Senior point guard Nolan Maciejewski plays with a Pete Rose-like passion for Tinley Park.
Every practice and every game is that way for Maciejewski, who resonates as the emotional leader for the Titans who sets the tone, manner and personality with his trademark hustle.
“I like to be a dog out there,” Maciejewski said. “I like to be the leader on the court. Sometimes, it might get out of hand. I knew this was going to be a hostile environment (Friday night).
“I couldn’t let them get into our heads.”
A head-ups Maciejewski came through Friday night with nine points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals for Tinley Park in a 58-41 South Suburban Blue victory at Oak Forest.
Senior guard Daniel Jervier scored 21 points for the Titans (13-10, 6-4), while senior center Kendall Webb added 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.
Senior forward Matt Anderson totaled 12 points and added eight rebounds in defeat for Oak Forest (14-10, 8-3). Junior guard Aiden Barnett hit three 3-pointers in scoring 11 points.
Maciejewski’s harassing, pit-bull defense was a critical factor for Tinley Park limiting the Bengals to just nine field goals in the second half.
Oak Forest struggled getting their half-court offense into any consistent offensive rhythm.
“I love the defensive side,” Maciejewski said. “Everybody loves to score the ball, but I feel like there’s no better feeling than getting steals.
“They try to set their offense through the middle of the floor and I really looked to shut that down.”
His no-nonsense ability to run the offense and direct the various offensive pieces propelled the Titans on a 14-0 run in the third quarter that broke that game open.
“Nolan’s a quiet person,” Webb said. “He just talks to us — the other guys on the team. He’s the leader, on and off the court. He’s the one who holds us all together.
“If he sees something we’re not supposed to be doing, he’s going to tell us. He’s the top dog.”
The Wisconsin-Parkside baseball recruit sets the tone and direction for the Titans, and the rest of the team naturally follows in his path.
“We go as Nolan goes,” Tinley Park coach DJ Brown said. “He’s got a lot of moxie.
“He’s what you want your point guard to be. He’s tough and emotional, but he’s able to harness it. He’s a leader who does what the coaches ask of him.”
Jervier called Maciejewski the classic gym rat who is always the first to arrive at practice and the last one out of the gym.
“We’ve been playing together since sixth grade,” Jervier said. “He is our leader and gets us to where we need to be.
“He facilitates the offense — a perfect point guard, a pass-first player who gets to the basket and also shoots threes.”
Maciejewski, a center fielder and pitcher, has excelled in baseball since his freshman year. Basketball is his equivalent passion, and he finds connections and correlations between the two.
“I started playing both when I was about 5 or 6, and I’ve always played up against bigger kids,” he said. “In either sport, I’m a ballhawk and I’m going to go and get it, no matter where the ball is.”
For all of his tenacious effort at the defensive end, the signature play Friday for Maciejewski was a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter that served as the dagger.
Like a pitcher, Maciejewski knows how to throw the basketball version of a change-up.
“I love hitting threes,” he said. “It gets my momentum going. When somebody gets too close to me, I can go by them on the dribble and operate for other people.
“I’m very competitive no matter what. I know I’m not the biggest scorer or most talented player. I have the mindset of leaving it all out on the floor.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.