Girls Basketball: Downers North's Ellie Gross carries on a family passion for basketball
By MATT LE CREN - editorial@mysuburbanlife.com
Trojans' senior is daughter of Glenbard South assistant Steve Gross
Downers Grove North senior Ellie Gross was only five months old when her father, Steve, first brought her to the Bill Neibch Falcon Classic at Wheaton North in 2002.
The elder Gross was coaching Hinsdale Central, whom he had guided to the state championship the previous season, at the time.
"She's just like her father – bald," one bystander quipped.
[Sean King for Shaw Media]
Ellie Gross is no longer bald, of course, but she's still a regular at the Falcon Classic. So is her dad, who now is an assistant coach at Glenbard South.
They'll be there again at this year's tournament, which begins Dec. 23. There is a chance Downers North and Glenbard South will play each other, as has happened twice before.
"I hated coaching against Ellie," Steve Gross said. "It was miserable.
"We do everything we can to get on the other side of the bracket at Wheaton North. If we see each other in the championship game, fine. Otherwise, no thanks."
Ellie Gross doesn't relish playing against her father's team, either.
"It was awful because we lost," Ellie said. "We know a lot of the girls on that team so it was fun, we're all competitive, but it does suck to have to play against your family."
Basketball is a big part of the Gross family narrative. Steve played guard at Hinsdale South, while Ellie's mom, Courtney, starred at Hinsdale Central and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
They passed on their passion for the sport to Ellie and her sister, Kate, a sophomore who starts alongside her in Downers North's backcourt. This is Ellie's fourth year as a starter but Kate's first full varsity campaign.
"I love playing with Kate," Ellie said. "She is a great shooter, great to be on the team with.
"We all pick each other up, but it's extra nice to have her right by my side. I can always count on her."
The Trojans know they can count on Ellie Gross, who earned all-conference honors last season in helping the team to a 22-9 record. She is a crafty point guard who is not afraid to throw her lithe 5-foot-8 frame into harm's way.
"She's one of the toughest, if not the toughest, kids I've ever coached," Downers North coach Stephan Bolt said. "She leaves it on the floor every single night, every day in practice."
Ellie Gross is averaging a team-best 10 points per game to go with four assists, three rebounds and three steals. But her impact goes beyond statistics.
"She's got a high basketball IQ and coming down the stretch, she's the one that gets us together and organizes stuff to get us the chance to win basketball games," Bolt said. "We've got to enjoy her while she's still here."
The Trojans (7-2), who beat Waubonsie Valley 47-32 on Monday as Ellie Gross had 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists, do value their leader.
"She definitely brings a sense of leadership," senior forward Alexis Parker said. "It's really nice, especially since she's a point guard, she gets us all together. Even when we're playing bad, she's always picking us up, making sure it's a team effort.
"She's a great person in general. She's enthusiastic, she always wants us to play hard, she wants us to want to win. She's a great player, great friend, great teammate."
Ellie Gross, an honors student, has not yet received any college offers, but she's not worried, thanks to the advice her father has dispensed.
"He really taught us how to see the floor and always look for each other," Ellie said. "He's great at teaching you basketball and life lessons."
One of those lessons is playing for the right reasons.
"I'm glad that (Ellie and Kate) both enjoy it," Steve Gross said. "Ellie wants to play at the next level and you don't know how it's going to play out.
"But I keep telling her, "Hey, it's your senior year of high school basketball. Make sure you have fun.' If you're not having fun every single day, then we're all doing something wrong."
Ellie and Kate do have fun, sometimes without their father's knowledge. That was the case Friday, when they didn't return home directly after practice.
"It was getting kind of late and they had a game on Saturday," Steve Gross said. "I texted Ellie and said you guys got to get home.
"Ellie texted me back and said she and Kate and five of their teammates were at the Rec Center, shooting around."
Regardless of the venue, be it a game, practice or shooting around in the neighborhood,Ellie Gross is most at home with her teammates.
"I really value my leadership (role)," she said. "That's one of my favorite things that I have now because it brings me closer to my team. Being around the team is the best thing."