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player ready...Anthony Mordini is not Lake Forest’s best shooter.
The 6-foot-3 senior forward also isn’t the Scouts’ primary ballhandler, and he isn’t their top rebounder.
However, for Lake Forest to repeat as the North Suburban Conference champion and make a deeper run in the postseason, Mordini might be the key.
“Anthony is one of our team leaders who does the little things to help us be successful,” Lake Forest coach Phil LaScala said. “He does so much to help us on and off the court.”
LaScala said Mordini, who has drawn interest from several college programs, spent more than six hours a day in the gym most of the summer trying to improve his game for his senior season.
“I’m not a big guy, so I need to be better at ballhandling if I want to play in college, and I really want to do that,” Mordini said.
He uses his high basketball IQ to make the right pass, get in position to rebound and play solid defense. His shooting touch around the rim is also solid.
“I pride myself in being a good all-around player,” Mordini said. “When you have great players like Asa (Thomas) and Thomas (Aberle) on your team, you need someone to do the dirty work sometimes. I don’t mind doing that for our team if it helps us win.”
Mordini and the Scouts won a lot last season, finishing 27-7 overall and 13-1 in the conference. They bowed out with a 53-52 loss to St. Patrick in a Class 3A sectional championship game.
“We definitely want to win conference again and make a deep run in the playoffs, but we have a long ways to go right now,” Mordini said. “We lost some really good players to graduation, so it might take some time to work our younger and less experienced players into the lineup.”
LaScala said the experience of Mordini and the Clemson-bound Thomas should make the transition easier for the new players.
“They are both real strong leaders,” LaScala said. “They are leaders with their play on the court, their vocal leadership in making sure their teammates are in the right spots and their leadership off the court, as well.”
Mordini said Lake Forest has beefed up its schedule with strong nonconference games and tournaments.
“It doesn’t seem like we play any easy games this season,” he said. “It’s going to be a challenge, but it will definitely make us better prepared at the end of the season.”
Mordini said he also hopes the skills he has been honing since third grade will shine in his final high school season.
“This is really the season I’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” he said. “Sure, I want to continue to play basketball in college. But when you are a little kid and then come to high school to play, finishing out with a great senior season is something you dream of.”
Darren Day is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.