He’s built like a linebacker, but the springs in his legs have Yorkville’s Taelor Clements ready to take flight at a moment’s notice.
It definitely helped him last spring as he cleared the bar at 6-foot-7 to place seventh in the high jump at the Class 3A boys track state meet.
And on the basketball court?
Count on the muscular 6-4, 195-pound senior forward to bring the juice and dunk with ferocity for the Foxes, according to freshman guard Braydon Porter.
“He’s one of our biggest leaders,” Porter said of Clements. “Even if he’s having a bad game or not feeling well, Taelor still brings energy to the team. He’s taught me to bring energy at all times.”
The 6-4 Porter, one of three freshmen making key contributions as inexperienced Yorkville battles back to .500 as the postseason looms, was surprised to learn this is the chill version of Clements.
“I’ve always played emotional,” Clements said. “I cooled down a bit because I got in some trouble, but I’ve been trying to use that energy in a positive way and finally grew into a leadership role.
“I don’t get technical (fouls) anymore. In elementary and middle schools, I got a couple. I cooled off and started using that emotion in a positive way now.”
Clements and Yorkville dealt with the negative Friday night at Oswego East, dropping a 51-48 Southwest Prairie West decision between two teams hit by injury and illness.
The setback came on the heels of a 66-58 nonconference win earlier in the week at Metea Valley for the Foxes (13-15, 5-10). But both teams were without their leading scorers Friday night.
Oswego East (19-9, 11-4) played without junior guard Mason Lockett, whose foot injury will likely sideline him for the playoffs. The Foxes were missing junior guard Gabe Sanders due to the flu.
“During timeouts this week, it seemed like all you heard was coughing,” Yorkville coach John Holakovsky said of a virus that’s been going around the school.
Senior guard Reggie McWaine led Oswego East with 13 points. Porter matched him with 13.
Freshman forward Joey Jakstys aggravated a lingering knee problem in Tuesday’s win at Metea and also was sidelined Friday. Freshman guard Jayden Ruth comes off the bench for Yorkville.
Clements, who scored a game-high 16 points against Metea, was limited to five points and four rebounds against the Wolves and left the game in the fourth quarter after rolling his ankle.
“Heart, hustle and muscle,” Holakovsky said of Clements. “He plays super hard. You can see him screaming out after timeouts, after big dunks and leading the team with his energy and effort.”
Yorkville didn’t have any returning starters from last year’s team. Clements, who averaged about 10 minutes a game as a junior, was the most experienced returnee.
“He’s super talkative, even on the bench,” Holakovsky said. “When he’s subbed out, he’s screaming at guys what to do on the floor — if we’re switching on a screen, and if not, what to do.
“He’s always played hard, very aggressive and does things the right way. He’s an awesome kid to coach and has been a great leader helping out these freshmen a ton.”
Clements said he always wanted to play football.
“I asked my parents and they said, ‘No,’” Clements said. “I wanted to, trust me. But I had a concussion when I was little and they didn’t want me to get another one. It’s fair. It’s fair.”
He feels a responsibility to the younger players on the basketball team.
“I just heard we had some big names coming up and I thought, ‘All right, let’s see what they got,’” Clements said. “They had their opportunities and they took them and played really, really well.
“Middle school to varsity basketball is a huge jump. Even the best players still struggle, but these guys have had their moments, like anybody. They’ve done way more good than negative.”
That also describes the single-minded Clements, who averages eight points and six rebounds but was unaware of Lockett’s injury situation heading into Friday’s game.
“I kind of live under a rock,” he said. “I just show up and play hard.”
