L-W Central's Foster Finding Ways to Eat Up Double Teams

In the locker room following Lincoln-Way Central’s 47-43 boys basketball victory over Lincoln-Way West, Central athletic director Hud Venerable delivered a few stirring comments to the Knights—and delivered three pizzas.

To 6-foot-8 Brad Foster.

Foster scored 23 points, hauled down eight rebounds and blocked four shots in a performance on Wednesday night that was a mirror-image of what he’s been doing for the Knights (5-5) from the season’s opening tip.

“It’s like what our athletic director here said, Mr. Venerable. It’s got to start with someone,” Central coach Bob Curran said. “He’s been our foundation this year. I want to say he’s averaging 17 (points) and 11 (rebounds), and that’s with teams all over him, double-teaming down low.”

West limited Foster’s touches by utilizing a couple of different zone defenses and sagging bodies around him at all times. The strategy was effective—as Foster was limited to 16 shots and taken out of the play for prolonged stretches.

Even when he did not have the ball, though, he was creating opportunities for his teammates.

Johnny Finnin made 5-of-9 shots and scored 10 points against West. Nick Kowalkowski dished out seven assists. Mike Mikolajczak hit Central's only three-pointer.

All their efforts combined to take some pressure off Foster.

“They had front and back, so what we did is we kind of snuck some people to some areas that we thought would be open,” Curran said. “So, even when he wasn’t scoring, he was drawing two guys and we were able to get some baseline layups with him just bringing his man up the lane.”

Foster, a Lewis University recruit, spoke about how the Knights employed a new offensive system in their second win over the Warriors this season. The first win for Lincoln-Way Central was a 49-48 nail-biter on Nov. 23.

“The middle was very open, so that’s what we decided to do—I would flash middle,” Foster said. “And someone would come to the short corner, which helped us open up that eight-point lead right at the beginning of the second half.

“We knew they would double-team me the entire game. So, we knew someone else would have to be open. It was a give-and-take kind of situation where we would both prosper.”

Foster has grown accustomed to drawing a crowd under the basket. He has learned to play within the framework of what the defense gives him—and his teammates. He has learned to give the ball up when people are hanging all over him.

And his willingness to adapt has spread throughout the Knights' camp.

“I think we’re learning from our mistakes every game, which is good,” Foster said. “We’re never going to be perfect. So, we’ve really been coming into practice with a positive attitude, a lot different than last year. We’re all wanting to get better. We’re all listening to coach.

“And sometimes when we have our rocky moments, we watch film. We get together, and we fix it. You could see it tonight. We fixed it from the first game to now. So, we’re just trying to get better.”