth-seeded Sandwich is the surprise of the Interstate Eight Conference Tournament, being held this week at Coal City. The Indians have knocked off third-seeded Lisle and second-seeded Peotone and meet top-seeded Reed-Custer at 5:30 p.m. Friday for the title.
Twitter: @RickArmstrong28