CHAMPAIGN — It wasn’t a given that Will LeeMaster would ever start for New Trier, never mind become a senior leader.
After all, LeeMaster didn’t even get any playing time as a junior reserve last season. He could only watch as his teammates won the Class 4A third-place game.
“I played on the scout team and went up to coaches a lot after practices and asked what they saw in me as a player,” he said. “They told me that I wasn’t good enough to get out on the court right now. I didn’t take that so hard. But I used it as motivation.”
Indeed, the 6-foot-4 LeeMaster transformed himself into a player the Trevians couldn’t do without. With a thick skin and a voracious appetite, he became a co-captain and starting forward this season, helping New Trier repeat its feat in 4A.
LeeMaster contributed eight points, six rebounds, one blocked shot and one steal as the Trevians beat Palatine 53-35 in the third-place game at the State Farm Center on Friday night.
“If I would have told myself at the beginning of my junior season that I would be a captain starting for this team, I would not have believed it at all,” he said. “I’m just very grateful for where I’ve gotten.”
LeeMaster made his presence felt in the first quarter as New Trier (30-8) built an early lead. He had two deflections that led to steals, a putback for a basket, a blocked shot, a tap-out to keep a possession going and a kick-out assist from the high post to junior guard Colby Smith, who hit a 3-pointer.
That was one of 11 threes the Trevians made against Palatine (28-10). Sophomore guard Danny Houlihan hit four of them to score a team-high 12 points. LeeMaster didn’t attempt any.
“To be completely honest, I couldn’t care less about scoring,” he said. “No one’s going to remember the guy who scored 20 points but lost the game. So it’s great to be out there contributing.”
LeeMaster didn’t score during New Trier’s 40-35 loss to Homewood-Flossmoor in the state semifinals just a few hours earlier. But he had a game-high seven assists and five rebounds. LeeMaster’s passing set up six backdoor layups, reflecting one of the skills he added this season.
“We run our offense through him, and he does a lot of the dirty work,” New Trier coach Scott Fricke said. “We had conversations with him, and he asked what it would take to play. We said, ‘You’ve got to be the toughest kid, the strongest kid, and bring the most energy. You’ve got to go after every offensive rebound.’ And he’s done exactly that.”
LeeMaster decided to reshape his body during the offseason. Over a period of a few months, the self-described “skinny kid” gained enough weight to get over 200 pounds. Protein drinks became routine for LeeMaster, and he ate a lot of pizza, his meal of choice.
“I talked to Jake Fiegen and Quinn Finerty (two seniors last season), and they told me to ‘eat until you’re full and then eat a little more,’” LeeMaster said. “I kept eating whatever I could. You could ask any of these dudes on this team. I eat probably the most food you’ve ever seen.”
LeeMaster ended up averaging a team-high 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists this season.
“I spent hours in the gym playing basketball, trying to work on my game,” he said. “You can control your energy, and that was my role on this team — be the energy guy and get the rebounds and pick up the scraps.”
But LeeMaster’s practice habits didn’t change. His hard work, which often involved tussling with 6-10 senior center Tyler Van Gorp last season, hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“Every single rep, he would go 110%,” standout sophomore guard Christopher Kirkpatrick said. “I thought he was crazy. I’ve always personally looked up to him for that, and I’ve told him that. He’s just someone who works really hard.
“We need more people like him in this program. He’s an amazing guy.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
