Nov. 25--LINCOLNSHIRE -- On a 29-degree night in November, the gym at Stevenson is quiet, save for the sound of squeaking sneakers, a bouncing basketball and the occasional coach barking instructions.
Soon, the Stevenson boys basketball team will be hard-pressed to find time on the court without a pep band blaring and hundreds -- or thousands -- of fans screaming. But tonight coach Pat Ambrose, clad in a white T-shirt with the Patriots' logo and "MOTIV8" printed on the front, stands casually on the sideline with a whistle around his neck. He's putting his team through a defensive drill, and senior stars Jalen Brunson and Connor Cashaw are up next.
The fiercely competitive drill requires Brunson and Cashaw to defend their basket against a 3-on-2 attack. They have to work together, shifting to cover all three offensive players. Ambrose is counting how many consecutive stops the defensive team makes.
"We have to make it competitive, not only because we're good, but to engage them," Ambrose said. "We've got to make it hard. More than just a drill."
Read the rest of John Borneman's story here.
