Anthony Shoemaker's resurrection as a player coincides neatly with the rebirth of the Joliet Township High School boys basketball program.
Shoemaker, a 6-foot-5 junior with skills that far surpass his tender young age, did not play basketball in eighth grade, nor for a full season as freshman at JT, in large part because he was not keeping up in the classroom.
He turned a corner after Luke Yaklich took him under his wing in his inaugural season as JT's coach.
The first lesson Yaklich imparted on Shoemaker had nothing to do with playing defense or sharing the basketball, but rather came out of a more basic playbook, the one that someday will define his life. To make it basketball, Yaklich told Shoemaker he had to hit the books.
"I struggled with my homework," Shoemaker said. "He got me in study hall every day and it's all right now. He's made a big first impression."
The two built a relationship founded on mutual trust -- work hard for me, and I'll work hard for you.
Shoemaker took to tutoring during his sophomore year at JT. He also cracked the varsity lineup and had a hand in JT's second-half turnaround. The Steelmen won 8-of-11 to finish 16-12 overall and placed second the SouthWest Prairie Blue with an 8-5 mark.
Shoemaker averaged 9 points and 3.5 rebounds. He twice scored 20 points and made 26-of-72 from 3-point range (36.1 percent), showing an uncanny ability to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket or park himself on the perimeter and shoot holes in opponent defenses.
Since then, he has worked to improve his rebounding and to develop his post moves on the offensive end. He also has put his commitment to summer school ahead of basketball -- at times. He skipped a recent three-day JT tournament trek to the Wisconsin Dells.
He returned to play with a JT team that swept three games in pool play on Tuesday at the 23rd annual Morris Shootout. He said JT has set a goal to return to that 20-victory level that once was a staple of the program -- the Steelmen last won 20 games in 2003-04 (21-7). And he continued to raise his own stock in the eyes of talent scouts and college recruiters.
"He is shooting the ball extremely well, showing a high degree of athleticism, and from that standpoint looks like he hasn't missed a beat coming off his sophomore year," said Roy Schmidt, one of the editors/publishers of Illinois Prep Bulls-eye (www.ilprepbullseye.com). "Exposure-wise, he's been hurt perhaps a little bit by the fact he hasn't played much AAU ball.
"He's been going to summer school. And that should be his top priority right now. He should be commended for that. There's no question he's going to be a main cog in the wheel for Joliet next year. I think he has a huge upside."
Schmidt said Shoemaker brings to the court a game that could take him to the Division I ranks in college.
"I think potentially -- and that's the key word I'm using here, potentially, he has the ability to project as a possible mid-major level type of player, possibly as a '3' if he continues to grow," Schmidt said. "He has really good wing skills. He has the shooting range. He has the ability to bring the ball up the floor -- handle the ball, get to the basket.
"His length can be just as valuable at the defensive end of the floor as on the offensive end, just with the tremendous wing span and the ability to get into the passing lanes and create turnovers. He can ignite fastbreak situations. I'm sure that's what they're looking for him to do next year."
JT ran roughshod over Yorkville in a 90-50 victory.
Yaklich has surrounded Shoemaker by a cast of JT players that have come to grasp his system, Wesley Powell, Jamel Tyson and Donnell White at the head of the group. Powell and Tyson take turns running the show at the point guard position.
"I think our entire team right now is playing with confidence," Yaklich said. "I think everybody understands roles. I think Anthony (Shoemaker) has followed that same mode. He understands his role. And when he understands what we expect out of him -- and I think more than anything he's starting to learn how to compete at a higher level and what it takes to truly be good at the varsity level.
"He's maturing, as is our whole team. We've got really good leadership from our seniors. And we've got a bunch of kids that are just terrific to be around."
Yaklich is asking Shoemaker to become more of a battler on the boards -- he is one of two 6-5 players on JT's summer roster. The other is senior Tyrell Kelly. The Steelmen must replace departed senior Matt Sturdivant, who led the area with an average of 8.6 rebounds and signed with Illinois Valley Community College.
The trick for Yaklich and Shoemaker will be balancing what's best for the team without pulling in too tightly on the reins of what makes Shoemaker such an outstanding player -- his ability to freelance and create excitement in space.
"Anthony's a guy who theoretically can play all five positions," Yaklich said. "We can post him up. He can play the point and bring the ball up the floor. And he can shoot the ball from the perimeter. We're not going to inhibit him.
"He has a knack -- when he's playing well and in the flow of the game -- for making all the players around him better. That's what we'd really like him to do and find that happen-medium between playing all of those five positions and doing what we need to do game-in and game-out to win games."
"I can do a lot of things, but coach really wants me to rebound," Shoemaker said. "He says if we rebound we can be the best team in our conference. That's all he wants me do right now -- rebound and play good defense -- because our defense starts around me. It's difficult to think that way, yeah. But once your teammates get behind you, then it's not so bad.
"And he lets me get my shine sometimes."
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