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It was a gradual process for R.J. Kwiatkowski, one that took him as a freshman who earned some playing time all the way to being the leading scorer on a state finalist runner-up as a senior.
The 6-foot-2 sharpshooter, who enters the Centralia Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2022, had his first season at Centralia High School coincide with that of head coach Lee Bennett, who took over the reigns of the Orphan basketball program in 2007.
A starter at times while battling injuries, Kwiatkowski averaged four points a game in a supporting role that included a 12-point night in a win over Carbondale as Centralia won the South 7 Conference.
Picking up two inches of height heading into his sophomore year, he was tabbed as a regular in the backcourt for the Orphans
“I would say R.J. is one of those guys who definitely will take on more responsibility than he did last year,” Bennett said in the preseason.
That sophomore year, he fought off early-season injuries and by the time the Salem Invitational rolled around, he was contributing more and had a then season-high 14 points in a semifinal win over the host Wildcats before surpassing it with six 3-pointers and 20 points versus Carbondale.
His junior year, and playing for a team that won 25 games for the second straight season, saw him average just over 10 points a game for Centralia. Highlights included 18 points versus Carbondale and 23 against Belleville Althoff.
Kwiatowski did other things as well, including setting a screen for teammate Brandon Buchanan who hit a last-second layup as the Orphans took third place at the Centralia Holiday Tournament with a one-point win over Belleville West. Kwiatkowski was named to the All-Tournament team.
He also had 23 in a meeting with Marion, 20 versus Mater Dei and netted 19 in a 56-48 regional semifinal win over Mount Vernon, 12 in the fourth quarter.
“They’ve got a lot of good players but I think without a doubt, he’s their MVP,” said Mount Vernon coach Scott Gamber. “If you don’t have R.J. Kwiatkowski on the floor, it’s not even close to being the same basketball team. He does so many good things.
“He’s a kid you hate to play against but you really like watching play.”
That brought on Kwiatkowski’s senior year.
“R.J. saw a lot of gimmick defenses last year and I think that speaks to what the other coaches we played against thought about him,” Bennett said in the preseason. “And those types of defenses are successful if other kids don’t step up and when we see those types of things this year, other kids are going to have to step up and make shots.”
At the season-opening Crimsons Classic in Jacksonville he received All-Tournament honors the Orphans won the title, and in a 39-33 win over Mount Vernon, he accounted for 23 of Centralia’s points.
Kwiatkowski was also named to the CHT All-Tournament team for a second straight time with three games of 22 points or better including 25 against Belleville West.
That would be his season-high until a mid-January meeting with Carbondale in which he dropped 34 on the Terriers in a game in which the Orphans were shorthanded due to injuries and illness. Centralia won 68-56.
“Guys stepped up,” said Kwiatkowski who was 12 of 15 from the field for the game. “The bench players stepped up like they needed to because we had a couple of guys down. They helped me. I wouldn’t be able to do this by myself, of course.
“Everything worked out like we planned. We fought hard and we ended up with a win.”
He netted 65 points in three games at the Salem Invitational to take home the MVP Award in helping Centralia to the title including a last-second shot to win a semifinal game versus Charleston.
In the postseason, his feed to Tyler Obermeier got the Orphans the winning bucket in a regional semifinal win over Carbondale, and he scored 25 before a packed house in Trout Arena as the Orphans topped Mater Dei a battle of state-ranked teams.
For the season, he averaged 16.7 points a game, made 77 percent of his free throws including 9 of 11 in a state semifinal win over North Chicago, and landed a spot on the second team of the 3A/4A All-State squad voted on by the members of Illinois Basketball Coaches Association while also being named South 7 Conference MVP.
Following a season at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, he returned home to play for Kaskaskia College where he was the Blue Devils’ leading scorer and netted 18 points in a memorable upset of undefeated and No. 2 ranked Vincennes.
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