OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Back in August when Tyrese Haliburton was in his hometown of Oshkosh he said the one goal he had was helping the Indiana Pacers win their first Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.
Fast forward 10 months and he has the Pacers 4 wins away from winning their first NBA title.
His Oshkosh North Brad Weber talked about what it’s been like to witness his meteoric rise to stardom.
“It’s always exciting to see any of our guys chase and catch their dreams, but obviously something of this magnitude at this level is a little bit extra special,” said the Oshkosh North head coach.
For Weber, he couldn’t tell you when exactly he knew Haliburton was going to be a special player.
“If you would’ve told me this when he was in high school I would have said you’re crazy,” said Weber. “Being able to be a part of his journey throughout – I’m not surprised one bit.”
Listen to Weber reflect on Haliburton's journey from Oshkosh North to the NBA Finals:
The Oshkosh North head coach fondly recalls their matchups against Kaukauna, where Haliburton, who won Gatorade Player of the Year, would duke it out with Jordan McCabe, who was Mr. Wisconsin Basketball.
“When you have two big-time players like that and then they go win state championships right after each other in Madison – basketball in this area is really good and that’s a great example of it,” Weber said.
Despite all he accomplished in high school, Weber says Haliburton has thrived on proving people wrong, from his time with the Spartans to the NBA.
“3-star recruit coming out of high school, will his jump shot transfer to the NBA, is he overrated or whether or not he’s a superstar and he just keeps using it as momentum, but never letting it crack his confidence,” said the Spartans head coach.
Haliburton and Weber remain close, talking, and he says it means everything to his players that the NBA star remains involved with the Spartans program. From texting them before the sectional finals to giving a player a boost of confidence when they’re in a shooting slump.
“Sports – it’s always bigger than just the competition and he’s done a great job of just helping this current group of making memories for a lifetime,” said Weber.
