Benet senior guard Niko Abusara remembers the first time he felt in the zone.
It came between seasons.
“It really happened in the summer,” he said. “I stayed focused on how I can be the best version of myself.
“I felt I matured as a player. I got in the gym every single day and really stayed focused on my grind.”
Abusara didn’t just focus on his physical game.
“Mentally as well, I didn’t have the distractions this year that I did last year, where I would just wander off, not really stay focused on the game of basketball,” he said.
“This year I’d focus on film, understand who we’re playing against and how I can improve as a player, how I can attack the game to the best of my abilities.”
The 6-foot-5 Abusara used those abilities and that focus to take his game — and with it the Redwings — to stratospheric heights. The Dartmouth recruit averaged 11.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 steals in leading Benet (35-2) to second place in Class 4A.
Abusara, the 2022-23 Naperville Sun Boys Basketball Player of the Year, was named East Suburban Catholic Conference player of the year, was picked for the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association’s all-state first team and was voted to the all-state second team compiled by The Associated Press.
No single skill or lone statistic can define Abusara’s all-around game or his impact on Benet’s success. He led the Redwings, who set a program record for wins and reached their third state championship game since 2014, in steals and blocked shots and was second in points, rebounds and assists.
“His athleticism allows him to contribute in every facet of the game,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. “He’s really active. In the open court, when he gets a head of steam, he plays over the rim.”
Abusara’s dunks were a crowd favorite, and his ability to elevate while attacking the basket and score on finger rolls brought to mind the form of Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen. But he also tries to emulate LeBron James.
“I really look at MJ’s athleticism and look at how LeBron controls the game,” Abusara said. “So many players really focus on scoring, and usually it’s a good thing, but most colleges don’t really look at that statistic, where if you score the most points, you’ll be a Division I prospect.
“That’s completely false. I take pride in rebounds, getting steals and defending, passing to my teammates.”
Abusara did all of that in arguably his best performance of the season in the state semifinals against New Trier. The Redwings lost leading scorer and rebounder Brady Kunka, who suffered a badly sprained ankle just four minutes after tipoff, but Abusara responded by registering 18 points, nine rebounds, eight steals and four assists in a 64-49 win.
Benet’s bid for a state championship ended in a 59-42 loss to Moline in the final, when Abusara was held to 10 points on 5-for-18 shooting while going up against 6-10 Iowa recruit Owen Freeman. Abusara said things would have been different had Kunka been in the lineup, but the loss can’t take the shine off the team’s accomplishments.
“I’m just proud of everyone and the way we worked together from the summer until now,” Abusara said. “It is just amazing how we connected and bonded as a family.
“It was an amazing time and moment in my life where I would never want to be with anyone else but the guys.”
Heidkamp will remember the way Abusara worked seamlessly with fellow seniors Kunka, Brayden Fagbemi, Andy Nash
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and Sam Driscoll and junior Parker Sulaver.“He’s a very good kid who worked hard to improve his game,” Heidkamp said of Abusara. “He did a lot over the last two years to push himself forward with his work ethic and his ability to make people on the team better.”
Abusara will soon be headed to bigger and better things. But this memorable season will stay with him, from going out to eat after victories to celebrating with the fans.
“I’ll never forget this moment in my life where I had such a great bond with my teammates, from the first guy to the 20th guy on the bench,” he said.
“And playing in front of an amazing student section at Benet Academy is unreal. I wish I could go back in time right now just to have one more game in front of the crowd. I’m so grateful.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.