Gabriel Sularski has lived in his Lemont his whole life, but he followed in the footsteps of his older sisters — twins Emilia and Maggie — by attending Benet his first two years of high school.
Knowing his sisters were about to graduate, which they did this spring, Gabriel started to consider leaving Benet for his hometown school.
A top recruit with offers from several major college basketball programs, Sularski decided that was the right move for him and transferred in April to Lemont.
“The school is like two minutes away from my house,” he said. “My sisters were graduating, and it just made sense to come here.
“I’m happy I made this decision. It’s been a really good experience, and I’m just looking forward to having a really successful season.”
Sularski, a 6-foot-5 guard headed into his junior season, got in his first game action with his new teammates in June. He competed in several summer shootouts, including events at Ridgewood, Riverside-Brookfield and Stagg.
So far, so good.
“It’s great,” Sularski said. “Me and coach (Rick Runaas) were talking about how it’s kind of like I’ve been here for a while. I meshed in really well with these guys, and it’s been really fun. I love playing with these guys.”
Sularski is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in Illinois for the 2026 class by 247 Sports. He has scholarship offers from Illinois, Michigan State, Missouri, Purdue, Wisconsin and DePaul.
“The recruiting process has been great,” Sularski said. “Last spring and summer was pretty wild for me, kind of every week going on visits and getting offers. Hopefully, this summer will kind of be the same thing. I just have to play my game and all the rest will come.”
Looking ahead, Sularski has a few things he’s looking for in college suitors.
“I’ve always said I really want to play as a freshman, so that’s a huge thing is finding a school that will want me involved as a freshman,” he said. “Academics are a huge part of it, too. Then it’s just finding a place that will fit my play style.”
At Lemont, Sularski feels like there will be a new opportunity to showcase his game as the team’s primary ball handler.
“It’s a big role to take on and I’m excited for it,” he said. “I think I’m showing what I can really do. I was doing it a little bit over there, but now I can really show my whole game and how I can create for myself and for others.”
Runaas feels the transition has been a smooth one for Sularski.
“It’s been great,” Runaas said. “I think he’s fit right in. He’s acclimated himself well to our program and his teammates. He’s definitely endeared himself to his teammates with his willingness to have his head up and make the pass to the open guy.”
Alanas Castillo, who will be a senior guard, has enjoyed having a talented new teammate.
With his height, Sularski can operate as somewhat of a “point forward,” reminiscent of Scottie Pippen’s role with the Chicago Bulls.
He will run the offense from the perimeter while being capable of guarding other team’s forwards.
“It’s a little different because our last point guard wasn’t as tall,” Castillo said. “We didn’t really look at the post as much as we do now with (Sularski) in there.”
Sularski will also spend part of his summer overseas as he is set to compete in July and August for Poland’s U16 national team, featuring games in Poland, Romania, Greece and Turkey.
All four of Sularski’s grandparents were born in Poland.
“It means a lot, them inviting me and getting to represent the country,” Sularski said. “Hopefully, we can go win it all.”
Speaking of winning, Sularski believes Lemont can do plenty of that in the winter.
“My teammates, I’ve known all these guys for a long time,” Sularski said. “These are my guys and I’m excited to play with them.
“I think we can shoot the ball really well. I think if we improve our defense a little bit, we can really go far.”
