By Dominic Scianna
Dyett High School basketball coach Jamaal Gill took over as head coach of the boys varsity team nine years ago in 2016. Dyett had closed its doors temporarily the year before, and Gill decided to take a leap of faith from Hyde Park High School, where he was an assistant coach, to craft his own program from scratch as head coach for the Eagles once the school reopened as a result of strong community support.
Never in his wildest dreams did he think less than 10 years later he’d take his team downstate, finish the season with a record of 27-7, and capture the Illinois High School (IHSA) Class 2A crown beating Althoff Catholic High School 52-41 before a raucous crowd at the University of Illinois’ State Farm Center in Champaign.
“My dad (William) told me that if you want to coach and you love it then I’ll support you,” Gill said, getting emotional as he remembered his father’s words of advice. “And, if you do, you’re going to win a state championship. Unfortunately, he wasn’t here to see it (because of his passing) but it really means a lot to me now.”
Led by seniors Jaden McKinnon’s 17 points and Ricky Colemen’s 10 points and 7 rebounds, the under-the-radar Dyett Eagles finished a storybook season defeating the Crusaders of Althoff Catholic (31-6) by a score of 52-41. It was the second consecutive year a Chicago Public League (CPL) boys basketball team won the IHSA Class 2A crown. The Phillips Wildcats took the honors in 2024.
“I knew when we went down to Centralia (for an early season tournament) and we were battling some 3A and 4A teams and we were playing very well against those teams,” said McKinnon. “And we came back and beat a very tough Mount Vernon team and that’s when I felt we had a team that could win a state championship.”
The state playoffs provided a myriad of thrills with wins over Catholic League foe Leo High School in the sectional title game by a slim 44-43 margin, then onto a super-sectional win edging Bismarck-Henning H.S., 40-36, to advance to their first-ever state finals, where they survived a nailbiter beating perenial powerhouse Peoria Manual 54-50 in their first game downstate in the Class 2A semifinals. That paved the way for a title run that this team, their coach, their school, fans, and community won’t soon forget.
Down 32-31 entering the fourth quarter, the team’s senior core of Aramis Brown, Jr., Mikai Harris, Amari Brown, Devon Shelton, and Jacob Johnson took the lead from McKinnon and Coleman to outscore Althoff Catholic 21-9 in the final frame to coast to victory.
“Experience is the key to our success this year,” admitted Gill in the post-game press conference. “Last year was a big step for us (moving up to the Chicago Public League Red Conference). We came into this season very confident with 10 seniors and we stuck together and won a state championship together. This is a big lift for us and for our community.”
Coach Greg Leib of Althoff knew about the Eagles from their early season performance at Centralia too, and hoped he wouldn’t have to face Dyett in the state playoffs.
“I was hoping someone would knock them off so we wouldn’t have to play them,” said Leib, tongue in cheek. “They (Dyett) had everything going tonight and they can hold their heads high. They had a terrific season and Coach (Gill) did a great job with them.”
William Gill was right. His son did win a state championship and rallied his underdog squad through adversity and the growing pains of building a program, and now he stands proudly standing atop the mountain as the best Class 2A basketball team in the State of Illinois in 2024-25, with a community of supporters, fans, and senior school administrators behind them cheering them on.
Photos by Jack Lydon
Photos by Joseph Gelman/OSA
