Growing up, soccer was the sport of choice for Tim Rusthoven until he failed to make a higher-level traveling team in sixth grade.
Funny how things work out.
Now years later, the senior leaves Wheaton Academy as the all-time leading scorer on the basketball court and as a Division I college-bound player.
“Soccer was my main sport for a while,” Rusthoven said. “I really was into soccer until my team combined with another and I didn’t make it (the top team). I guess playing basketball worked out pretty well.”
After playing traveling ball with the Wheaton Vipers and a team from Naperville, the Winfield resident became a four-year varsity performer for the Warriors and the 6-foot-9 forward who can score inside or out finished with more than 1,450 career points. This season, he averaged 21 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.
“When I came in as a freshman, I felt more comfortable in the post because I was big,” said Rusthoven, who played AAU ball with Wheaton Warrenville South’s Reilly O’Toole among others.
“The last four years I wanted to develop more of an outside game with my dribbling and shooting. I’ve been more of a perimeter player since freshman year.”
This winter, Rusthoven led Wheaton Academy to one of the best seasons in program history before it came to a disappointing end in a regional semifinal loss to St. Francis. But that outcome didn’t sour his experience at the West Chicago school.
“This season was amazing,” Rusthoven said, “just with our group of guys and the coaching staff we had. It was spectacular and so much fun. The team chemistry was amazing, I just wish we had a better ending.
“Some people told me I should go to a public school instead of a small private school for more publicity. But I don’t regret for a second going to Wheaton Academy. It was a great experience.”
As unselfish and polite as any superstar you will find, Rusthoven credits a few individuals for his impressive rise on the court.
“I would definitely say Coach (Paul) Ferguson,” Rusthoven said of his Wheaton Academy coach. “He has been amazing and has helped me tremendously. Even with recruiting, he went above and beyond what I expected him to do. And my dad (Tom) who has worked with me a lot and took me to all my travel games. My AAU coach also for the last four years, Dave Groharing. It is hard to mention my career with talking about him. He has helped me a lot.”
The senior will now focus on individual skill improvement and strength training in the offseason before heading off to William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., a place he is eager to attend.
“I kind of had three things I told people I was looking for,” said Rusthoven, who is expected to be a small forward at the next level but also could see time at power forward and shooting guard. “First was a strong Christian influence on campus or on the team. Also a good academic school and somewhere where the basketball situation was good. William and Mary had those three things.
“I am looking forward to it a lot though I am a little nervous going so far from home. I’m just going to play my best and see what happens. I am hoping for the best but we will see.”
Meet the rest of the 2009-10 Winter Boys All-Area Team:
Spartacus Chino
SCHOOL Wheaton Warrenville South
SPORT Wrestling
YEAR Junior
ACHIEVEMENTS A dynamic wrestler for the Tigers, this junior had another successful season on the mats. Chino backed up his fifth-place finish a year ago at 135 with an identical showing this time around but at the weight class above (140). He was the regional champ and later finished third at the sectional, and posted a 37-4 mark this year.
Ryan Coyle
SCHOOL St. Francis
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Sophomore
ACHIEVEMENTS When Spartans' standout Larry Murison went down with an ankle injury in November and didn't return until late in the season, pressure was put on teammates to pick up the slack. The 6-foot-4 Coyle delivered in impressive fashion, pouring in 18 points in St. Francis' conference-opening win over Marmion and continued to provide a strong inside presence. In late February, Coyle excelled in back-to-back wins over Streamwood (16 points, 12 rebounds) and the rematch with Marmion (15 points, 10 rebounds) and finished the campaign averaging 12 points and 8.5 rebounds.
Will Dolatowski
SCHOOL Wheaton Warrenville South
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS After contributing a season ago, this senior took his game to a whole different level this winter. Second on the Tigers with 12.2 points per game, Dolatowski was deadly from beyond the 3-point arc. Knocking down nearly 40 percent from that range, he made a team-high 64 trifectas. The DuPage Valley all-conference pick also averaged 3.8 rebounds per contest and tallied 50 assists, 23 steals and 13 assists in 28 games.
George Doran
SCHOOL Wheaton Warrenville South
SPORT Swimming
YEAR Junior
ACHIEVEMENTS This junior put together an outstanding state meet in the diving event with a fifth-place individual finish. Doran tallied a score of 408.00, putting him less than two points out of the fourth position. He was coming off a first-place finish at the St. Charles East sectional after accumulating a total of 471.95 points. Doran placed ninth in the event at state as a sophomore.
Quinn Gorski
SCHOOL Wheaton Academy
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS With plenty of inside standouts between Tim Rusthoven, Luke Johnson and Anthony Ritchie, the Warriors' final ingredient to success was a steady point guard. Gorski filled that role nicely, helping Wheaton Academy to a 24-3 overall record (10-0 in conference) while averaging four assists per contest. While typically in the playmaker role, Gorski also made scoring contributions when needed (including 16 in a win over Immaculate Conception).
Collin Hogan
SCHOOL Wheaton Warrenville South
SPORT Swimming
YEAR Junior
ACHIEVEMENTS This junior saved his best for last, swimming to a sixth-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle at the state meet. Hogan clocked a time of 4:36.20, leaving him less than half-a-second out of the top five. He also finished 21st with a clocking of 1:44.05 in the prelims of the 200 free at state and was a member of the 200 medley relay that finished 29th.
Charles Jacques
SCHOOL West Chicago
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS On a team that was able to gather just three wins in 2009-10, Jacques was a constant presence for the Wildcats. The 6-foot-6 senior guard averaged 13.5 points and five rebounds. He netted 50 3-point baskets while shooting 52 percent from downtown. Jacques was also an all-DuPage Valley Conference honorable mention selection.
Luke Johnson
SCHOOL Wheaton Academy
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Junior
ACHIEVEMENTS The 6-foot-8 transfer into Wheaton Academy joined Tim Rusthoven to give the Warriors a doubly towering presence inside. Johnson and Rusthoven both earned all-tournament honors in December at Glenbard West (leading Wheaton Academy to the title), and his big games before and after that included 16 points in a win over Wheaton Warrenville South and 22 in the February win over Aurora Central Catholic that capped the Warriors’ perfect conference record. The junior was second on the team with 5.5 rebounds per game.
Michael Mache
SCHOOL Glenbard West
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Sophomore
ACHIEVEMENTS After getting a taste of varsity action as a freshman, this forward had a breakout season for the Hilltoppers, especially on the offensive end. Mache was second on the team with a 14.5 points per game average and shot close to 51 percent from the floor. He was Glenbard West’s top shooter from the free throw line (83.5 percent) and added 5.9 rebounds per contest while leading the squad with 24 steals.
Reilly O’Toole
SCHOOL Wheaton Warrenville South
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Junior
ACHIEVEMENTS Not skipping a beat after quarterbacking the football team to a state title, O’Toole led the Tigers with his 14.7 point per game average. Shooting 45 percent from 3-point land, the junior knocked down 54 trifectas this winter while adding a team-high 83 assists and 32 steals in 23 games. The multi-faceted guard also averaged 4.9 rebounds per contest, second on Wheaton South.
Joe Pfeiffer
SCHOOL St. Francis
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS Pfeiffer’s senior leadership and solid play combined with the February return from injury of Larry Murison to help spark the Spartans’ seven-game winning streak that ran until the regional finals. The 6-foot-3 Pfeiffer, who averaged 12 points and 7 rebounds, had 11 points in the team’s biggest win of the year (a regional semifinal upset of Wheaton Academy). Among his earlier big games this winter were a 23-point performance as the Spartans routed Montini and 20 points in a win over Aurora Central Catholic (when he missed just one field goal attempt in the game).
Dylan Rheault
SCHOOL Glenbard South
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS Playing in his first high school season in the United States after transferring from Canada, this senior developed into a nice post player for the Raiders. Multi-dimensional, Rheault placed second on the team with his 10.1 points per game average. He led Glenbard South with 7.3 rebounds per contest while also tallying 29 blocks and 22 steals.
Mike Rovansek
SCHOOL Glenbard South
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS Biding his time a year ago after transferring to Glenbard South, this senior had an outstanding all-around campaign for the Raiders, which finished five games over .500. Rovansek led the squad in scoring (15.2 ppg) while knocking down a team-high 23 3-pointers and 109 free throws. The guard added 2.7 rebounds per contest and totaled 44 assists and 31 steals in 25 games.
Tim Rusthoven
SCHOOL Wheaton Academy
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS Overwhelming opponents with his skills and 6-foot-9 size, Rusthoven finished with sizzling averages of 21 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game. Headed to play at Division I William and Mary next season, Rusthoven’s myriad of huge games included 32 points in just three quarters of action against Aurora Christian, 31 points against Aurora Central Catholic and 20 points (14 in the second half) to key a Thanksgiving tournament win over Class 4A Wheaton South.
Mark Savenok
SCHOOL Wheaton Warrenville South
SPORT Wrestling
YEAR Junior
ACHIEVEMENTS This junior was dominant all winter long and didn’t lose his first match until the Glenbard North sectional, where he finished second. Savenok, who won the regional title, then went on to place fifth at the state meet in the 130-pound division of Class 3A. He finished with a record of 41-3 and will be a wrestler to watch next season.
Jeff Schalk
SCHOOL Wheaton North
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Junior
ACHIEVEMENTS The 6-foot-4 junior forward averaged 10.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists while posting 23 blocked shots and 17 steals during 2009-10. Schalk scored 20 or more points in five games and collected a career-high 32 points in an 88-81 win over Glenbard North on Feb. 2. The senior-to-be and fellow senior-to-be Nick Barry (honorable mention selection) are expected to lead the Falcons next season.
Mike Small
SCHOOL Wheaton North
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS The 5-foot-9 senior guard averaged 8.4 points, 3.9 assists and 1.3 rebounds for the Falcons this season, and collected a total of 40 steals. In a Class 4A regional quarterfinal against Willowbrook, Small finished with 19 points after Wheaton North edged the Warriors 84-81 in overtime. That scoring total was a season-high.
Austin Teitsma
SCHOOL Glenbard South
SPORT Wrestling
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS Headed to Illinois to continue his football career, this senior found some time to be a dominant force on the mat. For the second consecutive year, Teitsma advanced down state with an undefeated record and this time around, he grabbed the runner-up medal in the Class 2A heavyweight division after falling in overtime to Lemont’s Angel Cabral, whom he defeated a week earlier to win the sectional. He tallied a record of 28-1 this winter.
Tyler Warden
SCHOOL Glenbard West
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS Despite getting a late start due to the football team’s run to the state title game, this senior was again unguardable once he returned to the court. Warden led the Hilltoppers with a 19.9 points per game average while shooting 50.7 percent from the floor. A versatile player who could score from anywhere on the court, he made 26 3-pointers and was second on the team with 79 free throws. A West Suburban Silver all-conference pick, he added 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest.
Jon White
SCHOOL West Chicago
SPORT Wrestling
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS White was the Wildcats’ lone sectional qualifier from a season ago and followed up that performance by qualifying for the state meet at 189 pounds. He won a third place match 4-0 over Daniel Kelly of Waubonsie Valley at the Class 3A Glenbard North sectional. At state, the senior went 1-2 and finished 2009-10 with a 40-7 overall record.
GLENBARD SOUTH
Joe Harks, basketball; Andrew Hiller, wrestling; Trace Wanless, basketball
GLENBARD WEST
Zak Hassan, wrestling; Matt Mache, basketball
ST. FRANCIS
Larry Murison, basketball; Mark Schmitt, basketball
WHEATON ACADEMY
Anthony Ritchie, basketball
WHEATON NORTH
Nick Barry, basketball; Mikey Fredrick, wrestling; Geoff Pevitts, wrestling; J.J. Gibbs, wrestling
WHEATON WARRENVILLE SOUTH
Derek Babb, basketball; Ryan Frederickson, swimming; Daniel Long, swimming; Greg McAndrew, basketball; Jack Schlenker, swimming
WEST CHICAGO
Nick Carnot, wrestling; Chad Driscoll, basketball; Robert Svestka, wrestling
