Senior forward Carson Brownfield seemed to read my mind as I talked to him Monday after Homewood-Flossmoor beat Romeoville 71-58 at H-F’s MLK Suburban Classic.
The victory improved the Vikings, who have three transfers in their starting lineup, to 17-1.
“It’s actually been way easier than I expected,” Brownfield said. “I honestly thought we were going to take some pretty big losses just because we wouldn’t know how to jell with each other early in the season.”
My thoughts exactly.
The Vikings and Thornton — which essentially started from scratch with an almost entirely new roster filled with impactful transfers — were the top two teams in the Daily Southtown’s preseason rankings.
But there were big questions about how the two rosters would come together, especially early in the season.
When players who became accustomed to being stars at their previous schools have to take on lesser roles, problems arise.
Chemistry issues can destroy the most talented teams. Just look at St. Rita — which never reached its full potential with three huge stars on its roster the last two seasons, then broke up with all three transferring out, Illinois recruit Morez Johnson becoming the headliner in Thornton’s additions.
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My expectation was both teams would take a few lumps by now and we would be wondering if they could put it all together before the postseason.
Instead, H-F has just one loss to Gonzaga from Washington D.C. Thornton is 15-2 with losses to H-F and Bloom. Both teams have a slew of huge wins against some of the top teams in the state.
It’s not supposed to be this easy. And, if you ask the coaches, it hasn’t been.
“Smooth on the outside looking in,” H-F coach Jamere Dismukes said. “On the inside, it hasn’t been smooth at all. It’s a grind and a process.
“We started off a little sluggish with how we played together, but I think these kids are starting to figure it out and really enjoy playing together.”
Thornton coach Tai Streets said he has had more than his share of headaches building up his team.
“It’s been a little rough, I’m not going to lie,” Streets said. “Just getting everyone acclimated. They’re all used to different roles at their previous schools. We’re adjusting. It’s still not pretty but we’re finding a way to win most of the time. These guys can play.”
Streets also understands that his coaching style might require an adjustment period.
“Some of them are not used to me getting on them every play,” he said. “I understand that. I know I’m hard on them. But that’s because I want the best for them. They’re getting that.”
Let’s be clear. I’m not encouraging teams to go out and stack their rosters with transfers. The transfer market in Illinois high school basketball right now is, quite frankly, out of control.
But it would be dishonest of me to not credit H-F and Thornton for the way the two teams have come together and won consistently.
And both groups are still building.
Just consider this take from H-F guard Bryce Heard.
“At the beginning of the season, it did take some time to jell, but I feel like it’s all starting to come together now,” he said. “I think we have the most talented team in the state, and when we come together, we look good.
“We can definitely still keep getting better.”
Thornton’s players say the same thing.
“We’re good now, but I think we can be great later on in the season,” Johnson said. “We just have to keep stacking good days on top of good days and not paying attention to the outside noise.”
With H-F in Class 4A and Thornton in Class 3A, could both bring home state championships to the south suburbs?
The talent is certainly there. And the chemistry sure seems to be getting there.