TF North’s Jayden Small thinks big in first season after transferring from Longwood. ‘I feel like I bring it.’

Senior guard Jayden Small is in his first season at T.F. North.

Small, who transferred from Longwood, said it wasn’t a big problem for him to fit in with the Meteors and quickly figure out his role.

“It was easy, really,” Small said. “They brought me right in, told me what I needed to do and what I needed to bring. I feel like I bring it.”

Small certainly brought it Monday night, scoring a game-high 18 points to lead host T.F. North to a 64-52 South Suburban Blue victory over Tinley Park in Calumet City.

Chase Abraham scored 15 points off the bench for the Meteors (17-4, 9-1), while Jevon Warren and Naeim Evans finished with nine points apiece. Warren added seven rebounds.

Bernard McHerron scored 15 points, Amarion Johnson had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Kendric Berry contributed nine points for Tinley Park (12-12, 8-3).

The Titans led 13-9 after one quarter before Small went wild for 13 points in the second quarter. He hit three 3-pointers in the final 2:30 of the first half, helping the Meteors take a 33-26 lead.

“Jayden came in this year and he’s been a lot of help,” Evans said. “He’s a really good guard. He can knock down threes when we need him to. He drives to the basket and hits a lot of layups.

“He’s new, but as a team, we travel a lot and that builds a bond. We hang out in the hotel room, in the pool. We hang with each other a lot and build that brotherly bond over time.”

Small confirmed that developing chemistry with his teammates has been huge. It started in the offseason.

“During the summer, we traveled a lot, going to a lot of different tournaments and leagues and that really helped,” Small said. “I feel like I’ve known them the whole four years now.”

Small is averaging 14 points. With Warren and Abraham also putting up big numbers from the backcourt, the pressure is never fully on him to score.

Abraham scored 34 points in Thursday’s win over Oak Lawn, and Small felt that drew some attention away from him.

“Last game, they were face-guarding me and double-teaming me and Chase stepped up,” Small said. “This game, they let me loose. We’ve got a lot of threats. Any day it can be any of our turn.”

After being outscored 24-13 in the second quarter, Tinley Park stayed close for most of the second half but never got over the hump.

“I think we got outworked,” Tinley Park coach D.J. Brown said. “T.F. North was more aggressive, they wanted it more, they were hungrier.

“We started really well, they made a run, and I don’t think we totally responded. We were on our heels the rest of the way.”

Evans made sure the Titans could not rally, scoring seven points in the fourth quarter as the Meteors closed out the win.

“I just wanted to step up,” Evans said. “Most of the season, I’ve been in a slump. This time of the year, you have to lock in. We have to go for the conference and go for the regional championship.”

The fact that T.F. North is even talking about winning championships is a testament to how far the Meteors have come after finishing 4-14 last season.

“It’s not bad for a group of kids who only won four games last year,” T.F. North coach Tim Bankston said. “I told them last year we were going to take our lumps, but there wasn’t a doubt in my mind we were going to be back to T.F. North.”

Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.