WB_120519

wilmettebeacondaily.com SPORTS
the wilmette beacon | December 5, 2019 | 35
Athlete of the Week
10 Questions
with Will Pujals
The Loyola senior is a
member of the boys basketball
team
When did you start
playing basketball?
I started playing basketball
around 4 years old
after seeing all my older
brothers’ games and seeing
the excitement the game
brings.
What’s one thing
people don’t know
about you?
Something that no one
knows about me is that I
am 50 percent Cuban.
If you could travel
anywhere in the
world, where would
it be?
I would travel to Cuba
because that’s where my
dad grew up and I’d like
to see his old home and
where he grew up.
What’s the best
part about playing
basketball?
Hitting a shot in a close
game and then getting
back on defense and getting
a big stop that leads to
another score.
What’s the hardest
part about playing
basketball?
The mental aspect to not
fatigue and tell yourself to
push yourself through that
next possession.
If you had a
superpower, what
would it be?
I would be a shapeshifter
because then I can be
anything in the world.
What’s one thing on
your bucket list?
To win a state championship
this year with my
team this year.
Tracy Allen/22nd Century Media
What was your
favorite moment at
Loyola? This could
be athletics or not
athletics.
My favorite moment at
Loyola had to be when we
won the regional championship
last year against
main south.
If you could play
another sport, other
than basketball, what
would it be?
I would play football because
of the team camaraderie
and the ability to hit
your opponent.
What’s your favorite
restaurant and what
do you get when you
go there?
My favorite restaurant is
Five Guys and I get a double
bacon cheeseburger
with tomatoes, lettuce, and
ketchup with Cajun fries
and a chocolate shake.
Interview by Sports Editor
Michael Wojtychiw
The Varsity: North Shore Podcast
Guys talk hoops, wrestling,
hockey to start winter season
Staff Report
In this week’s episode of
The Varsity: North Shore,
the only podcast focused
on North Shore sports,
hosts Michal Dwojak, Nick
Frazier and Michael Wojtychiw
recap the latest in
North Shore sports. The
guys start off by recapping
holiday boys and girls basketball,
hear from Loyola
boys basketball player Jordan
Kwiecinski, play Way/
No Way with wrestling and
get all caught up with boys
hockey
From Page 39
Northfield resident Edgar
Cepuritis is on the board
of directors of the Finks
foundation, along with
Jim Sofranko (Winnetka),
Mike Straub (Winnetka),
Doug Shehan (Northfield),
and Dale Atkinson (Northbrook).
They’re all driven to help
expose inner-city kids to
what’s possible.
“These kids don’t leave
the city, so just to get them
out where there are trees
and grass, and a place for
them to run around, those
are the opportunities we
want to try to create,” Cepuritis
said.
“We all love Chicago.
It’s a great city. But to
watch the news you’d think
it was the worst place in
the world and that’s unfortunate.
We need to address
gang violence and we need
to help these kids.”
In 2002, Tom Finks
founded Pro Sports Experience,
an organization that
Find the varsity
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and girls hockey.
First Quarter
The three recap all the
boys and girls basketball
action over the holiday
weekend.
Second Quarter
Kwiecinski joins the show
to talk about a big rivalry
runs youth football camps
in conjunction with the
Bears, Tennessee Titans,
Green Bay Packers, and the
NFL Alumni Association.
The Jim Finks Foundation
was established 18
months ago and was born
out of Pro Sports Experience’s
involvement with
Parents for Peace and Justice,
an organization that
supports families that have
lost children to gun violence
in Chicago.
The Finks foundation
had its first fundraising
event in the summer of
2019 and was able to run an
all-sports camp for a hundred
kids in the Belmont-
Cragin neighborhood of
Chicago.
A hundred percent of the
proceeds from Wednesday’s
event will go towards
the foundation’s next effort.
The Winnetka Ice Arena
donated the ice time for
the event, players donated
to the cause as they walked
in the doors, and donations
are being accepted at the
foundation’s website, at
jimfinks.org.
game.
Third Quarter
Way/No way comes
back as the guys make predictions
on wrestling.
Fourth Quarter
To finish things off, the
guys talk about boys and
girls hockey.
Cepuritis played in the
first of two games played
on Wednesday and he’s
grateful for the support.
“Hockey players will do
anything for each other,
whether they’ve known
each other for ten days or
ten years,” he said. “It’s
such a great community of
people.”
Whether through summer
camps, after-school
programs, or specialty programs
and clinics, the Finks
foundation will continue to
strive to provide alternatives
for Chicago youth.
Tom Finks is honored to
see his father’s name connected
to the endeavor.
“It’s awesome and I love
every part of it,” Finks
said. “I know my dad
cared about the players on
his teams and looked after
them in their post-careers.
“I often get former players
who approach me to tell
me they’re grateful for the
support they got from him
in terms of finding a place
to land after football. So
that spirit is being carried
forward by this mission.”