Hoyt being treated to ‘really cool experience’ as Blueboys embark on NCAA tournament trail

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Jake Hoyt knew to be ready.

With the Illinois College men’s basketball team facing Grinnell in the Midwest Conference Tournament championship last Saturday, it was an all-hands-on-deck mentality. So the freshman point guard from Quincy Notre Dame figured to see an uptick in his minutes.

“It’s a different kind of game when you play them,” said Hoyt, who played 17 minutes in each regular-season game against Grinnell and just 30 total minutes in his nine other appearances. “It’s a lot more running. It’s a lot more up and down, so you have to get subs in there.

“I was expected to be in there and take care of the ball.”

He didn’t disappoint. Hoyt played a season-high 23 minutes, grabbing three rebounds, dishing out two assists and nabbing two steals in the Blueboys’ 108-84 victory that earned them a berth in the NCAA Division III national tournament.

“To be able to play as big of a part as I was able to and I was allowed to made it all the more surreal,” Hoyt said. “You could see it on everyone’s face, ‘Hey, we did it again.’ The older guys did it last year and were determined to do it again. You have that feeling like, ‘Hey, we’re there.’ We’ve completed one of our biggest goials this year. Now it’s time to get going.

“It’s a crazy feeling. It’s honestly hard to explain.”

Hoyt and the Blueboys (23-4) face Dubuque (21-6) at 4:20 p.m. Friday in the D-III tournament’s opening round at Washington University in St. Louis.

Washington University (18-7) faces Wisconsin Lutheran (24-4) in Friday’s other first-round matchup. The winners square off at 6:50 p.m. Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16.

“It’s really quite the experience being the new guy coming into this and seeing the older guys who were in this position last year and seeing how it works,” Hoyt said. “It’s just so much different than anything I have been a part of. It’s just a really cool experience.”

And he’s been a part of some cool moments. During his high school athletic career, Hoyt helped the QND boys soccer team win the Class 1A state championship as a senior in 2022 and he was a four-year starter at point guard for the boys basketball team, winning two regional titles and 67 percent of the games played in that span.

Still, an NCAA Tournament elicits different emotions and challenges.

“Getting to play in a national tournament is such a bigger stage than getting to play in a state tournament in high school,” Hoyt said. “When you add teams from all over the country, not just in your state or respective division, it adds a whole other level to it.”

To experience it with guys you’ve bonded with and created a brotherhood with since the day you arrived on campus makes it more meaningful.

“I’ve been playing with these guys and around these guys since June of last year,” Hoyt said. “Our season started in September. It’s crazy to see how people grow and how we’ve come together as a team.”

It’s because the Blueboys understand what each other’s role is. For Hoyt, that’s to handle the ball and get guys in the right position to score.

“I’ve talked with the coaches and they’ve talked with me about the things I need to focus on and the things I need to do,” Hoyt said. “I just stick to the game plan they tell me to follow. Don’t turn over the ball and trust the skills that I have to get me through that.

“They trust me to be able to do that and the guys trust me to be able to do that, which makes it easier whenever you get in there.”

Being comfortable in your setting helps, too.

Hoyt had options coming out of high school, including the chance to play for his father, John Wood Community College men’s basketball coach Brad Hoyt. But he felt Illinois College was the right fit for the experience on and off the court he desired.

“As you get through the early part of the season, you come to the realization that this was the right choice for me,” Hoyt said. “Being with all the guys, really connecting with them, and school and classes, everything is going so well. It’s a sign of relief knowing I made the right choice to come here. It was the right one.

“Had we not met our goals, at least the ones we’ve met so far, or had things not gone as well on the court, it still would have been the right choice for me. It’s where I belong.”

Getting to cut down nets and celebrate championship moments enhances that.

“That’s something not many teams get to do,” Hoyt said. “I’m really grateful to have that opportunity and to be a part of a group like this.”

Cutting down one more net would be the perfect ending.

“We might as well do that,” Hoyt said.