On February 26, 2020, the Wildcats were down 45-46 with 3 minutes left. Senior James Kostomiris, in his Varsity debut, caught the ball in his shooting pocket, squared up, and sunk the triple to give the Wildcats the lead. The Wildcats won the game, their first conference win of the season. Last February’s game marked the beginning of a strong high school basketball career for Kostomiris, who finished the game with 8 points.

Since then, Kostomiris has continued serving as a valuable member of the Wildcat team.

Despite his limited time on the court this year due to an ACL injury and COVID-19 protocols, he has still performed well this season. Kostomiris has been a deadeye from 3, cashing in multiple 3-pointers in almost every game this season. At 5’8”, the Wildcats’ guard averages 13.5 points per game so far this season. Kostomiris’ impressive highlights over the course of his career, and his ability to shoot the ball from anywhere once he crosses half court, make him the Wildcat Chronicle’s first Athlete of the Week.

Kostomiris has played basketball for 6 years, ever since friends asked him to play a game in middle school. Over the years, several former Wildcat basketball players have mentored him.

One mentor, Jacob Lim, who graduated in 2021, “taught me a lot about the game and what it means to be a part of a team.”

Another mentor was class of 2017 Howard University guard Tai Bibbs. Kostomiris said, “Tai explained the small details of the game which helped me take my game to the next level.”

Over the course of his basketball career, Kostomiris’ most memorable moment was scoring 41 points – sophomore year – on the road against South Elgin on the late, great, Coach Williams’ birthday. The Wildcats, led by Kostomiris, almost stunned South Elgin by taking them to overtime and barely losing. After the game, Kostomiris was called up to play Varsity for the rest of the season. 

This year, Kostomiris is held in high regard by his teammates here at WEGO. 

Former teammate and senior Baqar Khan said, “He’s a true leader and brought a competitive edge. He has a sniper and a torch on him.”

“Playing with James is relieving, and you can count on him to get a bucket in tough times,” said sophomore Krystian Roldan, a current teammate.

After high school, Kostomiris is going to attend Loras College to study kinesiology. He is still deciding as to the next step in his basketball career.