JOLIET – Joliet Junior College sophomores Jarret Gmazel and Mitch Kwasigroch grew up down the street from each other in Manhattan.

They have been playing basketball together since elementary school. “We hung out together all the time,” Gmazel said.

They played basketball for four years in coach Bob Curran’s program at Lincoln-Way Central and the past two years at JJC.

Neither was ready to give up the game. There was no rule they had to remain a tandem, but it will work out that way as University of St. Francis coach Ryan Marks has recruited both to play their final two seasons of college basketball with the Saints.

“I knew I wanted to play out of high school, but I didn’t know where,” Kwasigroch said. “I’m glad I got the opportunity to play here at JJC. It’s been amazing. Coach [Joe] Kuhn and the other coaches have been great.”

What about remaining Gmazel’s teammate at USF?

“I didn’t pressure Jarret, and he didn’t pressure me,” Kwasigroch said. “We talked about it, but we gave each other space.

“We played the same days as USF played most of the time this season, so I didn’t see their games in person, but I watched some online. Judson and Aurora talked to me, too, but St. Francis was the place for me.”

“We did talk about going to USF together, but both of us were looking at other schools, and we tried not to get in each other’s business,” Gmazel said.

Kwasigroch took a normal route to his college career. Gmazel, on the other hand, was enrolled as a freshman at Ball State, but just as his first semester was beginning, he disclosed a change of heart.

“I actually was going to Ball State,” he said. “Right when classes were beginning, I decided I wanted to play basketball again. I talked to Mitchell and he said I should come play here. Coach [Joe] Kuhn welcomed me in.”

“Both had a little different journey while here at JJC,” Kuhn noted, “with Kwasigroch being an immediate starter while Gmazel was shifted between starting and sixth man freshman year to an all-region player and All-American nominee his sophomore year.

“Mitch was a really steady performer both years. We knew that we could pencil him in for 12 to 15 points and six to eight rebounds a game while playing intelligent basketball. His ability to shoot was a very difficult matchup for other teams and in itself created many opportunities for other players.

“Jarret had some very good games his freshman year but couldn’t quite find the consistent shot he had as a sophomore. His sophomore year was amazing, and from a coaching standpoint, a lot of fun to watch.”

The 6-foot-0 Gmazel, who Marks said is a shooting guard but can play the point as well for the Saints, led the Wolves in scoring this season, averaging 17.5 points, 3.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds. The 6-5 Kwasigroch, whom Marks sees as an ideal 4 (power forward) for USF, averaged 14.2 points and 6.4 rebounds.

“I did shoot it better than last year,” Gmazel said. “I can’t give enough credit to my teammates and the system we played in, though.”

The duo helped JJC to a 26-7 season, culminating in a last-second, 85-83 loss to Columbus State in the NJCAA Division III District II championship game, when a berth at the national tournament was on the line.

“I am really happy for these two young men as they exemplify what it means to be a student athlete,” Kuhn continued. “Although both were academic qualifiers out of high school, they are great examples of benefiting from attending junior college both academically and athletically.

“Obviously, the financial savings are there, but the opportunity to continue playing, having success and earning scholarships is always the end goal. And in their case, the opportunity to play together after high school and now after JJC is really the ultimate. Although we finished one game short of reaching nationals, they both have had outstanding careers at JJC.”

Careers that will continue at home at St. Francis.

“I’ve been following them over the course of the year, and I saw them play five or six times when they were seniors on a solid team at Lincoln-Way Central,” said Marks, whose team finished 10-19 this season, including 7-13 in the CCAC. “It’s been fun to watch their improvement.

“One thing that we struggled with this season was perimeter and 3-point shooting. Both of these guys do that very well. They will bolster us in that area. With basketball today, you’re kind of behind the learning curve if you don’t have four guys on the floor who can shoot the three. JJC’s success this year, I thought, was largely due to those guys making a lot of threes.”

Marks said the bond that has joined the careers of Gmazel and Kwasigroch is “rather unique because they have been in our back yard all the time. One thing you notice about them is they were great teammates in high school and at JJC. Their growth and skill development, coupled with their basketball IQ, give us two guys who can really help us.”

Kwasigroch said he will major in business, “but I’m not sure what I’ll branch out to from there.” Gmazel said his major will be special education.

With USF a member of the CCAC, Kuhn noted that former Wolves standout Robbie Brooks, a Plainfield Central graduate, is playing in the conference at Governors State.