The biggest source of inspiration for Jaylen Blakes also provides plenty of motivation for the Crete-Monee standout.
Blakes, a senior forward, just wants to do his best to keep up with his grandma.
“My grandma, Carolyn Bomman, played at Iowa State,” Blakes said. “She pushes me more than my mom and my granddad. I just want to match her or possibly be better than her, hopefully.
“She was an All-American, so she’s way ahead of me.”
In his first season with the Warriors, Blakes is doing plenty to make his grandma proud. He delivered another big performance Tuesday night, scoring 23 points to lift visiting Crete-Monee to a 63-49 win over Richards in Oak Lawn.
Zyheir Gardner led the Warriors (8-2) with 26 points and five rebounds. Jaydon Watts, Jordan Outlaw and Zyon Floyd chipped in with four points apiece.
Travon Gourdine poured in 28 points and added five rebounds for Richards (2-7). Nick Jafilan contributed eight points and Carter Gillen pulled down six rebounds.
Blakes kept Crete-Monee afloat through a sluggish start, scoring 12 points in the first half as the game was tied 27-27 at halftime.
“We came out a little bit slow, playing down to the competition and it was back and forth for a long time,” Blakes said. “I had to provide a spark.”
Blakes has been doing that often, while also delivering a big inside boost for his new team after transferring in from T.F. North.
“He’s made a huge impact,” Gardner said. “He brings size, aggressiveness and just heart. He’s a great person, too. He’s fit in perfectly.
“He adds so much to the team that we needed.”
Blakes said adjusting to a new school and a new team has gone much smoother than he expected.
“The transition has been perfect,” Blakes said “I fit in well with the team chemistry-wise. I like the system my coach is running. It’s been very good. The chemistry is getting stronger day by day.
“We’re more like a brotherhood.”
Crete-Monee coach Jawan Nelson is happy to have the 6-foot-4 Blakes on his side.
“He’s a strong force,” Nelson said. “He’s another scoring option for us. He’s a good rebounder. He’s someone who can do it all.”
Gardner got hot from outside to help the Warriors finally pull away, hitting four 3-pointers over the final minute of the third quarter and first two minutes of the fourth.
That stretched the lead to 51-35.
“We just had to stay together and play as a team, do the right things and be disciplined,” Gardner said.
Gardner, a junior guard who has Division I offers from Chicago State, Eastern Illinois, Kansas City and South Carolina State, sees a huge ceiling for Crete-Monee.
“In spurts, I see we’re very talented,” Gardner said. “We just have to piece those spurts together and we’ll be a great team. We have to find that consistency, for sure.”
Blakes knows he can help with that. Although he’s a newcomer, he hopes to carve out a leadership role as a senior.
“I have to be aggressive,” Blakes said. “I have to attack the boards. I want to be a part of everything on the team. I want to be vocal. I see myself as an upcoming captain maybe.”
Blakes played football when he was much younger, but basketball has been his sole athletic focus for nearly a decade.
That should come as no surprise. After all, he has his grandmother to look up to.
“Basketball runs in my family,” Blakes said. “It’s a sport I fell in love with at a young age. I still love it and I have fun every time I get to step out on the court.”
