The Normal Community High School boys basketball team is on the precipice of a state finals appearance.
As they worked on their gameplan to play Palatine on Friday afternoon in the Class 4A semifinals at State Farm Center in Champaign, head coach Dave Witzig spoke with reporters to reflect on the season.
Witzig started by recognizing his student athletes for their achievements. Three-sport athlete Dexter Niekamp is one of those players. He’s played well for the Ironmen this season, dominated the football field last fall and is set to play first baseman this spring. In fact, Niekamp is set to play football at Illinois State University this fall under his father -- ISU football’s defensive coordinator. Witzig described Niekamp as a “glue guy” who makes the tough plays.
Another player Witzig highlighted is point guard Braylon Roman. A three-year varsity player, Roman’s value became especially apparent when he was off the court a season ago.
“Last year, Braylon broke his hand in the preseason. He was out for ten games, we were 3-7 in those games. And when he came back, we went 17-7 with him and won a regional last year,” said Witzig. “So when he’s on the court, we do really well… he’s just a guy that when he’s on the court we’ve had, really, a lot of success.”
Normal Community’s talented roster is well known. The team was projected at or near the top of Class 4A in numerous polls heading into the preseason. But it’s not just the Ironmen’s talent that got them to this point, according to Witzig. He said "iron sharpened iron" for his squad, as they played other top-flight teams throughout the year.
“People kind of knew that we were going to have a good team. And so we had some great opportunities. Where Normal is at on the map, geographically, is an awesome place for Illinois high school basketball because we go north, we go south, we always go west to the Quad Cities. This year was one-of-a-kind because these opportunities kept coming,” said Witzig.
Two January losses to Waubonsie Valley and Downers Grove North, both top-tier programs, kept the Ironmen grounded.
“The losses really did help us -- kept us humble,” said Witzig. “We came in preseason ranked number one on some polls, and we got knocked down which is fine. But we did get humbled in those losses…we really had to fine tune some things after those games.”
The Ironmen’s season wasn’t without its off-court challenges. Each year the team partners with the girl’s basketball squad for a “Stay Another Day” night to raise awareness for mental health. Stay Another Day is an apparel company based in Bloomington that creates clothing to raise awareness of mental health issues and spark conversations about it.
The night before it was to happen; the team learned of the passing of teammate Jayden Orrick’s cousin, who took his own life. The team rallied around Orrick, and grew closer together. They had more conversations about mental health with one another to make sure everyone was doing okay.
Witzig said the team continued to work and improve. And it culminated in a thrilling victory over Quincy at the start of March to keep their season going.
With 4.3 seconds remaining in the game, NCHS trailed by one. Quincy was inbounding the ball to try and take the last seconds off the clock and end the game. NCHS ended up stealing the ball away and Jaheem Webber put down a slam dunk to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.
Witzig said it was a moment unlike any other.
“That was something that’s a March Madness moment that you see on TV but you’re not always a part of. We were literally 4.3 seconds from being done. A good inbounds pass or something different, you know I’d be in my classroom teaching history right now. Our student section, they stormed the court. Our parents were on the court hugging, and it was just a really fun school moment for people that they were talking about for the last couple of days,” said Witzig.
The Ironmen face Palatine at 2 p.m. Friday. A win puts NCHS in the state final versus either Homewood-Flossmoor or Winnetka on Saturday night.
Regardless of the outcome, after a season with personal trials and tribulations, the team is thankful to still be playing basketball.
“We’re just really thankful that we’re still playing,” said Witzig. “We look forward to being down there…we’re thankful and looking forward to the opportunity.”
Normal Community has scheduled a sendoff rally for the team as it departs the high school at 9:15 a.m. Friday. The school asks fans to line Airport and Raab roads.
