Adam Stuursma is writing the final chapter of a family legacy at Chicago Christian.
Stuursma has had several relatives star in various sports for the Knights. His cousin, Andy, is on the school’s Wall of Honor and his older brothers, Matt and Ryan, were both multisport standouts at the school.
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Adam, who’s the youngest, is following in family footsteps by playing basketball, football and baseball.
“We all like to play sports, and it’s just fun to be able to compete,” Stuursma said. “Playing at Chicago Christian has been a dream come true, really, because I’ve been watching their games since sixth grade, watching my brothers.”
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The senior guard/forward had a dream night Wednesday.
He scored a career-high 30 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as the host Knights rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit for a 63-55 win over crosstown rival Shepard in Palos Heights.
“It did feel very good, especially because we played in (the Elgin Holiday Tournament) and went 2-2 and Shepard went 4-0 to win it,” Stuursma said. “We felt like we could have done better in that tournament, so it felt good to kind of get some revenge.”
Matt Stevens scored 10 points, Joel Crowell contributed nine and Liam Crotty chipped in with seven for Chicago Christian (6-17), which won for the first time in 2023 and snapped an eight-game losing streak.
Robinson Hale finished with 10 points and nine rebounds for Shepard (10-12), while Tyrion McGhee and Manny Oroczo each scored eight points.
With the Knights down 34-18 at halftime, Stevens gave Stuursma some words of encouragement. Then he watched his teammate erupt for 20 points in the second half.
“I remember specifically saying to Adam right when we were standing outside of the locker room, ‘The game’s not over. We’ve just got to play harder,’” Stevens said. “Then he went crazy.
“I saw him have confidence on one-on-ones. He was making contested shots. He was doing everything. I just wanted to get him the ball and watch him play.”
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Stuursma’s two 3-pointers in the third quarter helped Chicago Christian get close, the latter cutting the deficit to 49-41 in the final minute.
He then scored his team’s first seven points of the fourth to help tie the game at 50-50.
“I felt more confident,” Stuursma said. “I felt like I could beat them on one-on-ones. Every single time I had it, I was able to go up with it and score or kick it out to get other people open shots.”
Stuursma, who plays tight end, linebacker and kicker in football and is a shortstop in baseball, loves putting on a Knights jersey year-round.
“We have so much freedom,” Stuursma said. “Not a lot of schools allow you to do that type of thing. Being able to play three sports you love, there’s nothing better.”
After trailing 52-50, the Knights went on a 13-1 surge to take over, leaving the Astros to wonder how the huge lead slipped away.
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“We couldn’t make a basket,” Shepard coach Tony Chiuccariello said. “I think we were 2-for-9 in the fourth quarter from the free-throw line. We got gun shy and we turned the ball over.
“Stuursma played great. Chicago Christian made shots and we didn’t.”
Chicago Christian coach Kevin Pittman was not shocked to see Stuursma step up.
“That’s the Adam that we saw the whole Christmas tournament,” Pittman said. “I play, typically, five to seven guys a night, and I think we wore Adam down a little bit. We’ve been trying to get him some rest. He hit a little bit of a wall, but now he’s coming back.
“Not that I expected him to score 30, but I’m not surprised he did. We know he’s capable.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
