Pilots will miss shooting star

My final works of the winter sports season has been coverage of the top boys basketball players in Macomb County.

But the season wouldn’t be complete before a few final words on one remaining player — regardless of what the calendar says.

There were many talented hoopsters across the Macomb Area Conference and on the private schools’ squads, especially Warren De La Salle. And the Pilots have the most reason to be excited about next season with the majority of their top talents returning.

Yet DLS will be hard-pressed to replace one of the most important pieces from the its run to the Class A state quarterfinals this past season.

Senior shooting guard Jim Novak seemingly came on stronger and stronger all season, building up speed like a rocket blasting off into space. After missing the start of the season with a knee injury and the ensuing recovery, he eventually made his way into the starting lineup and became the spark for the Pilots throughout the playoffs.

His energy and clutch 3-point shooting kept DLS in games and put it ahead in others. He even saved his best performance for last, scoring a team-high 15 points in his final game as a Pilot. Novak hit three 3-pointers in a five-minute span to rally the Pilots back into the quarterfinal before DLS eventually fell to Southfield High.

Southfield defenders became so anxious about keeping Novak from getting a clear look at the basket, they even fouled him on the third trey, knocking him to the ground as the ball swished through the net. Novak jumped up to his feet and coolly hit the free throw awarded to him to convert the rare four-point play.

“He’s got the heart of a lion. He just doesn’t like to lose,” DLS coach Greg Esler said about Novak during the playoffs. “His leadership is tremendous, because he won’t take a second off on a play. He just keeps on fighting and working hard. He might only be 5-8 in statue, but he’s 6-9 as far as the heart — he’s just a heck of a kid.”

Esler didn’t stop there, raining praise down on the senior like Novak’s shots falling in from outside the arc.

“Jimmy’s been a star for us since we inserted him in the lineup,” the coach continued. “He was instrumental. He would not let them quit. He was going to work until the very end, and he found a way all the time. Jimmy Novak was huge to our success the second half of the season, no question about it.”

While Esler has had to replace more talented players in recent years, few have made the all-around impact Novak has on this team, making him a major loss for the Pilots.

And as incredibly exhilarating as his play was on the court, Novak was incredibly humble off it.

Following his impressive shooting performance in the quarterfinal, he simply had this to say: “We just had to get something going, so I shot the ball up and it went in.”

As for the Pilots’ playoff run: “It’s a straight blessing,” he said.

And sitting on the sidelines while recovering from his injury: “It was tough on me mentally, and I wanted to play, of course, as any person would. But I kept on working hard, waiting for my chance and opportunity to come.”

Fortunately for the Pilots, it came — and Novak delivered.