There are many labels to describe what Lake Zurich junior J.R. Cison does on the basketball court, but he prefers one moniker.
“I’m a point guard,” Cison said. “My job is to call the plays, keep the offense running smoothly. Run the team, basically.”
So far in his first season running the Bears’ offense, the 5-foot-10, 155-pound Cison is handling those responsibilities quite well.
Lake Zurich beat Lake Forest 53-43 on Friday to improve to 10-4 this season. The Bears are winning games with an aggressive offense that pushes the pace and a man defense that get stops at opportune times.
Cison leads Lake Zurich at both ends of the floor.
“We want to play more up-tempo. J.R. allows our guys to use their versatility. They don’t have to handle the ball as much,” Bears head coach Billy Pitcher said. “He’s so quick and can pick up guys full-court. His conditioning is unbelievable.”
“He likes to push the ball and has the vision and passing ability to facilitate and help us get easy buckets,” senior guard Ryan Kutsor added.
This is the first year Kutsor has played high school basketball with Cison, but the two Lake Zurich residents have known each other for years. They first played youth basketball together in grade school, then played against each other at Lake Zurich North and South middle schools.
When Cison decided to attend St. Viator for high school, he remained in touch with Kutsor and other Bears players, at times working out with them in the gymnasium inside St. Francis de Sales Church in Lake Zurich. He’d shoot with Kutsor and work out with current Bears sophomore William Tucker and senior Ken Haynes.
Kutsor said he always tried to convince Cison to play with him again.
“I’d try and persuade him,” Kutsor said. “I’d say, ‘We can have something really good and you can fit in real well.’ In a sense, I was trying to recruit him over.”
Cison saw significant action for the Lions last season, but he said he didn’t enjoy the commute to Arlington Heights and way ready to play for his hometown team. By June, Cison was wearing a Bears uniform during summer-league play.
By the end of summer, Cison felt comfortable running the offense. Now, he is fully adapted to life as a Bear. He drives his freshman siblings, Bryce and Julia Cison, to school each morning.
“It was a good decision for me and my family. I enjoy Lake Zurich a ton in every aspect,” Cison said. “This feels a lot better, it feels right.”
“It feels like he never left,” Kutsor added.
Jon J. Kerr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
