On a Sandburg team filled with young stars, Connor Gleason is one of just two seniors on the roster and the lone senior starter.
So, the 6-foot-2 guard has quite an important role as the Eagles’ unquestioned leader. And that’s reflected in the way Sandburg coach John Daniels refers to Gleason.
“I don’t call him Connor,” Daniels said. “I call him ‘Captain.’ We made him captain at the banquet last year and he was great all summer.
“He’s great in those moments when things don’t go right. He’s like a coach on the floor.”
Gleason also was a key player on the floor in Friday night’s rivalry game. He scored 12 points and pulled down six rebounds to help the visiting Eagles top district foe Andrew for a 58-46 SouthWest Suburban Conference win in Tinley Park.
Will Johnson piled up 18 points and 16 rebounds for Sandburg (13-11, 4-8). His twin brother, Jonah, added 10 points and six rebounds, while Malachi Perkins and Lucas Matykiewicz scored nine points apiece.
Ryan Dinnon led Andrew (7-15, 2-10) with 23 points and seven rebounds, while his brother, Scott, scored nine points. Mason Moore contributed seven points and 10 rebounds. Dionte Thigpen tallied eight rebounds.
Gleason, meanwhile, has fully embraced the leadership role on a team filled with sophomores and juniors who are all first-year varsity starters.
“It’s an easy team to lead,” Gleason said. “They all want to play. They all want to compete.
“The Johnson twins are two players like nothing I’ve ever seen. They just always compete so hard and want to win every game. Perkins is a high-level passer. It’s an easy team to play with.”
Gleason also led by example against Andrew, sparking the Eagles by scoring the first eight points of the second quarter. He buried a 3-pointer, followed with a 3-point play and then scored off a steal to give Sandburg a 19-8 lead.
Gleason was the sixth man last season but did not contribute much offensively. He went to work in the offseason with a mission in mind.
“Coming into this year, I just had a chip on my shoulder,” Gleason said. “I wanted to win. I wanted to change the program and how people view it.
“It was countless reps in the gym. I’d get in the gym early mornings in the summer, late nights, just shooting the ball a lot.”
Down by as many as 19 points in the third quarter, Andrew fought back within 10 on four different occasions but could get no closer.
The Johnson twins made sure of that. Jonah threw down a thunderous dunk to start the fourth and Will also scored seven points in the quarter.
Will Johnson said the twins and their teammates look up to Gleason and lean on him for guidance.
“He brings leadership and energy,” Will said. “It’s big to have someone older who’s been around the program and understands how to get everybody going. He pulls everyone together.”
A few years ago, however, Gleason would never have expected to be a varsity starter in basketball. He did not play the sport competitively until high school.
“I was a big soccer player growing up and played a little bit of baseball,” he said. “I played a little bit of basketball growing up, but just in rec leagues. I was never serious about it until high school.
“I started basketball and I gave up the other sports.”
What prompted the change? A sudden growth spurt.
“I went from 5-foot-3 to 5-foot 10 in eighth grade,” Gleason said. “It was the COVID year. There wasn’t much to do. I was just out in the driveway shooting hoops and I started to like it.
“I found my passion for it and never stopped.”
