By Bobby Narang
Glenbard East High School is on the right track.
After a memorable showing last season followed by a strong effort in the summer, the Rams are among the top boys basketball teams in Chicagoland entering the new calendar year,
Senior guard Keenan House is one of the main reasons for the Glenbard East Rams’ strong season.
The 6-foot-2 House has taken a unique journey in his varsity career. He played on the lower levels at Bolingbrook in his first two seasons, but his path took an odd turn last season.
“I didn’t make the team last year,” House said of his junior season at Bolingbrook. “I was bummed a lot. I had to realize that there are better opportunities. I found a home right here.”
House, a defensive end and wide receiver in football, admitted that he’s playing with a love of the game attitude after sitting out last season from his favorite sport.
“It’s been exciting,” House said. “This season feels amazing, especially since I didn’t play my whole junior year and was just watching other people play. Now, I get to see how it feels to play on the varsity. The teammates accepted me and we have a strong bond.”
Glenbard East coach Eric Kelly said House has added a strong defensive presence, along with playmaking skills to his team. The Rams won 22 games and captured a Class 4A regional title last season, returning four starters but House managed to quickly find a role as a two-way threat on the team.
“We can beat you in many different ways,” Kelly said. “One night it can Michael Nee or Sam Walton but tonight it was Keenan House…He was our heart and soul tonight.
“(Keenan) was with us over the summer. He played with us during the summer when we went 27-2. Anything we ask him to do, he did it. He’s a coaches dream. He was ready to go from the jump. He loves basketball. We love having him here.
“Keenan brought something to the table which we didn’t have and that was his size at 6-2 and definitely is a great athlete. He can rebound the ball and guard the other team’s best player. He does a lot of different stuff that we did not have last year. He was a big addition piece to our puzzle.”
The Rams have continued their solid season by winning their first three games at the 51st Annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York High School.
Glenbard East senior forward Jacob Marynowski is another player stepped up this season.
The 6-foot-3 Marynowski dons jersey number 15, the same digits as Denver Nuggets superstar center, Nikola Jokic.
“A lot of people say I look like Jokic, so yeah, I picked it for a reason,” Marynowski said, smiling.
Nearly midway through his final season, Marynowski game is another aspect that’s looking more like Jokic.
With two starters, Sam Walton and Keenan House fouling out in the fourth quarter in Monday’s game, Marynowski stepped up with a strong effort on both ends of the court in the quarterfinals against Palatine on Monday afternoon. Marynowski finished with 11 points and added eight rebounds in Glenbard East’s 59-56 victory over Palatine.
The Rams (11-1) had four players in double figures, highlighted by Danny Snyder’s 15 points, five rebounds and six assists. Snyder had a vital play to make it a two-possession game, scoring on a floater in the lane to pad the Rams lead to 58-54. Walton had 12 points, Michael Nee also had 12 and hit three 3-pointers.
“It’s a good win,” Kelly said. “That’s a team ranked in the top 25. Obviously, they have one of the better kids in the area in Tony Balanganayi. He’s a load. Our goal is to get downstate and in order to do that, you have to play tough games against tough teams like this and survive it and we did. We had contributions from a lot of players.”