SIZE MATTERS
acknowledged. "Being my coach and mentor, he taught me so much when I was younger. He real- ly wanted me to be where I am today. I did, too." As a player, Frank Kaminsky Sr. averaged 19
points over four seasons at Lewis College (Ro- meoville, Ill.) and received NAIA All-American recognition.
Kaminsky later extended his playing career
to include a 15-year run with Marathon Oil. In fact, he was on the roster in the early '90s when Marathon was a regular exhibition opponent of the Badgers. As a head coach, Frank Kaminsky Sr. had stops
at Glenbard West High School, the University of St. Francis and York High School. Kaminsky was a co-founder and coach of the Chicago Challengers women's basketball team. He was also a player-coach on the Challengers men's team.
"My dad was my coach from fourth grade to my freshman year in high school," said the younger
"I really didn't know what to expect," Kaminsky said. "I was ready for anything that was go- ing to happen, whether it was a redshirt or getting minutes like I am."
Frank. "He told me to always be aggressive no matter what. "He still tells me that today. He thinks that I'm not aggressive enough and he lets me know when I should be more aggressive. He says if you're tentative, people will run all over you." Frank Kaminsky Sr. was present for both the
North Carolina and Marquette games. Afterward, he reminded his son, "If things don't turn out in your favor, there will always be tomorrow." It seems like only yesterday that the Kamin- sky's were playing one-on-one. A few years ago,
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DAVID STLUKA
