By Bobby Narang
Downers Grove North High School’s basketball season hit a snag in late December.
Sophomore point guard Connor Crowley suffered a lower leg injury in the Wheeling Tournament, causing him to sit out the last five games.
The loss of Crowley forced Downers Grove North coach James Thomas to give sophomore point guard Kellan Collins more playing time.
“We’ve been battling some ups and downs because of injuries and the season,” Thomas said after Monday’s morning victory over Rockford East. Not having Connor the last five games hurts. He’s been undergoing deep massage therapy.”
The Trojans (11-9, 2-3) reside in fourth place in the West Suburban Silver, but they hit the key part of the conference schedule aiming to move up the standings.
“We had a good showing against Rockford East,” Thomas said. “Colin Doyle had a monster weekend with multiple double-doubles. Despite being down an important player, we continue to build off the little bit of depth over the last week and a half through the face of adversity”
Glenbard West is another team aiming to turn its season around in late January. The Hilltoppers (7-10, 3-2) is riding the big-play ability of senior guard Josh Abushanab, who topped the 1,000-point milestone earlier this month. The 6-foot-6 Abushanab is just the seventh player in the past 25 years to hit the four-digit mark in program history. He’s averaging nearly 23 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.
“I think Josh is doing things offensively you don’t see a lot,” Glenbard West coach Jason Opoka said. “His numbers are pretty impressive. We always knew he was talented, but this is the first time he’s been able to showcase his game as the main scorer. He’s been our primary scorer, which is a different role for him than in the past.”
Abushanab, who has Division III offers from North Central College and Carthage College, said he immersed himself into basketball this summer.
“A lot of this summer, I just played basketball,” Abushanab said. “I learned through feel, failed, executed and grew more confident with the results…. I’ve been confident in my play. I wish it led to more wins, but we’ve just fallen short in a few games.”