Feb. 19--It's the year of the little point guard in and around Chicago.
Charlie Moore, Mike Smith and Evan Gilyard are the leaders of the Nos. 1-3 teams in the Tribune Top 20 -- Morgan Park, Fenwick and Simeon -- and there's not a 6-footer among them.
In the college ranks, Tyler Ulis has silenced the doubters and become one of the best point guards in the nation at Kentucky, just as he did on the state level at Marian Catholic.
Ulis' replacement is the smallest of them all. And after entering the Chicago Heights school amid considerable fanfare last year, 5-foot-5 sophomore Chase Adams is forging his own identity.
A grammar school star in Chicago complete with viral highlight videos, Adams came to Marian in large part because of Ulis, but he is gaining the maturity to realize that he doesn't have to be Ulis.
Adams averages 6.5 points per game, 3.3 assists, 1.9 steals and shoots 38 percent from 3-point range.
"I think he is starting to understand that, starting to understand the game, starting to come into his own," Marian Catholic coach Mike Taylor said. "He is starting to not worry about the peripheral stuff, just playing basketball.
"It is a tough spot. You don't worry about replacing anybody. You just worry about coming in and being your own guy."
Before becoming a national star at Kentucky, Ulis led Marian to a 57-7 record from 2012-14.
Both teams fell a win shy of going to state, but the imprint he left on the program is more significant than a trophy in a case.
"A lot of guys came here because of Tyler Ulis," Adams said. "Especially on the sophomore team, they came here predominantly because of Tyler Ulis."
That also goes for the two sophomores on the varsity: Adams and fellow starting guard Brandon Hurt (10.3 points per game, 2.9 assists, and 1.6 steals).
Adams said he liked the way Ulis was used, and the Spartans utilize Adams in a lot of pick-and-roll situations as well.
He doesn't look for his shot as much as Ulis did, even early in his high school career, but he also doesn't have to, because the legacy Ulis left is a deeper, more talented supporting cast than the one he played with.
Taylor is armed with five guys between 6-5 and 6-8, four of whom are juniors. The Spartans (19-5, 6-1 East Suburban Catholic) are a team of the present as well as the future, and their fate may ultimately be determined by the development of their guards.
Adams and Hurt cut their teeth during Marian's 14-16 campaign last winter, and their improvement has the Spartans in position to contend for a third sectional title in four years.
Adams said he's not trying to be Ulis, just trying to make a name for himself. At his size, he'll always be fighting, just like his predecessor.
That's the part of the comparison Taylor doesn't mind perpetuating.
"I told him, 'With Tyler it was an uphill climb the whole way,' " Taylor said. "It still is a battle for Tyler. He's still fighting the stigma, 'He's good but can he play at the next level.' It is never going to end. That is what Chase has to go through. It is never going to end. He just has to keep on working."
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
