It’s been a character-building season for young Streamwood. But for Keenan and Lamont Cole, the year has been even tougher.
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The Cole brothers have had to overcome the loss of their sister, Jasmine Willett, a 2008 Lincoln Park graduate and former basketball player who died last summer from stomach cancer.
“The one thing we can do in her memory is to just play basketball,” Keenan Cole said. “She loved basketball.”
Keenan Cole, a 6-foot-5 sophomore forward, said the brothers will always credit some of what they do on the basketball court to their big sister.
“She got me into basketball, really, with her interest in it,” Cole said. “She played (at Lincoln Park) and all her life she was into basketball.”
As a team, Streamwood honored Willett’s memory earlier this season with warmup T-shirts. Sabres coach Paul Kowalyszyn knew Willett through an AAU program Keenan Cole plays for in the offseason.
“They’re a good family that’s had a really tough go at it,” Kowalyszyn said.
Kowalyszyn believes Keenan and Lamont Cole, who’s a junior guard, can be a big part of the future for a team with several key young players who’ve gained experience in a difficult season.
Keenan Cole is a potential standout near the basket. He still wears a knee brace as a result of a torn ACL suffered during freshman football.
“I’m over that all now and it gets stronger every day,” Cole said.
Both brothers have started and come off the bench at times this season.
“We missed Keenan a few games when he was out for almost a week with the flu,” Kowalyszyn said. “He can also shoot a little from outside and do a little bit of everything.
“I think at the beginning of the year the speed of the game was way to fast for him, but he’s begun to settle in and is getting his skill set adapted for the varsity game.”
The Sabres (7-19, 0-9 Upstate Eight River) have given glimpses of being a dangerous team in the future.
Leading scorer Brendon Marton and post player Phil Cruz are juniors, while sophomore guard DeAngelo Flynn complements the Coles.
The Sabres are aiming first for a big finish this season.
“We have to eliminate turnovers,” Keenan Cole said. “That’s what’s been hurting us.”
Streamwood has gone through large stretches of games leading or staying close to teams with better records, only to falter late.
The Sabres led Elgin by six at halftime and lost 56-49. They rallied from a 15-point deficit to get within a point of Batavia before losing 49-45. They came within seven of Larkin in the second half Tuesday and lost 70-57, with Keenan Cole contributing 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Streamwood’s most consistent showing came at the Hinkle Holiday Classic. It took a long 3-point buzzer beater by Rockford Jefferson to deny Streamwood a 3-0 pool record and a berth in the semifinals.
“Our aim is to win the regional,” Keenan Cole said. “We think it’s possible. Coach says we just have to play the game we know we can play.”
Little mistakes add up to big problems for inexperienced teams.
“We have four or five plays where we’ll miss a layup or throw it out of bounds,” Kowalyszyn said. “We’ve been talking about that. Silly mistakes come back to haunt you.
“When we play with energy we can hang in games and hang around and give ourselves a chance to win.”
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