FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(article posted by Jeremy Rushing, Student Sports Information Assistant)

Feb. 24, 2014 - With the North Central College men's basketball team leading rival Wheaton College, 65-63, with just over a minute to play in front of an energetic Senior Night crowd, senior guard Vince Kmiec caught a pass from teammate Jack Burchett at the top of the key and let the final in-game shot he would ever take at Gregory Arena fly.

"It just all came together at the right time," said Kmiec.

The ball went straight through the cylinder, nothing but net, and the Cardinals went on to knock off the Thunder, 71-66.  Without Kmiec's shot, the game might have had a different ending.

"You really can't ask for a better moment to hit a big shot," he said.

A basketball player in high school, Vince's father signed him up for rec league ball at the age of four.  It was there where Vince's passion for the game began.  He was immediately drawn to the fast pace and high tempo basketball provides.

"There's no downtime," proclaims Kmiec.  "In other sports there's a lot of standing around but in basketball unless they're calling a bunch of fouls it's pretty fast-paced."

Last season, the Palos Park, Ill. native became a vital piece of a team that made it all the way to the NCAA Division III Final Four in Salem, Virginia.  Kmiec started all 32 of the Cardinals' games, averaging 10.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and set a North Central single-season record with 67 steals.  He scored career-high 31 points on 10 of 15 shooting in a NCAA quarterfinal win over Middlebury Mar. 22 and earned Third Team All-CCIW accolades.  Kmiec recently ended his North Central career as the school's all-time leader in steals (173) while ranking third in three-point field goals (167).

When looking back at his North Central career, his performance in the NCAA quarterfinal against Middlebury stands out to him as one of the most memorable moments.

"That was one of the biggest moments in my career," he recalls.  "I was never really much of a scorer but having 31 in an Elite Eight game was pretty special."

With his basketball career coming to an end, the Sandburg graduate looks ahead to what he plans on doing after the season.               

"Hopefully a lot of relaxing," says Kmiec with a laugh.  "Now I can really start to focus on teaching."

As a physical education major, Kmiec really enjoys spending time with kids and having a positive impact on their lives. 

"I love being able to help kids and seeing how they improve in their skills," he says.  "It might get repetitive, but when you actually see kids learning better fitness from you, that's the most rewarding thing."

Kmiec's enjoyment in physical education stems from his mother and her work teaching the subject to middle-school students.

"She's always seemed happy doing what she does and it's always sounded like a great job," explains Kmiec.
Whether it be in rec league at the age of four or drilling his final shot at Gregory Arena, Kmiec will always remember one piece of advice his father gave him that helped him on the basketball court.

"Look good, feel good, play good," he says.  "If you prepare then you feel like you look good when you're out there.  If you look good and you feel good then you play good."

And playing good is something Kmiec has had no trouble with in his four years as a Cardinal.