Naperville North still brings the heat
40-year tradition of intensity burns bright in Huskies' program
By Gary Larsen
Maybe the best way to sum up Naperville North’s soccer program comes courtesy of the three words in latin that adorn the Huskies’ warm-up shirts every year: sine labor nihil.
Translation: nothing without work.
Those three words also likely offer the best explanation for how coach Jim Konrad recently notched his 300th-career win at the school in less than 17 seasons at the helm.
“Coach’s number one rule,” Huskies keeper Pablo Jara said, “is to work harder than everyone else.”
Call it grit. Call it intensity. Call it a blue-collar approach. Those descriptors all fit the philosophy that North has relied on since the program’s inception. A demanding work ethic was something Konrad faced when he played for the Huskies for Hall of Fame North coach Dave Bucher 30-plus years ago. So it was only natural that Konrad kept that standard in place when he took over for Bucher in 2003.
All the best teams in Illinois play hard but none have played any harder, year-in and year-out for more than four decades, than Naperville North.
“If you don’t work hard you’re not going to play and if you work hard, great things can come to you. That’s the basis of everything we do,” Konrad said. “That’s what Bucher instilled and hopefully something I’ve continued.”
To maintain a standard in any sport, continuity is king. Bucher and Konrad have given North that; the pair have coached 40-of-the-44 seasons of boys soccer at the school. Bucher’s 1998 team won a state title, Konrad oversaw three-consecutive state title wins from 2016-18, and the two men have overseen a combined 27 DuPage Valley Conference titles.
Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari has a unique perspective on the Huskies' program. He's coached against Naperville North coaches since 1991, the year he started his long residence in the DVC.
Where on-field effort and frenetic intensity are concerned, Callipari saw nothing lost in the transition from Bucher to Konrad.
“It never changed, and that’s a great attribute of Jim himself,” Callipari said. “Wearing that badge always meant something, that you go into every game believing you’re going to win. And that belief comes from your will. They’re interconnected.
“You just know every time you play them, that this is not going to be an off-day. You’re going to have to play your very best and that something unique was going to have to happen to be successful against them in terms of a win or tie."
Naperville North is young this season, but they’re aiming to keep the hard-playing tradition alive. Through a 6-2-0 start, senior keeper Jara and senior defender Josh Kaufman have helped lead a defense that has given up six goals in eight games and posted five shutouts. A midfield featuring Nikhil Javeri, Jacob Ryu and Cam Redeke has done yeomen’s work in helping amass 17 goals through Thursday’s 3-0 win over Marmion.
Kaufman is the lone returning senior with heavy varsity minutes behind him, although key juniors Keegan Flaherty and Tyson Amoo-Mensah saw varsity time last year.
“I’ve got a ton of sophomores up and a ton of juniors, and those two classes are very strong for us,” Konrad said.
North has never featured an attack that aims to dazzle opponents with its finesse game. The Huskies have always played a rugged, physical style and have always been happy to win a 1-0 game by capitalizing on a set piece goal and defending hard all over the field.
That’s not to say Naperville North hasn’t had its share of exceptional attacking players, and sophomore Alex Barger is the latest to turn heads after transitioning from the backline a forward’s role this season.
“Alex Barger will be talked about as one of the top kids to ever come through North,” Konrad said. “He’s a gifted kid and a fantastic player. He’s a top-tier kid. He’s incredibly athletic, he works hard, and one of the more skillful kids I’ve had at that age for a long time.”
It was a late Barger goal against rival Naperville Central that gave North a 1-0 win on Tuesday, and in the process put Konrad in the 300-win club. Afterwards, Naperville Central coach Troy Adams uttered a phrase that countless opposing coaches have uttered for years after playing Naperville North.
“We got outworked,” Adams said. “They played more aggressive, and I think they wanted it more.”
Trying to play every single game with a full 80 minutes of supreme intensity is like chasing a unicorn; it’s a fantastical proposition preached by coaches that’s virtually impossible to meet.
But Jara sees it as a safe bet that this year’s team will try to run down that unicorn anyway.
“It’s a family and once you’re part of the program, that never goes away,” Jara said. “That’s how we’re able to outwork teams even when we’re at a technical disadvantage. We’re always working for each other and never for ourselves.”
Konrad likes what he sees so far this season.
“I think the kids buy into the program and understand how hard the group before them worked, so I’m hopeful they’ll put in that effort,” Konrad said. “I fully expect them to continue that tradition.
“Not to get too philosophical, but I think kids are eager to match your expectations. They want and need high expectations and if you set the bar high, and show them that you care about them, kids will do everything they can to get over that bar.”
While Konrad's players through the years have always been tasked to meet certain rules of intensity, they may not have necessarily been attuned to the history of the program’s standard. Konrad can trace it for them, all the way back to his days at North in the 1980s, playing for Bucher.
“We knew he cared so much about winning. He really wanted to win,” Konrad said of Bucher. “And at a time when there weren’t a lot of coaches that knew the game, he was constantly studying it. He’d bring out books to practice, articles he’d got from overseas; he’d make us watch videos. He demonstrated to us how much he wanted to win, and wanted us to win. He definitely wasn’t a mushy kind of a guy with his players but you knew he cared, and you knew he’d wear himself out for the job. And for a high school kid, what more can you ask for from a coach?
“When you combine high expectations with supporting kids and loving them and helping them get there, I think it’s a recipe for success.”
And thus the secret to building a gritty, successful program comes into view: it’s sine labor nihil combined with genuine concern for the boys whom a coach is trying to help turn into young men.
After Konrad notched win no. 300, he said “if you hang around long enough, the wins pile up, and I’ve been blessed to have a bunch of really good teams.”
There’s obvious truth in those words but also a bit too much humility.
“I reached out to congratulate him and that’s also what he said to me, but there’s more to it than that,” Callipari said. “Desire and intensity can be a game-changer, and he gets them all on the front foot at the same time, early. He knows how to manipulate it, so it’s all moving in the same direction.
“Over any program that would stand out over 30 years in my mind, in the games I can recollect that are meaningful that we’ve won — out of five, I would say three came from playing Naperville North. That was a feather we held in our cap as a program, because we knew we had to check off every box in order to beat them.
“He’s won state championships and knocked on the door enough that it’s more than just the longevity. It’s the quality of the program as well, and Jim has done a tremendous job.”
40-year tradition of intensity burns bright in Huskies' program
By Gary Larsen
Maybe the best way to sum up Naperville North’s soccer program comes courtesy of the three words in latin that adorn the Huskies’ warm-up shirts every year: sine labor nihil.
Translation: nothing without work.
Those three words also likely offer the best explanation for how coach Jim Konrad recently notched his 300th-career win at the school in less than 17 seasons at the helm.
“Coach’s number one rule,” Huskies keeper Pablo Jara said, “is to work harder than everyone else.”
Call it grit. Call it intensity. Call it a blue-collar approach. Those descriptors all fit the philosophy that North has relied on since the program’s inception. A demanding work ethic was something Konrad faced when he played for the Huskies for Hall of Fame North coach Dave Bucher 30-plus years ago. So it was only natural that Konrad kept that standard in place when he took over for Bucher in 2003.
All the best teams in Illinois play hard but none have played any harder, year-in and year-out for more than four decades, than Naperville North.
“If you don’t work hard you’re not going to play and if you work hard, great things can come to you. That’s the basis of everything we do,” Konrad said. “That’s what Bucher instilled and hopefully something I’ve continued.”
To maintain a standard in any sport, continuity is king. Bucher and Konrad have given North that; the pair have coached 40-of-the-44 seasons of boys soccer at the school. Bucher’s 1998 team won a state title, Konrad oversaw three-consecutive state title wins from 2016-18, and the two men have overseen a combined 27 DuPage Valley Conference titles.
Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari has a unique perspective on the Huskies' program. He's coached against Naperville North coaches since 1991, the year he started his long residence in the DVC.
Where on-field effort and frenetic intensity are concerned, Callipari saw nothing lost in the transition from Bucher to Konrad.
“It never changed, and that’s a great attribute of Jim himself,” Callipari said. “Wearing that badge always meant something, that you go into every game believing you’re going to win. And that belief comes from your will. They’re interconnected.
“You just know every time you play them, that this is not going to be an off-day. You’re going to have to play your very best and that something unique was going to have to happen to be successful against them in terms of a win or tie."
Naperville North is young this season, but they’re aiming to keep the hard-playing tradition alive. Through a 6-2-0 start, senior keeper Jara and senior defender Josh Kaufman have helped lead a defense that has given up six goals in eight games and posted five shutouts. A midfield featuring Nikhil Javeri, Jacob Ryu and Cam Redeke has done yeomen’s work in helping amass 17 goals through Thursday’s 3-0 win over Marmion.
Kaufman is the lone returning senior with heavy varsity minutes behind him, although key juniors Keegan Flaherty and Tyson Amoo-Mensah saw varsity time last year.
“I’ve got a ton of sophomores up and a ton of juniors, and those two classes are very strong for us,” Konrad said.
North has never featured an attack that aims to dazzle opponents with its finesse game. The Huskies have always played a rugged, physical style and have always been happy to win a 1-0 game by capitalizing on a set piece goal and defending hard all over the field.
That’s not to say Naperville North hasn’t had its share of exceptional attacking players, and sophomore Alex Barger is the latest to turn heads after transitioning from the backline a forward’s role this season.
“Alex Barger will be talked about as one of the top kids to ever come through North,” Konrad said. “He’s a gifted kid and a fantastic player. He’s a top-tier kid. He’s incredibly athletic, he works hard, and one of the more skillful kids I’ve had at that age for a long time.”
It was a late Barger goal against rival Naperville Central that gave North a 1-0 win on Tuesday, and in the process put Konrad in the 300-win club. Afterwards, Naperville Central coach Troy Adams uttered a phrase that countless opposing coaches have uttered for years after playing Naperville North.
“We got outworked,” Adams said. “They played more aggressive, and I think they wanted it more.”
Trying to play every single game with a full 80 minutes of supreme intensity is like chasing a unicorn; it’s a fantastical proposition preached by coaches that’s virtually impossible to meet.
But Jara sees it as a safe bet that this year’s team will try to run down that unicorn anyway.
“It’s a family and once you’re part of the program, that never goes away,” Jara said. “That’s how we’re able to outwork teams even when we’re at a technical disadvantage. We’re always working for each other and never for ourselves.”
Konrad likes what he sees so far this season.
“I think the kids buy into the program and understand how hard the group before them worked, so I’m hopeful they’ll put in that effort,” Konrad said. “I fully expect them to continue that tradition.
“Not to get too philosophical, but I think kids are eager to match your expectations. They want and need high expectations and if you set the bar high, and show them that you care about them, kids will do everything they can to get over that bar.”
While Konrad's players through the years have always been tasked to meet certain rules of intensity, they may not have necessarily been attuned to the history of the program’s standard. Konrad can trace it for them, all the way back to his days at North in the 1980s, playing for Bucher.
“We knew he cared so much about winning. He really wanted to win,” Konrad said of Bucher. “And at a time when there weren’t a lot of coaches that knew the game, he was constantly studying it. He’d bring out books to practice, articles he’d got from overseas; he’d make us watch videos. He demonstrated to us how much he wanted to win, and wanted us to win. He definitely wasn’t a mushy kind of a guy with his players but you knew he cared, and you knew he’d wear himself out for the job. And for a high school kid, what more can you ask for from a coach?
“When you combine high expectations with supporting kids and loving them and helping them get there, I think it’s a recipe for success.”
And thus the secret to building a gritty, successful program comes into view: it’s sine labor nihil combined with genuine concern for the boys whom a coach is trying to help turn into young men.
After Konrad notched win no. 300, he said “if you hang around long enough, the wins pile up, and I’ve been blessed to have a bunch of really good teams.”
There’s obvious truth in those words but also a bit too much humility.
“I reached out to congratulate him and that’s also what he said to me, but there’s more to it than that,” Callipari said. “Desire and intensity can be a game-changer, and he gets them all on the front foot at the same time, early. He knows how to manipulate it, so it’s all moving in the same direction.
“Over any program that would stand out over 30 years in my mind, in the games I can recollect that are meaningful that we’ve won — out of five, I would say three came from playing Naperville North. That was a feather we held in our cap as a program, because we knew we had to check off every box in order to beat them.
“He’s won state championships and knocked on the door enough that it’s more than just the longevity. It’s the quality of the program as well, and Jim has done a tremendous job.”