Figuratively speaking, Brother Rice’s Zach Mikrut talks about his team being a family.
The junior outside hitter emphasized how much he loves playing volleyball for the Crusaders because of the closeness of his teammates.
“It’s more than just a team — it’s a family,” Mikrut said. “We’re all best friends with each other. We hang out. We’re brothers on the court and off the court.”
But there’s one teammate Mikrut can literally call his brother on and off the court for the Crusaders. That’s his older-by-a-minute twin brother John, a right-side hitter.
“It’s awesome having a brother on the team,” Zach said. “If I’m not scoring, I know he’s going to score. We have a good connection whether it’s on or off the court.
“He’s my best friend. I’m his best friend.”
The Mikrut twins brought out their best Tuesday night in Chicago. John tallied seven kills and Zach added six in breezing Brother Rice to a 25-16, 25-21 victory over Providence.
Paul Baker also contributed three kills and three blocks for the Crusaders (6-4) in the Catholic League crossover. Jimmy Lyons picked up four kills, while Matt Phelan provided 10 assists, George Escobarete had six assists and Ryne Collins chipped in with eight digs.
Sean Dovin paced Providence (10-8) with six kills, while Kaden Kaczmarek and Jackson Fowler each had three. The improving Celtics are a win away from matching last season’s win total of 11.
The Mikrut twins, meanwhile, have become leaders for a team featuring 12 juniors and two seniors. First-year coach Brandon McGinnis, a Brother Rice alum, named them captains.
McGinnis was happy to see the two thrive early as the Crusaders don’t have much experience returning from last season’s team that advanced to the state quarterfinals.
“I knew coming in that there was going to be a whole new group coming in,” McGinnis said. “I knew there was going to be new leadership out here.
“Those two guys are basically a coach’s dream to have. They are not only awesome flying around the court but off the court, they are doing the things that every coach wants out of their players.”
Brother Rice’s John Mikrut (11) helps twin brother, Zach, to his feet against Providence in the second game of a Catholic League crossover in Chicago on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (Jeff Vorva / Daily Southtown)
The 6-foot-1 Mikrut brothers hail from Mount Greenwood and have always been teammates in basketball or volleyball. They both gave up basketball last season to concentrate on volleyball.
That allowed their bodies and knees to heal, so they could be back in basketball next November.
“I love playing with him every single day,” John said of his brother. “I push him and he pushes me, and we get better every day because of each other.”
“We’ve always been on same team, but when we practice against each other, it’s always competitive. We’re competitive in school, at home or on the court. It makes us better.”
The two picked up a little bit of varsity playing time last spring and were on the playoff roster.
Providence’s Kaden Kaczmarek (2) and Sean Dovin (1) go up for a block against Brother Rice in a Catholic League crossover in Chicago on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (Jeff Vorva / Daily Southtown)
“We were just like utility guys,” John said. “We didn’t play much and sat on the bench. But we got in for a couple of games and that got us ready for this year.
“We’re still getting the kinks out. Some might say we’re a young team, but we still have high standards like everyone else.”
John said he looked up to the seniors on the 2023 team. He and Zach learned a lot from them and are taking those lessons with them this spring.
There’s still some time to decide on college, but in a perfect world, they would prefer to be teammates for four more years after high school.
They know it might not happen.
“Staying together is an option but if we go our different ways, I think we will miss each other a lot,” Zach said. “But it’s not really something we’re looking into yet.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
