High school basketball: Geneva’s streak, appreciating Benet’s Gene Heidkamp and Hyde Park’s Jerrel Oliver

The team with the longest current winning streak in the Chicago area may surprise you.

The answer: Geneva.

Coach Scott Hennig’s team is rolling. The Vikings haven’t lost since Dec. 7, falling to DuKane Conference leader Wheaton-Warrenville South. But as Geneva heads into a rematch this tonight with the Tiers, the winning streak has reached 15 consecutive games.

A couple of senior veterans, point guard Mick Lawrence, a three-year starter, and 6-1 Jimmy Rasmussen, have catapulted the Vikings to a 19-3 record. They combine to average 25 points a game while 6-3 junior Tommy Diamond (9 ppg, 9 rpg) is a defensive and rebounding presence.

The Geneva vs. Wheaton-Warrenville South battle for first place in the DuKane Conference might not be the last big game these two play this year. With Benet looking as if it will be the top seed in the Bartlett Sectional, Geneva and Wheaton-Warrenville South are positioned to be the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds and would be on a collision course to meet in a sectional semifinal.

Appreciating Gene Heidkamp

Even if it was a mismatch on paper from a pure talent, size and athletic standpoint, Benet’s home win over Kenwood last weekend shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Among top programs in the state, there is no coach who has consistently won more or at a higher level with less Division I talent than Benet’s Gene Heidkamp.

The two-time City/Suburban Hoops Report Coach of the Year has had five Division I players — and a total of six scholarship players — in his 15 seasons as the head coach at Benet.

Dave Sobolewski (Northwestern) and Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin) were part of the 29-1 team in 2010-11. Big man Sean O’Mara (Xavier) led the Redwings to a state runner-up finish in 2014. Kyle Thomas (Eastern Illinois) played last year, and this season it’s 6-5 Niko Abusara who is headed to Dartmouth.

But Heidkamp has two state runner-up finishes and is on the verge of winning 21-plus games for the 13th time in 15 seasons. And he’s done so while loading up his schedule and playing a highly-competitive non-conference slate.

Simply put, Heidkamp has been and remains one of the truly elite coaches in the state. From the discipline his teams play at both ends of the floor to the development of the players in the program to the preparation and attention to detail that is so transparent, Benet has been a model of extraordinary consistency without elite level talent.

Jerrel Oliver’s early success

An overlooked story this season has been the job Jerrel Oliver has done in his first season at Hyde Park.

The highlight thus far was last week’s stunning overtime upset over rival Kenwood.

If anyone is paying attention, Hyde Park is right near the top of the state’s toughest conference, thanks to that win over Kenwood. The Thunderbirds are 7-2 in the Public League’s Red-South/Central and 19-5 overall.

There were a few solid pieces in place, namely a backcourt highlighted by seniors Cameron Wiliford and Damarion Morris. Plus, the rise of 6-7 junior Jurrell Baldwin, a transfer from Homewood-Flossmoor, has been a big addition. However, year one is never easy for any coach in establishing a system and culture on the fly.

Oliver spent many years under his uncle, Mike Oliver, as an assistant at Curie while also being heavily involved in the club basketball scene. So there is a model to follow that he’s familiar with in terms of building and maintaining a consistent winning program in the Chicago Public League.

Hyde Park is oozing with potential as a basketball program. With so much coaching turnover in recent years, stability has been needed. Oliver hopefully can provide that. And with Oliver’s mindset and approach, he’s a coach who has a real chance of raising the program to levels many have expected Hyde Park to reach.

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