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the winnetka current | March 7, 2019 | 35
Girls Basketball Coach of the Year
Weissenstein rides into
sunset in final season
Michal Dwojak, Contributing
Sports Editor
Steve Weissenstein
didn’t expect to be where
he is in 2019 when he entered
the Glenbrook South
gym in 1983.
The Titans head coach
was an accountant who
visited his friend when he
arrived. He’ll leave as a
giant for the South basketball
program after 30 years
with the school, 21 as the
leader of the girls program.
“I didn’t have the foggiest
idea that this would be
the place where I would be
a head coach for 30 years,”
he said. “For that to come
true is beyond words.”
Weissenstein capped a
historic career with one
he’ll never forget. Despite
different challenges
throughout the season,
the Titans fought those off
to win numerous tournaments
and surprise a rival
in its IHSA regional.
His team’s success, despite
adversity, is why
22nd Century Media
named Weissenstein it’s
2019 Girls Basketball
Coach of the Year.
“I had the 19 best kids
you could possibly have,
and that made it just so
rewarding,” Weissenstein
said. “Every day of practice,
every game we had. It
was fun to be in that gym
with those kids.”
Many fans and coaches
around the state expected
the Titans to have a good
season. With a strong senior
trio of Kristin Ralston,
Makayla Stadler and Libbie
Vanderveen, South had
the talent to compete with
Glenbrook South girls basketball head coach Steve
Weissenstein was named 22nd Century Media’ 2019
Girls Basketball Coach of the Year. 22nd Century Media
File Photo
any team and be considered
one of the best in the
state.
The Titans started the
season strong by winning
the Mundelein Thanksgiving
Tournament, but then
the injuries started. Julia
DiSano dislocated her
shoulder in the title game
of the tournament and doctors
said she’d miss the
rest of the season. Both
Stadler and Vanderveen
played with sprained ankles
for most of the season
and Ralston missed four
games with a concussion.
But South continued to
fight. With its depth, the
Titans won games, including
the Falcon Holiday
Classic. There were a
few games Weissenstein
knows his team could’ve
won had he had his full
roster, but the Titans made
a surge toward the end of
the season.
DiSano returned for the
big win over Maine South
to finish the season and
South battled back to defeat
New Trier for a IHSA
regional championship after
losing to the Trevians
twice during the season.
“I give credit to the girls
who stepped up and made
big plays,” Weissenstein
said. “We were mixing and
matching.
“It’s really cool when
you see kids who were hurt
and then battled back.”
Weissenstein said he
wouldn’t think much about
his last season before it
started. But with every
gym visit, the hosts celebrated
Weissenstein and
what he meant to not only
the Titans program, but the
basketball community.
“It meant a lot to me,
knowing they had that kind
of respect for me,” Weissenstein
said. “I’ve built
relationships with those
coaches over the years,
and for them to do that, it
did mean a lot to me.”
Girls Basketball Player of the Year
Douglass’ all-around
game nets her 2019 honor
Joe Coughlin, Publisher
Four days after her team
lost in the supersectional
round, Lake Forest’s Halle
Douglass was in Normal,
Illinois, watching the
IHSA Class 4A state finals.
It wasn’t easy, but it was
worth it, as Douglass came
away with a clear goal.
“It makes me want to
play there more,” she said.
“Next year, we want to be
there. We have to get better
and work hard to get in
that position.”
That drive for excellence
is one reason the Scouts
had their most successful
season in program history,
and Douglass earned accolade
after accolade along
the way, including being
selected as the North Suburban
Conference Player
of the Year, First Team
All-State and 22nd Century
Media (parent of The Leader
that covers nine area
high schools) girls basketball
player of the year.
During the regular season,
Douglass averaged
16.4 points per game, 8
rebounds per game and 5.7
assists per game. She also
tacked on 3.4 steals a game
and 2.4 blocks a game.
She junior point guard
led the NSC in all of those
categories except rebounds.
Also this year, Douglass
broke the school record for
career assists and scored
her 1,000th career point.
While her name is next
to those stats, Douglass
credited her teammates for
the numbers.
“I think it’s mainly just
because of the girls on
my team,” she said about
her success. “[The stats]
wouldn’t have been as
good if they didn’t work as
hard as they do. They are
all so committed to getting
better every day. And this
year we really learned how
to push each other.”
The Scouts did that by
ratcheting up the intensity
in practice, “making things
more game-like,” Douglass
said.
The results were undeniable,
and not just for Douglass.
Lake Forest amassed 27
wins, a program record,
and advanced to the final
eight in Class 4A by earning
the first sectional title in
program history.
While Douglass deflects
praise, her all-around game
had plenty to do with the
Scouts’ highlight-filled
season. LFHS coach Kyle
Wilhelm said he thinks she
is the best high school point
guard in Illinois.
But as you can see by her
stat line, it’s not all about
the points for her. Douglass
gets it done in all facets of
the game.
“I’ve never really been
like, ‘I have to score a ton
of points,’” she said. “If I
have an off night, where I
can’t put it in basket, I do
what it takes. I love playing
defense; it’s one of favorite
parts of the game.”
Rarely do you see a
point guard switch to a
post defender on the other
end of the floor, but Wilhelm
like Douglass’ height
(6 feet 2 inches) and length
to wreak havoc around the
rim.
Her diverse game also
has colleges swooning.
The teenager has picked
up 15-plus scholarship of-
Halle Douglass led
the North Suburban
Conference in points,
assists, steals and blocks
on her way to All-State
honors as the Scouts
earned a sectional title.
22nd Century Media File
Photo
fers so far, many from bigname
programs.
But she still has one
more year of high school
left, and there’s plenty to
look forward to. For instance,
the team that bested
the streaking Scouts was
undefeated Maine West,
which ran roughshod
through the state (only two
of the Warriors 35 wins
were decided by less than
12 points) on its way to a
state championship.
Douglass saw what it’s
like on the big stage and
wants to lead the Scouts
back there.
And she won’t be resting
on her laurels.
“I think I need get a lot
stronger; I’ll be working
on that this offseason, being
strong in the post,” she
said. “Also, I want to work
on my shot. I developed it
a lot this past year, but I
think I can become a better
shooter for sure.”