Twins John and Zach Mikrut had fun making history with Brother Rice’s basketball team.
But minutes after hoisting the Class 3A second-play trophy Saturday night at the State Farm Center in Champaign, the Mikrut brothers started thinking about doing the same in volleyball.
“Our whole squad is back and we have more firepower on the lower levels,” John said afterward. “We’re hungry. We haven’t had a trophy in however long — just like basketball.”
While it was the first state trophy in program history for Brother Rice in basketball, the volleyball program has a pair of trophies, including third place in 2004 and fourth place in 2017.
John and Zach Mikrut, both of who have committed to Trine, want more.
When they were sophomores, the Crusaders made it to the state quarterfinals but missed out on a trophy after a 25-17, 25-23 loss to Lyons.
John remembered that one with the same distaste as Brother Rice’s 55-52 double overtime loss to DePaul Prep. The twins talked about how that basketball setback might help them this spring.
“This motivates me more to get back in there because we have high hopes for volleyball, too,” John said. “I’ve been focused on basketball and now I’m focused on volleyball.
“I have my head straight with volleyball, and we’re going to keep going.”
Zach has some motivation of his own to do well. He suffered through a severe knee injury after a play May 11 in the Richards Tournament and confirmed the recovery wasn’t easy.
“It was a long journey,” Zach said. “My teammates and my coaches were all supporting me throughout this recovery process.”
Now that he’s back, he’s appreciative about just being able to step onto the court.
“Oh, my God, the first couple of months it was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Zach said. “But I was patient and I kept working. Sooner or later, I felt like I was back to normal.
“There were definitely some valleys and there were definitely some mountains, and it took a lot out of me. So, just to be back means the world to me.”
His brother admired Zach’s comeback.
“He’s been through it all,” John said. “He was humble and patient for his opportunity. He’s hungry, and he’ll be killing out there. Being with him back on the volleyball court is very special to me.”
Having the twins back in practice also is special to Brother Rice coach Brandon McGinnis.
“John and Zach are vital pieces to the program,” McGinnis said. “Their presence in the gym heightens the level of play and competition on a daily basis.
“They bring out the best in everyone and everyone around them.”
The boys volleyball season starts across the state Monday. The Crusaders finished 25-14 last spring. Among the returnees is senior outside hitter Paul Baker, who played a big part in 2023.
Then, you have the Mikrut twins. John is a 6-foot-1 right-side hitter. Zach is a 6-1 senior outside.
They both played basketball their freshman and sophomore years and gave it up last season to play volleyball. Coach Conte Stamas welcomed back for their senior basketball seasons, even though they had no idea that the Crusaders would go as far as they did.
Zach didn’t get see much time, but John was surprised to be one of the first players off the bench.
“Once our volleyball season ended last year, we made the decision to play basketball again,” John said. “I didn’t think I would play as much as I did. I thought it was going to be me sitting on the bench and enjoying every moment I had playing high school basketball.
“Coach Stamas had high hopes for me and wanted to see me out there, and I wasn’t going to let him down.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
