Men’s basketball: Presniakovas signs with St. Francis
From Submitted Reports April 30, 2012 10:54PM
Plainfield South's Ed Presniakovas. | File photo
Updated: June 2, 2012 8:07AM
Ed Presniakovas started a historical high school basketball career at the Pat Sullivan Center on the campus of the University of St. Francis as a freshman in the WJOL Thanksgiving Classic in 2008.
Four years later, the shooting guard from Plainfield South became District 202’s all-time leading scorer, breaking a record that stood for 50 years.
USF men’s basketball coach John Baines is hoping for more of the same when Presniakovas begins his collegiate career on the same Pat Quigley Court after Presniakovas signed a National Letter of Intent with the Saints.
“Eddie is one of the premier scorers in the state of Illinois,” Baines said. “He has the ability to shoot the ball with deep range, is strong enough to finish in the paint and has a scorer’s mentality.
“He is a great teammate and has a sincere desire to improve his game at the college level.”
Presniakovas was Plainfield South’s all-time leading scorer, top assist man and one of the leading rebounders during his four-year career as a starter on the varsity level. He was honored as the Southwest Prairie Conference’s top player his junior and senior seasons.
Presniakovas averaged 21.8 points and 7.8 rebounds last season, when he led the Joliet area in scoring. He made 66 three-pointers and had 68 assists and 31 steals.
“In addition to his basketball abilities, Eddie is a distinguished student and has a high level of character,” Baines said. “No matter who I talked to in the area, to a man they said Eddie is a great person and will become an outstanding Saint.”
Presniakovas plans on majoring in criminal justice.
St. Francis went 15-16 last season and reached the semifinals of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament before falling to NAIA No. 4-ranked Robert Morris 84-82 on a last-second three-pointer.
Women add point guard
Belleville East honorable-mention All-Stater Alexis Brown has signed to play for the St. Francis women’s team. She will fill the point guard position after averaging 15.2 points, 3.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 steals for the Lancers.
“Alexis Brown is not only a great player but a great person,” USF assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Samantha Quigley said. “Her work ethic and competitiveness will be an asset to the program.”
Brown was an All-Southwestern Conference first-team selection and was Belleville East’s top free-throw shooter three years running. She plans to major in nursing.
USF went 17-14 last season with three upset victories over ranked teams in NAIA II No. 9 Bethel (Ind.), No. 14 Saint Xavier and NAIA I No. 21 Robert Morris.
