Matt Levins - The Hawk Eye / Photo Credit - Jen Levins
IOWA CITY — At 5 foot-7, Tatum Warner often is the smallest player on the basketball court.
But the Notre Dame High School junior doesn’t let that stop him from playing like a giant.
Warner often doesn’t show up in the Nikes’ box scores. He will be the first to admit that he is vertically challenged, making it hard for him to score.
But what Warner lacks on the offensive end, he more than makes up for with his defense and his uncanny knack for chasing down rebounds and loose balls.
That was nowhere more evident than Saturday, when the fourth-ranked Nikes beat Calamus-Wheatland, 63-53, at Iowa City High to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2009.
Warner didn’t score a single point in the victory, but without him the Nikes might very well be getting ready for track and soccer seasons.
“I always try to work my hardest,” Warner said. “I take a lot of pride in getting rebounds and steals on the defensive side because I’m not the best shooter.”
Warner finished the game with four rebounds — including one huge carom on the offensive glass — to go along with two assists and three steals.
While his numbers aren’t eye-popping, his coaches and teammates know his value to the team.
“Huge. Obviously the smallest guy on the court, but he’s got the biggest heart,” said Notre Dame senior Shay Stephens, who tied Eli Oleson for team-high honors with 18 points. “A couple offensive rebounds — huge ones — to keep our momentum up. He’s huge. He’s kind of like our glue guy. He’s very important to us.”
With the Nikes clinging to the lead in the fourth quarter, Warner came up with an offensive rebound which led to a basket by Griffin Kies.
In the third quarter, Warner came up with a steal which led to a Kies layup.
For Warner, it’s all about doing what he can to help his team win.
“I just jump as high as I can and see how high I can get to get the ball,” Warner said. “I saw the ball and I just went up and got it. Football definitely helps with that.”
“He always plays hard,” Notre Dame coach Dan Kies said of Warner. “That one rebound, there he is jumping up there with the 6-4 kids that are a lot bigger and he’s fighting for it. He’s just got a great nose for the ball. Little things like that from different guys, just getting his hand on it to get a tip out and go get it. It might not show up in the stats, but it’s different guys doing little things here and there.”