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36 | June 6, 2019 | the tinley Junction sports tinleyjunction.com TPHS gets a huge transfer JEFF VORVA, Sports Editor It looks like D.J. will get A.J. In one of the most shocking offseason high school basketball stories in the state, one of the nation’s top freshmen, 6-foot-9 A.J. Casey, is transferring from Simeon to Tinley Park High School. He is expected to be with the team for practices and summer league games this month while also attending elite camps in June. “We’re really excited for this opportunity,” veteran Titans coach D.J. Brown said on Sunday, June 2. “We can’t wait to get started. We’re really looking forward to not just the summer but also the winter season. It’s just something that happened and we’re excited.” One Twitter tweeter called it, “The best thing to ever happen in the history of Tinley Park.” Casey, a starting center for the Wolverines his freshman season, also possesses guard skills. Casey’s father, Andre Casey, Sr., told the Chicago Sun-Times the move was “nothing serious in terms of anything to do with Simeon but he’s going to be living with his mother in Tinley Park.” Assuming Casey stays at TPHS for three years, it could change the climate at the school. Last year, coaches were hoping that the school’s new field house, which is expected to open in the fall, would keep district athletes at home. Having a player with Casey’s caliber at the school can also help that mission. As for basketball, the Titans needle was pointing up even before this blockbuster news. Brown has coached the team for Tinley Park boys basketball coach D.J. Brown said he is excited that A.J. Casey is coming to his program. JEFF VORVA/22ND century media 12 years and had not enjoyed a winning season for seven straight years until 2018- 19, when the team opened the season 11-4 and finished 14-11. TPHS graduated a ton of seniors but had hopes underclassmen could keep the winning seasons coming. Future150.com ranks Casey as the 15th best player in the nation in his class and seventh as a point guard. He already has an offer from Illinois. When he was a 13-year-old at Arbor Park Middle School, a YouTube video of him dunking drew 40,000 views and drew comments such as, “This kid has the goods,” and, “He reminds me of Paul George.” At Simeon, he was a rare freshman starter in a wildly successful program and he hit a game-winning basket in the postseason in the closing seconds to beat Brother Rice. ATHLETE OF THE WEEK 10 Questions with Justin Luckett Justin Luckett is a sophomore runner on the track team and basketball player at Tinley Park High School. He was on the 400-meter and 800-meter relay teams that were named All-State. How did you get started in track? I started in third grade and I kept it up through fourth, fifth, sixth grades, all the way through this year. What was the first Illinois High School Association state finals experience like for you? It was a great. We did well [a fifth-place finish in the 800 relay and ninth place in the 400 relay]. We’re looking forward to coming back and doing even better. Do you have any pump up music before meets? I really don’t listen to music before meets. I’m thinking about my race and getting my mind straight. If you had a chance to run against anyone in the world, who would it be against? Probably Usain Bolt. I would like to see how I would do against him. To you have any heroes you look up to? My dad [Derrick Luckett] and grandfather [Earl Glispie]. And my mom, Frances Luckett. They pushed me and got me to this place. If you had a chance to have dinner with anyone - dead or alive - who would you have dinner with? Kyrie Irving. What’s you favorite JEFF VORVA/22ND CENTURY MEDIA food? Pizza. Is there a food you won’t eat even if you were paid $1 million? Fish. If they made a movie about your life, who should play you? Me. What would the title of that movie be? “The Secret Life of Justin Luckett. Interview conducted by Sports Editor Jeff Vorva Athlete of the Month LW Central soccer player earns crown in May competition Bill Jones, Managing Editor Lincoln-Way Central’s Megan Hutchinson has been on the soccer field since she was 4 years old, and the sophomore forward has been scoring goals ever since. She has made a name for herself with both the Knights and the Eclipse club team, and she already has committed to play at Purdue University. Hutchinson also recently won 22nd Century Media’s May Athlete of the Month competition. The Athlete of the Month competition pits featured Athlete of the Week selections from our south suburban newspapers against one another in an online voting contest. The next contest is to begin Monday, June 10. To vote, visit tinleyjunction.com, hover over the “Sports” menu tab and click “Athlete of the Month.” Readers can vote once per session per valid email address. Voting ends at 5 p.m. June 25. All athletes featured in the May Athlete of the Week sports interviews are automatically entered into the contest. Megan Hutchinson (right)— a sophomore who plays soccer for the Knights — won the May Athlete of the Month competition for publisher 22nd Century Media’s Southwest Chicago branch. Steve Millar/22nd Century Media
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