Tinley Park Girls Basketball Legend: Once a Titan, Always a Titan

Whenever Keri (Lorenzen) Cialdella attends a sporting event for her niece, Laura Lorenzen, or nephew, Casey Lorenzen, she can’t help but think about her high school days.

“When I hear their names over the loudspeaker, it brings back memories,” said the 1989 Tinley Park graduate and basketball star. “I’ll never forget those days. It was the most special time of my life. It’s exciting to be back at Tinley Park for games now. I still have my loyalties to Tinley.”

After graduating from DePaul University, Cialdella coached the freshmen basketball team at Tinley Park and was an assistant volleyball coach until she had children of her own.

She’s now a third-grade teacher at Greenbrier Elementary School in Chicago Heights and plans on bringing her students to a DePaul game this season.

Cialdella is Tinley Park’s all-time leading scorer and led the Titans to their first and only state appearance when she was a senior.

She then went on to play basketball for DePaul under longtime coach Doug Bruno.

“College was a much different ball field,” Cialdella said. “There, you’re playing with the elite and best girls in the sport. You may be one of the better players in the area, but the players in college were truly spectacular and put you in your place.

"I paid my dues. I played my junior and senior year, but there never was that same kind of camaraderie that there was in high school. I did really enjoy playing for Doug Bruno. He was a great coach. Sometimes he’d be rough and tough, but then other times you could really tell that he cared about us.”

Cialdella and her husband have two children, daughter, Karlie, 9, and son, Jason, 7.

“Now, it’s their time,” Cialdella said. “I’m hoping at least one of them will follow in my footsteps and play basketball. My daughter is tall for her age, so maybe.”