Heady ‘lets his game talk’ as Hillcrest tops Rich Central
Hillcrest junior Jakobi Heady is a kid of few words, on and off the court.
Which is fine with teammate Mar’Keise Irving.
“Jakobi keeps things to himself,” Irving said. “At practice, school and games, he’s the same. He doesn’t say much. That’s his personality. He lets his game talk.”
It spoke volumes Friday against Rich Central in the Class 3A Hillcrest Regional final.
Heady scored 15 points and pulled down eight rebounds to help the fourth-seeded
Hawks claim a 74-62 win.
Hillcrest (23-8) will play top-seeded Morgan Park in a 3A Thornridge Sectional semifinal at 7 p.m Tuesday.
Heady, a 6-foot-6 forward, threw down back-to-back dunks that broke a 15-15 tie. The Hawks didn’t look back.
Up until that point, Heady was scoreless. “The first few minutes I was quiet, and I had to get into the game,” he said. “I needed to be more aggressive.”
Heady said there’s a reason he’s quiet. “My parents always stressed to me to stay
humble,” he said. “I’d rather let my game speak for itself.”
Irving, a 5-11 junior guard, led the way with 21 points, and 6-6 junior forward Julius Rollins added 20 points.
For 12th-seeded Rich Central (11-20), sophomore guard Kevin Vasser Jr. had 17 points, senior forward Keanu Gordon had 16, junior guard RaSean McMiller had 13 and junior guard Semaj Greer added 10.
The Olympians jumped out to a 9-2 lead, at which point Hillcrest coach Don Houston called for a timeout.
Heady acknowledged it was an effective breather.
“He said we better get it together or we’re going to be on that bench,” Heady said.
That’s not a place Heady wants to be. He worked extremely hard over the summer to prove he belonged on the varsity after playing on the sophomore team last season.
“That motivated me a lot,” he said. “I worked hard, especially on my post moves.”
Heady put a few of those moves on display against the Olympians, who had no answer.
Houston is thrilled with Heady’s development.
“Early in the season, he was waiting for people to get him the ball,” Houston said. “Now he’s going out and making things happen.”
Such as on the second of his two dunks. Heady was aggressive crashing the boards and hammered home a tip dunk.
In typical Heady fashion, he didn’t show much emotion.
“You can love him or get on him, he’s going to stay the same way,” Houston said. “He’s going to give you his all every time.”
If Rich Township High School District 227 goes through with its plan for the 2020-21 school year, which is to close Rich East and consolidate Rich Central and Rich South into one athletic program, Friday marked the final game ever for the Olympians.
“It was an emotional game, and we tried to keep the guys level-headed,” Olympians coach Cornelius Crossley said. “We played hard, and in spite of the outcome, it was a great way to show who we are as Rich Central.”