L-W East Coach Inducted into IL Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame

Between 1965 and 1969, Tom Anstett was a high school basketball standout at Quigley North High School in Chicago. 

As a junior, he averaged 28 points per game, and as a senior, he upped that average to 31. But he didn't start playing basketball in any capacity until he was a sophomore.

"Until then, I never touched a ball. My high school coach, Bill Schaefer took a chance on me. I was tall, I was shy, but he saw me in gym class. He kept saying 'come out, come out'," Anstett said.

Anstett, now an Lincoln-Way East assistant varsity head coach and English teacher, was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame late last month. His sophomore season of 1966-67 was a pivotal point in his journey from player to coach.

"Sometimes, they had to point me in the right direction on which way to shoot. I really learned to like the game that year, even though it was very difficult. I went with it that summer before my junior year and played all the time," he said.

Part of that learning experience involved guarding fellow IBCA Hall of Fame 2011 player inductee. The player was a senior from Chicago's Weber High School. He was the leading scorer in the Chicago Catholic League that year. He went on to West Point and became a basketball coach at a university in North Carolina. His name? Mike Krzyzewski, better known "Coach K".

Krzyzewski "was unable to be at the ceremony, so I accepted his award for him and I just put it in the mail today," Anstett said.

He got better, playing throughout the summer leading into his junior season. Quigley North had good seasons in both of Anstett's seasons as a junior and senior. Anstett finished his tenure at Quigley North with 1,389 career points and went on to Boston College.

Anstett played for two years under legendary NCAA and NBA coach, Chuck Daly. He played with the likes of former Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien and played in a game against UMass and guard Julius Irving. He also played against Villanova's Howard Porter, Campy Russell at Michigan, and Bob Lanier from St. Bonaventure. He also played against Jim Calhoun in his early years of coaching at Boston's Northeastern University before Calhoun moved on to UConn.

"It was quite an experience at Boston College. They were independent then. I looked at is as a challenge, and I did as well as I could, especially considering my lack of early experience as a player," Anstett said.

During his freshman year, freshmen were not able to play at the varsity level. They had their own freshmen team coached by Frank Power, who isn't well known outside New England.

"Power helped (former BC coach and Celtics star) Bob Cousy write a book about basketball. In fact, Power did most of the writing and Cousy put his name on it, but he was a great coach," Anstett said.  

Anstett brings a unique distinction to Lincoln-Way East.

"We have an official, a coach, and a player in Illinois halls of fame," Lincoln-Way East Athletic Director Dave Brost said.

Brost is a member of the Illinois Wrestling Hall of Fame as an official, and soccer coach Brian Pappa got his sport's honor a few years ago.

Anstett lives in Frankfort. His youngest son, T.J., is finishing his junior year at Lincoln-Way East and plays on the basketball team. His older son graduated in 2008.