Hayven Harden didn’t play before high school – now she’s putting up huge numbers for Downers Grove South

Hayven Harden is as surprised as anyone at how far she’s come in such a short time.

And what she’s done of late.

Harden, a 6-foot Downers Grove South senior forward, did not play basketball before high school. In fact, she didn’t do any sports.

“I know the coach at Jefferson Junior High tried to get her to play, but she wasn’t having it. Freshman year, she decided to try it and was pretty impressive,” Downers Grove South coach Lyndsie Long said. “She came in scrawny, a little girl that had no idea what she was doing. She wanted to try it.

“It’s unbelievable where she is now.”

It sure is.

Harden averaged nearly 32 points in three games last week. She had 34 points and 11 rebounds against Minooka, 30 points and 12 rebounds against Leyden and scored 31 points in a win over Proviso East.

She’s now averaging nearly 20 points per game for Downers Grove South, 12-10 after a win over Addison Trail on Wednesday.

“It has really shocked me,” Harden said. “I didn’t think I would put up these numbers, from where I was before to now.”

A unique athlete with a 6-foot-4 wingspan, Harden last season averaged 11 points and eight rebounds for the Mustangs.

“She is pretty special, a player like her, and she has shined at the right time,” Long said. “To where she started to where she is now is rare and unique. As a coach, I say all the time how fortunate I am. Her athleticism and her IQ for the game allows her to shine and do a lot more than a lot of players can.”

Harden’s wingspan and elevation gets her rebounds and putbacks, and her footwork enables her to score in tight spaces. But she’s also developed a perimeter shot this season that makes teams have to guard her inside and outside.

“Definitely my outside game I’ve worked on, shooting more,” Harden said. “I would want them to guard me not just in the paint but outside. I have developed a little jumper. People can see me now as not just someone in the paint.”

Long said she’s never seen a player with a wingspan and jumping ability of Harden, noting “she can almost dunk.”

“Her footwork is really pretty special,” Long said. “She’s quick, she knows how to keep her pivot. That is how she can get in between two defenders and even three. She has those fast-twitch muscles.”

She’s been a godsend to Long, helping Downers Grove South remain competitive after junior post Megan Ganschow was lost for the season with a torn ACL last summer.

“When Megan texted me over the summer and said she had torn her ACL, my first thought was my heart was in my gut,” Long said. “I thought, ‘What are we going to do?’ Just trying to work through what we have and knowing that Hayven is the kind of player that we try to get her the ball as much as we can.

“She is the heart and soul of our offense, our rebounding, defense with deflections. I can’t say enough about how she’s helped us. We would be in trouble without her.”

Campbell Thulin, tough defense has Downers Grove North still rolling

Stephan Bolt believes people might have written off his Downers Grove North team this season, and it’s not hard to see why.

The Trojans graduated four experienced seniors who played the majority of the minutes for a 30-4 regional champion last year. Campbell Thulin and Abby Gross alone had more minutes experience coming back than the rest of Downers Grove North’s team.

But here the Trojans are, again one of the area’s best.

Downers Grove North is 14-6 heading into a Saturday conference game with Glenbard West. Half of its losses came to Lyons and Nazareth, two of the more elite teams anywhere.

“I’m proud of the kids,” Bolt said. “They have been working really hard and being tougher and finishing tougher. Defensively we have been solid, giving up 30 points per game. That gives you a chance to beat anybody.”

So does having a talent like Thulin.

The 5-foot-10 sophomore guard started as a freshman and had a tremendous first season playing alongside a veteran core. She leads this Downers Grove North team in scoring at 17.2 points per game, rebounds at 6.4, steals (2.4) is second to Gross in assists (1.8) and is shooting a robust 46% from the floor.

“I think she’s experienced a ton of growth,” Bolt said. “I don’t want to say she surprised and snuck up on people last year, but she wasn’t the first option. I think everybody knew going into this season that she would be. She’s finding her shot and creating opportunities for teammates while being the focal point.

“She is unwavering in her relentless effort and competitive drive. Every time she steps on the floor, her competitive drive is something else. That is something her teammates see and want to compete at that level too. She sets a great example.”

Bolt said teams that give the Trojans trouble do a better job at taking Thulin away. With that in mind, other kids need to have confidence in their ability to make shots and create shots.

“I don’t see why we can’t beat anybody else, but it’s got to consistently happen,” he said, “the growth and experience in those moments to make tough shots.”

Benet, Lyons still tops in poll

Benet and Lyons remain the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked teams in the latest Associated Press Class 4A statewide poll. Nazareth has moved up to No. 9 from No. 10.