Throughout his coaching career, Bartlett’s Jim Wolfsmith has worked with his fair share of big men. But he still has high praise for developing senior forward Dimitre Petrasiunas. The 6-foot-6 Petrasiunas played his seventh game of the season Friday night after returning from injury, and the progress showed. He’s helping the Hawks turn the corner after a slow start. “Behind Connor (Luczynski), he’s probably the second-best passing big man that I’ve ever coached,” Wolfsmith said of Petrasiunas. “Conrad had the advantage of being 7-foot-2. “(Dimitre) has really good eyesight — really able to find the guys passing. He’s got the whole package as a big.” Petrasiunas continued to come up big for host Bartlett, scoring 12 points with five rebounds and four steals to spark a 68-42 Upstate Eight Conference victory over Streamwood. Colin Taylor led all scorers with 16 points for the Hawks (6-9, 5-1). His twin brother, Keegan, added 11 points. Petrasiunas took advantage by shooting 6 of 7 from the floor. Ethan Joseph Reyes paced Streamwood (3-13, 1-4) with nine points and Byron Walton had eight. Petrasiunas knows that Wolfsmith specializes in coaching post players. To hear that high praise means a lot to him. Bartlett’s Dimitre Petrasiunas (13) works against Streamwood’s Payton Clements (20) and Byron Walton (5) during the second quarter of an Upstate Eight Conference game on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (Brian O’Mahoney / The Beacon-News) “It’s nice to hear that I’m the second-best passing big man he’s coached because he’s coached a lot of big men,” Petrasiunas said. “He’s a big man himself, so he knows the role really well. “It means a lot coming from him.” Petrasiunas is more than just a big body, however. When he gets the ball in the high post, he has the vision to find the Taylor brothers in the corner for a 3-pointer. If the matchup is right, he can put the ball on the floor and finish with both hands. If he dumps it off to Joey Cwik, Petrasiunas can roll to the basket and get the return pass for a layup. It opens up a lot of options for the Hawks. “Any time you have a kid that is that athletic and that tall and can play around the rim and away from the rim, block shots, rebound, we need that,” Wolfsmith said. “He’s a tremendous athlete. “Very good hands around the basket.” Bartlett’s Joey Cwik (2) puts up a shot in front of Streamwood’s Payton Clements (20) during the second quarter of an Upstate Eight Conference game in Bartlett on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (Brian O’Mahoney / The Beacon-News) Bartlett built a 22-6 lead in the first quarter as Colin Taylor hit three 3-pointers. Petrasiunas got things going in the second quarter with three layups. Streamwood kept trying to hang around, forcing 10 turnovers in the third quarter. The Sabres shot only 17-for-58, however, allowing the Hawks to pull away. “I think we kept ourselves in the game for the majority of the game,” Streamwood coach Quentin Ruff said. “We just couldn’t put the ball in the hole. “Guys need to realize, the opportunities you get in the game, you have to capitalize on them.” Petrasiunas slowly increased his minutes over the holidays, and now he’s ready to have a breakout second half of the season. “The first couple games, I was tired,” Petrasiunas said. “As the games started to go by, I started to find my groove. I started to play better and better. Hopefully, I’ll go up from there.” Bartlett’s Dimitre Petrasiunas (13) tries to pass against during the second quarter of an Upstate Eight Conference game in Bartlett on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (Brian O’Mahoney / The Beacon-News) The return of Petrasiunas to the lineup has had a ripple effect on the rest of Bartlett’s rotation. The only piece missing is the injured Gio Scivittaro and then the Hawks will finally be at full strength. “When we didn’t have him, the Taylor brothers were playing out of position,” Wolfsmith said. “Now, they get to bump down and play their natural position. It just makes us flow better as a team.” Petrasiunas and the Taylor brothers have been playing together since sixth grade, so getting that chemistry back was no problem. Now, they want to put it all together down the stretch. “When you can play guys in the positions they’re the most useful and effective, it really starts to come together,” Petrasiunas said. “We all work well together. “We’re not there yet, but we’re going to get there.” Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.