The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Senior steers RH to first state final four
Curtis Houston II cuts a distinct figure with his play for Richmond Heights’ final four basketball team.
The 6-foot-3 senior brings the ball up the floor, finds passing lanes visible to no one else in the gymnasium, scores when his team needs it and carries poise befitting his status as a four-year varsity starter.
Artwork also draws eyes to the Spartans’ leader — Houston has seven tattoos. One covers his right forearm and, above it, another spans his bicep and shoulder. A message of strength covers his left calf, between the ankle and knee. Beneath Houston’s jersey, a bird’s outstretched wings are visible around his collarbone and shoulders.
At the center of the wings lies a heart bearing a message; “Family first. My brother’s keeper. My sister’s protector.”
The ink on Houston’s chest illuminates his motivation.
Houston counts four brothers and three sisters among his seven siblings. He has one older sister, 26-year-old Bianca, and an older brother, 20-year-old Isaiah. He’s a big brother to his 6-year-old sister, Emily, 3-year-old brother Island and 2-year-old twin brothers Brayden and Kai.
Houston, 18, lives with his mother, Maria Tinch, and younger brother, Island.
“That’s kind of why I’m doing this,” Houston said. “It’s not just about basketball. I want my family to have a better life, and I know I can do that with basketball.”
March 22, Houston leads Richmond Heights into a state semifinal against No. 2 Convoy Crestview at the Schottenstein Center on Ohio State’s campus. There, he’ll play in front of a host of college coaches seeking impressive performances from prospects.
A scenario existed in which Houston may not have been at Richmond Heights for his junior and senior seasons. When the Spartans underwent a coaching change between his sophomore and junior year, Houston and his mother explored options that might provide a better path for him to reach the collegiate level.
After Quentin Rogers was hired as the school’s new varsity coach and athletic director, he met with the team and spoke with Houston. Rogers carried an extensive resume of success on the AAU circuit, in which he worked with players such as Jared Sullinger, Nigel Hayes and Terry Rozier.
Some five minutes after Rogers was introduced, he received a text from Houston. He wanted to stay in his home district, where he felt confident Rogers could help him achieve his goals. Part of that process entailed new standards established by Rogers.
“It looked like he had been used to being able to slip through the cracks a little bit,” Rogers said. “The first thing we had to do, it was tough, we had to make him accountable for everything. It was a rough year, but once he bought in, the rest has been history.”
Houston’s transition on the court focused on improving his abilities as a facilitator. Rogers recalls Houston wasn’t a true point guard after he spent much of his first two seasons focused on scoring.
Senior forward Emmanuel Sims and his mother moved into the district between Sims’ sophomore and junior year. He wanted to play football, a sport that wasn’t offered at his previous school on Cleveland’s west side — Garrett Morgan School of Science. Sims and Houston, the football team’s quarterback, bonded fast over their mutual affinity for games such as Madden, NBA 2K and, later, Fortnite.
Sims also joined the basketball team, and is a reserve forward for the Spartans this year. Over the past two seasons, Sims and his teammates have benefited from Houston’s improved passing and court vision. Sims thinks Houston definitely racks up more assists this year than before and appreciates his pass-first mentality.
“Most guards, when they see the floor, they don’t really want to pass it,” Sims said. “If it’s an open man, they’re going to be stingy and selfish and lay the ball up. But he passes and he shares the ball and that’s what makes us better, then we share the ball and it gets him open for a shot.”
Houston’s development into becoming a facilitating playmaker at the top of Richmond Heights’ offense culminated in first-team AllOhio and first-team Alldistrict selections this season. Houston ranked second on the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game, pulled down 7.2 rebounds per game and finished second in the area at 8.0 assists per game.
Houston possesses an athletic game all-around. His laid-back demeanor on the floor belies his ability to quickly elevate, dunk and attack the rim. On the perimeter, Houston fires off smooth jump shots with a quick, mechanically sound release. He has a keen sense on the defensive end, where he knows when to step into a passing lane and push in transition off his rebounds. On offense and defense, Houston is never out of position.
None of Houston’s traits surpasses his basketball IQ and court vision, though. Multiple times in a given game, Houston generates sequences only he could foresee, then execute.
“It comes naturally but Q and the coaches, they’ve really helped me work on it,” Houston said. “They help me slow down and see the game a little bit better instead of forcing everything.”
Richmond Heights’ roster is filled with talent around Houston. Junior Gbolahan Adio is a knockdown shooter and led the team in scoring. Junior Jevontae Jones and sophomore Jamarr Talbert Jr. are long, athletic wings that give the Spartans matchup advantages on offense and defense. Junior Anthony Maxie led the team in rebounding and ranked first in the area in blocked shots.
Off the bench, senior BJ Carter averages double-digit scoring and adds a bit of everything to the floor. Senior Isaiah Martin is a sparkplug who harasses opposing guards on the perimeter.
Perhaps Houston’s most defining characteristic this year is his ability to elevate his teammates’ individual abilities to help Richmond Heights become a state semifinalist.
Such comprehension for the game has drawn attention from college coaches. After each of the Spartans’ postseason games, college coaches in attendance made sure to meet with Houston and put a quick word in postgame.
Houston’s collegiate career will need to wait a year, though. He plans to play at a prep school after graduation from Richmond Heights. His grades slipped in his first years of high school and although his academics improved, Houston needs a prep year.
“That’s the main thing they’re talking to me about,” Houston said. “That’s what comes first. Every time, that’s what comes first. They say, ‘We’re talking to him for you. We’re talking to them for you, but we can’t do that if you don’t have the grades.’ So that’s another thing that motivates me.”
Houston, originally from Maple Heights, moved with his mother into Richmond Heights when he was in seventh grade. While at Richmond Heights Middle School, he developed relationships with members of the Richmond Heights teams that twice fell a game short of the school’s first state appearance.
Houston frequented varsity games and played with the team during open gyms in preparation for his high school career.
Support for the basketball team also permeates campus. Balloons adorn the sign outside the high school that touts the Spartans’ impending trip to Columbus. Announcements in the school inform classmates of their state-bound team. The players see signs and pictures of their jersey covering windows and walls.
Maybe most among his teammates, Houston has the most heightened sense of what a state championship may mean to his community. Richmond Heights’ first task is a matchup with 26-1 Crestview, who most observers tout as the favorite to claim the D-IV state title this weekend.
“We’re real locked in,” Houston said. “I think this team isn’t expecting us to do what we gon’ do, because we’re real locked in. We want it bad. Everybody in the school wants it — alumni, everybody. We’ve got to do it for them, too.”