Preps 24/7: 'Other Heinle' thriving for Kaneland boys basketball

While Kaneland boys basketball coach Brian Johnson is glad Trever Heinle has returned from injury, the less heralded Heinle brother, Tyler Heinle, has earned plaudits for his play this season.

Tyler Heinle, who comes off the bench for Knights, has been one of Kaneland's top scorers in recent weeks, helping take up some scoring slack created by his brother's absence.

Tyler Heinle played sparingly as a junior last year, but made a name for himself by burying three second-half three-pointers in a Northern Illinois Big 12 East-clinching win at Rochelle. Given more opportunity this season, Johnson said Tyler Heinle has shown he's not one-dimensional.

"He's a really heady kid so defensively he's not the most athletic but he's always in the right spot at the right time to take a charge or get a steal or whatever it is," Johnson said. "We can even put him on some of the better offensive guys and he just gets great positioning."

Johnson said Tyler Heinle has been one of the Knights' most consistent players this season. Trever Heinle, meanwhile, returned from neck and shoulder injuries in Saturday's win against Ottawa, and is expected to rejoin the starting lineup on Friday against Rochelle.

Trever Heinle and Tyler Heinle are part of a set of triplets.