Junior point guard Noah Mister craves being in the biggest moments for Mount Carmel.
He’s a vital playmaker, someone the Caravan relies upon consistently in the clutch, and when every sequence has those outsized consequences, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I do whatever my team needs, and I knew we had to make a play,” Mister said, nodding after another nice victory. “We were down one, and I knew I was the guy to get it done.
“I believed I was the guy, my coaches believed it, and my teammates believed it.”
Believe to achieve was on display Friday night as Mister’s late 3-point play propelled host Mount Carmel’s comeback for a 66-63 Catholic League Blue victory over De La Salle in Chicago.
Senior forward Cameron Thomas scored 14 of his game-high 25 points in the second half for the Caravan (6-0, 1-0). Grant Best added nine points and Dylan Fulbright contributed seven.
Junior forward Charles Barnes scored a team-high 22 points for De La Salle (6-2, 1-1). Carlos Cueva hit five 3-pointers in producing 17 points, while Morgan Travis added 16 points.
Mister, meanwhile, scored 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. His driving 3-point play put the Caravan up 64-62 with 1:14 remaining. His two free throws with 25.6 seconds left sealed the win.
He also had seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
“It just shows that, even though he’s a junior, he just steps up and he is the team leader,” Best said. “Nobody else was doing anything. That’s what he can do as a point guard.
“He has definitely matured and elevated his game, and he can take the game over.”
Mister, Best and Thomas are three returning starters from Mount Carmel’s Class 3A state runner-up last winter. As a sophomore in his first full season as a starter, Mister averaged 14.8 points.
Now, the 6-foot-2 Mister is bigger, stronger and faster, along with having two years of elite varsity experience. He combines size and speed into a dynamic package.
“Honestly, nobody in the state can guard him, so just get him the ball and let him go to work,” Thomas said. “He can dribble, shoot and pass, but his best quality is his IQ for the game.
“He knows how to get to the basket and finish around bigger guys.”
Mister’s game vibrates with confidence, skill and poise, especially in key situations. He answered every roadblock the Meteors threw in his path.
“My jump shot wasn’t really going and I had to find other ways to affect the game,” Mister said. “No matter what, my mentality is that I always want to take the big shot.
“I always want to take the game over.”
Mister’s father, Terry, was a standout at St. Joseph who played in college at Loyola Marymount. Older brother Joshua, who played at Whitney Young, was his other dominant influence.
“My brother makes music now, but he played in high school and he was a good player,” he said. “He was four years older, bigger and stronger, and he always pushed me when I was younger.
“That’s what made me and gave me this mentality and this highly competitive spirit.”
As an extension of Mount Carmel coach Phil Segroves on the floor, Mister is tasked with processing information and making all the pieces come together.
The first part of the equation is knowing what works and what adjustments have to be made.
“Segroves gives me all the rope I need and he lets me do it,” Mister said. “I’m always going to let the game come to me.
“I’m not going to force it. I’m going to get my teammates open and help my guys make shots. When it’s my time to get buckets and make plays, that is my moment.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
