Before the season started, Mike Hurley said he thought he would be the first player off the bench for the New Trier boys basketball team.
But a high ankle sprain to senior guard David Hammes, a returning starter, opened the door for Hurley, a 6-0 junior guard.
With Hammes on the bench for the first two games of the New Trier/Loyola Thanksgiving Tournament, Hurley got the starts. Hammes started the Trevians’ third and fourth games of the season, and Hurley remained in the starting lineup.
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“I got a chance, and I tried to make the most of it,” Hurley said. “I was excited about the opportunity.”
New Trier went 2-2 at the tournament, losing its last two games to finish fourth. The Trevians beat Rauner 74-20 and Von Steuben 80-54 before falling to Loyola 53-47 and St. Ignatius 67-65.
New Trier coach Scott Fricke said he was confident in Hurley’s abilities.
“Mike had a great fall and a great couple of weeks of [preseason] practice,” Fricke said. “I felt comfortable with him in there.”
Hurley’s strengths are his perimeter shooting, dribble penetration and defense. He showed off all three in the loss to Loyola on Nov. 26 by scoring a team-best 13 points and often matching up against the Ramblers’ best guard on the defensive end.
“He’s our best defensive player,” Fricke said. “He’s great on the ball and moves his body well. He can get through screens and is willing to give up his body to help his team.
“He’s a tough kid, and that’s something our team is missing right now. He’s bringing us some of that.”
Fricke said Hurley needs to continue to improve his ball-handling and passing. Hurley said the same thing.
“I need to get better at handling pressure in the backcourt,” Hurley said. “St. Ignatius put a lot of pressure on us, and I don’t think I did a good enough job helping David out.”
Right now, Hurley said he’s happy to contribute in any way he can.
“I would have been absolutely OK with coming off the bench,” he said. “Of course, I wanted a starting spot, and it was something I was battling for before the season. But as long as I knew I could get time on the court, I thought I could eventually earn my way as a starter.”