Flannigan Has Evergreen Park Boys Basketball Playing His Song

When Evergreen Park’s Turron Clayton talks about “getting my team” involved, his words ring like the sweet sound of music in Pat Flannigan’s ears.

Flannigan, in his first season as the Mustangs’ boys basketball coach, is looking for Clayton to grow into a team leader and play-making point guard.

So, naturally, Flannigan benched Clayton for a brief period at the outset of Evergreen Park’s 59-53 victory over Lincoln-Way West Wednesday night in play at the Knights/Warriors Boys Basketball Winter Classic in New Lenox.

The coach’s message was like that of a mother to a little boy heading out to the bus stop in the morning: When you reach the corner, stop, look and listen.

Clayton, a 5-foot-6 junior, heeded the advice. When his number was called, he was ready to deliver the goods.

He scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter of a game that featured six ties and 14 lead changes. He also hit the game’s biggest shot, raining down a three-pointer to snap a 48-48 tie with 5:12 remaining. And he snared four rebounds.

Not bad for a little guy who had no varsity experience to speak of a month ago.

“We’re hoping this puts Turron (Clayton) over the top here,” Flannigan said. “He’s been struggling in the first part of the season. This is actually the first game he hasn’t started. He had a rough go the last couple of games, turn the ball over.

“A bunch of us are turning the ball over, not just him, but we decided—Coach Donald said—hey, you know what, let’s let him take a look at it for a little while. Let him watch it on the bench for a little while. And he did.

“We subbed him in and out. He was struggling a bit. Then, we said, ‘We’ve got to go with him.’ He did make some plays. He was able to get in deep, make some passes for us and hit a big shot. This game is all about confidence.

“If he builds on this, then maybe he can be the kind of leader that we know he’s going to be. But he is a junior. He’s playing in his first varsity season.”

Clayton works in the backcourt with two other juniors, Brandon White and Morgan Murphy. White was the quarterback of the Mustangs’ football team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state playoffs. He reported late to basketball and just now is gaining a foothold on the court.

The Mustangs, 2-4 heading into a Friday night showdown vs. Thornton Fractional North, will need all three players to contribute as they move forward. Clayton showed he is ready to do his part against Lincoln-Way West.

“Oh, I just wanted to take what the defense gave me,” he said of his tie-breaking three-pointer in the fourth quarter. “I just wanted to stay aggressive. They gave me an open look. So, the first thing I wanted to do was I wanted to make sure I tried to knock down that shot the best way I could.

“But, no, I’m not really looking to score, not at all. The first thing I want to do is always, always make sure my team is playing as a team. I to make sure I make the best decisions I can possibly make and try to keep my team aggressive and keep everybody’s head in the game. That’s most important.”

And, when he speaks that kind of language, he is hitting all the high notes for his coach. It's sweet music to Flannigan's ears.