TEUTOPOLIS — Isaac McWhorter had his number called multiple times this season and delivered each time.
A guard on the Teutopolis boys’ basketball team, McWhorter earned that right by elevating his game to a whole different level. He averaged 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game during the regular season after hardly seeing the court as a junior.
Head coach Chet Reeder knew McWhorter was this type of player. He just needed to have the opportunity to play to show it.
“I’ve always seen this in Isaac,” Reeder said. “He’s got the ability ot carry a team and has never been afraid of a moment. He has moments where he is timid and laid back, but it didn’t really surprise me at all.”
Reeder has mentioned that he sees a lot of himself in McWhorter.
Undersized.
Not flashy.
But he makes winning plays.
McWhorter certainly showed that this past season, averaging 13.7 points in the postseason, highlighted by a 23-point showing in the sectional finals against Tolono (Unity).
“He got off to a slow start with his shooting [this season], but then it got to a point where every time he shot the ball, I thought it was going in,” Reeder said. “There aren’t too many players that are like that.”
McWhorter has never shied away from a moment.
He lives for the thrill of a big game.
“I love the atmosphere of a packed gym in big games. Making big shots is a great feeling and I’ve gotten more comfortable and confident taking them,” McWhorter said. “There are always some nerves, but when it’s a big moment, that actually pushes me more to want the ball and make the play.”
As the Wooden Shoes’ point guard, it isn’t just about scoring.
You also have to commit defensively.
McWhorter did that, proving to be a tremendous asset on that end of the court.
“It’s not just about handling the ball and scoring; you’re also expected to guard the other team’s best player a lot of the time,” Reeder said. “Isaac was put in that situation.”
When McWhorter was little, he always remembered going to games at J.H. Griffin Gymnasium, hoping to hear his name called when the starting lineups were announced.
“Growing up, it felt like every kid dreamed of being a starter for T-Town basketball, so it’s definitely an honor to be in that position,” McWhorter said. “Being a part of this tradition is something I’ll remember forever.”
He wasn’t just a basketball player, either.
McWhorter, a two-sport athlete in high school, also competed on the pitch for the soccer team.
Nothing is quite like being a part of the basketball team, though.
“I’ve always loved basketball,” McWhorter said. “I started playing in second grade and it quickly became my favorite sport.”