Borcia is carving out a niche on varsity level
By Ken Keenan kkenanpioneerlocal.com December 25, 2012 4:48PM
Crystal Lake-12/01/12, Sat./Crystal Lake South High School #30 Joe Borcia, of Libertyville looks for the three pointer vs. Crystal Lake South. | Joe Shuman~For Sun-Times Media
Updated: January 27, 2013 6:16AM
A successful spurt during a summer game with his AAU Full Package team gave Joe Borcia a shot of confidence.
The sophomore has parlayed that stretch into major minutes with the Libertyville High School boys basketball team this season.
Borcia, the tallest Wildcat at 6-foot-8, scored a team-high 14 points in his team’s recent loss to Stevenson.
A center, Borcia said that tallying eight points in the last two minutes of that aforementioned AAU summer game served as a catalyst for his improvement this season.
“That gave me assurance that I can play with these guys, that I can make a big impact at the varsity level,” Borcia said. “After that, over the summer, I played very well.”
Borcia admitted that he is not yet where he wants to be, but said that he’s trying not to put too much pressure on himself during the learning process.
He said his strong suit is being a finesse-type player, adding that he’s aware of a need to add strength in order to play against more experienced big men.
“My game is not built on bulk and size, but I want to work out and add that to my game,” Borcia said.
“So right now, I’ll focus on my strengths — set shots, mid-range jumpers — while trying to get strong to play down low and rebound. Offseason will be key. I want to lift (weights) every day and get stronger.”
Libertyville coach Scott Bogumil said that Borcia has the right frame of mind with regard to building for the future, and he plans to exercise patience with his young big man.
“He’s a good learner, and listener, and he’s real mature for a sophomore. He’s just got to get his skills matured to match it,” Bogumil said. “For a young guy, he’s hard on himself, and you like to see that. He’s got a passion for the game. So with a young guy like that, you get to watch that develop in front of your eyes. He’s raw now, but he’s bringing his game along.”
