With the winter sports season in full swing, The Forest Scout takes a look at some of the greatest athletic performances in Lake Forest High School history. In this four part winter series, we feature the some of the greatest individual seasons and careers from boys swimming, wrestling, and boys and girls basketball. In the final part of the series, we take a look back at the most successful boys basketball players of all time, as the next generation of Scout athletes prepare to make their own history.
Evan Boudreaux (2015):
A four year varsity starter, Evan Boudreaux is a household name when it comes to recent Lake Forest boys basketball history. Boudreaux, who would go on to play at Dartmouth for three years, produced some incredible statistics in his time as a varsity player. The 6’ 8” center, is the all time leading scorer in program history with 2,076 points and the all time leading rebounder in program history with 1,296 rebounds. That rebounding mark is the best of all time for Lake County schools, and the seventh best in IHSA history. Boudreaux, a four year varsity starter, lead his team to two regional championships including a 28-3 record in the 2015 season. Boudreaux’s size allowed him to be a strong presence in the paint for the Scouts, and he was always an option down low for coach Phil Lascala and his team. Boudreaux was named Ivy League rookie of the year in 2016, for his contributions to the Dartmouth basketball team.
Rob Pelinka (1988):
Today, he is the general manager of one of the most iconic NBA franchises: The Los Angeles Lakers. However, before his career as an NBA player and general manager, Rob Pelinka was just a high schooler leading his varsity team to the first conference championship in Lake Forest History. Under the direction of the legendary coach Tom Myers, Pelinka led the Scouts to a 22-4 record en route to a North Suburban Conference title in 1987. Even more impressively, Pelinka and the Scouts went 21-6 the following year in 1988 and secured their second consecutive conference championship. Pelinka built a foundation of winning culture in the basketball program, which continues to this day. His 1,327 career points in three years of varsity basketball rank third all-time, behind only Vogrich and Boudreaux. Without the play of Rob Pelinka, it is tough to predict where, and how successful this program would be. He paved the way for later success, and for that he is definitely up there as one of the best and most important to play for the Scouts.
Matt Vogrich (2009):
After Pelinka led the Scouts to a conference title in 1988, it would take the Scouts 21 years to until someone lead them to claim the coveted title again. The player to do that: Matt Vogrich. Vogrich, a four year varsity player, is the second highest scorer in program history with 1,496 points. Vogrich was the team’s leading scorer in his sophomore, junior, and senior years. In the 2009 season, he lead the team in scoring, rebounds, free throw shooting, and three pointers. With his strong offensive play, Vogrich guided his 2009 team to a 23-5 record, a conference title, and a regional title. The highly-touted guard made great contributions to the Scouts program, including garnering the honor of Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year, an award no other LFHS player has received to this day. Vogrich beat out the likes of current San Antonio Spurs guard Brandon Paul for the award. Vogrich would go on to play at Michigan where he was part of the 2013 NCAA tournament runner-up team. Vogrich revived the Scouts program with his consistent play and prolific scoring, and much like Rob Pelinka, he was yet another player to set the standard of success for the Scouts basketball program.
Author Opinion:
The most memorable team in Lake Forest history has to be the 2014-2015 team. Led by senior Evan Boudreaux, the Scouts went 28-3, secured a regional title, and lost to Stevenson in one of the best sectional games of all time.. If you were able to witness the hype and energy this team brought to Lake Forest High School, you would realize just how influential this team was to the fans and the community. Boudreaux was most influential player in allowing this program to play in some of the biggest games in its history. His presence and his play both off and on the court gave every Scout fan something to cheer about. In addition, he is the all time leading scorer and rebounder in program history, giving him record success on both offense and defense. There is no doubt that Rob Pelinka had a large impact in giving this program hope and a platform to succeed. Did Matt Vogrich revive a program and put the spotlight back on basketball in the current era? Absolutely, he did. However, no other player had the team and individual success that Boudreaux had. You knew when he was on the court, and you knew what he meant to this program. Will there ever be a more dominant basketball player in Lake Forest history? Maybe. But, for now, Boudreaux is undoubtedly the best to ever lace up in the competition gym.