Neuqua Valley’s Cole Kelly has heard all of the hype.
The 6-foot-6 swingman is touted by some as the top freshman in the state and potentially the best player in school history, and that was all before he even played a game for the Wildcats.
“It’s been pretty crazy,” Kelly said. “You just try to block out the outside noise, stay true to the people that you hang around with, but yeah, it’s been pretty crazy.”
Kelly said he has wanted to play in the NBA ever since he was a little kid. The dream is not as far-fetched as one might think, as he already has offers from Illinois and DePaul.
But the pros, not to mention college, are a long way away. Kelly has been in high school for just three months.
That’s an adjustment every kid has to go through. Add playing on varsity, something few freshmen get the chance to do, and it’s a lot to ask.
“It’s tough,” Kelly said. “High school basketball is tough. It’s gritty. You’ve got to go out there every day and be the toughest man, or you’re not going to win.”
Kelly showed his mettle by scoring 21 points in his debut, the Wildcats’ 47-45 victory against West Aurora at the Hoops for Healing Tournament on Monday.
But as Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton noted, Kelly is a freshman and still has a lot to learn.
That was apparent during the Wildcats’ 53-49 loss to Oswego East in the tournament’s fifth-place game at Oswego on Friday. Kelly got into early foul trouble and played just 16 minutes.
Kelly still impressed when he was on the floor, making 7 of 10 shots and tying for game-high scoring honors with 16 points. He also paced the Wildcats (2-2) with six rebounds.
But his lengthy absences contributed to the Wildcats losing a 14-point lead. They led 45-44 when Cole fouled out with 3:18 left while trying to draw a charging call on Oswego East’s Myles Buchanan.
“That’s rough,” Kelly said. “I know they need me, and getting me out of the game hurts.”
Still, Kelly has impressed with his all-around ability. The lefty can play any position, shoot with accuracy and is comfortable attacking the basket, where some of his post moves are next-level.
“He has a very wide range of skills, so of course we’re using him any way we can,” Neuqua Valley senior guard Whitman Charboneau said. “We’re getting him the ball and running off transition so we can start the break. He does a really good job of that.
“His defense is great. He’s super tall. He can do anything on the court. Even at such a young age, his IQ is extremely high.”
Kelly probably got those smarts from his father, Jay, who played college basketball at St. Francis from 1994 to 1996. A cousin, Gavin Block, played at Ohio and is director of basketball operations at Bradley.
Kelly leads the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding. He’s also fitting in with his teammates, all of whom are older but most of whom are new to varsity.
Charboneau, who had 12 points and six assists against Oswego East, is the only player who has seen significant playing time at the varsity level.
“You hear all the noise about him being a freshman, but it doesn’t seem like that to anyone, and of course our team is young as well,” Charboneau said. “We have a bunch of underclassmen up on the varsity this year.
“Everyone tries to be a leader. Everyone contributes. Everyone treats each other the same.”
Kelly appreciates that.
“The older players were accepting of me as soon as I walked in the gym first day, so that’s doing great,” Kelly said. “It’s first week. We’re still growing.”
After playing four games in five days to start the season, Kelly has learned at least one valuable lesson.
“You’ve got to be ready to show up every day,” he said. “Because when you play three games in a row, you can’t have two good games and one bad game or something like that.
“You’ve got to show and be ready and stay locked in all the time.”
Charboneau is confident Kelly can do just that.
“He adapted right away,” Charboneau said. “Good basketball players, they’ll adapt to any situation, even when it’s a lot of pressure, which he doesn’t seem to be fazed by at all. He just takes it and rolls with it. He’s done a nice job so far.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
