High school boys basketball: Huntley's Uchenna Egekeze, Ryan Sroka lead way

Ever since middle school, when it came to basketball drills for their team, Ryan Sroka looked for Uchenna Egekeze.

They were the two best players in their class at Huntley, so they wanted to match up and push one another to the maximum.

Last summer, they got a chance to do that for real when Sroka’s Mercury Elite travel team ran into Egekeze’s Fundamental U team at a tournament in Aurora.

It was funny, and slightly awkward, as they checked each other for a couple of possessions.

“I was like, ‘Uchenna, you have to guard me right now,’ ” Sroka said. “I definitely prefer to play with him.”

Now seniors, the two have played together through middle and high school. They are two major reasons why the Red Raiders (11-3, 4-1 Fox Valley Conference) are having their best season since going 21-8 in 2014.

Egekeze and Sroka both are on pace to pass 1,000 points and 500 rebounds for their careers, a rare feat for teammates in the same season.

“It’s been a long journey with Huntley basketball,” said Sroka, a 6-foot-5 guard-forward averaging 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. “Uchenna and I have been through the ups and downs. We always stress to leave a legacy here, not just for our class, but for the future classes, as well. It means a lot what we’ve been able to accomplish so far.”

Sroka started his sophomore season with the varsity; Egekeze, a 6-3 guard, was called up after five games with the sophomores. The Raiders were 6-23 that season, but they learned about playing at the varsity level. Ryan Crosby, then a sophomore classmate and now a starting guard, was also on the varsity.

“It’s been good. Thinking from freshman year to now about how much I’ve improved,” said Egekeze, who averages 15.8 points and 7.4 rebounds. “We improved a lot our junior year, and up until [this season], things have been going pretty well. It’s been all about improving and getting better, and we’re looking to do even more now.”

Huntley is one game behind Cary-Grove and Hampshire in the FVC standings with 13 games remaining. It’s a long way to go, but for the first time since 2014, the Raiders are contenders.

“Eighteen [FVC games] is such a long grind and process,” Raiders coach Will Benson said. “Right now we’re trying to continue to get better, and hopefully we’re within striking distance when we play Hampshire and Cary. That middle group is capable of beating anybody on any night. It’s awesome that we’re in it, but we have a ways to go.”

Huntley finished 18-15 last season with Egekeze and Sroka leading the way. This should be Benson’s best team in his six seasons at Huntley.

Friday’s 61-40 victory at Burlington Central was a classic example of how difficult Egekeze and Sroka can make it on opponents. Egekeze could not be stopped driving to the hoop. Sroka got rolling in the second half, and the Raiders broke a close game wide open.

“It helps a lot when teams are game-planning hard on Ryan or myself,” Egekeze said. “When we have games where we’re both playing at a pretty high level, it’s good for us. It helps everyone else.”

Egekeze sits at 959 points and 426 rebounds for his career. Sroka is at 897 and 405. With at least 18 games remaining (17 in the regular season, plus the IHSA postseason), they both should reach the 500-rebound mark along with the 1,000 points.

Sroka lists NCAA Division III Augustana and Illinois Wesleyan, D-II Lewis and D-I Alabama-Birmingham (which invited him to come as a preferred walk-on) as his top schools.

Egekeze is receiving the most interest from D-III Wheaton and Wisconsin-Whitewater, along with D-II Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville, Tennessee. His brother Amanze, the 2014 Northwest Herald Player of the Year, played his college ball at D-I Belmont, in Nashville.

“It’s real nice [to be in the FVC race],” Egekeze said. “We know that we have a chance to contend for it. We feel it. We have to prepare and get it done. That’s definitely one of our goals, to contend and possibly win or share the FVC title.”

The 1,000/500 Club

Huntley's Uchenna Egekeze and Ryan Sroka are both closing in on 1,000 points and 500 rebounds for their three-year varsity careers and are big reasons the Red Raiders are 11-3.

Uchenna Egekeze, 6-3, G

Career points: 959

Career rebounds: 426

Season scoring avg.: 15.8

Season rebounding avg.: 7.4

Other statistics: Leads the team with 30 steals and 13 blocked shots.

Ryan Sroka, 6-5, G-F

Career points: 897

Career rebounds: 405

Season scoring avg.: 15.7

Season rebounding avg.: 6.9

Other statistics: Leads the team with 33 3-pointers; shooting 38% from the arc.