Full-speed ahead for Brust, Mundelein teammates
Players on other teams might feel otherwise, but fans of Mundelein High's boys basketball team surely are thrilled with the sight of Ben Brust in a Mustangs jersey and playing hoops in the summer league at the College of Lake County in Grayslake.
And not only is he playing, but he looks better than ever, as he's fully recovered from a from a broken right ankle that ended his junior season in January while he was leading the county in scoring.
(Ryan Pagelow/News-Sun)
• 8 p.m. -- vs. North Chicago
• 8:45 p.m. -- vs. Carmel
TUESDAY, JUNE 23
• 5 p.m. -- vs. Grant
• 5:45 p.m. -- vs. Warren
TUESDAY, JUNE 30
• 5 p.m. -- vs. Grayslake Central
• 5:45 p.m. -- vs. Deerfield
TUESDAY, JULY 7
• 8 p.m. -- vs. Zion-Benton White
• 8:45 p.m. -- vs. Waukegan
"In a word, it fells 'wonderful,' " said Brust after his Mustangs defeated Lakes in a game at CLC last week. "Just to get back on the floor with my teammates is a great feeling. It feels 110 percent and I'm just happy to be playing again."
Brust actually has been playing hoops for the last six weeks, as he played with the Deerfield-based Rising Stars AAU program in tournaments in Arkansas and North Carolina.
"It was a challenge to get thrown right in against some the best players in the country right awy," said Brust. "But the ankle feels great, and I am able to do everything I need to do on it."
Brust was having a sensational junior year until the injury occurred, averaging 28 points per game.
Though his teammates carried on without him, the Mustangs, as you would expect with their top scorer out, were never the same.
"It was the worst three months of my life," Brust said of the injury's aftermath ... "Not being able to play and not being able to help my teammates."
Playing the last two months of the season without the team's best player might not have been how Mundelein High varsity basketball coach Richard Knar envisioned last year ending.
But, he noted that it did give the rest of the team time to learn to play without relying on Ben.
"Hopefully we'll be a better team because of it," said Knar. "It should make us better because they had to pick up their own games and now we have Ben back. No one is happier about that than I am."
Despite being in a cast for almost three months, Brust still worked in the weight room on his upper body and tried to stay in the best shape possible.
"I was really impressed on how hard Ben worked on his upper body in the weight room," said Knar. "He worked hard and looks great. He's a great leader on and off the court, but we certainly would prefer him to be on it."
One player who might have benefitted from Brust's absence was post player Ryan Sawvell. The 6-foot-9 forward/center had to learn to play without defenses focusing on Brust.
"Ryan had to learn how to battle without me on the floor," said Brust. "He really played well those last 10 games or so, and should be an even bigger force underneath this year."
With teams not able to collapse around Sawvell, Mundelein could have an inside-outside game that could cause trouble for even the best of teams next winter. PREP BOYS BASKETBALL
