When his Andrew varsity career began in 2022, Athan Berchos was the young kid who was trying to learn from his older teammates as he was thrown into the starting point guard role as a sophomore.
Now, Berchos is a senior on a team full of newcomers who are going through a similar learning process to the one he took on. And it’s Berchos’ turn to be the teacher.
“I had to take on a big leadership role this year,” Berchos said. “Coach (Justin Stirn) pushed me a lot. I’m not the young guy now and we have a lot of young guys on this team. Two sophomores play a lot, we have a lot of juniors getting in the mix, and even the seniors didn’t get valuable varsity minutes last year because we played a lot of seniors.
“I just had to step up as a leader and show them what it takes to win.”
The 6-foot Berchos is leading both through his words and with his play. He also has the ability to put up points in a hurry.
He did that again Wednesday night, scoring 24 points to help the host Thunderbolts break a four-game losing streak by pulling out a 66-57 win over crosstown rival Tinley Park.
Scott Dinnon scored 16 points, including 10 huge points in the fourth quarter for Andrew (4-6). He added eight rebounds, while his younger brother, Ryan, finished with nine points and five rebounds. Dionte Thigpen chipped in six points.
Daniel Jervier led Tinley Park (5-4) with 23 points. Brayden Kennedy contributed 11 points and five rebounds, Kendall Webb finished with eight points and eight rebounds, with Nolan Maciejewski providing seven points.
Berchos, who has established himself as one of the area’s top outside shooters over the last three seasons, buried a trio of 3-pointers Wednesday. But he showed off a more diverse game, getting to the basket on drives and knocking down some midrange jumpers.
“At this point in my career, a lot of people know me as a shooter, so I get run off screens a lot,” Berchos said. “Coaches tell me all the time to try to get to the line, try to get floaters, easy baskets to start off the game and then just go from there.”
Berchos scored seven points during a 12-4 surge to close the third quarter as the Thunderbolts opened up a 49-37 lead.
The Titans, though, did not go down quietly as Maciejewski sparked a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter, with his 3-pointer pulling Tinley Park within 51-48.
Scott Dinnon answered with a big 3-pointer and the Thunderbolts closed out the win, turning the tables after falling just short in three games decided in the final minute over their four-game losing streak.
“This was a fun environment to play in,” Dinnon said. “Going into this game, we had a little chip on our shoulder from losing the last couple, and we just wanted to come out strong and beat them.”
Stirn hopes the victory was a turning point for an inexperienced team. Having Berchos to lead the way gives him confidence.
“Saying we lean on him is probably an understatement,” Stirn said of Berchos. “He’s our go-to guy. He’s our captain. He’s our leader in practice. He does everything you ask him to do.
“He’s literally a coach’s dream. When you’ve got a guy you can trust like that at any point in any situation in a game, it does make my life a lot easier.”
As the only starter returning from last season, Berchos knew there would be a lot of weight on his shoulders. But he’s fine with that.
“It’s not really pressure,” Berchos said. “We had all summer and fall together to mesh as a team.
“We didn’t start off well, obviously, but this was a big game, beating a crosstown rival. We’re looking to turn it around.”
