Dan Lalonde sits patiently on the Lyons Township bench, his head down toward the floor as the team’s four other starters get introduced during pregame introductions.
Finally, the senior forward hears his name. He gets up, makes his way halfway through the line of teammates already on the basketball court, then stops suddenly. Mark Sewall, waiting at the end of the line, pretends to toss a ball in Lalonde’s direction. The left-hander gets in batting position, squares in on the imaginary pitch and crushes a home run into the LT student section.
Now Lalonde is not a baseball player, but if he were, he would definitely be his team’s big-time hitter, the guy everyone could count on in the clutch. He is the unquestioned leader of the Lions (26-2) on and off the court, and it is because of his role in the team’s success that Lalonde is the 2009-10 Boys Winter All-Area MVP.
“There’s just something about Danny,” said Justin Phipps, who coined the home run intro during the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic in December. “When he has that look in his eyes, you know he’s going to play his hardest and we’re going to come out with a victory.”
Lalonde had that look Friday when he scored a season-high 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Lions to a 75-73 win over Julian in the Class 4A Marist regional title. It was the latest in a series of memorable Lalonde performances this year.
There were the season-high 15 rebounds he had in a tight victory over Riverside Brookfield in the fifth game of the season. There was his 16 points, 12 rebounds per game average at the Tosh Classic that earned him tournament MVP honors and helped LT win the classic. There was his thunderous alley-oop dunk in a win over York on Jan. 8. There were his 13 fourth-quarter points, including a breakaway slam at the buzzer, that helped the Lions hold off Oak Park-River Forest two games later.
The common theme with all of these moments?
Lalonde sparking LT to a victory.
The Lions had not lost this year with Lalonde on the court before Tuesday's sectional semifinal loss to Simeon. The team’s only other blemish in an otherwise unbeaten season came against OPRF on Feb. 19 with Lalonde on the sideline resting a left calf injury.
“It’s tough seeing us lose, and definitely I wanted to be out there to try and change the outcome, but I needed the time to get better so I would be fine in the playoffs, where it really matters,” Lalonde said.
The senior missed four games with the injury, a painful blow to a kid who missed the first half of his junior season with an ankle injury. But when he was on the court, he was nothing but productive all season long — Lalonde averaged team-highs in points (13.2), rebounds (nine), field goal shooting (61 percent) and blocks (35). He also dished out 71 assists, fourth most on the team.
He prides himself on his no-nonsense mentality on the court, a dedicated work ethic that translates to his productivity on the boards and serves as inspiration to his teammates.
“I don’t like giving up on a play,” said Lalonde, who is leaning toward attending Illinois State University and trying to walk on for basketball. “I don’t like the other team beating me at all.”
When he was first introduced to the game of basketball, Lalonde didn’t like it either. He was in fourth grade and distinctly remembers being made fun of after his left-handedness caused him to struggle through several drills.
“I think I went home crying that day,” he said with a soft laugh.
Clearly, he got over it. He soon fell in love with the game, but unlike many elite players his age, Lalonde does not play basketball year round. He was afraid if he spent 365 days a year on the hardwood, the game would grow old. Lalonde, who will be a second-year starter on the LT volleyball team this spring, recognizes that more hoops could have improved his overall game, but he is happy where he is.
Meet the 2009-10 Winter Boys All-Area Team:
Drew Bates
SCHOOL Lyons Township
YEAR Junior
SPORT Wrestling
ACHIEVEMENTS After missing a significant portion of the season with two concussions, Bates rebounded well to qualify for state and win his first two matches at 130 pounds. He took first overall in his weight class at the Lyons regional and the De La Salle sectional.
RJ Dilcher
SCHOOL Lyons Township
YEAR Senior
SPORT Wrestling
ACHIEVEMENTS Dilcher capped his Lions’ wrestling career with a fifth-place state finish at 152 pounds. The senior defeated Lake Zurich’s Anthony Pace 5-0 in the final match, and finished the year 44-9. He arrived at state having won the Lyons regional and taking second at the De La Salle sectional.
Brian Donatelli
SCHOOL Lyons Township
YEAR Junior
SPORT Swimming
ACHIEVEMENTS The LT junior had a busy Saturday afternoon at the state swimming and diving finals. Donatelli competed in four different events with his best overall finish, fifth place, coming in the 100-yard freestyle finals. He also won the consolation finals of the 50 free, and was a member of the Lions’ 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams that finished 11th and ninth, respectively.
Mantas Dubauskas
SCHOOL St. Joseph
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS The forward was an all-East Suburban Catholic Conference selection for the second straight season. He was ninth in the conference in scoring with 174 total points. Dubauskas led his team in multiple categories throughout the season. During his senior campaign, he averaged nearly a double-double per game in scoring and rebounding.
Tyshaun Eaton
SCHOOL Morton
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Junior
ACHIEVEMENTS Eaton was arguably the Mustangs’ most athletic player this season and got the job done on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. The senior averaged 13.5 points, eight rebounds and three steals. “He plays with heart and he was one of our hardest working players,” said Morton coach Tony Martinucci. “He set a good example for the rest of the group.”
Matt Garelli
SCHOOL Fenwick
SPORT Wrestling
YEAR Sophomore
ACHIEVEMENTS Just a sophomore, Garelli capped his second year at Fenwick with an appearance at the Class 3A state tournament. While in Champaign, the 103-pounder went 2-2 overall. He advanced to state after winning his weight class at the St. Ignatius regional and taking third at the De La Salle sectional.
Ryan Jackson
SCHOOL Riverside Brookfield
YEAR Senior
SPORT Basketball
ACHIEVEMENTS Jackson solidified himself as an all-around weapon this season. He was the team’s second leading scorer with a 15 points per game average and became a serious threat on the boards. And the senior did not slow down as the season went on. He had his biggest game of the year on Feb. 19 with 22 points and 18 rebounds, and tied for the team lead with 21 points in RB’s 62-51 win over St. Francis in the Class 3A Wheaton Academy regional final on Friday.
Jeff Jarosz
SCHOOL Morton
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Junior
ACHIEVEMENTS The first-year varsity starter made a smooth transition from the sophomore level. He was perhaps the Mustangs’ most well-rounded player after averaging 16.8 points, three steals and five assists. Jarosz has a chance to be on the most polished point guards in the West Suburban Gold conference next season.
Dan Lalonde
SCHOOL Lyons Township
YEAR Senior
SPORT Basketball
ACHIEVEMENTS The All-Area MVP has been the heart and soul for the Lions, leading the team in both points, rebounds and blocks per game. The left-handed forward does not have much flash to his game, but more than anything, the guy is productive. Without Lalonde, it would have been significantly harder for LT to go 24-1 in the regular season and earn the No. 1 overall seed in the Lyons sectional.
Rasheen Lemon
SCHOOL Proviso West
SPORT Wrestling
YEAR Junior
ACHIEVEMENTS This 189-pounder captured fifth-place honors at the Class 3A state meet after defeating Chris Johnson of Wheeling in the finale. Lemon collected more than 30 wins in 2009-10 and has a good shot to return downstate next season. He won the Lyons Township regional and went on to place second at the De La Salle sectional.
Austin Lusson
SCHOOL Lyons Township
YEAR Senior
SPORT Basketball
ACHIEVEMENTS Lusson was one of the Lions’ best three-point weapons all year long and finished the regular season shooting 47 percent (48 of 102). Lusson averaged nearly nine points per game and also had 59 assists entering the postseason. He also was one of only four players to see action in all 25 regular season games.
Sean McGonagill
SCHOOL Riverside Brookfield
YEAR Senior
SPORT Basketball
ACHIEVEMENTS The Bulldogs’ go-to scorer was a headache for opposing players and coaches all season long. The Brown-bound guard routinely found his name a top the scoring sheet for RB this year as he averaged 21 points per game, and was one of the biggest reasons the Bulldogs (21-5) had such a strong regular season and won the Class 3A Wheaton Academy regional.
Manny Macedo
SCHOOL Morton
SPORT Wrestling
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS Macedo ended his wrestling career at Morton by going 1-2 at the Class 3A state tournament. The senior won the 119-pound weight class at the Lyons Township regional and the De La Salle sectional. He was a three-time regional champion, one-time sectional champion and two-time state qualifier. He finished with more than 100 wins during his time with the Mustangs.
Tyrone McDonald
SCHOOL Proviso West
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Junior
ACHIEVEMENTS This quiet leader displayed his skills by example in 2009-10, averaging 19 points, three assists and two steals. Panthers coach Tommie Miller believes that if McDonald can continue to improve on his conditioning, then he has a chance to have a remarkable senior season. Keep an eye on this guard/forward next school year.
Mike Mullen
SCHOOL Fenwick
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS Mullen’s well-rounded performance this season included 8.2 points, seven rebounds, 1.6 assists and one steal per game. He was an all-Chicago Catholic League honorable mention selection. Friars coach John Quinn described Mullen as his team’s best defender and most improved player from a year ago. He is currently considering walking on at University of Chicago next season.
Justin Phipps
SCHOOL Lyons Township
YEAR Senior
SPORT Basketball
ACHIEVEMENTS A football injury forced Phipps to come off the bench to start the season, but he quickly found a home as the team’s sixth man. When opponents were bringing in second-string talent, the Lions had a bona fide starter in Phipps. The senior was a presence under the boards with 7.35 rebounds per contest (second most on the team) and also averaged 8.7 points. His job of keeping the team loose and laughing all year can also not go unnoticed.
Ryan Powers
SCHOOL Nazareth
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Junior
ACHIEVEMENTS The two-time all-East Suburban Catholic Conference selection averaged 15.6 points and 9.3 rebounds. Powers was also an all-Bill Vandemerkt Thanksgiving Tournament selection at the Riverside Brookfield event. He is the third leading rebounder in Nazareth history as well as the school’s fifth all-time leading scorer. The junior was 10th in the ESCC in scoring with 171 points.
Wayne Simon
SCHOOL St. Joseph
SPORT Basketball
YEAR Senior
ACHIEVEMENTS The guard was a first-time all-East Suburban Catholic Conference selection and was 11th in the conference in scoring with 169 total points. Simon averaged 14.8 points, four rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals prior to the playoffs. The senior also was shooting 47 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the foul line.
Jimmy Stamas
SCHOOL Lyons Township
YEAR Senior
SPORT Basketball
ACHIEVEMENTS He is the point guard on one of the best teams in the area. He is the one charged with distributing the ball on arguably the most balanced team in the state. Not only did he succeed at that, but he almost always came up with a big shot when the Lions needed it this season. Using his break-neck speed to stifle defenses, Stamas finished the year with 70 assists and averaged more than seven points per game.
Nick Zeisloft
SCHOOL Lyons Township
YEAR Junior
SPORT Basketball
ACHIEVEMENTS Zeisloft burst onto the scene this year and became one of the most integral components on the Lions. He was the team’s second-leading scorer in the regular season with 11.5 points per game, and his 287 total points were a team high. “Z” also led the team with 85 assists in the regular season and was a threat from three-point land, where he shot 41 percent. His production has not slowed in the postseason — the junior finished with 21 points in the Lions’ 75-73 regional final win over Julian on Friday.
HONORABLE MENTION:
FENWICK
Dylan Barnett, basketball; Tyler Sewall, basketball; David Suwada, basketball; John Konrad, bowling; Sean Madock, bowling Matt Vanis, bowling; Jordan Chang, wrestling; Steve Sreniawski, wrestling; Eric Bell, swimming; Connor Brown, swimming; Ryan Greenway, swimming; Will Rigali, swimming
LYONS TOWNSHIP
Nick Burt, basketball; Bob Gavrick, wrestling; Joe Gonzalez, wrestling; Matt Haeske, swimming; Jordan Hester, basketball; Spencer Mahoney, basketball; Danny McGuinness, swimming; Ryan Schafer, swimming
MORTON
Rocco Belcaster, basketball; Mike Coleman, basketball; David Chittick, wrestling; Chepe Mariscal, wrestling; Jose Torres, wrestling; Eric Bales, swimming; Peter Holanda, swimming; Eddy Puskaric, swimming; Patrick Uphues, swimming
NAZARETH
Matt Behrendt, basketball; A.J. Ryan, basketball; Patrick Vitek, wrestling
PROVISO WEST
Clarence Heath, basketball; Nicholas Frazier, basketball; Donald Singletary, basketball; James Burns, wrestling; Malik Thurman, wrestling; Khari Washington, wrestling
RIVERSIDE BROOKFIELD
Ken Olivio, swimming; Terrence Reed, basketball; John Schraidt, wrestling; Billy VandeMerkt, basketball
ST. JOSPEH
Brandon Carr, basketball; Joe Edwards, basketball; DeAndre McCamey, basketball; Nelson Irrizary, bowling; Brian Powers, bowling; Malcolm Watson, wrestling; Marcus Watson, wrestling
