Sophomore guard Jamari Thomas was exactly what Hillcrest coach Don Houston was looking for when searching for something extra for his already young, but at the time, struggling roster.
Size didn’t bother Houston when he brought up the 5-foot-7 Thomas from the sophomore team to the varsity in December to give a boost to the Hawks during the Big Dipper Classic.
Doubt Thomas? Never.
“He has no fear,” Houston said. “That’s what we needed at that position to help out with what we already had. He also played football, and he’s tough.
“He’s just a tough guy, and we needed a kid who has no fear.”
Thomas came off the bench Thursday night and scored a career-high 15 points, helping to lead the host Hawks to a 63-35 South Suburban Red victory over T.F. North in Country Club Hills.
Jovohn Ratliff paced the Hawks (16-11, 10-3) with 20 points and Maximilian Carmicle added seven as they are guaranteed at least a share of the conference championship.
T.F, North (13-10, 8-4) was in the mix for the title heading into the game but trailed 39-19 at halftime. Jaylen Blakes scored 11 points, nine in the first half, and Naeim Evans had 10.
Thomas hit a couple of 3-point baskets early in the second quarter and then decided to stick his nose inside for layups, either making the shot or getting fouled and converting free throws.
“I’ll take whatever the defense gives me,” Thomas said. “I switched up. They saw me shooting and then I just tried to drive. I try to make the game simple.”
Thomas confirmed moving up to varsity took some adjusting, but he said he’s been able to handle the pressure.
“Coach told me to go play my game and to go hoop,” Thomas said. “He told me not to be scared. Just go hoop.”
The Hawks were 3-8 when they promoted Thomas. While he isn’t the sole reason the team has gone 13-3 since, he’s added an ingredient to a team that has five sophomores and five juniors.
“He can go inside and he can go outside,” Houston said of Thomas. “Like I said, he has no fear. I want all of my guys to play like that.
“They have the potential, and if they play the way he’s playing, the sky is the limit for us.”
Lemont (16-11, 9-3) plays Bremen on Friday. That result will determine if Hillcrest shares or wins the title outright.
Hillcrest has won 38 conference titles since the 1975-76 season and 35 of the last 36, the lone blemish coming in 2016-17 when T.F. North put together a 13-0 record.
When the Hawks started this season 1-2, it looked like a championship might not be in the cards.
“We were losing a lot of games,” Ratliff said. “But we kept fighting. Our practices became better. Our chemistry was better.”
Houston knows it’s difficult to win this conference with three losses, but things fell into place.
“It was weird, man — we needed a lot of help from a lot of people,” Houston said. “And we still needed to do our job in a lot of situations. It’s been a different kind of year for us.
“I won’t say rough because it was fun to coach this. It’s a new group they had to learn. Us as teachers, we have to teach. It was a fun year.”
Thomas, meanwhile, said he has been playing basketball since age 4 growing up in Matteson. More than 10 years later, he still loves the sport.
“It takes my mind off a lot of stuff,” Thomas said. “I feel free. I just think about one thing, and that’s what I’m doing on the court.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
