So, do you think Waubonsie Valley reserve Tyus Payne is tough enough for the basketball rigors of taking on high-level competition in the lane?
Without a doubt — just check out the scar on the lower left leg of the 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior forward. It comes from an injury he sustained during his sophomore season of football.
The appropriately named Payne can battle, according to senior guard/forward Moses Wilson.
“Tyus definitely could have been a bigger factor in basketball,” Wilson said of his classmate. “That leg injury definitely slowed him down, but he’s been very inspirational.
“Tyus has gone down with many injuries, but he has always come back and fought. We’re always looking up to him because he keeps pushing and keeps fighting.”
That fight was apparent Friday night when Payne was the first player off the bench for host Waubonsie in a 62-39 DuPage Valley Conference win against rival Metea Valley in Aurora.
Senior guard Tyreek Coleman, an Illinois State recruit, scored a game-high 22 points for the Warriors (22-0, 6-0), who moved within one game of last year’s program-record 23-0 start.
Sophomore forward Kris Mporokoso added 13 points and Wilson had 11, with each player coming up with three steals in the first quarter as Waubonsie took control by building a 26-13 lead.
Senior guard Tyler Miller and junior guard Tre Watkins had 14 points apiece to lead the Mustangs (11-9, 2-4), who were playing once again without injured senior forward Dominic Smith.
Wilson, who had three thunderous dunks with West Aurora’s Terrence Smith and his teammates looking on, was focused on Saturday’s game against Marist in the When Sides Collide Shootout.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to try to match the record,” Wilson said. “We’ll always try to one-up what we did last year.”
The Warriors’ seventh steal of the pivotal first quarter Friday, however, was the most telling statistic put up by Payne. He didn’t score a point but played his role to perfection.
“He broke it bad, that’s for sure,” Coleman said of Payne’s injury. “I’m pretty sure he would have been bumped up to varsity sophomore year with a couple of us if that hadn’t happened. It was definitely a setback, but he persevered, came back early and played on the sophomore level.
“Then last year, he was still getting used to moving a little slower and picking back up his feel for the game. Even though he didn’t get the minutes he was expecting, he didn’t let that get to him.”
Payne also had a couple weeks off as a junior because doctors went back in and removed several screws from the original surgery that gave him discomfort. Several screws in his lower leg remain.
Payne broke the leg when he was hit by a teammate as both pursued a ball carrier.
“He missed a tackle and I was coming on the edge,” Payne said. “We were playing on turf, my cleat got stuck and I took the force of his shoulder pad on my leg.”
This fall, Payne moved from linebacker to the defensive line, putting up good numbers with 28 tackles, nine hurries, 2 1/2 sacks and 11 tackles for loss as the Warriors qualified for the playoffs.
In that first-round game, Payne broke a finger, missing the first four weeks of basketball season.
“I’ve moved into the role of sixth or seventh man,” Payne said. “I come in for Cade (Valek) or Kris.”
Although Payne has several NCAA Division III offers to continue playing football in college, he plans to focus on his studies. In the meantime, there’s one final season to finish.
His influence? Coleman pointed to playing Central Michigan recruit Kobe Walker in Waubonsie’s 53-44 win over Normal Community in last weekend’s Martin Luther King Showcase at Wheaton Warrenville South.
“His impact on the game doesn’t come on the stat sheet,” Coleman said. “It would have been a tough night battling Kobe Walker without Tyus and his physicality there and the grit he plays with.
“He’s kind of the heart and toughness of this team.”
