Staying close to home or moving far away to attend college is one of the most difficult choices a high school senior has to make. The decision is especially hard for star athletes who have numerous scholarship offers.
But in the case of Northwestern basketball players Sarah Kwasinski and Breanne Smilie, the decision was easy.
Smilie, a 5-foot-7 guard, and Kwasinski, a 6-4 center, both are from the Chicagoland area and attended Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Ill.
“I wanted to come here for a long time,” said Smilie, a freshman. “It’s close to home, I wanted my family to come see me play, and it’s a good school.
“I wasn’t choosing between here and any other school. It was solely here.”
The Wildcats (7-9, 0-5 Big Ten) need Kwasinski and Smilie’s skills now more than ever. Having dropped its first five conference games, the Cats’ schedule doesn’t get any easier with No. 20 Michigan State (13-3, 3-2) visiting Welsh-Ryan Arena tonight at 7 p.m.
The contest also will be a reunion between NU coach June Olkowski and Michigan State coach Joanne McCallie, a 1987 NU graduate. Both served as assistants together at Auburn during the 1991-92 season.
With the recruitment of overseas talent has become more and more common at NU, harvesting local athletes seems to have fallen into the shadows. Croatians Davor Duvancic, Vedran Vukusic, and Ivan Tolic have all made an impact on the men’s basketball team, and Germans Alex Mueller and A.J. Glasauer have had a positive influence on the women’s squad.
But the heart and soul of both teams originates from the Chicago area. Two of the top three scorers on the men’s team, T.J. Parker and Jitim Young, are local heroes. Kwasinski leads the women’s team in rebounds with 6.2 per game and is third in points with a little more than eight.
For her part, Smilie has stepped in to take over the point-guard position vacated by injured junior Samantha McComb. McComb, the Cats’ leading scorer before her injury, will be out until at least the middle of February with a stress fracture in her foot.
“There is a lot of talent in Chicago,” Kwasinski said. “All the girls I played summer basketball with (in high school) went on to play for Division I teams and all were from the Chicagoland area.”
Kwasinski and Smilie also bring a winning influence, having won a state championship together at Fenwick in 2001. In addition, the 2002-03 Fenwick team that included Smilie as its floor general finished state runner-up.
“They’re not afraid to step up in big games,” Olkowski said. “Breanne has done an admirable job (filling in for McComb), and Kwas adds a new dimension of having a presence inside.”
The banged-up Kwasinski will be vital to battle against the Spartans tonight. Michigan State is limiting its opponents to 52.2 points per game this season, while NU has given up an average of 61.6.
The Spartans are also on a three-game winning streak and have been shutting down opponents with their tough matchup zone. Olkowski said the Cats will try to attack the zone from the game’s outset.
“We have to hit some shots early and get some confidence,” Olkowski said. “We can’t just rely on the three-pointer.”
