Boys basketball: Joliet West to test itself early at Washington Tournament of Champions

Joliet West enters the boys basketball season with a lot of talent, a lot of promise and a lot of high hopes.

The Tigers will get a chance to test themselves against some of the best the country has to offer this week as they take part in the Kevin Brown Tournament of Champions at Washington High School just outside of Peoria.

Joliet West, which finished 16-11 last season, features Michigan State-bound Jeremy Fears Jr., who returns after spending his past two years at La Lumeire in Indiana, and his younger brother, Jeremiah – who has been attracting interest from about every major college basketball power in the country – in the backcourt, along with returning starters Justus McNair and Jayden Martin. Add in 6-foot-9 Matthew Moore, a transfer from Hillcrest that has committed to University of North Carolina-Wilmington, and 6-8 junior Drew King and the Tigers look formidable.

“We were always excited with the players we already had coming back [McNair, Martin, Jeremiah Fears and King],” Joliet West coach Jeremy Kreiger said. “That was before we got the two additional pieces [Fears, Jr. and Moore]. I think Justus McNair has been kind of forgotten, but he shouldn’t be. He missed his freshman year with an injury, so we had both him and Jeremiah Fears in the backcourt for us last year as first-year varsity players. With the work they have done in the off-season and in AAU and with how they have grown both physically and mentally, it’s going to be exciting.

“And, Jayden Martin was a part of the varsity when he was a freshman, along with Jeremy Jr., when we were 29-4. Then we had COVID and Jayden only played about 15 games last year because of an injury. We have a lot to be excited about.”

The Tigers will get a chance to see how all the pieces fit together, starting with a 9 p.m. Tuesday game against St. Louis Cardinal Ritter. The matchup that many around the state are waiting for, however, is Wednesday’s game against Chicago St. Rita, which tips off at 6:15 p.m.

St. Rita features Illinois-bound Morez Johnson, a 6-9 junior, as well as 6-10 junior James Brown. The Mustangs added 6-5 junior Nojus Indrusaitis to the mix this year as well. Indrusaitis averaged 21 points and 7 rebounds per game last season in leading Lemont to the Class 3A Super-Sectional last season before falling to Simeon. St. Rita doesn’t stop there, though, as the roster also contains such players as 6-4 senior Nashawn Holmes, 6-4 junior Graham Lathan, 6-0 senior Joseph Worthington-White, 6-0 junior Jordan Chandler, 6-5 sophomore Melvin Bell and 5-8 sophomore Amari Edwards.

“St. Rita is close to an NIBC team with what they have on the front line,” Kreiger said. “You just can’t replicate that in practice. They have three juniors [Johnson, Brown and Indrusaitis] who have played on the world stage, whether it’s with Lithuania or the Nike UIBC circuit. When you have a front line of 6-10, 6-9 and 6-5, that’s tough to go against.

“On the other hand, we have four guards that I believe are as good as anyone. The key will be how they guard our guards and how our front court does against their front court. This game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but they moved it to Wednesday in prime time because it’s a matchup everyone wants to see. We are excited to see it, too.

“We don’t want our guys to look past Cardinal Ritter. That’s a very good team from St. Louis, and they will be very good.”

Kreiger looks forward to seeing how Jeremy Fears Jr. fits in with the Tigers.

“Jeremy’s nickname is ‘The Floor General,’ ” Kreiger said. “He is more of a pass-first point guard who likes to distribute. But our job as coaches is to not only to have a great season for Joliet West, but to prepare Jeremy for the next level. I am sure [Michigan State] Coach [Tom] Izzo is going to want him to be able to score as well as distribute, so we are going to want him to score, too.

“Jeremy is the best version of a point guard a coach can ask for. He gets everyone involved, he can take the ball to the basket, take charges, challenge 6-9 guys at the rim. He’s like Russel Westbrook or Ja Morant. I like to say he’s like a vocal Derrick Rose, for those that remember Derrick at Simeon. Derrick was a quiet assassin. Jeremy talks the entire time he’s on the court, but their play is similar.”

On Friday, Joliet West will tip off at 1:30 against Sugar Hill (GA) Lanier, which features 6-8 junior Jayce Nathaniel, 6-0 junior Tahj “Boogie” Morgan, 6-7 senior Osmar Garcia, 6-5 senior Adam Ault and 6-0 senior Landon Suarez.

“This is a great tournament for us because it will let us know what we have and what we need to do to improve,” Kreiger said. “We can’t wait to get out there and hopefully give people some exciting basketball.”