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38 | August 22, 2019 | The wilmette beacon SPORTS wilmettebeacon.com Posted to WilmetteBeaconDaily.com 1 day ago Silverstein’s hard work pays off with Harvard opportunity Drew Favakeh, Sports Intern Sam Silverstein rolled over and saw his mangled wrists. He fainted. On Feb. 8, in a game against Niles North, Silverstein tried to dunk over a defender. The defender had different plans, trying for the block and in doing so, undercutting Silverstein. The ball lodged between the rim and the backboard as Silverstein flipped. Silverstein caught his fall with both wrists. The next thing Silverstein remembers hearing came from the doctors who surrounded him in his hospital bed: “There’s no way you’re coming back.” After breaking both his wrists, Silverstein’s season ended. And so did New Trier’s. Ending the season 23-7, the Trevians were 1-4 without Silverstein. After losing to Evanston in the sectional final last season, he told his peers: “Next year, we’re gonna do this thing.” After losing to Schaumburg in the regional final, tears streamed down Silverstein’s face. TURN YOUR DAY-TO-DAY TASKS INTO EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES. WE INSTALL GRAB BARS! Glad to be back Thirteen weeks later, in his first game back from the wrist injuries, Silverstein went up for a dunk. Silverstein convinced Fundamental U coach, Mike Weinstein, that he could play in the Under Armour circuit in Kansas City. Weinstein agreed on the condition that he play in three-minute intervals. With Silverstein struggling and the team down 20, he decided to try a dunk. “My first game back, I was feeling good coming in,” Silverstein said. “The guy was a little shorter than me, but he jumped. So I saw the opportunity and I was like ‘alright, I’ll go for it.’” Since getting injured, one would think he would have been more tentative. Silverstein, though, is the opposite — he’s been even more aggressive. In his first two workouts with his trainer (and Loyola Academy assistant) Aaron Hamilton, he steered clear from the rim and ball-handling drills, but after that, Silverstein was back in business. New Trier alumnus Sam Silverstein will play at Harvard after a year of prep school. Photo submitted “After his wrist injuries, he was more athletic,” Hamilton said. “It had no ill-effects. He’s going to the basket as hard as he was before.” Last season, Silverstein worked out with Hamilton at Highcrest Middle School. For 60 seconds straight, Hamilton would have Silverstein repeat standing dunks. One morning, Silverstein participated in one of those training sessions. That night, in Loyola’s summer league, New Trier played on a court next to Loyola. Hamilton saw Silverstein dunk on a 6-foot-8-inch’ Whitney Young player. Silverstein nodded his head at Hamilton as if to simultaneously thank and warn him. This summer, Hamilton has Silverstein training outdoors. Where most competitors get trained in air-conditioned gyms, the muggy Chicago summer forges Silverstein’s mental toughness. In the mornings, Silverstein runs hills at Mount Trashmore and Glencoe Beach. “I wanna go out and dominate every court that I’m on,” he said. “I want to be the best player on the floor. I want to win games however I can help my team win is really what’s most important to me. Running the hill, being in the best shape possible at the most basic level, that’s what it takes.” Harvard University it is Until December 31, Silverstein was committed to a Division Three school. In the Pontiac Christmas Tournament, New Trier played Curie on December 28. That game, the Trevians lost 61-40 and while they had 22 turnovers, Silverstein accounted for zero. After the game, he told his dad: “I can play against these guys.” So he re-opened his recruitment. That’s when Mike Weinstein advised Silverstein to go the prep-school route. Though Weinstein had known the coach at Northfield Mount-Hermon for over 20 years, he outlined multiple options. Silverstein had also garnered interest from some Ivy and Patriot League schools, including Bucknell, which he had visited in March. In June, Harvard’s recruiting staff got in contact with Silverstein. The BRATSCHI PLUMBING 801 OAK STREET, WINNETKA 847-446-1421 SERVING THE NORTH SHORE SINCE 1937! 4 TH G ENERATION F AMILY O WNED AND O PERATED © www.bratschiinc.com truth was, Harvard did its due diligence on Silverstein two months before — when they asked New Trier coach Scott Fricke, assistant coaches, opposing coaches, and college coaches about Silverstein. On an official visit to Cambridge, Silverstein received an offer from head coach Tommy Amaker and his staff. In a 45-minute conversation, Silverstein listened to Amaker talk about his fit at Harvard. Amaker told him he’d be position-less and showed a video of last year’s team, mainly participating in volunteer work. “I was really impressed, I was blown away that it was just more than basketball,” Silverstein said. “Coach Amaker and the staff teach everyone on the team: it’s a great opportunity that you have at Harvard and you have to take advantage of everything that’s presented to you.” Silverstein and his dad walked out of the meeting to phone Sam’s mother, who told him: “Sam, if this Please see silverstein, 36 Lic. 055-004618
wilmettebeacon.com sports the wilmette beacon | August 22, 2019 | 39 GOING PLACES Posted to WilmetteBeaconDaily.com 2 days ago Former Loyola student Nolan bringing juniors experience to Merrimack 22nd Century Media FILE PHOTO 1st-and-3 THREE FALL TEAMS TO WATCH 1. Loyola girls volleyball (above). Loyola won its first sectional in three years last season. They’ll look to repeat behind a handful of returnees, as well as players from an undefeated JV squad last year. 2. New Trier girls golf. The Trevs took fourth in state behind Penelope Tir’s fourth-place finish. Tir’s sister Audrey will lead the squad in 2019. 3. New Trier boys soccer. The Trevians will look for their fourth regional title in a row. Nick Frazier Contributing Sports Editor There were points during his time at Lake Forest Academy that Ryan Nolan wasn’t sure he could stick it in NCAA Division I hockey. Nolan scored 19 points in his first season with the Caxys, then upped that number to 22 his senior year. The Winnetka native transferred to LFA after two season at Loyola Academy. The collegiate potential was there, but Nolan still had doubts about whether he could make it to that level. That’s why he ended up joining the Victoria Grizzlies, a junior team in the British Columbia Hockey League. “I’ve always wanted to play DI hockey, but there were moments where I thought I wasn’t going to be able to,” Nolan said. “Taking a leap in juniors was an important decision for me. At that point, I could have gone to school, but I put in two extra years and I went out on my own for it and it ended up pretty well.” His time with the Grizzlies went so well, in fact, that Nolan earned a scholarship to Merrimack College, a small school located in Masschusetts. The Warriors compete in the Hockey East, one of the most difficult conferences in all of hockey. Nolan, a 6-foot-1-inch, 180-pound playmaker, is one of 16 freshmen on this year’s Merrimack roster. With a second-year head coach in Scott Borek, the Warriors are undergoing a full rebuild. Nolan says he was eager to be one of the guys to help renovate the program’s culture and identity. “They had just cut a bunch of guys and brought in a new coach, they wanted to build up a new program,” Nolan said. “I met with the coach and he explained that he was recruiting a bunch of guys all for different reasons and he was putting a team together. He envisioned something great and I wanted to be a part of that rebuild, set a standard for the new program.” It’s common for hockey players to go straight to the junior level from high school to hone their skills. The college game features a much quicker pace and a higher level of talent that takes getting use to. Nolan, who played in 33 games in his two seasons at Lake Forest Academy, was no different. He signed with the Grizzlies shortly after graduation, despite being pretty unfamiliar with his new surroundings. “It was really new to me, Former Loyola student Ryan Nolan will play at Merrimack. PHOtO SUBMITTED I didn’t know much about junior hockey and the BCHL in general,” Nolan said. “It was kind of like just shipping off to Canada and see what was going to happen.” Luckily for Nolan, he ended up becoming good friends with his new teammates. Fellow forwards like Alex Newhook, a Boston College commit and NHL Draft Pick, and Northeastern commit Riley Hughes helped with Nolan’s transition to Canada. The on-ice production took a while to blossom, as Nolan accumulated just 17 points in his first season. In his second year, the forward earned more playing time, and it showed in his 18 goal, 24 assists season. Looking back on his two years in Victoria, Nolan is thankful for the things he learned that he can take with him to New England. “I learned a lot from my coaches, and just guys around the league,” Nolan said. “It was a whole new pace for me, it was unbelievable to see players from a different part of the world and players that I had never even heard of and teams I had never known and just seeing all this amazing talent. Being able to compete with it was pretty special.” Being on such a young team at Merrimack, Nolan has a chance to contribute right away to a program that hasn’t enjoyed a winning campaign since the 2011-12 season. He’ll use what he learned in Canada, but the LFA product is looking to take it one day at a time. “Personally, since it’s my first year I’m just hoping to get my feet wet and see how this year goes,” Nolan said. “Obviously I’m not looking to put up league points or be a superstar or anything, just adapting to the new speed and the new level of competition and hopefully taking that into my next year.” Listen Up “I wanna go out and dominate every court I’m on.” Sam Silverstein — New Trier graduate on his mentality when he steps onto the basketball court. tunE in What to watch this week FIELD HOCKEY: Loyola and New Trier host an invite to start the season. • Loyola and New Trier host a play day with multiple local teams on Aug. 24. Index 37 - This Week In 34 - Athlete of the Week Fastbreak is compiled by Sports Editor Michael Wojtychiw, m.wojtychiw@22ndcenturymedia.com.
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