Conte Stamas is the new basketball coach at Brother Rice. Photo courtesy of Brother Rice
Area Sports Roundup: Former Lyons and Morton College coach Stamas now the boss at Brother Rice
By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer
A guy who has seemingly done it all in the basketball world is coming to Brother Rice.
Conte Stamas, a former Lyons and Morton College head coach, was hired Aug. 25 to replace Bobby Frasor
Frasor left the program to work in the corporate field.
If the the expected returnees from the 2021-22 team come back, he inherits a strong team. The Crusaders finished 24-7 last year.
“I’m extremely excited,” Stamas said in a news release. “I can’t wait to get started, to get to know the players, and to learn more about Brother Rice. Bobby Frasor did a great job, and we should be able to get rolling immediately. I want to build upon the Crusader tradition and take Brother Rice to the next level.”
“We are really fortunate to have Conte Stamas on the staff,” Brother Rice Athletic Director Mike Fahey said in a news release. “Our players will love him and the knowledge and basketball IQ he brings with him. We had a number of qualified candidates to choose from, but coach Conte’s varied experience was the difference. We believe that this hiring is a slam dunk.”
Stamas’s coaching credits include his second stint at Hinsdale Central as assistant varsity coach (2016-2022; 2009-10), Morton College as head coach (2011-16), Lyons as head coach (1999-2008) and Evanston as head coach (1994-99).
Before that, Stamas held the position of assistant coach at Xavier for five years, working with a Musketeers team that reached the NCAA Tournament three times during his tenure. That included a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1990 after beating a Georgetown team that featured Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo.
He also coached at Stetson, Thornton Community College, Elmhurst College and Morton East.
EP offers schollies
Evergreen Park is offering two $1,000 annual scholarships, one for football and the other for wrestling. The student-athlete scholarships are the result of donations from Nicholas (Nick) and Candace Mizaur. Nick Mizaur is a 1986 EPCHS alum who participated in football, wrestling and track for the Mustangs.
The Don Ferchau Mustang Defensive Player of the Year Award will be open to any varsity defensive player on the Mustang football team. Students must be academically eligible and have no behavioral infractions during the entire school year to be eligible for the award.
The Kladis-George Mustang Wrestler of the Year Award will be given to one varsity wrestler per year, Mizaur said, with the same academic and behavioral requirements for eligibility as the football award. Mike Kladis, Mizaur’s former Mustang wrestling coach and John George, a former Mustang athletic director and wrestling mentor to Mizaur, share the namesake honor.
3-point contest nixed
Sandburg’s Josie Canellis will not be able to defend her 3-point shooting Queen of the Hill championship in 2023.
The IHSA last week shut the boys and girls competition down, citing the logistics of hosting all four class state championships on the same weekend. The changes were made last year but the IHSA shoehorned the 3-point contest in.
“The 3-point showdown enjoyed a great run but the changes in the state series dates, and format last year created challenges conducting it at multiple levels of the state series,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson.
The IHSA will also allow experimental use of a shot clock for regular-season tournaments and shootouts, pending permission from the organization.
Super freshman debut
Sandburg freshman Lindsey Gerhardstein made a huge introduction to the area cross country world with a second-place finish in the SouthWest Suburban Conference Blue preseason meet on Aug. 23 at Lockport.
She finished with a time of 18:44.80 seconds, 14 seconds behind Homewood-Flossmoor star runner Caroline Schoen. Gerhardstein was well ahead of third-placed runner Kara Waishwell (20:00.70) of Lincoln-Way East.
Sandburg and Lincoln-Way East each had 45 points to lead the meet.
In the boys race, defending Class 3A state champion Sandburg won the meet with 46 points as Trent Anderson finished second with a 16:05.90, a fraction behind Bolingbrook’s Vincent De Farno’s 17:05.70.
Zavala commits
Morton College baseball player Paolo Zavala committed to Union College an NAIA school in Kentucky. The Nazareth grad was 5-1 with the Panthers in the spring and had a ratio of 6.78 strikeouts per nine innings.
Did you know?
Morton College’s women’s volleyball team has just one player from the Chicago are on the roster – outside hitter Trenyce Bonner from Olympia Fields.
The Panthers have seven players from Florida, one from Texas, one from downstate Illinois, one from Utah, one from Wisconsin and one from Georgia.
Local News
Lions Club District 1A Helen Keller race draws big field
Spread the loveBy Kelly White The damp weather from overnight rain did not deter more than 100 people on Sunday morning from getting some exercise. The 14th annual District 1A Helen Keller 5k Fun Run/Walk proudly took place along at Harold L. Richard’s High School, 10601 Central Ave., Oak Lawn. “This is a really great…
EPCHS students collect shoes for Christmas Without Cancer Sneaker Drive
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Students in Evergreen Park Community High School’s junior physical education leadership class teamed up with the non-profit organization Christmas Without Cancer to help local families battling the devastation of cancer. The class – taught by EPCHS physical education teacher Ree McDonald – helped gather donations for Christmas Without Cancer’s second…
Swallow Cliff Chapter, NSDAR, honors JROTC cadets
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Swallow Cliff Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, participated in recent JROTC awards ceremonies held at Shepard High School in Palos Heights and Richards High School in Oak Lawn. The DAR JROTC award, consisting of a medal and certificate, was presented to Navy Cadet Emily Schrode at Richards…
Man charged with child abduction in Stickney Township
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A Chicago man was charged last week with child abduction and luring of a minor after Cook County Sheriff’s Police detectives found he attempted to lure a minor into his vehicle, said Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart. According to police, about 4:43 p.m. on Monday, April 22, officers responded…
Worth Library celebrates 60th anniversary
Spread the loveBy Kelly White The Worth Public Library has been around for decades. Resting in the heart of the village at 6917 W. 111th St., the library held an event focusing on its rich background story on April 23 with a historical photo exhibit. “It’s amazing because this library is still so important to…
Rose Zubik, Woman’s Club veteran, installed as 3rd District president
Spread the love Rose Zubik, of Palos Heights, the new president of the 3rd District General Federation of Women’s Clubs-Illinois, lights a candle during the installation ceremony held April 27 at Fox’s Restaurant in Orland Park. Heather Linehan, the outgoing president, is beside her.By Dermot Connolly A longtime member of the Palos Heights Woman’s Club…
Shots fired in Chicago Ridge Commons parking lot
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Shots were fired Wednesday night in the parking lot at Chicago Ridge Commons mall. Police said they received reports of the shooting about 9:45 p.m. No injuries were reported. Multiple witnesses told police four men were walking through the parking lot from the XSport Fitness area. They approached two vehicles…
Hair salon with a ‘flair’ marks first year in Chicago Ridge
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Melissa Kowalski wanted to do something meaningful to mark the first-year anniversary of her Flair With Hair Salon in Chicago Ridge. “We did not have a grand opening last year so I wanted to do something really special,” Kowalski said. “We wanted to say thank you to our clients.” Kowalski,…
Palos East fifth-grader wins Scholastic Storyworks writing contest
Spread the loveGabriel Chowaniec, a fifth-grader at Palos East Elementary School, has been named a winner of the Scholastic Storyworks Magazine writing contest. Gabriel, who is a student in Cathy Casey’s fifth-grade classroom, was named one of only five winners nationally for the December 2023/January 2024 competition. Garbriel’s submission for the nonfiction story “The Shattered Land,” “showed a strong understanding of the text along with the ability to author a well-organized…
Shepard celebrates Autism Week
Spread the loveBy Kelly White World Autism Acceptance Week is organized by the National Autistic Society in the first week of April and aims to raise awareness about the challenges autistic people face across all areas of society. Not missing out the opportunity to celebrate all-inclusion was Shepard High School, 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave., Palos…
Neighbors
Mother’s Day is truly a day to be celebrated
Spread the love. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . Mother’s Day happens on Sunday, May 12. If this isn’t something to celebrate, I don’t know what is. Motherhood means new life, new beginnings, new possibilities. Even if you won’t be seeing your mom, you can still…
Boys Volleyball | Marist tops Nazareth for ninth straight win
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Marist ran its winning streak to nine game with a 25-16, 25-17 victory over East Suburban Catholic Conference rival Nazareth on May 2. The win streak is the RedHawks’ second longest streak of the season after their season-opening 12-match run. Eight of the nine matches during the current streak…
Saint Xavier men’s volleyball finishes historic season in nation’s top 4
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Saint Xavier men’s volleyball team made history by advancing to the semifinals of the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship. But the Cougars fell to eventual national champion Georgetown (Kentucky), 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 21-25, 15-10, on May 3 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Although there was…
St. Francis first baseman Nate Maliska earns conference POW honors
Spread the loveBy Mike Walsh Correspondent The University of St. Francis sophomore first baseman Nate Maliska was chosen the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s Player of the Week in baseball for April 7. In helping the Saints to four wins that week, Maliska went 9-for-15 (.600) with eight RBI and seven runs scored. The St. Laurence…
Baseball | Marist claws way back to .500
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent This season has thus far not been what Marist had expected, but the RedHawks came into this week at .500. Marist was 2-8 after 10 games this season, with three of those first eight losses coming via shutout. But the RedHawks turned things around with a stretch of eight…
Red Stars fall to Spirit for third loss in past four matches
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent After enjoying one of their best starts in franchise history, the Chicago Red Stars have slid to the middle of the NWSL standings, with the latest setback being a 4-2 loss to Washington at SeatGeek Stadium. The Stars (3-3-1) entered this week having dropped three of their past four…
Red Stars take aim at NWSL attendance record with Wrigley game
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Red Stars are thinking big when it comes to their upcoming game at Wrigley Field. The team is taking aim at the NWSL record for single-game attendance when it hosts Bay FC at the historic home of the Chicago Cubs on June 8. The record is held…
IHSA announces boys volleyball postseason assignments
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Last year, the area sent a pair of boys volleyball teams to state as Lyons finished runner-up to champion Glenbard South and Brother Rice lost in the quarterfinals. This year, both could face each other in the sectional finals. The Lions picked up the second seed and the Crusaders…
Badminton players from Reavis and Lyons going to state
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Reavis singles player Dania Amjad finished third in the Bolingbrook Sectional on May 2 to qualify for the IHSA state tournament. The Lyons doubles team of Simone Brown and Mia Graziano finished fourth in the York Sectional to qualify for state. The state finals are May 10-11 at DeKalb…
Brother Rice, Sandburg sending boats to bass fishing state tourney
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Brother Rice is sending two boats to the IHSA state bass fishing tournament. The Crusaders had first- and third-place finishes at the Des Plaines River Big Basin Marina Sectional on May 2. Sandwiched in between the Brother Rice boats was a group from Sandburg in second place. The Crusaders’…