PEORIA — It’s usually a once-in-a-lifetime experience for parents to follow their children to a state tournament.
Unless your last name is Reinke.
This weekend was the third state tournament appearance for Winnebago in six years, and the name Reinke has been on every roster. Wes was a reserve player for the 2003-3004 team and a starter the following year. This year, his younger brother, Brad, is a junior starter.
"I don’t think they realize at this point how special it is," said the boys’ father, Jeff Reinke. "They’re still pretty young. But someday, 15 to 20 years from now, when they’re older, they’ll look back at this and realize what they were a part of."
Jeff is a big reason why two of his boys have both reached the IHSA State Tournament in Peoria. He’s coached all his sons in youth leagues and then handed them over to the Winnebago program their freshmen years.
"Jeff has done a very good job coaching those players," Winnebago coach Joe Murphy said. "You know his kids are going to be good ball players, and they understand the game really well."
Jeff coached all four of his sons in basketball. The family's middle child, Hannah (19) chose to excel in volleyball instead.
"That broke my heart," Jeff said jokingly.
Jeff, 48, and his wife, Chris, have lived in Winnebago for about 15 years. When their oldest son, Mitch, was 4 and wanted to start playing basketball, Jeff stepped in to help coach and coached him through the eighth grade.
"I had never had any coaching experience before," said Jeff, who has coached up-and-coming Winnebago boys teams for almost 10 years now. "It’s just something I wanted to try."
Wes, 21, is the family's second child. After watching from the bench his sophomore year when Winnebago went to state, he took a starting role as a junior and averaged 10.7 points to lead the Indians to their 2004-2005 state runner-up trophy.
Brad joined the program the year after Wes graduated. In his first season as a starter, Brad is averaging 8.8 points a game.
"I remember when I was in seventh grade, sitting in the stands and watching Wes and Devan (Bawinkel) play here, and just dreaming that one day it would be us," Brad said. "Now that it’s come true, it’s just a great experience for us, and it’s something I’ll never forget."
And it won’t be the end of the Reinkes when Brad graduates next year. The youngest son, Matt, is in eighth grade. Because Matt has played with his big brothers all his life, Jeff said he has the potential to be the best player in the family.
"He’s further along than the other guys were at this age," Jeff said about Matt. "He’s been playing with his older brothers all his life. He’d be playing with them on the hoop next door, and he’d come in crying, face all black with dirt. He’d sit there and cry at the table because they were picking on him. Then after a few minutes, he’d get back up and go out and join them again."
Matt will join the Winnebago program next year, which means this is Jeff’s last year of coaching Winnebago’s youth. After watching his big brothers compete in three state tournaments, Matt said there’s a lot for him to live up to.
"I remember a lot of (the state tournament) when Wes played, and all the hype for the games," said Matt, whose teams have gone a combined 32-1 the past two years. "It’s pretty much the same this year.
"I guess there’s a little pressure for us. Not to be able to go (to state) like them would be a let-down, so I guess I’ll do whatever it takes to get back here."
-Emily Tropp, rrstar.com
