Tyus Battle, shown here last season, has established himself as one of the premier players in the state as a sophomore. (William Perlman/The Star-Ledger)
Tyus Battle knew that things would be a lot different for him going into his sophomore season at Gill St. Bernard's. Three starters from last year's team graduated and are now playing at Division 1 programs. Not only must he be the primary scorer for the Somerset County squad, he's also stepped into a leadership role.
"I take a big leadership role that Jaren (Sina) had last year," Battle said. "It's been going well. Just motivating my guys. A lot of them haven't played a lot of varsity minutes yet, so I've just got to keep motivating them to keep shooting the ball even if it's not falling. Eventually it's going to fall."
Battle is a young leader on a young squad, and the team's inexperience has shown at times. But all the potential Battle displayed as a freshman is starting to pan out. He's averaging 23.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.5 assists per game — and those numbers were even better before a wrist injury forced him out of a game against Englewood after the first quarter.
"He's going to lead this team and do very well," Gill St. Bernard's coach Mergin Sina said. "For a sophomore, he's so poised. He's really figured out a way to mature from last year to this year and take a role that most sophomores in the state won't take. I think that he's a kid that's just going to get better every day. The team really loves playing with him."
Battle is the 10th rated recruit in the class of 2016 according to ESPN with offers from powerhouses like Indiana, Syracuse, Villanova. He'll be at the Carrier Dome for Syracuse's ACC clash with Duke on Feb. 1 and is planning visits to UConn and Villanova. He says there are no early favorites in his recruitment and that he'll take his time with the process.
Even after scoring 27 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists in a win over Somerset rival Hillsborough over the weekend, Battle was quick to give credit to his supporting cast. He's been especially impressed with the duo of Jonas Stakeliunas and Julis Stoma, a pair of Lithuanian transfers.
"Especially our big men, playing really hard," Battle said. "Changing the game, Europe to America. It's a big difference, but they've been adjusting well."
The supporting cast may not be stacked with Division 1 recruits like last year's team was with Sina, Austin Colbert and Chris Jenkins. But Mergin Sina knew that he had some players that would pan out and be key contributors by the time they were upperclassmen.
"Ian Demarest is doing a great job," Sina said. "He was in foul trouble today, but he's a glue guy. He rebounds, he does all the dirty work. John Michael (Mea) is still learning as a point guard, obviously he played behind Jaren and Alex (Mitola) the last few years, but I think he's one of the better point guards in the state. Adam, he's a kid, obviously his brother was a very tough kid and a great player for us. Adam (Mitola) brings that toughness to us, he was struggling a little bit with his shooting but today he knocked down some big shots."
Gill St. Bernard's has lost only twice this season, both to teams ranked in The Star-Ledger Top 20. Victories in those tilts would have been big boosts for the Gladstone squad, but Sina thinks the team has learned from those experiences and used what it learned to help close out Hillsborough.
"Those games that we lost to Hudson Catholic and Teaneck were tight games," Sina said. "We were up against Hudson Catholic by five with about a minute to go. Young kids kind of gave it up. Against Teaneck we came back late in the game. That prepared us for something like this."
Still, it's pretty clear that this team will go as far as Battle takes it. If that's the case, Sina knows his team is in good hands.
"He brings energy every day," Gill St. Bernard's coach Mergin Sina said. "He works hard. He's a team player, he's not out there wondering what's in it for Tyus Battle. He's out there's worrying what's in it for the team. In that process, he's going to do what he does. He's figured it out, just like the players in the past. He's going to be, in my opinion, an all-time great at Gill."
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