Dyett beats Belleville Althoff, rises from city unknown to 2A state champion
CHAMPAIGN — Dyett’s journey from Public League afterthought to state champion in less than a decade is remarkable.
“We started out in 2016 with just freshmen,” Eagles coach Jamaal Gill said. “We just made up our own schedule, weren’t given the opportunity to be in a conference by CPS. Then we won the Blue two years in a row [and kept moving up].”
Dyett was saved from closure in 2015 by a hunger strike. Now the Eagles are state champions after knocking off Belleville Althoff 52-41 on Saturday at State Farm Center to win the Class 2A state title.
“This will be a big lift,” Gill said. “The community’s perseverance and toughness shows in these guys.”
The game swung back and forth until early in the fourth quarter. Dyett senior Jayden McKinnon made a three-pointer with 7:32 left and kissed his shooting hand as he ran back on defense.
That sweet shot gave the Eagles a 28-25 lead they never relinquished.
“I was going to do whatever I had to do to get us on a roll and keep us in this game,” McKinnon said.
McKinnon led Dyett (27-7) with 17 points. Ricky Coleman added 10 points and seven rebounds. Aramis Brown Jr. chipped in with five points and seven rebounds.
Dyett limited Althoff star Dierre Hill Jr., an Oregon recruit at running back, to 12 points and eight rebounds. He missed 10 minutes with foul trouble.
“He’s a great player,” McKinnon said. “Plays with great energy and determination. The game plan was cut the head off the snake. That’s what we call it. He’s the focal point of their team. We get him gone? Ballgame.”
This was the first state tournament appearance for the Eagles, a veteran team with 10 seniors.
“Experience is key,” Gill said. “With these guys, I’m never rattled. I trust them. They usually figure it out. We’ve won tight games. We’ve been down, and we fight back. We are that type of team.”
Dyett played in the mighty South/Central last season. The Eagles struggled overall. But their young team played some close games against the city powerhouses.
“Last year was a big step for us,” Gill said. “All of that prepared us for this year. We came in very confident. We are a family. We stuck together, and we won a state championship.’’
The Public League hasn’t won a big-school (Class 3A or 4A) state championship since 2018. But Class 2A has become the Public League’s niche. A Public League team has won 2A in five of the last seven tournaments.
Althoff (31-6) won the Class 3A title in 2016 and finished second in Class 3A in 2015.