Lake Zurich’s Alex Nowak-Tice ‘can dominate’

Basketball has been a part of Lake Zurich senior forward Alex Nowak-Tice’s life for as long as she can remember.

His father, Brad Tice, a 6-foot-9 forward, played college basketball at Central Florida and Loyola and had a significant influence.

“I’ve been playing since my eyes were open,” Nowak-Tice said. “I always had a basketball in my hand. I tried other sports, but basketball spoke to me. I had a strong feeling for this game.”

The 6-foot-3 Nowak-Tice is showing it more than ever in his fourth college season, averaging 10.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Bears (14-8, 8-1), who sit in second place in the North Suburban Conference.

The Winona State recruit scored 20 points in a conference win over Warren on Dec. 2, had a season-high 16 rebounds in a conference loss to first-place Libertyville on Dec. 12, had 19 points and six rebounds in a loss to Hersey on Dec. 23 and had 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists in a win over Lyons on Jan. 17.

“Alex has grown by leaps and bounds and improved a lot,” Lake Zurich coach Chris Bennett said. “A lot of it was about gaining that confidence that every player gets as a college scholarship player. She realized she could dominate this game, not just react. She can make plays, pass and finish around the basket. She rebounds like a beast.”

Rebounding has been an important point for Nowak-Tice this season.

“I think my rebounding has excelled compared to the last few years,” she said. “My No. 1 goal is to be the best rebounder on the team or at least get my hands on every ball. … Rebounding is such an important skill that you have to have.”

Lake Zurich junior forward Kaitlin Wahlund said Nowak-Tice’s efforts are paying off.

“Alex uses his strength to get good positioning in the paint and secure rebounds,” Wahlund said. “Her ability to finish through contact makes her a very reliable scoring option and a reliable post player. She also creates opportunities for her teammates and succeeds in high-pressure situations.”

Lake Zurich senior point guard Layne Nordstrom said Nowak-Tice is also a good leader.

“Alex stays calm under pressure and communicates well with everyone on the team,” Nordstrom said.

As for handling pressure, Tice said he emphasized the mental aspect of the sport to help his daughter overcome the ups and downs.

“Pressure is something we’ve talked about throughout his career,” Tice said. “The most important thing is to have the courage and preparation to take that shot. Individual pressure in a team game is just something we put in our heads. It’s more about never going too high or too low.

“You have to learn from every mistake you make, and it always depends on the next play. Take a deep breath, visualize and live with the outcome.”

Nowak-Tice said working with Legos was also helpful. Figuring out how the pieces fit together is a quieter challenge than pulling off a big shot.

“Legos give me peace of mind when I’m stressed,” she said. “I’ll build Legos, especially when I have a bad game or I’m depressed, or I’m doing a puzzle. Both take a lot of time.”

In time, the Bears got back into shape, winning five straight games before losing to Indiana powerhouse Crown Point at Coach Kipp’s Hoopsfest in Benet on Monday.

“The team is playing well now,” Nowak-Tice said. “I think we can go pretty far this year with the height we have. We have to be one of the taller teams in Illinois.”

Bobby Narang is a freelance journalist.