Boys track and field: Cary-Grove discus state runner-up Reece Ihenacho is headed to Illinois

Until last spring, Cary-Grove’s Reece Ihenacho considered himself a basketball player first and a thrower in track and field second.

Then something clicked for Ihenacho, a 6-foot-6 junior who cranked out a 55.85-meter (183 feet, 1 3/4 inches) discus throw to win the Class 3A Batavia Sectional and followed that up by taking second in the state meet.

“Just reflecting back on my years before, I was always focused on basketball or work,” Ihenacho said. “Track was one of the lesser priorities, and then last year I just fell in love with it. I can’t explain it.

“At practice one day, it hit me.”

Ihenacho dedicated himself, throwing in USA Track and Field events over the summer and adding considerable weight to his lean frame, and on Thursday announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he had signed a National Letter of Intent with Illinois, where he will throw next year.

Illinois and Iowa were his final two schools.

“I really like the culture there and the team,” Ihenacho said. “I also really enjoy the stuff they offered me outside the sport itself. They make sure I’m covered and I’m not going to struggle outside of track.

“I really like the help with academics and their athlete dining hall.”

It doesn’t hurt that Illinois’ throws coach is J.D. Lambert, a former teammate and coach of C-G throws coach Josh Freeman. The two were teammates one year at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and Lambert coached Freeman for four years as a professional.

Freeman told Lambert he had a thrower with great potential.

“We’re super close. It just so happened he had gotten the job at Illinois and was in need of a discus thrower,” Freeman said. “I told him, ‘I have this guy, he’s a little bit of a project. He’s new to the sport. He’s a basketball-first guy, but he has the tools to be a great discus thrower. He moves well, he’s tall, he’s long and he’s coachable. When I give him cues, he picks it up quick, and he sticks with it.’

“Coach got in touch with him, and I stayed out of the way. It is cool that it’s full circle and he’s working with Coach Lambert.”

Ihenacho is now 6-6, 250 pounds, close to 50 pounds heavier than he was last season. Since he is not playing basketball, he worked on putting on weight through lifting and nutrition. As far as the taking cues, he listened to Freeman.

“He is taking a nutrition class just down the hall from where my classroom’s at,” said Freeman, who is a para-professional at C-G. “I told him, ‘When you cook something, you can bring it down and share with me. I’d love to try what you’re making.’ He goes, ‘Coach, no, I’m trying to put on weight right now. I can’t share any food.’ All right, at least he has a good reason for it.”

Ihenacho took second in discus at the USATF Junior Olympic Championships in Eugene, Oregon, throwing 53.79 (176-5). He was 12th in the Class 3A shot put at state and should improve in that with the added weight.

Ihenacho is working with XP Performance in Crystal Lake with coach and owner Robert Cook, with whom he trained for basketball. Now the training has switched to building mass.

“I told him, ‘I have this guy, he’s a little bit of a project. He’s new to the sport. He’s a basketball-first guy, but he has the tools to be a great discus thrower. He moves well, he’s tall, he’s long, and he’s coachable. When I give him cues, he picks it up quick and he sticks with it.’ "

—  Josh Freeman, Cary-Grove throws coach, on senior Reece Ihenacho

Freeman saw Ihenacho throughout the fall in the hallway and kept asking him what he weighed.

“The best part is, it isn’t bad weight,” Freeman siad. “He has big legs now. His shoulders are broader, his arms are thicker. You can tell it’s good weight, and he’s moving well. He can still jump. He has all the athletic attributes he had last year with more of a throwers’ frame.”

Ihenacho is getting used to the way his body has changed.

“I’m trying to learn how to use my weight to my advantage. I’ve been fine-tuning a lot more of my technique in both shot and disc.

“It’s an amazing opportunity [at Illinois], and it’s great to know I have coaches who believe in me and I have athletes who are pushing me to become the best. That’s what I’m really looking forward to.”