Marcos Gonzales knew how special this last basketball season could be for Brother Rice.
So when the 6-3 senior guard got hurt at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic, he wasn’t going to let it stop him or the Crusaders.
What happened after that speaks for itself: Gonzales was named Player of the Year in the Catholic League Blue, arguably the state’s best conference; Rice reached the 30-win plateau for the third straight season; and the Crusaders won their first state trophy, finishing second in Class 3A.
For his exceptional body of work, Gonzales is the Southwest Regional Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
But the last few months of the season were more challenging than anyone outside his circle knew.
Gonzales had dealt with left ankle issues during AAU ball. “I managed that,” he told Southwest Regional after the season.
But his right ankle injury in December at Hinsdale Central was something different.
“That was the first time it happened in season,” Gonzales said. “If I’m being honest, I probably could have sat. … For the first month (afterward), I was managing it big-time.”
It was worth it. Gonzales and five more seniors formed the core of a team put together the greatest season in the history of Brother Rice basketball, with a 31-7 record, runner-up finish in the Catholic Blue — behind DePaul Prep, the team that beat them in the state final — and regional, sectional and supersectional titles.
It took a village to raise those banners, Gonzales said, highlighting the contributions of Hinsdale South transfer Jack Weigus, Caden Workman, KJ Morris, Max Justic and John Mikrut.
Weigus gave Rice another high-level scoring option with Gonzales, who averaged 18.7 points and 5.7 rebounds. “It was an elite connection,” Gonzales said. “We’re great friends off the court. …
“I always said Caden was the most important part of our team. He’ll guard a 6-10 big man; he played the second half of the season with a broken hand. KJ and John guard the other team’s best player. Max, I don’t like him guarding me in practice. He’d always get his hands on the ball no matter what.”
As good as the Crusaders were collectively, Gonzales stood above the rest. It’s the result of years of working on his game.
“Ever since a young age, I’ve had a ball in my hand,” he said. “My two older brothers (also) played, so I played up so we could play on the same team.”
Always a scorer who specialized in navigating through traffic to get to the basket, Gonzales worked to become a more complete player as a senior. Defense and 3-point shooting were areas of emphasis as well as some of the intangibles.
“I feel like I’ve always been a good leader,” he said. “This year I’ve taken a really big step leading. Everybody is looking to me to do things on and off the court.”
While prep athletes are having a harder and harder time trying to get noticed by major colleges in the portal era, Gonzales has beaten the odds. He’ll play next season at The Citadel.
“I’m super excited for the new chapter, new beginning,” he said. “I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous. But I trust coach (Ed) Conroy and his coaching staff.”