Adversity can’t stop C-G

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At no point this season did things get easier for Cary-Grove’s girls basketball team.

Right from the first few practices, things were a little tough. Coach Rod Saffert was traveling back and forth to his native Minnesota to visit his ailing father, who died one week into the season. Other players’ relatives also died during the first few weeks.

As it did many times afterward, the team banded together and carried on.

The Trojans were living in the shadow of two state champions, C-G’s girls volleyball and football teams. The expectations were high. Kids at school started telling the players they were state finals bound.

As it had before, the team banded together and continued on, focusing on one game at a time.

Then in December point guard Megan Straumann, the glue that held the Trojans together, tore her ACL, relegating her to the bench for the remainder of the season.

As usual, the team banded together and continued on. That’s how Saffert runs his program and it’s what he expects of his team, which is why Saffert is the Northwest Herald Girls Basketball Coach of the Year, as selected by the sports staff with input from local coaches.

Saffert led the Trojans to a 26-4 record, a share of the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division title and an IHSA Class 4A regional title. C-G lost to then-unbeaten and fourth-ranked Geneva by seven points in a sectional semifinal.

C-G’s roster was filled with talented players. But talented players without expectations and direction often fall short of their potential. Saffert ensured that did not happen with his team.

“We lost my dad, we had three players lose grandmothers during the year, then Meg went out, and I started to think everything was going in threes,” Saffert said. “It was one of those years when we learned that adversity is an asset. I’m really proud of this team. I couldn’t be prouder of what they did.

“The people who came before me, Jim (Altendorf), Gary (Wadlington), Bruce Kay, set the standard for this program. ... I’m very regimented in what I want done, but the girls take that to heart. They pay attention to the little things, the details, and you could see that all season.”