J.D. Tyler is often in a new spot as the off guard for the Homewood-Flossmoor boys basketball team.
Tyler is a point guard by trade. He’s used to being the primary ball handler. While he still sometimes operates in that capacity for the Vikings, Gianni Cobb is the starting point guard. It was something Tyler said he had to get used to.
“My role is to bring everybody together, to get the best shot for myself and for my teammates, to create everything,” Tyler said. “I know I got multiple pieces like Carson (Brownfield), like Bryce (Heard) like Gianni (Cobb) that can put the ball in the basket at will.”
So far, the formula has been an effective one for the Vikings, who were 9-1 and ranked No. 4 in Class 4A in the Dec. 13 AP poll.

“In college, there’s going to be times when I’m off the ball so it’s a learning experience,” he said. “I’m finally letting everything come to me within the flow of the offense. Everything’s going to come if you be patient and be aggressive.”
Basketball intelligence is what Tyler believes is the strength of his game. He thinks he makes good decisions about when to push and when to slow things down, when to seek his own shot and when to find one for others.
Coach Jamere Dismukes emphasized defensive communication and grit during a practice on Dec. 19.
“Tough man wins today,” Dismukes repeatedly told his team during a rebounding drill in which players fought for loose balls without regard for a referee’s whistle or out-of-bounds line.
That was an emphasis for Tyler, too. Often the shortest player on the court, he still wants to get his share of the boards, so he can quickly get H-F into transition for easy buckets.
Tyler doesn’t need to be the one getting those points, though. He’s the Vikings’ third or fourth scoring option. He doesn’t want to miss his chances, but the Vikings don’t usually need 20 points from him.
“It’s something new to me. Most of the teams I’ve been on, I was the primary scorer,” he said. “In college, I’ll be playing with players as good as me. I’m going to have to share that ball. It’s just a matter of fact that I know when to get mine and I know I can get mine if I need to.”
He may have to get his at the Big Dipper, a prestigious annual tournament held at Rich Township. H-F opens that one Dec. 26 with Eisenhower and the field is a good one.
“It’s a big opportunity. It’s going to put us on the map,” he said. “A lot of people still don’t know who we really are, as a team.”
The event also presents a chance for the Vikings to wash the remaining taste from their mouths of a 77-47 loss to Gonzaga College Prep (Washington, D.C.) in the Chicago Elite Classic on Dec. 2. Tyler said it was a chance for his team to grow.
“I wouldn’t count it as a moral victory, but it was a learning experience. We got to be more locked in on the defensive side,” he said. “We still lost. We don’t really count moral victories. If we lost, we didn’t do what we needed to do.”
What they need to do to finish the season smiling is simple, Tyler said. The Vikings have a singular goal.
“State. Ring chasing,” he said. “We just want that ring right now.”