Senior guard Jayden Tyler was expecting to form a dynamic duo for Homewood-Flossmoor this season with Bryce Heard, the star guard/forward who helped lead the Vikings to the Class 4A championship in 2023-24.
But when Heard decided to graduate early and enroll this fall at North Carolina State, the situation quickly changed.
It’s Tyler’s show now, and he feels he’s ready for the starring role.
“What excites me the most is just showing everybody why you shouldn’t really doubt me,” Tyler said. “Once Bryce left, I heard a lot of people saying, ‘They don’t have enough. Jayden’s not going to be able to do it.’
“In my heart, I feel like I’ve always been able to do it. I just haven’t had the opportunity to do it. It psyches me up knowing that I can shut everybody up and just take over.”
Tyler, a Wofford recruit, is heading into his third season as a starter for H-F. He averaged 11 points and three assists as a junior and consistently stepped up big in key moments.
That includes the state championship game, when he scored 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds in a 60-48 win over Normal Community.
Tyler, though, was just one of the guys on the history-making team that brought home the storied program’s first state championship.
Gianni Cobb became the star scorer. Heard was the super talent. Carson Brownfield was the leader.
Now? Tyler will be looked to for all of that. But H-F coach Jamere Dismukes knows he can handle it.
“I think it’s about time, honestly,” Dismukes said. “Jayden is the type of kid who hasn’t always played the backseat but was never the guy. This year, he’s the guy. It’s time for him to start learning what it really means to be the captain and to be the guy.”
Tyler won’t have to do it all.
The Vikings have added talent around him, bringing in a pair of playmaking senior guards via transfer – Lewis recruit Arden Eaves from Thornwood and Brent Taylor from Lincoln-Way East. Freshman guard Darrius Hawkins Jr. is expected to make an immediate impact.
But if H-F is going to even come close to duplicating last season’s success, it will be on Tyler to bring it all together.
“I’ve adapted by just taking it one day at a time,” Tyler said. “I’m helping them learn our culture and pushing them to learn what we stand for. There have been ups and downs, but it’s just getting better and better day by day.”
Eaves has appreciated Tyler’s guidance as he adjusts to a new team.
“He’s going to push you,” Eaves said. “If you don’t dive on the floor for a loose ball or if you don’t talk on defense, he’s going to tell you about it. You shouldn’t get mad at it. He’s just going to push you to be better.”
It’s been an offseason of chaos and surprise for Tyler — and not just because of Heard’s departure.
He committed to Kent State in July, but those plans fell through. Last week, he signed with Wofford — a Southern Conference program in South Carolina that has had recent success, including a NCAA Tournament win in 2019.
Although he’s excited about the end result, the recruiting process left Tyler with something to prove.
“It’s a bigger chip, but I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder,” Tyler said. “Life happens. I had to move on. I’ve got to stick through the mud and show people why I’m here.”
That’s what this season is about as well. He wants to prove he can lead a team to the top.
“I look at it as more of an opportunity to show what I can do, knowing I’m going to have the ball in my hands more and knowing I have to make more plays,” Tyler said. “It’s not pressure at all, but it’s something I have to be ready for.
“And I am ready for it.”
