Suburban Life Male Most Valuable Athlete: Braden Huff, Glenbard West, basketball, sophomore

WHY HE WAS SELECTED:

Huff had 28 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks for the Hilltoppers in a 74-71 overtime win over De La Salle in the championship game of the Glenbard West Holiday Tournament. He earlier had 13 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks against Glenbard North, 23 points against Chicago Agricultural Science and 17 points, nine rebounds and four blocks against Marmion.

Huff talked about the tournament, the start to the season and more with Suburban Life sports editor Joshua Welge. Here is an edited version of the transcript.

Welge: What did you find out about your team this week?

Huff: Especially in the championship game, we showed our resilience. As we got down in the game we continued to keep our heads up and everybody stayed focused. We said if we stick together, we have a chance to make a run. We really showed that we could overcome obstacles.

Welge: Your team is 11-1 after graduating [Suburban Life Player of the Year] Evan Taylor from last year's team. Are you surprised?

Huff: Honestly, it's a bit shocking, but as we played some of our summer games I started to feel pretty good about this group of guys. Everybody fit into their roles and everybody understood what they had to do to make the team successful. We still have most of our conference games left, which are tough games, but I'm excited and looking forward to what's to come.

Welge: You got good experience as a freshman on varsity last year. How has your game grown since then?

Huff: I think I've got more confident in my ability to get to the basket. Last year during the high school season I was just a catch and shoot guy on the team. This year I'm able to get to the basket more and facilitate.

Welge: Speaking of growing, did you have a growth spurt?

Huff: Yes, I've always been pretty tall but I grew 3-4 inches over the summer. I'm listed at 6-9, but I'm really 6-8.

Welge: Do you and your sister [Taylor, a member of Glenbard West's basketball team] ever play?

Huff: We used to play 1-on-1 but as I've got longer and taller she tends to play more with my younger brother. We're all pretty competitive, she'll still take on the challenge.