Naperville North’s Jack Hill doesn’t mind the extra attention he receives from opponents. He just rolls with the punches.
Responding to graduation losses on the perimeter from last season’s team that won a sectional title, the 6-foot senior guard has taken on a leadership role for the Huskies (23-2, 14-1).
“Last year in practice, obviously playing against those guys helped a lot,” Hill said. “Just watching them play every game, their intensity defensively and offensively, just their will to win, shows how competitive you need to be to have success. So I credit my competitiveness to those guys.”
Hill continues to climb the scoring chart for North. Entering Friday night’s game against Waubonsie Valley, he had scored in double figures in six straight games, including a career-high 31 points on Feb. 6 against Glenbard North.
His scoring average has catapulted from 2.3 points in 18 games as a junior to 12.9 points in 24 games this season. Hill has scored in double figures 15 times, scoring at least 15 points in 10 games.
“I’ve gotten stronger,” Hill said. “I’ve gotten bigger. And then along with that, I feel I have more control with my handles and my passing. So this year I’ve been more like I guess an all-around guard.
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“Last year I was more of just (a) shooting (guard). But I’ve been finishing well inside this year, so I think that’s how my game’s more developed this year.”
Hill’s development has completed a double-figure scoring trio with junior guard/forward Tom Welch at 13.7 points and senior forward Chris Johnson at 12.8.
They are ready to show younger teammates the way as the state playoffs beckon.
“I’d say instead of a challenge, it’s more of like a blessing knowing that all eyes are on me, Chris and Tom,” Hill said. “The other guys always step up.
“Anyone on our team could come out with like a 15-point night. It’s not based on just the three of us or four of us or how many of us can really score each and every night.”
Hallmark of consistency: Benet coach Gene Heidkamp wouldn’t get ahead of himself, but the Redwings entered this weekend on the precipice of something special. And they delivered.
A 53-31 victory Friday at home against Joliet Catholic gave Benet (20-4, 6-1) its 11th straight victory and a piece of program history. It’s the ninth straight time the Redwings have reached the 20-win benchmark.
“I think it’s very significant for the group of kids that are in the locker room right now,” Heidkamp said. “I think 20 wins in high school is something that most teams aspire to try to reach at some point. We never really talk much about it as a group.
“But to get there, I think it says a lot for these kids. They’re able to really play well through the second half of the season this year.”
Senior forward David Buh acknowledged winning 20 games was a team goal.
“I think obviously coming into the year, it was in the back of our mind,” Buh said. “But we were just trying to focus on our team kind of individually. We’re happy that we got 20 wins for this group.”
Did you know? After having the No. 44 he wore at Benet retired on Nov. 16, Frank Kaminsky received the same honor Thursday at
Wisconsin
.
The Badgers upset sixth-ranked Purdue 57-53, after a pregame ceremony where the Badgers raised Kaminsky’s number to the Kohl Center rafters.
“When I got to Wisconsin, I still felt like I had a lot to prove,” he said in an interview with Jason Benetti and Robbie Hummel on ESPN. “I was still growing into myself, both physically and mentally. But this school challenged me from the moment I got here.”
Blake Baumgartner is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun