Victory Leads Hayes to Victory

BRONX, NY - Even on a night when a rowdy student section was back after a long layoff in a finally jam-packed gym at Cardinal Hayes, you could hear 5-foot-8 point guard D.J. Victory running the team against Stepinac. The gritty 5-foot-8 guard directed traffic, fed the post, and piloted the souped-up attack in transition as Hayes gutted out a pulsating 70-67 victory Friday night.

After an impressive summer in which he garnered All Dyckman First Team honors and showed out as a calming influence with the ball during the City Is Mine event, Victory has inherited the leadership reins for this year’s Hayes team. Victory had the game sealing defensive play that led Cardinal Hayes to a CHSAA title over Xavierian during the abbreviated, Covid-truncated 2021-22 campaign.

It was Victory who made an acrobatic steal on an inbounds pass, subsequently firing an assist to Nas’zhaire Simmons on an uncontested layup which gave them a one-point lead with less than 15 seconds remaining. It was the momentum rolling play that led to a 70-66 win.

During the win over Stepinac by an identical score, Victory set the tempo with timely shot-making and poised decision making. He hit a pair of 3-pointers during the third quarter and helped find Tarique Foster as he fed the post throughout the third quarter.

The left-handed Victory, who showed quickness and a shifty style during the Real Scout CHSAA Team Camp this summer, is hearing from numerous Northeast-10 programs.

With a pair of Division-1 players and legitimate interior scoring threats on Hayes in 6-foot-8 Tarique Foster and Tobe Awaka, Victory’s role is ramped up in importance. The onus is on him to engineer a steady high low attack, driving and kicking and finding seams for a high percentage dish that leads to a high percentage low post shot. Part of his evolution as a scorer has been embracing contact on his surges to the rim and finishing through the contact for a traditional 3-point play.