NT_051619

northbrooktower.com sports
the northbrook tower | May 16, 2019 | 43
Scheyer surprises Northbrook’s Willowbrook students with visit
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It’s not every day a basketball
giant just walks into
a classroom for a friendly
chat with students, teachers
and administrators.
But May 6 was a very
special day for Willowbrook
School kindergartners
in Sarah Lerman’s
classroom because that is
exactly what happened.
District 30 alumnus and
Mr. Basketball of Illinois
2006, Jon Scheyer, joined
the students and teachers,
to the delight of all present,
especially his nephew
Blake Resnick, who is a
student in the class.
Scheyer, whose smile lit
up the classroom, is now
the associate head coach
of the University of Duke
Blue Devils men’s basketball
team.
He led Glenbrook North
High to an Illinois state
basketball championship
as a high-school All-American
and was on the 2009-
10 Duke Blue Devils team
that won the 2010 NCAA
Basketball Championship,
as a college All-American.
However, at Willowbrook,
he towered over the
excited kindergartners at
6-foot-6, dressed in shorts
and a Duke jacket, and was
their hero of the day.
Nephew Blake Resnick
sat at his side while he
spoke to the children about
things that he, as a team
recruiter, looks for when
looking for new players.
“One must have high
character. Do you listen
to your teachers? Are you
a good person?” he asked.
He then stressed that
good grades, talent and
practice are also very important
to succeed as an
athlete or in any profession.
During a question-andanswer
period, one student
asked what his favorite
number is.
Scheyer said it is 30,
which was his number
when he played at Duke.
When he was in elementary
school, he said his favorite
number was 23 (Michael
Jordan’s number). Then
later, seven was his number
of choice. By the time he
played basketball in college
at Duke, he had chosen the
number 30, and it stuck.
His mother Laury
Scheyer and sister Jenifer
Resnick (mother of Blake),
Jon Scheyer visited Willowbrook School in Northbrook on May 6 in a fun surprise for students and teachers.
Photos submitted
were also in the classroom,
with Principal Dr. Scott
Carlson, and Superintendent
Dr. Brian Wegley.
The kids, with the help
of teacher assistant Sara
Weinstein, handed out
their handmade cards to
Scheyer. In return, he
gave each person an autographed
photo of himself
on the cover of Sports Illustrated
magazine, when
the Blue Devils won the
championship in 2010.
As impressed as the children
were by this super athlete’s
myriad accomplishments,
there was one thing
that they kept asking him to
repeat while he was in their
classroom. That was to
touch the ceiling simply by
just stretching out his arm.
The chant, “Do it again,
do it again,” rang loudly
throughout the room.
However, as most adults
already know, it’s never
truly easy to reach a ceiling.
It takes practice, a lot
of practice.
Scheyer talks to the class and shares words of advice.
Scheyer surprises his nephew Resnick