Kyle Sliwa doesn’t have to think too hard to come up with the last time Fremd was still undefeated at this point in the season.
“My freshman year,” Sliwa, a Fremd senior, said. “I didn’t play on varsity. And we haven’t won conference since then.”
It’s unclear when the last time two Mid-Suburban League teams were ranked in the Top 10.
“It’s been awhile,” Conant senior Jimmy Sotos said.
Sliwa and Sotos were both careful not to overemphasize the importance of No. 10 Conant at No. 8 Fremd on Friday night, but they’re both well aware how rare it is to have two MSL teams with Nos. in front of their name at the same time and in the same gym.
“We want to look at it as a normal game,” Sliwa said. “This is a really important game to win conference.”
“The hype around it will be a lot of fun,” Sotos said. “We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves but there is no doubt this is a big one. We’re pretty excited about the opportunity.”
Sotos, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, is well versed in the style of basketball Conant has been successful with for three decades.
Tommy, Christian and Danny Sotos also played for 31st-year head coach Tom McCormack, but these aren’t Sotos’ brothers’ Cougars.
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“Back when my brothers were on the team (2006-15), they would play real deliberate, have long possessions,” Sotos said. “With the current talent level, we are trying to pick up the tempo a little bit, and Fremd has taken over that style of play.”
Conant’s talent was sufficient talent to win Mid-Suburban League and Class 4A sectional championships last season, and the core of that team, led by the Bucknell-bound Sotos, returned older, stronger and wiser.
Fremd (16-0, 5-0 MSL West) proceeded to beat the Cougars (15-3, 4-1) at their old game on Dec. 9 at Conant. The Vikings frustrated the Cougars with long possessions and suffocating defense and got 15 points from Sliwa while limiting Conant to 12 points in a 48-37 victory.
A 57-16 winner over Hoffman Estates last Friday, Fremd has allowed fewer than 30 points per game in three games since winning Wheeling’s Hardwood Classic. The Vikings have allowed more than 50 once all season — in overtime against Notre Dame in the holiday tournament final.
“They are a good team, they had a good summer,” Sotos said. “I wouldn’t say I was surprised. I was surprised how disciplined they are at both ends of the floor.”
Sliwa was surprised — that others were surprised Fremd beat Conant.
“We split with Conant last year,” Sliwa said. “We beat them by 16 and the game we lost we were up 10 at halftime. We lost to Lake Zurich by one in the sectional (semifinal) and they beat Lake Zurich in overtime (in the sectional final).
“Over the summer we went undefeated. This is no surprise to us, but probably to other people.”
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.