North Cook News

Before he became good at basketball, Danny Sotos was a veteran at the game of “roomball.”

Sotos told North Cook News that he and his brother, Jimmy, would play basketball using a 6½-foot hoop in Sotos' room – a contest they dubbed “roomball.” It fits in with the family tradition of basketball. Sotos' father, Jim, played professionally in Greece, and two older brothers, Tommy and Christian, were involved in basketball when Sotos was born.

“Thankfully, I fell in love with the sport as immediately as my family members did,” Sotos said.

Danny Sotos

From there, he went through preschool hoops in the YMCA, rec-league play at the Elk Grove Pavilion and travel ball with Hoops 'R' Us, then on to stardom at Conant High School. Now, Sotos is about to dive into his sophomore season at Lake Forest College after having a fine freshman year.

According to GoForesters.com, Sotos scored 13.1 points per game last season, with 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 32.9 minutes per game. He shot 47.9 percent overall from the field and 39.4 percent on 3-point attempts.

His efforts helped the Foresters, who play in NCAA Division III, post the program's first winning season since 2011-12.

Lake Forest Head Coach Ken Davis said Sotos' first season in the program was “a very successful one.”

“I’d say it would be hard to find another freshman player in our league that had a better season, and I’d also put his season versus most of the top freshmen in the country.,” Davis told North Cook News.

Sotos said his confidence has improved since his high school days, when he racked up honorable-mention All-State honors.

“While I never shied away from an end-of-game shot, there were many times during the course of a game where, if I missed a few shots, I might not shoot the rest of the quarter,” Sotos said. “As a freshman this past year, there were multiple games where I'd start 0-2, 0-3, etc., and still end with 15-plus points, which I would accredit mostly to that confidence improvement.”

Other adjustments he made included dealing with teams loaded with talent, compared with high school-level basketball, which led to more study, watching game film and scouting. He also wants to focus on becoming a better rebounder and ball distributor.

One area he also would like to improve on is his temperament.

“As a senior in high school, I made big jumps in my leadership and attitude toward myself, especially in terms of not always expressing anger. This past year, I feel as though I regressed in that regard,” he said. “Throughout the off-season, I put in a lot of work to better myself mentally, and I have no doubt that it will show in the composure I display throughout games this upcoming season.”

Davis said Sotos' biggest improvement has come in enjoying the game and keeping his passionate style in check.

“Part of that improvement is my understanding him more this year and really trusting him with input," Davis said. "He has earned that right this season."