Update, Nov. 15, 2019 / Sports columnist Blake Baumgartner has provided the following update for this story saved in PN’s archives.
“Metea Valley graduate Malik Hall scored 19 points off the bench for Michigan State against Seton Hall Thurs., Nov. 14 in the Spartans’ 76-73 road victory.”
Cheers to Malik Hall!
Original Post, Feb. 15, 2016 / Metea Valley’s 13-point victory on Friday at Lake Park served two purposes.
On one hand, it officially handed Naperville North the outright DuPage Valley Conference title.
On another hand, for the Mustangs themselves, their 73-60 upset of the Lancers could be a portent of things to come.
And in a lot of ways, their fate in the next few weeks could be in the hands of a sophomore.
At 6-foot-5 and 180 pounds, Malik Hall looks the part of a long and physical presence that can play both with his back to the basket while also facing up opponents on the perimeter.
With a career-high 32-point effort coming on Jan. 18 in an overtime loss to Bartlett leading the way, Hall is averaging 10.04 points through 26 games.
“I realized, at the beginning of the year, I was kind of struggling with how to score and how to help the team,” Hall said after a 75-60 victory on Feb. 2 over Naperville Central. “But, I think, as the season’s gone on, I’ve noticed like our offense and how it works against other people and how I can score throughout our offense. So I think that made me a little more comfortable.”
And as his growth on the floor continues, so will the growth of the Mustangs, who sit at 12-14 overall with two regular-season games remaining.
Hall has five double-digit scoring games since busting out for the 32 points against Bartlett over at Wheaton Warrenville South’s MLK Tournament.
In three of Metea Valley’s last four games, he has found himself in double figures – highlighted by tallying 23 in the 15-point win over the Redhawks and scoring 24 against the Lancers last Friday.
His rise as one of Metea Valley’s prominent offensive options is a credit to the job his teammates have done working with him.
For Mustangs’ senior center Tristan Schlosser, one word jumped to mind when asked about his younger teammate.
“He’s young,” Schlosser said. “He’s got so much potential. He’s got two more years left, so he’s going to be great. He’s going to do great things and he’s going to go on and play at a great school after his senior year. But he’ll be good, lot of potential.”
For senior guard Dei’Ron Delarosa, he just wants to pass along what he knows to Hall.
“Malik is like my brother to me,” Delarosa said. “He’s just growing. I know he’s young, but I tell him – I just give him some type of tips before we go into the game and I know he can translate it onto the court. His boards – he’s been getting a lot more boards during the season – and hustling and boxing out more and just finishing all his layups and stuff.”
From Naperville Central’s Pete Kramer to Waubonsie Valley’s Chaz Taft, opposing coaches have been quick to take note of the leaps Hall has made throughout the year.
After Hall used his versatility to score those 23 points, including connecting on five three-pointers, Kramer pointed to the budding matchup problem Hall is becoming.
“He’s just long,” Kramer said of Hall. “He’s long, he’s quick and he can shoot it. So that becomes a matchup problem when your big man is covering him and all of a sudden now he’s on the perimeter.”
Ranked among the top 50 in Illinois’ Class of 2018, Hall’s progress will certainly impact what Bob Vozza’s group can do within the Class 4A East Aurora Sectional.
A 10-game winning streak late last year sparked Metea Valley to its second regional title in program history after upsetting top-seeded Lyons Township in the Class 4A Proviso West Regional Final.
For Vozza’s charges to have any opportunity to duplicate that feat, they’ll look to their young sophomore to be a big part of it.
“You can just see the confidence that he has on the offensive end and the shots he takes, the continued growth that he has and how good he’s going to be,” Vozza said.
