Rich guard Jamson Coulter was driven to prove himself as one of the top sophomores in the state last season.
Coulter’s ranking in the class was a popular topic of conversation at the revitalized Big Dipper Holiday Tournament in December. According to south suburban hoop heads the local star wasn’t getting the attention his talent deserved.
As the new season gets underway, Coulter has moved on from those concerns. He’s well-established as one of the state’s best players, regardless of class, and has turned his attention to winning.
“I’m down for the team,” Coulter said. “We have been working and we can’t let up. We can’t get Hollywood. We have to keep our foot on the gas. The guys love the game of basketball and they are going to do what it takes to get to the next level to feed their families and get a free education.”
Coulter is stronger and taller than last season. He’s still listed at 6-2 but appeared to be pushing 6-3 at practice on Tuesday. He spent the summer refining his game.
“I was in the weight room a lot,” Coulter said. “I’ve been getting on the gun, putting up over a thousand shots a week. And working on my change of pace. In the past, I only went one speed.”
The Raptors return the core of last season’s team that finished 23-8 and lost to Joliet West in the Class 4A regional finals. Junior Jayden Williams is an excellent shooter and all-around player. Six-foot-six seniors Nyshawn Turner and Matthew LeSure provide mobile size.
Rich won the transfer lottery, making three major additions: brothers Al and Ikee Brooks from Hansberry and junior Kavon Ammons from Thornwood.
Al Brooks Jr. has an offer from Illinois and is one of the state’s most athletic, exciting players. The 6-7 forward averaged 24 points, 17 rebounds, six blocks, five assists and three steals last season while leading Hansberry to a Class 2A regional title.
“He has a good chance to be Player of the Year,” Rich coach Lou Adams said. “If he does what he can do and we go as far as we should he will be right there.”
Al and his brother Ikee, a talented guard, should fit right in with Adams’ fast-paced style.
“[Al Brooks Jr.] is going to wind up at a big-time college,” Coulter said. “He’s a big-time player and he’s going to do what it takes to win a state championship.”
Brooks Jr. may be the best player in the country in the Class of 2025 that doesn’t have a page on the popular recruiting website 247sports.
But no one at Rich is worried about that sort of stuff anymore. The talk is about state titles, not rankings or college offers.
One of the intriguing things to watch this season will be how Brooks Jr. fits in as a star piece on a loaded team. He was the whole show at Hansberry and most games were against inferior competition.
“It is a lot more fun not having to do everything,” Brooks Jr. said. “There’s so much less to worry about when you can trust your teammates.”
Williams says Brooks Jr. has made a smooth transition.
“I love playing with him,” Williams said. “He’s not selfish at all. He rebounds, passes the ball, and plays defense. He can do it all.”
It’s not hyperbole to state that the Raptors have two Player of the Year candidates in Coulter and Brooks Jr.
Adams won three consecutive Class 2A state championships while coaching at Orr. And he may have won a fourth if COVID didn’t cancel the 2020 playoffs.
Adams knows what it takes to ride the highs and lows of a high school basketball season and be primed for a run in March. And his talented team is focused already.
“We are all experienced now,” Coulter said. “We know it is going to take discipline, hard work, winning 50/50 balls, bonding, talking, and helping on defense to get what we want. Those are the things that are going to take us to the next level.”