After seeing only spot minutes last season, South Elgin guard Elias Cole-Williams knew he would see a vastly expanded role as a senior.
He went to a trusted source in the offseason to help prepare for that change — his cousin, former Larkin standout Damari Wheeler-Thomas.
“I just worked out with him and he got me right,” Cole-Williams said. “His work ethic is crazy. Waking up at 5 a.m. before school, getting to the gym, getting it done.
“The guy is ridiculous. I’m just trying to follow in his footsteps, but be better, be greater.”
Taking a step in that direction Tuesday night, he did so in Wheeler-Thomas’ old home gym.
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Cole-Williams scored a game-high 18 points, leading the Storm to a 58-41 Upstate Eight Conference victory over host Larkin.
“I’m going to text him,” Cole-Williams said of Wheeler-Thomas. “I can’t wait for this one. I’m going to let him know.”
Cole-Williams led the Storm (3-4, 2-0) with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting. He also had five rebounds, three steals, two assists and a blocked shot.
“‘Eli’ has taken some time to figure things out, but he’s starting to see the openings and what he can do,” South Elgin coach Philip Church said. “I really liked the poise that ‘Eli’ played with.”
Due to his close relationship with Wheeler-Thomas, Larkin coach Deryn Carter knew all about Cole-Williams and what he brings to the table.
That didn’t stop Cole-Williams from putting up a dominant performance against the Royals (2-4, 1-1).
“We knew about him,” Carter said. “He was crafty. He was moving around. We didn’t do a good job guarding him. Hat’s off to him. He’s a great kid.”
Cole-Williams scored six points during an 11-0 run in the first quarter that set the tone for South Elgin. In the second quarter, he produced eight straight points, boosting the lead to 26-15.
The Storm then really put the hammer down in the third, outscoring Larkin 21-4 to start the quarter and take a 47-22 lead.
With a young team, however, Church wasn’t comfortable. He said the Storm were up 25 points against East Aurora and withstood a furious comeback by the Tomcats.
The Storm also blew a 20-point lead last week against St. Charles North, however. Pressure defense was at the forefront of those games, and that’s Larkin’s forte as well.
“We spent a lot of time this week on how do you handle pressure and how do you close out a ballgame because that’s still new for everybody,” Church said. “I think we’re a very deep team. We just don’t have experience.
“These are the types of games on the road where you want that experience.”
Tramare Reed scored 11 points to lead the Royals, who are still a few weeks away from welcoming back star junior guard Jakob Blakley from a knee injury.
On top of that, Larkin is still breaking in a new lineup after last season’s run to a sectional title.
“What he’s going to bring to the table is some great stuff, but he’s not going to correct all the wrongs we have now,” Carter said of Blakley. “By no means is a win or a loss in December going to define us.
“The guys, if they want it, they’ll go get it.”
Cole-Williams is getting used to a starring role this season for South Elgin. He has experienced the ups and downs that go along with it.
Trusting Church and his new system is all part of the process.
“New coach, new system, it was a little rough at first,” Cole-Williams said. “He has the saying ‘trust the process,’ which we’re doing. We just trust the process.
“This was a great bounce-back game.”
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Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.