By Bobby Narang
Don’t expect Benet Academy to be the same basketball teams next season it was last season..
The Benet boys basketball team, just like the girls team, is heading into a new era in 2023-2024. The Redwings came within a few points of walking away with a State championship last season by losing, 59-42, to Moline in the Class 4A State championship game.
The Redwings (35-2) had a stunning season partly due to the senior guard group of Brayden Fagbemi, Niko Abusara, Andy Nash and do-it-all senior forward Brady Kunka. But, the Redwings have had to retool.
Their roster changed following heavy graduation losses in June.
Benet head coach Gene Heidkamp said he noticed significant progress from his team during the June team camp season.
“June went very well for us,” Heidkamp said. “It was a very productive Summer. The guys adjusted well, considering they hadn’t played much together. We have a good mix of guys returning to the varsity and kids coming from sophomore team.
“There’s always a transition, but the beauty of this team is they are just scratching the surface of where they can go. We had a feeling-out process and transition, but the guys did very well in June. We still have a long ways to go.”
Heidkamp said the Redwings will have a different look due to the abundance of height compared to last season.
“We’ve got a lot of depth, obviously some size and good guard play,” he said. “We have kind of a mix of every position with a lot of balance. We have a blend of guard play and size. We weren’t very big last year. Our biggest player was 6-foot-6 Parker Sulaver who returns this year, but now have a 6-10 player, 6-8, and 6-6 to go along with him. We have a little different look. Our guards are strong, but we lost some great guards last year.”
- On the girls side, the Redwings just missed a State championshp by a few possessions in dropping a 62-57 decision to O’Fallon in the Class 4A State championship game. The Redwings have to replace superstar guard Lenee Beaumont. The Indiana University recruit was named the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year, while earning the Ms Basketball Award. Earlier this month, Beaumont found out that her jersey will be added to the Ring of Honor display at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn., in recognition of her outstanding play for the 2022-23 season.