Date posted: 3-27-01

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Best friends on and off the court

By Andy Tavegia

DeKalb News Service

GENOA -- One brief journey to a Genoa-Kingston High School practice this past basketball season would display the obvious.

Ryan Findlay raced towards to the basket, his typical grimace shining through. In one quick swoop, the 6-foot-5 senior would leap and powerfully slam down a one-hander, shaking the rim violently.

A few minutes later, fellow senior and teammate Garrett Oleson eyed the entire court. With one swift maneuver, he slid swiftly into the lane, working feverishly to find the open man. After finding Aaron Pry, Oleson retreated to the three-point line, and quietly awaited the pass back. It soon came and the senior popped a three-pointer.

While Findlay and Oleson's games may have been entirely different, they somehow found a way to coexist throughout three years for the blue and orange. And the path they chose was simple: to become best friends.

"They're inseparable," said G-K coach Phil Jerbi. "Where one is you can generally find the other. What else can you say besides they're best friends?"

While the Cog faithful may no longer see the same No.'s 32 and 42 on the court together following G-K's surprising early exit from the IHSA state tournament, the basketball chapter has not officially closed for the pair. Both are being heavily recruited at the collegiate levels with Kishwaukee College hard at Findlay's door, while North Park, Eureka and Hillsdale Colleges highlight Oleson's list of possible suitors.

Collegiate coaches must have been impressed with a resume that included combining for nearly half of Genoa-Kingston's offense as well as being named All-Big Northern Conference as seniors. As two of the top players in DeKalb County, Findlay and Oleson included monster performances of 51 combined points (26 points for Oleson and 25 for Findlay) against Stillman Valley and 50 (25 apiece) against Winnebago.

But ask the two of them, and they'll most likely tell you the biggest asset is their friendship. Almost as soon as Findlay moved in from Streamwood as a freshman, a relationship grew based on intensity and respect.

"He was talking trash that he could beat me one-on-one, and I didn't even know the kid yet," said Oleson, a lifetime resident of Genoa.

Games between the two became a daily routine during the summertime, with even the mood for two-on-two duels striking every once in a while with friends and teammates. Arguments remain to this day as to who finished with the upper hand.

"In one week, we probably had 24 hours dedicated to practice alone," Findlay said. "And usually after practice we would head over to Garrett's and play on his hoop for another hour or so."

Those practice sessions paid off. The intense duo can practically predict each other's moves on the court, something Jerbi loved to see.

"These two were perfect for each other," Jerbi said, noting the high level of maturity displayed by the teammates. "Even though they like to have fun and goof around a lot, they know when it's time to focus and get serious. They spend an awful lot of time with each other. They played out at Garrett's house, and they've kind of grown on each other. It's a friendship thing."

The answer may never be known to the question as to which player won those epic indoor conquests, but one thing is for certain: The tandem on the basketball court made opposing coaches cringe at the thought of entering G-K's Henigan Gymnasium.

Findlay averaged 14.9 points a game to go along with an eye-popping 11.3 rebounds and three blocks for his senior season. With every block, the 190-pound forward/center upped his school record total. In one night, he put up career numbers of 31 points, 24 rebounds and six blocks in an overtime loss to Somonauk - and all with a broken finger.

Oleson remained close at his hip all season long, finishing with 14.6 ppg along with 2.3 steals. The slasher loved to hit a three-pointer in the face of an opponent or better yet, penetrate the lane and find the open man. And if he got fouled, no problem. The six-foot-two senior shot 80 percent from the free throw line.

Even more impressive was that Oleson was putting up 30-point games in his sophomore season. His career best came against Winnebago with 30 points that same season. However, he'll still tell you the most exciting aspect of that year was the potential for the future, knowing he was soon to team up with Findlay, who was a member of the freshman-sophomore squad at that time, and fellow varsity player Adam Finley.

"I knew he'd be pretty good when he came up to varsity, so I was kind of excited," Oleson said.
Unfortunately for G-K, after a stellar season of 17-12 and a top-three conference finish, Finley, who was looked upon as an integral part to the Cog's gameplan, transferred to Rockford Boylan High School. That left Oleson and Findlay to ponder the future. But even in the face of adversity, these two best friends knew what to do.

"It went completely without saying," Findlay said about needing to take control. "We just kind of looked at each other and knew that it was our time."

G-K may not have experienced the same success this season, finishing only 11-16, but with the leadership displayed by this tandem, it certainly hasn't gone by the wayside either. Known as two of the most aggressive players in northern Illinois, the duo has earned praise from opposing and Genoa-Kingston coaches alike.

"Some guys lead by example and some are good with motivational words," Jerbi said. "Neither one of these guys motivate with their words. I think they do it more with their actions. They're quiet leaders."

Two things are certain. First, even after the conclusion to this season, the names of Findlay and Oleson will not soon vanish from the minds of the G-K faithful, and second, college life won't close the chapter on a terrific friendship.

"He just looks at me and just smiles," Findlay said. "If not for this kid, I'd probably be nothing."

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Source list:
· (Ryan Findlay b-ball player at G-K)
· (Garrett Oleson, b-ball player at G-K)
· (Phil Jerbi, coach at G-K, 784-6465)