January 16, 2025
Sports

High school boys basketball: All-area MVP Thaddeus Johnson key to Morton's success

Players from Fenwick, Lyons Township, Nazareth, Riverside Brookfield, St. Joseph part of all-area team

By JASON ROSSI
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Morton's Thaddeus Johnson brings the ball down the floor on Dec. 26, 2015, in a game against Whitney Young at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament. In his first season as a starter, Johnson helped key a turnaround season for Morton after a poor showing at the Proviso West tourney. (Shaw Media)

CICERO – Thaddeus Johnson was a key player for Morton’s boys basketball team in more ways than one this season.

In his first season as a starter, the senior scored 14 points per game and pulled down nearly eight rebounds each game, but his most impressive performances may have come behind the scenes.

When Morton’s season was about to go off the rails this season after a slow start it was Johnson who helped get the Mustangs back on track, a fact that was not lost on Morton head coach Tony Martinucci.

“After Thanksgiving, after we lost to Fenwick, things got a bit rough for us and the season could have gone either way,” Martinucci said. “TJ got everybody together, and they followed his lead. Him and Jamari [Carthens] stepped up and saved the season.

“It could have gone either way. Everybody thought after Proviso West we would go into the tank and we ended up being successful.”

For helping lead Morton’s turnaround, Johnson is the Suburban Life all-area team MVP.

A blowout against Proviso West in their final game at West’s holiday tournament followed by a lopsided loss against Downers Grove South in the first game after the winter break saddled the Mustangs with an 8-8 record.

Then the turnaround took place.

Like the rest of Morton’s starters this season, Johnson had no starting experience at the varsity level coming into the season. He was up with the varsity for a spell as a sophomore, but playing time was hard to come by with current Harvard player and Morton’s career scoring leader Weisner Perez leading the Mustangs to back-to-back regional titles in 2014 and 2015.

This season was Johnson’s time to shine, and he displayed plenty of range and athleticism while guiding the Mustangs to a respectable season that included a win against York in a West Suburban Conference crossover game as well as a win against Juarez in the playoffs. A personal highlight for Johnson was when he was named all-conference in the West Suburban Gold.

While there’s no doubt Johnson’s skill on the court helped key the turnaround, he was just as instrumental in helping several of Morton’s young players make an impact on varsity.

“He was a great teammate and he demanded that the young guys practice and play just as hard as he did,” Martinucci said. “He showed them how to do things to be a good teammate.

“He was a great kid to coach.”

Thanks in part to Johnson’s leadership, Morton finished the season with a 16-11 record and laid the groundwork for continued success next season.

“It was a fun season. I told the kids it was maybe the most fun since I started doing this and building things [16] years ago,” Martinucci said. “This group was fun and showed what sports is all about.”

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ALL-AREA TEAM

Fenwick: Mike Ballard, Mike Smith

Lyons Township: Cawone Hester, Connor Niego

Morton: Detalian Brown, Jamari Carthens, Thaddeus Johnson

Nazareth: Christian Davis

Riverside Brookfield: Jalen Clanton, Daniko Jackson, Skyler Nash, Mark Smith, Henry Trelenberg

St. Joseph: Joffari Brown, Nick Rakocevic, Marquise Walker