Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jayden Tyler remembers when his mornings started with ball handling, shooting and pancakes.
His father, John, brought the 5-year-old little guy to a YMCA near where they lived in DeKalb and practiced on the 10-foot hoops.
But first, it was breakfast time.
“We would go to McDonald’s every morning for pancakes and sausage,” Jayden said. “And then it was time for shooting and dribbling.”
Now that he has grown up, with his family living in Homewood, Tyler has been eating it up for the Vikings.
The junior guard had eight points and three assists Saturday, plus was a force on defense, to help H-F beat Downers Grove North 59-51 in the When Sides Collide Shootout at Benet in Lisle.
Tyler, who also converted a pair of key free throws down the stretch, is a starter for H-F (19-1) but hasn’t been getting as much publicity as some of the star transfers who joined the team this season in Gianni Cobb and Bryce Heard.
But he’s been a key to the Vikings’ success.
“He’s our heady point guard,” H-F coach Jamere Dismukes said of Tyler. “Jayden is levelheaded and does his job to the fullest just by relaxing and keeping everybody calm.”
The recruiters know who Tyler is, though.
In between his sophomore and junior years, Tyler played up an age level in AAU with the Meanstreets program. He said he has offers from Southern Illinois Akron, Kent State, Cal Poly and Incarnate Word.
“By me playing up, it boosted their interest in me,” Tyler said.
Zack Attack
While Adyn McGinley has been getting a bunch of attention in leading Beecher (20-0) to an unbeaten record, he believes fellow senior guard Zack Johnson is “the best player on the team by far.”
McGinley said he has been teammates with Johnson since kindergarten.
“He can guard all five positions and can score from anywhere,” McGinley said of Johnson. “In practice, he’s the guy hustling everywhere. There is no player like Zack.”
The trouble is, college recruiters haven’t shared McGinley’s enthusiasm just yet, even though the 6-foot Johnson is averaging 13.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 71% from the free-throw line.
“I’m flying a little under the radar,” Johnson said of his recruitment. “I’m going to look more into it after the season.
“I can shoot the ball, I can rebound, and whatever you need me for, I can do it.”
Beecher coach Tyler Shireman also appreciates Johnson’s versatility.
“I told him last year, if he wants to play college basketball, his shooting has to be better,” Shireman said. “His shooting this year in unbelievable.”
Mr. Mister
Mount Carmel transfer Noah Mister faced his former team Saturday in the When Sides Collide Shootout at Benet.
The sophomore guard led the Caravan with 17 points in an 82-70 loss to Kenwood.
It was the first loss to an Illinois team for Mount Carmel (21-3), and there was a difference of opinion on how Mister played.
Caravan coach Phil Segroves liked what he saw.
“He had a great game, and I thought he played excellent against his former teammates,” Segroves said of Mister. “I think he’s found a home here. We’re excited to have him as a student and as a basketball player, in that order.”
Mister didn’t agree with that assessment.
“It wasn’t good enough to get the win and I’m mad,” he said afterward. “But we’ll be fine. That wasn’t heading for a state championship or a Catholic League championship.
“We’re not letting this loss dictate our season.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.