Playing for Brother Rice has been the best kind of fresh start Jack Weigus could have asked for.
The senior guard transferred from Hinsdale South, where he was surrounded by drama for two years as the program dealt with two coaching changes, multiple coaching suspensions and a lawsuit.
At Brother Rice, Weigus is thrilled to be able to focus on basketball.
“This has been like the best time of my life so far,” Weigus said. “I’ve had a lot of fun. The coaches, my teammates, the school, everything has been grade A. Grade A-plus.
“Practices are hard — you get pushed in practice. They expect a lot out of me, but that’s just what I need. It makes the experience that much better.”
On the flip side, Weigus has made the Crusaders that much better. He showed it again Saturday night, scoring 16 points to rally Brother Rice for a 56-48 win over Lincoln-Way East in the Bob Hambric Shootout at T.F. North in Calumet City.
The Citadel recruit Marcos Gonzales scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to lead Brother Rice (16-1). He also pulled down five rebounds. Caden Workman added eight points.
Evan Riiff produced 14 points off the bench for Lincoln-Way East (9-8). Jonathan Aluyi contributed nine points and six rebounds, while Brendan Sanders scored eight points and Jaymon Hornsby chipped in with seven.
Weigus, meanwhile, has fit in perfectly with his new teammates and coach Conte Stamas.
And the best part about it all?
“It’s just the stability now,” he said. “I’m not used to it. Being at a program with one of the winningest coaches in the state and a bunch of great players and being in a stable situation, it makes it all a lot more enjoyable.”
Weigus kept the Crusaders in Saturday’s game amid some early struggles as he scored 10 points in the first half.
Lincoln-Way East, though, played lights-out offensively early, making 73% (11 of 15) of its shots before halftime.
The Griffins led 40-34 midway through the third quarter and took a 41-40 edge into the fourth, but Brother Rice dominated down the stretch, turning the tide with a 9-0 run that included four points from Gonzales and a 3-pointer from Weigus.
“When we’re not playing our best ball, I think we just rely on our senior leadership and our experience,” Weigus said. “We relied on the camaraderie we have as a team, knowing we’d pull through at the end of the day.”
Brother Rice held the Griffins scoreless for over three minutes in the fourth quarter while taking control.
“Defense won us the game,” Gonzales said. “During practice all week, our whole focus was on the ‘kill drill.’ Killing other teams’ possessions. We got a lot of kills there at the end of the game.”
Weigus and Gonzales have formed a dynamic duo in the backcourt, becoming close off the court as well.
“Jack’s a great player, a great shooter, a great defender and just a great person,” Gonzales said. “He’s one of my best friends. We’re lucky to have him.”
After a hot start to the season, Weigus endured a bit of a shooting slump recently. Most of that came at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.
He seems to be back on track.
“He went back to Hinsdale, where he’s from, and I think he put a lot of pressure on himself,” Stamas said. “He had tough shooting games there, and I think it bothered him a bit. But he had 29 points against Perspectives (on Jan. 4) and he played well (Saturday).
“I think he’s going to be just fine.”
Weigus believes so, too.
“There were a couple games where the shots felt good but they just weren’t falling,” he said. “(Saturday), it felt OK. I think I’m just getting better every day as the season goes on.”
