Daniel Jervier followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Dwayne, when he decided to attend St. Rita. But after two years there, he transferred to Tinley Park and reunited with several of his friends from junior high on the basketball court.
Now, in his second season with the Titans, the senior guard is certain he’s where he’s supposed to be.
“This is definitely my home,” Jervier said. “I love it here. I love my teammates and my coaches.
“I’m a senior now and I know all the seniors have to contribute for us to get wins, so I was ready to step up and take on a leadership role this year.”
Jervier has emerged as a prolific scorer and a tone-setter for his team. He showed that again Monday night, finishing with 25 points to lead visiting Tinley Park to a 76-64 win over Eisenhower in a South Suburban Conference crossover in Blue Island.
Jervier also pulled down eight rebounds for the Titans (9-8, 3-2 SSC Blue), while Keoni George scored 18 points. Nolan Maciejewski added 11 points and seven rebounds, Omarion McCollum chipped in with eight points and Brayden Kennedy contributed five points and nine rebounds.
Larnell Moore led Eisenhower (5-11, 0-5 SSC Red) with 21 points. Micah Calvin finished with 13 points, Corey Finkley tallied eight points and Logan Tasciotti pulled down seven rebounds.
Tinley Park coach DJ Brown said it was a happy reunion when Jervier came to Tinley Park as a junior.
“He played in junior high with Keoni, Nolan and Brayden,” Brown said. “I tried to get him as a freshman, but the bloodlines run deep at Rita. When he came here, the guys welcomed him back.
“They knew who he was. There were relationships established already. That all helped him build his confidence last year, and he’s playing with confidence as a senior and really leading us.”
Jervier believes he has found the perfect fit with the Titans.
“It’s like a family,” he said. “Coach Brown will never pull you out for taking a shot. I feel like you can play freely, and coach is always going to push you to play as hard as you can.
“I feel like it’s a great system for me.”
Jervier knocked down two 3-pointers Monday, but his game mostly revolves around driving to the basket to score or draw fouls.
“He’s understanding the leadership role and understanding where he excels most, which is getting to the basket,” Brown said. “He’s bigger than a lot of the guards he sees, so his length is a big advantage for him.”
Jervier scored eight points in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.
Eisenhower, which trailed by 16 points late in the third quarter, fought back within six three times in the fourth, but the Titans made sure they could get no closer.
“We just had to keep playing hard, keep trying to rebound and take care of the ball,” George said. “(Jervier) helps us a lot. He’s good at getting to the rim and finishing at the rim.”
Jervier’s fearlessness when driving into the lane comes from years of competing against Dwayne.
“We used to play at the Matteson rec center,” Jervier said. “We’d play everywhere together. He made me better because he was bullying me on the court, but that was just to get me better.”
Dwayne now plays at Aurora University, and Daniel plans to join him in taking basketball beyond high school.
“I have an offer from Brewton-Parker College,” Daniel said. “It’s an NAIA school in Georgia. I just want to play at the next level, and then after that I want to go overseas and play at the highest level I can.”
