Boyle plays big for Grayslake Central

Good thing there’s some pretty scenery in Casey Boyle’s neighborhood.

It gave him something to look at as he ran and ran and ran last summer.

“We’ve got this lake in the middle of everything and there’s a 2-mile path that goes around it,” Boyle said. “I’d run around that and do other conditioning every single day.”

But as scenic as the lake is, Boyle wasn’t necessarily out running so that he’d have an excuse to regularly admire its beauty. He knew that he had to run.

“I knew I’d have to be in really good shape this season …” Boyle says, “so that I could keep up with our quick, little guards.”

At Grayslake Central, there’s almost nothing but quick, little guards. The 6-foot-9 Boyle is the one notable exception.

He starts alongside three perimeter players who are 5-foot-10 or shorter. In fact, star guard Jordan Taylor is just 5-foot-7. On a good day.

The extremes in the Rams lineup prompted coach Brian Moe to dub his team “Casey and the Midgets.”

“We all laugh about it, even the shorter guys,” Boyle said. “It’s funny. But it’s also pretty much the truth. I’m a big man playing with four guards. So ‘Casey and the Midgets’ is pretty much the kind of team we are.”

And that’s exactly the opposite of what the Rams were last year.

Boyle also helped anchor what is likely Grayslake Central’s biggest team in school history. Last year’s roster included Boyle, 6-foot-6 CJ Stempeck and two other key players who were about 6-foot-5.

The Rams pounded the ball inside and dominated the paint. Game after gamer after game. Now, they jet up and down the floor to take advantage of their quickness, and they take a lot of jumpers.

The interesting thing is, big or small, Boyle has helped the Rams achieve similar results. They won 17 games and advanced to the sectional semifinals last year and this year, they’re rolling again.

Grayslake Central, which gets about 15 points and 11 rebounds per game from Boyle, has won six straight games and is now 14-5 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division, all alone in first place.

The Rams will get another stiff test tonight when they host crosstown rival Grayslake North, which is nipping at their heels. The Knights are 4-1 in league play.

“The transition was a little rough at the beginning of the season as we were getting used to our roles and a new style,” Boyle said. “Like, I had to learn that I couldn’t just sit in the lane like you do sometimes when you’re a big man. On this team, we’ve got to keep the tempo up and that means I’ve got to be able to get the ball out quickly on rebounds and run with our guards.

“Once we got that down and once we started playing our game, we started rolling.”

Boyle has rolled up some big numbers in the meantime.

He scored a season- and career-high 25 points against Uplift in the Mundelein Thanksgiving tournament. He’s also been a beast on the boards, recording a season-high of 16 rebounds in one game.

On the defensive end, Boyle’s presence is unmistakable. He’s getting between 3 and 4 big blocks per game.

“He’s had some games where he’s had 6 or 7 blocks,” Moe said. “Casey is having a really good season and it hasn’t always been easy for him. He’s in a tough position sometimes.

“On the one hand, I’m telling him to be big and post up strong inside and then on the other I’m telling him to get out of there to clear driving lanes for our quick guards. He’s had to make a lot of adjustments this season.”

Boyle has also had to get used to being double-teamed on nearly every offensive possession.

Last year, defenses had to take the “pick your poison” approach with the Rams inside since they had so many different big men who could be effective. Now, it’s often the “pick on Casey” approach since he’s often the only big man in the mix.

“Last year, if CJ (Stempeck) or I would get doubled in the post, we’d just look for each other and we were tough to stop because we could find each other for layups,” Boyle said. “We made each other better inside. Now, it’s tough when I’m seeing the doubles all the time. But it’s forced me to do some other things in my game, and I think I’ve actually become a lot more versatile.”

Not only is Boyle running the floor better with the stamina he gained from those lake runs, he’s also shooting more effectively from outside.

“I’ve been able to pull my game out a little bit and shoot more jumpers,” Boyle said. “Things are tougher sometimes inside, and it can be easier to defend me. But I’m able to showcase some of my other skills more and I like that.”

College recruiters like it, too. Boyle has already received a couple of scholarship offers at the Division II and Division III levels.

“I was inside a lot last year, but I hope I’m showing that I’m not just a stationary big man who sits in the post,” Boyle said. “I can take people off the dribble and I’ve been able to use my athleticism to run up and down the floor. I like running the floor.”

Especially when the end result is a layup or dunk.

Only a run by the lake can rival that kind of beauty.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com