Tino Malnati of the Trevians drives to the hoop during action this winter. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Tino Malnati plays with a determined look.
Sit down with him after a game and that look becomes even more defined.
Malnati takes the game serious. He’s all things basketball.
It’s been that way for some time.
Grandson of famed Chicago pizza maker Lou Malnati, the New Trier point guard never gets tired of his two favorite indulgences: basketball and Lou Malnati’s deep dish pizza.
Last week, the senior confessed, was a very good week. He indulged.
“Tuesday [Feb. 9] was National Pizza Day,” he says, following his team’s 48-37 victory over visiting Maine South. “I’ve had it [Lou Mal’s deep dish pizza] three days in a row.”
And lately, on the basketball court, Malnati has acquired a taste … for winning.
With Malnati at the controls, the Trevians (15-9, 6-3) have won 10 of their last 11 outings. They even played highly touted Evanston even for three-plus quarters before losing 53-37 on Feb. 5.
“We’ve stuck to the process,” says Malnati, of the hot streak. “We’ve kept our focus. We’re not playing like we did earlier in the year. We’ve matured.”
Consistency matters. And the 6-foot-3 senior, son of former NT head coach Rick Malnati (2000-08), brings a ton of it to the court.
He had 10 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals in the win over Maine South.
And his per-game stats for the season? How’s this? He’s averaging 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.0 steals.
Most importantly, in that contest last weekend, Malnati had zero turnovers against a tough-minded Hawks defense.
Being the team’s stabilizer — as well as its igniter — Malnati has earned the trust of NT head coach Scott Fricke.
“He controls the tempo,” Fricke said. “He does everything well. He’s smart with the ball. He’s smart off the ball.
“He’s playing at a high level,” the coach adds. “He’s done a lot of good things for us this year. It’s great to see him being successful.”
The player and the head coach have quite the connection.
“I remember him being born,” says Fricke, a former assistant coach on Rick Malnati’s staff.
“We’d go to state tournaments together, and Tino and my son Zach [a sophomore varsity player at Buffalo Grove High School] would play Nerf basketball in the hotel rooms,” Fricke adds.
Forgive Tino Malnati. He might have done a little eavesdropping during those basketball trips.
“I’ve listened to a lot of their conversations,” he said. “Learned a lot about basketball.”
Basketball 101 was a breeze for him. Now, he’s thriving in the advanced aspects of the game.
“Being raised in a basketball family helps my game,” says Malnati, possessor of a high basketball IQ. “I really started putting a lot of time into the game in the eighth grade.
“As a point guard, you have to be confident with the ball,” he adds. “You have to make good decisions.”
You can’t get rattled.
“My dad has always told me to stay poised on the court,” says Malnati, who also has two basketball playing sisters in Gaby (a high school sophomore) and Gianna (a fifth-grader). “Know the pace of the game and control it.”
Malnati also is not afraid to take the game into his own hands. He’s become a four-quarter, all-around threat.
He’s not afraid to fire away from three-point land.
“Earlier in the season, if my shot wasn’t falling, I’d stop shooting,” says Malnati. “But not now. Even if it’s not falling, I’ll stick with it. If I’m open, I’m taking the shot.”
He’s also not afraid to split defenders and penetrate the lane.
And he’s added this. He’s become a point guard with rebounding prowess.
“I’m making rebounding and getting to the rim a priority,” says Malnati. “Coach Fricke has asked me to do a lot this year. I’m just trying to do anything I can to be effective.”
His leadership ability was on full display against Maine South. Instead of forcing the ball inside in the second half against the Hawks, who feature a 6-11 center in Brad Perry, he kept dishing the ball to teammate Aaron Peltz.
And Peltz proved to be great at pelting a zone defense. The junior sharpshooter, who finished with a game-high 21 points, drilled six three-pointers, including five in an eight-minute span in the second half.
“Tino’s a great passer. He’s great at sharing the ball,” says Peltz. “We all trust Tino.”
Notable: Rick Malnati’s coaching success continues. He’s guided Fenwick High School to a 22-2 record this season. In one media poll, the Friars are ranked No. 2 in the state. He has been at the Oak Park school for three years. Prior to that, he spent two seasons as an assistant at Loyola University … During his nine-year tenure at New Trier, Rick Malnati had two teams qualify to state. The 2002 squad came home with a fourth-place trophy. … With the win on Feb. 12, New Trier swept Maine South in Central Suburban League South Division action this season. On Jan. 8, the Trevians beat the Hawks (18-9, 5-4) at their place 40-26. … NT coach Scott Fricke, on his team’s second-half surge (10-1 in last 11 games): “The way we started the season (6-8 record at the Christmas break), we easily could’ve second-guessed ourselves. Instead, we put together a nice string of games.”