Dyett beats Crane, wins showdown between two up-and-coming Public League basketball programs
Building a high school basketball program is about more than wins, losses, and college prospects. The most successful teams are supported by their entire school. It’s unsurprising that Dyett, a school saved from closure in 2015 by a parental hunger strike, understands the power of community.
On Thursday at Crane, the Eagles brought a nice crowd to the West Side and even had their cheerleaders in attendance, a rare sight on the road for any area school these days.
“We are a small school but this is a family,” Dyett coach Jamaal Gill said. “You can see how this program has grown. I’m very proud of those guys and thankful for the fans. I get emotional.”
Dyett led for most of the game, but Crane surged back in the final minutes. The Cougars had a chance to win the game on their last possession, but Dyett senior Aramis Brown came up with a clutch steal to seal a 59-55 win.
“The whole game they were making that pass to the wing,” Brown said. “So I tried to jump it and I took it.”
Brown led the Eagles (13-3, 7-0 Red Star) with 14 points and seven rebounds. Senior Rickey Coleman added 11 points and seven rebounds. Dyett outrebounded Crane 37-28. Nine players scored for the Eagles.
“We are kind of deep,” Gill said. “I was proud of the resilience. Even when our backs were against the wall we didn’t fold. A young program stood up.”
Dyett was in the mighty Red-South/Central last season and won just three games but opened some eyes with competitive scores. The Eagles lost by one point at Simeon.
“That was huge, that experience in the Red,” Gill said. “We had never played in a lot of those gyms. A lot of people don’t get to see little Dyett, but I think we should be respected.”
Dyett was junior-heavy last year, so the same players that lost close games to the city powerhouses are a year older.
“It kept us humble,” Dyett senior Jayden McKinnon said. “We learned that we could compete with those teams even though we came up short. We learned from our mistakes and kept pushing. We knew we had the potential.”
“We didn’t see losses as losses, we saw them as lessons,” Brown said. “That’s why we are where we are now.”
Dyett will be a major factor in the Class 2A state playoffs.
“We set short-term goals but I think we can battle downstate,” Gill said. “We went out of town and beat Rockridge by 10 points. That’s a respectable program that has been downstate.”
While Dyett is building up from nothing, Crane coach Mekiel Posey is trying to restore the glory to a traditional city powerhouse. He has made significant progress in just his second season and has a burgeoning star to grow the team around.
Jamier Montgomery, a 6-1 sophomore, scored 13 points for the Cougars. He’s one of the best prospects in the Public League.
“He can play, but this is his first high school basketball,” Posey said. ‘‘So you have to live with some of his mistakes. He has started to understand less is more. He doesn’t have to do all that to get his shot off.”
Treveon Hoskins led the Cougars (9-6, 3-2) with 18 points and 6-6 junior Brad Blackman added 10 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.