Superstar-less Stevenson is dreaming of Peoria

Matthew Ambrose remembers the three consecutive trips Stevenson made to the state tournament in Peoria during the Jalen Brunson years. He was there watching when his father, Patriots coach Pat Ambrose, and Brunson won the Class 4A title in 2015.

‘‘I went on those bus rides and went to those pep rallies,’’ Ambrose said. ‘‘Three years as a little kid, I walked with the team down those stairs when the school does the send-off to state. I just want that for us this year.’’

Ambrose, now a senior, missed a shot in overtime in the supersectionals that could have sent Stevenson to Peoria last season.

‘‘That crushed him,’’ Pat Ambrose said. ‘‘It was hard for him to take.’’

Monday was the first day of practice for basketball teams around Illinois. The mission at Stevenson is simple: Get to Peoria.

The Patriots return all but one starter from a team that won the North Suburban Conference and a sectional last season. Evan Ambrose, Matthew’s younger brother, will step in at point guard.

‘‘Taking off school and going downstate is such a magical moment in time,’’ Pat Ambrose said. ‘‘Those two boys got to go many times on the bus with Jalen Brunson, and they want to do that, too. If it happens, that would be a dream come true for me and for everyone.’’

Stevenson boys basketball practice | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

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Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose talks to his team during practice. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

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Stevenson’s Evan Ambrose (33) practices a drill. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

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Stevenson’s Matthew Ambrose (31) practices a drill. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

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Stevenson’s Matthew Ambrose (31) and RJ Holmes (23) practice a drill. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

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Stevenson’s RJ Holmes (23) practice a drill with a teammate. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

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Stevenson players dribble the ball during practice. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

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There is no Brunson on the team this season. There is no Justin Smith. There isn’t a Division I player on the team. That’s why Stevenson snuck up on so many teams and prognosticators last season.

‘‘Last year, most people didn’t think we’d go anywhere,’’ senior John Ittounas said. ‘‘Teams didn’t know who we were. Now everyone knows who we are.’’

The Patriots won the prestigious Riverside-Brookfield Shootout, which featured 64 of the top teams in the area, over the summer.

‘‘It’s teamwork,’’ Matthew Ambrose said. ‘‘We just have to do it differently. We are a little more scrappy; we aren’t as talented. We have to run some set plays. But we are pretty skilled. We don’t have a D-I superstar, but we can beat teams in other ways.’’

Ittounas said Pat Ambrose’s particular coaching style might be one of the secret ingredients.

‘‘Coach does a great job with all the fall and summer stuff,’’ Ittounas said. ‘‘It isn’t something a lot of teams do. It’s not just on the court; it is off-the-court bonding and becoming close as a team.’’

Pat Ambrose, who is 423-166 in 20 seasons at Stevenson, said he doesn’t think there is a secret ingredient that turns a team of above-average players into one that beats virtual all-star teams in the area.

‘‘It is about having a lot of high-quality kids that want to work together,’’ Pat Ambrose said. ‘‘They know they aren’t superstar players, so it has to be a team effort. When we are hunted, we had better stick together or we will be in trouble.’’

RJ Holmes, a 6-4 senior, is one of the high-quality kids. He’s hoping to play basketball in college, but he isn’t waiting around for a low-major or mid-major scholarship. He wants to go to MIT.

‘‘They actually have a pretty good basketball team,’’ Holmes said. ‘‘I want to be a mechanical engineer, so MIT has both — high-level basketball and academics.’’

Stevenson’s road to Peoria begins in two weeks at the Palatine Thanksgiving Tournament. The Patriots will face Oak Park at the Team Rose Classic in December and Loyola at Welsh-Ryan Arena in February.

‘‘It was so hard missing that shot last year,’’ Matthew Ambrose said. ‘‘But we are back, and our expectations are sky-high this season.’’