Jayden Riley has a game that was born in his home’s back yard.

Home is where the heart is.

The Yorkville Christian senior guard has a mid-range game that would make an old-school basketball fan swoon. Growing up, he played on a court in his back yard, but there was not a 3-point line.

“It was a concrete court of a court,” Riley said. “I wouldn’t shoot in the grass, wouldn’t be able to dribble in the grass. Dribbling and shooting on the concrete developed my game.”

Riley’s mom, who raised him as a single parent after his dad was shot and killed when he was 4 years old, would have him watch videos of NBA guards Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury.

“Outside in front of the house she would have me try this dribble like Iverson. I couldn’t do it, I’d throw a fit and she’d say I was done,” Riley said.

“She would make me dribble the ball and walk, and I would have to touch the ground at the same time, keep my hand on the ground while I was dribbling. I couldn’t do it. She had me keep doing it. I did it a week or two later.”

Those humble beginnings molded Riley into a gem of a player.

This season he averaged 23 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals a game. He led Yorkville Christian to a 23-11 record and regional championship, first since its 2022 state title team, and a sectional final.

He joined Jaden Schutt as the only player to eclipse 2,000 career points in a Yorkville Christian uniform, and passed 700 assists.

The SIU-Edwardsville commit, IBCA Class 2A First Team All-State, is the Record Newspapers Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.

For a kid who is so hard to miss on the court, Riley does not crave the attention.

Shy and unassuming, Riley didn’t want anything special done to recognize his 2,000th career point before a home game.

“We acknowledged it, and shook his hand. He was really embarrassed,” Yorkville Christian coach Aaron Sovern said. “He is such a good kid. I don’t toss it out there. He’s a good kid. My wife had the privilege of teaching him in her class and stressed to him that basketball is something you do, but not who you are defined by. He’s kept such a level head throughout.”

Riley came to Yorkville Christian from Oswego High School his sophomore year.

He did not see a basketball his first few days there. At his mom’s request, a contract was drawn up that he was not allowed to touch a basketball until he got his academics right.

“He was not allowed to touch a ball or see a court until we got rolling with that,” Sovern said. “That was an eye-opener for us.”

At Yorkville Christian Riley reconnected with a teammate and coach that are like family. Assistant coach Ray Alford first coached Riley with the Oswego Panthers feeder program when he was in the third grade. Tray Alford, a junior, is his son.

“He would pick me up and take me to the games, come to the park and train me. He really did start everything, before I started to get good,” Riley said. “He helped me learn the fundaments. It’s a good relationship. He’s playing the father role in my life. Teaching me to be a man in the real world.”

Hard work and dedication were values that stuck with Riley. He was the first of five or six Yorkville Christian players that got to the gym at 5:30 a.m. before school to get up shots.

“It’s those unseen hours that make him a great player,” Sovern said.

When Riley came to Yorkville Christian he worked from the inside out. He couldn’t shoot the ball from the perimeter but was a great finisher and pass-first guy. Over three years he developed consistency with the 3-point shot, and made 37% of them this year.

“He’s so humble,” Sovern said. “We’d tell him, kid, you are a shooter, you have to shoot that if they give it to you. He’s at all three levels for sure. Excited to see his continued development.”

Riley could feel the games this year that he needed to take on a scoring load, and Sovern put it in his ear.

At the 608 Tournament in Madison, Wisconsin Riley broke current Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel’s tournament scoring record.

And yet on the final play of the championship game, when the defense collapsed on him, Riley kicked it to Alford for the game-winning shot.

“He made the right play,” Sovern said. “Even though he scored 37, the assist that won it is what he’s happy about.”

Riley is happy to hold up his end of the bargain with his mom, and earn a college scholarship to pay for his education.

“Just getting a college scholarship means a lot. Coach Sovern says use that as a tool. I take that seriously,” Riley said.

“I’m really just excited for the next part of my journey, repping Yorkville Christian, repping my hometown Oswego. I’m excited to see where it takes me.”