He prefers math, but history is perhaps more fitting for Batavia senior Nick Fruendt.

That’s because it’s unlikely the Bulldogs will see a player and person of his caliber again any time soon.

A four-time all-area selection and three-time Republican Player of the Year, Fruendt leaves the program as one of the best ever.

“I hope the people at Batavia remember that I always worked hard in the classroom and in games and that I had fun when I played,” Fruendt said. “During school, I always looked forward to the game that night and I think I showed it on the court.”

Fruendt finishes his prep career as the 101-year-old program’s No. 2 all-time scorer, having amassed nearly 1,900 points to stand behind only Corey Williams.

While those kinds of numbers are impressive, Fruendt’s game is so much more than putting up 20 points a night. This season he not only led Batavia in scoring and rebounding, he was second in assists, steals and blocked shots.

“I take pride in pretty much all of my game but I know I have to keep improving,” said Fruendt, who takes his game and academic excellence to Northwestern in the fall.

While Fruendt’s dad, Joel, an Illinois Wesleyan University basketball alum, helped hone his game and encouraged him to develop an outside game, it was repetition that helped develop his basketball IQ. That was critical as Batavia head coach Jim Roberts and his staff recognized Nick’s talents as a freshman.

“Every year we asked more of Nick, asked him to do different things for us,” Roberts said. “He accepted all the responsibilities, was always willing to do whatever was asked of him. He possessed the ability to play the game a play or two ahead of most other people.”

“I think Northwestern’s got someone who’ll continue to work harder as a player and they couldn’t find a better person,” Roberts added.

His love of the sport and his team was apparent when he missed eight games with mono and the Bulldogs went 6-2 and won the Elgin Holiday Tournament.

“It was tough but I kind of learned to forget about basketball and just focus on getting healthy,” said Fruendt, who dealt with a persistent sore throat and fever, among other symptoms. “I was glad that I could be on the bench to support and cheer my teammates on.”

Things looked good for Batavia this season, with the return of not only Fruendt but also Phil Albrecht, David Bryant and a healthy Jordan Smith. But the Bulldogs’ dreams for a regional title vanished with a loss to Bartlett on its home court.

“We had three really good creators in Phil, David and myself. We had good finishers, height, quickness and we’d played together a long time,” Fruendt said. “I knew the end was going to come some time but it has been very hard thinking about the season being over.

“I’ve become very emotionally attached to the school because everyone cares — they all want you to get better as a player, student and person,” Fruendt added.

MEET THE 2008 ALL-AREA BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM:

Phil Albrecht
Batavia
Senior
POSITION Guard
STATS 10.3 points per game, 85 free throw percentage, 40 3-point shooting percentage
ACHIEVEMENTS Even when he struggled from the floor, the all-Western Sun Conference pick and two-time all-area selection could be relied upon down the stretch. Albrecht had nearly twice as many steals (46) as turnovers (25) and he had range, like when he hit a three-quarter-court shot against Geneva. He also had steady nerves, missing just 10 free throws all year and making all 10 of his attempts in the fourth quarter of the Bulldogs’ win over Buffalo Grove in the semifinals of the Elgin Holiday Tournament, where he was named to the all-tournament team. And he will be remembered for his last-second 3-pointer in the regional semifinals against Benet.

David Bryant
Batavia
Junior
POSITION Guard
STATS 13.1 points per game, 42 3-point shooting percentage, 5.1 rebounds per game, 3.7 assists per game
ACHIEVEMENTS A special-mention all-stater last year, the all-WSC Bryant became known for hitting clutch shots consistently and when he was on, he could hit 3-pointers in bunches from anywhere on the floor, like when he sank three of his five 3-pointers in two minutes as part of a game-high 24 points in the Bulldogs’ 73-57 win at St. Charles East. In the Elgin Holiday Tournament, the two-time all-area pick hit game-winning shots in the quarterfinals against Elgin and the championship game against Wheaton North.
“David was another young man who played a play ahead of most other people,” said Batavia head coach Jim Roberts. “He not only hit clutch shots but also got key rebounds (ranked 3rd on the team) and made big defensive plays for us all year.”

Max Cary
Senior
Geneva
POSITION Guard
STATS 18.4 points per game, 3.7 assists per game, 2.6 steals per game, 48 3-point baskets
ACHIEVEMENTS Although he and Alex Turnowchyk had interchangeable skils to some degree, Cary was the Vikings’ floor general.
While he was the one entrusted to run the offense, the 6-foo-2 senior found plenty of ways to score whether drivingto the hoop, pulling up off the dribble for a jumper or spotting up behind the three-point arc. He made
49 percent of his shots from the field, 37 percent from three-point range and 72 percent of his free throws. Cary also was third on the team in rebounding (3.7 avg.).
Cary scored 25 or more points four times and finished his Geneva career with a 42-point outburst.
“Max is a very mature kid and he’s such a smart kid,” Geneva coach Tim Pease said. “One thing I thought was most impressive (about the Naperville Central game) was that Max was being guarded by an outstanding player (Drew Crawford). It wasn’t something Max got done all by himself, but we weren’t running a lot of plays for him.”

Jonathan DeMoss
Junior
St. Charles North
POSITION Forward/guard
STATS 12.3 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game, 2.4 assists per game, 1.5 steals per game
ACHIEVEMENTS DeMoss has always been able to slash to the basket and score. In his third varsity season, the 6-foot-4 wing developed the more subtle aspects of his game.
Along with all-area honorable metnion Nick Neari, DeMoss broke down opposing defenses and distributied the ball. Helping with the playmaking duties didn’t diminish his energy one bit and DeMoss remained a strong rebounder as well.
He also continued to get to the basket, as his 112 free throws attest.
“I think Jon has made a giant step forward every year he’s been on varsity,” St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin  said, “and this year is no exception. He became our primary ballhandler. He had to pick his spots on when to attack and when to get other people involved. He’s getting better every game and every practice.”

Nick Fruendt
Batavia
Senior
POSITION Forward
STATS 20.0 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, 3.2 assists per game, 83 free-throw shooting percentage
ACHIEVEMENTS The only thing more that this 2007 all-stater could have done was paint a new logo on the gym floor. With an innate court awareness, the four-time all-area selection and three-time Republican Player of the Year led the Bulldogs to a pair of regional titles, three straight conference championships and 84 wins in his prep career. He takes his all-around game and academic excellence to Northwestern in the fall.
“Every year we asked Nick to do different things and gave him more responsibility,” said Batavia head coach Jim Roberts. “He accepted it all, was always willing to do whatever was asked of him.”

Tim Janeway
Senior
St. Charles North
POSITION Forward
STATS 10.3 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game, .9 steals per game
ACHIEVEMENTS As a 6-foot-1 power forward, Janeway might seem out of place in a varsity basketball game but the senior found ways to exploit his abilities.
Ask Larkin, whom Janeway hit for 21 points and seven rebounds.
Generally, though, he didn’t score in waves. He was more like the relentless tide wearing away a rock as a low-post player. He made his mark as a weakside rebounder with a nose for the ball and a dogged defender who could spark a fastbreak with a steal — along with the toughness to play through a high ankle sprain in the last two weeks of the season.                                        
“Tim is the type of kid every coach wants to have,” St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin said. “He usually guarded the point guard or somebody in the backcourt, and if they followed that matchup, he could post them up. We took advantage of that mismatch a lot.”

Collin Pryor
St. Charles East
Senior
POSITION Forward
STATS 19.9 points per game, 6.9 rebounds per game, 2.0 steals per game, 85.5 free-throw percentage
ACHIEVEMENTS The two-time all-area selection takes his game to Division II Northern State University in South Dakota in the fall. He leaves St. Charles East as the MVP of the Upstate Eight Conference (two UEC teams made the Class 4A supersectionals, two others made the sectional semifinals) and had a career-high 37 points in a double-overtime loss to Bartlett. A special mention all-stater last year, Pryor broke the 1,000-point plateau in just two varsity seasons with his 29-point effort in the Saints’ playoff loss to Elgin and led his team in scoring in 20 of 27 games.
“No doubt about it Collin had a great senior year,” said St. Charles East head coach Brian Clodi. “He’s such a great, great athlete. We are definitely going to miss him next year.”

Kevin Senechalle
St. Charles East
Junior
POSITION Forward
STATS 11.9 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, 54.9 field-goal-shooting percentage
ACHIEVEMENTS After starting a few games early last season, the 6-foot-6 Senechalle started all 27 games this season and showed why he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with as a senior. An honorable mention all-Upstate Eight Conference pick, Senechalle led the Saints in rebounding, was 2nd on the team in scoring and blocked shots and made opponents pay when they paid too much attention to Collin Pryor.
“I’ve already told Kevin that if he doesn’t average 20-plus points next year it’s his fault because we will be looking to get him the ball a lot,” said Saints head coach Brian Clodi. “It all comes down to his confidence level and this year he learned he can play with anybody. He’s going to have a real big year next year.”

Jordan Smith
Batavia
Senior
POSITION Forward
STATS 11.7 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game, 61 field-goal shooting percentage
ACHIEVEMENTS This senior rebounded from an injury-filled junior season (missed the second half with a back injury) to excel at both ends of the floor, especially finishing off a fast break with an easy basket. He ranked 3rd on the team in scoring, 2nd in rebounding and was a huge reason why Batavia went 6-2 when Nick Fruendt missed eight games with mononucleosis.
“We relied on Jordan to do a lot of the dirty work for us,” said Batavia head coach Jim Roberts.

Alex Turnowchyk
Senior
Geneva
POSITION Guard
STATS 17.4 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, 3.2 assists per game, 65 3-point baskets
ACHIEVEMENTS Turnowchyk probably was the area’s most-improved player, but people tended to think of the senior as the guard he used to be.
As a junior substitute, Turnowchyk was more of a stationary, long-distance shooter.  Although he excels in that role (44 percent from three-point range), a large part of his effectiveness as a senior stemmed from his williingness to drive and work in tandem with Max Cary.
Shooting 51 percent from the field and 84 percent from the foul line didn’t hurt, either. In fact, it helped him produce four games of 25 or more points, with a career-high of 37 against Machesney Park Harlem.
“They seem to play really well together,” Geneva coach Tim Pease said. “We could put one on one side and one on the other and let them attack. They both had the ability to knock down the three ball and to penetrate and pitch. They played off each other.”

HONORABLE MENTION
Geneva Ryan Jordan, Jeremy D’Amico; St. Charles East Zack Scott, Ryan Suits; St. Charles North Nick Neari, Zach Hirsch, Mike Kastel.