Nick Radenkovich brings a clear vision for Morton College and he’s thrilled for the opportunity to share it as the program’s new head men’s basketball coach.
Radenkovich’s vision took shape from his association in the game at the highest levels. The graduate of Downers Grove South High School worked as a student-manager at an NCAA Division I Power Five Conference school and served as an assistant coach at a successful NCAA Division III program. He’s also coached AAU youth travel basketball.
“I’ve always had a passion for basketball ever since I was a kid,” Radenkovich said, “and I’ve always wanted to be part of it. I enjoy being around great student-athletes living the dream. I want to help in that process.”
Being around the basketball programs at the University of Arizona and Benedictine University gives Radenkovich a complete understanding of what it takes to play successfully at the highest levels. It’s how he’ll operate the Morton College program.
“Our goal is to help our student-athletes move to a four-year school,” Radenkovich said. “We understand that this is not their last stop. My job is to make sure everything we’re doing has them going toward that path. We want to run things like they’ll see at the next level, so they’re set up for success.”
Both Arizona and Benedictine performed at high levels during Radenkovich’s time. Arizona produced seven NBA players during Radenkovich’s four years as an undergraduate, while Benedictine won 83 games, four conference champions and reached the NCAA Division III tournament twice during his five years as an assistant coach.
He’s been involved with all aspects of a program, including retention, player development, recruiting, video analysis and practice organization.
“Nick Radenkovich is the type of coach we want at Morton College,” Morton College athletic director Jason Nichols said. “He’s been associated with winning programs and knows how to successfully prepare our student-athletes for the next level, both academically and athletically.”
Radenkovich, who has a degree in education from the University of Arizona, looks to play an up-tempo game. He builds the program’s foundation around three tenets – rebounding, defense and taking care of the basketball.
“We want to be very tough-minded and physical,” Radenkovich said. “In addition to taking care of the basketball, we want to be extremely unselfish and play with a team-first mentality.”
Morton College’s commitment to producing a winning program attracted Radenkovich to the position. The Vais Gymnasium has been transformed with stadium-style seating and a jumbo scoreboard, while the locker rooms, training facilities and weight room are all state-of-the-art. Plus, there’s a culture of success with women’s basketball and men’s soccer qualifying for the national tournament in 2021.
“The Morton College administration’s willingness to win is something big,” Radenkovich observed. “The facilities are terrific. Because of our location, we’ll be able to get a great mix of players from the city and suburbs. I’m excited to be here and thank Morton College President Stan Fields and athletic director Jason Nichols for the opportunity.
“I’m thrilled to be working with really talented players who also are good students and great people. If we can help them achieve their goals while winning, that would be huge.”
https://gomcpanthers.com/news/2021/5/26/radenkovich-named-mens-basketball-coach.aspx
