I
n fourth grade, Alyssa Latham wrote a book outlining her future goals. On the back page, Latham scribbled that she wanted to play for coach Anthony Smith at Homewood-Flossmoor High School.
Latham watched her sister, Arianna Damper, play for Smith. Damper said Latham’s desire to play for Smith was funny.
“For someone who didn’t know coach Smith that’s all she talked about,” Damper said. “Coach Smith probably spoke two words to her but he was all she talked about.”
Latham stepped into the Homewood-Flossmoor gym five years later as a lengthy, uncoordinated ninth grader. She wore two knee braces but flashed potential in open runs as an athletic shot blocker. Under Smith, Latham transitioned into a versatile offensive weapon and was ranked ESPN’s No. 72 recruit in the 2023 class. Now, a freshman at Syracuse, Latham looks to make the same instant impact she had in high school.
Latham attended Homewood-Flossmoor’s annual summer camps since she was in elementary school, Smith said. Entering her freshman year in 2018, Latham had shot up to 6-feet after growing six inches over the summer.
“We see this kid roll into summer camp and we’re like ‘Who is this kid’, we don’t recognize her,” said Evan Bercot, an assistant with Homewood-Flossmoor.
Campers ranged from third to 12th-graders and focused on sharpening fundamentals. All participants trained during the day but only varsity players returned for open runs at night. Latham was invited to play with the varsity team.
Bercot said the runs were a “proving ground” where players could see where they stood. By the end of the first night, Latham had “earned her stripes” with the team, Bercot said.
“Most ninth graders are not ready to run with the mindset because it’s a little bit more physical,” Smith said. “But there are ones who can handle it, we know they’re going to be special.”
Latham was one of those players. Her success stemmed from the work she put in with her family. She was in the gym for one-and-a-half to two hours almost everyday from middle school through high school. Latham used to watch from the sidelines, dribbling a basketball herself, when her father, Johnny, trained Damper in high school.
In fourth grade, Alyssa Latham wrote a book with her life aspirations. She wanted to play for Anthony Smith at Homewood-Flossmoor High School.Courtesy of Johnny Latham
Damper started giving Latham tips when joined the Midwestern Elite, a prominent AAU program in the Chicago area, in fifth grade. Damper pushed her younger sister to dribble two basketballs while performing crossovers, going between-the-legs and behind-the-back. The workouts built up Latham’s guard moves before she hit her growth spurt.
Damper tweaked her training regiment once Latham grew, catering them towards a post player. To help Latham’s rebounding, Damper threw the ball off the backboard, teaching Latham to catch the ball at its highest point before putting it back up.
At times, Latham struggled with her finishing. To help her improve, Damper told Latham she’d have to bear crawl across the floor if she missed two layups in a drill. When Latham missed, she burst into tears at the thought of her punishment. But it was all a part of the process.
“If I’m being honest, I didn’t see her being the best player on her high school team when she was young,” Damper said. “I didn’t know if that was a part of her destiny.”
Damper knew what it took to play for Smith. She emphasized to Latham that Smith assigned roles to each of his players. If Latham could carve out a role of her own, she could play.
As a freshman, Latham entered a senior-filled team with Division I players like Grace Hall (Penn State), Tia Morgan (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) and Isis Fitch (Bradley). Because of her length and size, Latham became a “Dennis Rodman type player,” Smith said, tasked to solely defend and rebound.
Latham earned a spot in the starting lineup. She had already received an offer from DePaul before her first game, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Latham. Her first few games were rough, full of traveling violations and missed layups, Johnny said.
Latham was forced to play small forward despite being a natural power forward. When teams pressed Homewood-Flossmoor, Latham wasn’t used to having the ball in her hands which led to the traveling.
“We just tried talking to her, getting an understanding and not really letting her get frustrated with herself. Because we’ve all been there, it happens,” Morgan said.
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Bercot said Homewood-Flossmoor’s coaching staff helped Latham simplify the game. He said Latham moved awkwardly, a byproduct of her still growing into her body, which led to problems finishing through contact. To combat the struggles, the coaches pushed her around with pads down low during practice, simulating a game situation.
Johnny said Latham came into her own throughout the second half of the season. Bercot said Smith traditionally views the first half as a test to see who’s built for games down the stretch. Though Latham didn’t score at a high rate, she always guarded the opposition’s best player.
When Hall suffered an injury around playoff time, Latham was thrown into the spotlight. Bercot said the injury was “untimely” for the team, but “timely for Alyssa.”
“You can see that by early mid January, coming out of Christmas break, (Latham) had kind of absorbed everything,” Bercot said. “And now it was starting to click.”
Smith said Latham went from scoring five to six points per game to averaging nearly 15 while being a defensive stalwart. Latham’s biggest challenge came in the sectional final against Marist High School. She was forced to guard Iowa commit Sydney Affolter.
Latham proceeded to play one of the best games of her Homewood-Flossmoor career, Johnny said. She dominated Affolter, blocking her on numerous occasions. With the Vikings down one in the final seconds, Latham sent the game to overtime off a free throw. In extra time, Latham registered the game-clinching block to seal Homewood-Flossmoor’s first regional title since 2017.
If I'm being honest, I didn't see her being the best player on her high school team when she was young. I didn't know if that was a part of her destiny.Adriana Damper on Alyssa Latham
Latham’s postseason run was a springboard for her development. Bercot said she wasn’t an offensive option as a freshman, but became one for the next three years. She learned how to beat defenders off the dribble and shoot 3-pointers, leading one of Johnny’s friends to call Latham a “unicorn.”
Latham’s skillset garnered the attention of numerous D-I schools and she ultimately chose Syracuse. Now, she’s back in a familiar situation — a freshman looking to prove herself. But this time, the stakes are higher.
“Even though it’s the same experience, I feel like now I’m in a much better headspace now,” Latham said. “I know my mission. I know my goal. I know what I’m here to do. And I’m gonna go do it.”
Photo by Maxine Brackbill | Photo Editor
Published on November 2, 2023 at 12:58 am
Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22
