Taray Howell is building his own legacy for Bosse basketball, like his brother Mekhi Lairy

EVANSVILLE – Shane Burkhart recalls seeing his point guard walk over to the huddle.

Taray Howell had missed a 3-pointer in the third quarter against North earlier this month. The night had not been his sharpest. He’d later miss another shot in the final minute that left his coach fuming. But in that timeout, Howell had a message.

“I’m sorry, Burk. The next one’s good.”

That’s the confidence the junior has in his game. It’s also the belief Burkhart and Bosse have in him. And what he is doing this season, along with what could be done, few have accomplished in the program.

Bosse sits at 13-8 going into a matchup with Harrison on Friday with implications across the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference. The Bulldogs’ record could be worse. It’s not because of Howell.

“He was the really the only scoring option we had coming back,” said Burkhart. “When he’s rolling, he’s so efficient. He always finds ways to keep us in the game. He’s growing as a basketball player and as a talent.”

How good has the 5-foot-7 guard been this winter? Take a look at the numbers paired with some historical context.

Howell is averaging 23.6 points, 4.1 assists and 3.2 steals per game. All tops for the Bulldogs. He’s also shooting 49% from the field and hit 56 3-pointers. Forget his size. Howell has leveled up his game against a stacked schedule – it includes six out-of-state opponents that aren’t included in the team’s Sagarin Rating.

The junior will become the fifth player in Burkhart’s 15 years at Bosse to score 500 points in a season. If the Bulldogs go on a postseason run – with how much they score, it’s not out of the question – then other high marks among single-season and career come into play.

He’s seen nearly every defense: bigs pushing him high, traps, press. Some even let him shoot and attempt to stop others in the lineup. Howell is still scoring. He’s still helping Bosse win.

“I just let the game come to me,” he said. “I knew my teammates would get me the ball when I needed it. I feel like I can always score but get my teammates involved.”

What really elevated this season was a recent run. Starting in mid-January, Howell averaged 29.3 points in an eight-game stretch. He shot 53% from the field, held down by one poor game, and hit 25 threes. This included a career-high 36 points on 14 of 20 shooting against Owensboro.

Burkhart knew Howell was scoring a lot in real time. Bosse needed him to do it to remain competitive. The Bulldogs went 3-5 in that stretch because of defensive struggles.

“He has really learned how to read the game and how to read a situation,” said Burkhart. “This year is very fitting because he is carrying us in every statistical category. People have tried to take him away and they can’t.”

Of course, some additional context is required. Only four others have scored this many at Bosse in the last 15 years: Jaquan Lyle, Perry Fairrow, Mekhi Lairy (twice) and Jameer Ajibade. Each of them also played on more established teams than this one.

For example, Lyle and Fairrow played with Bo Burkhart and Erik Bell. Lairy was in lineups with Jaylin Chinn, DeAngelo Ware and Bell. Those are just a select few recent standouts. There has usually been a "Robin" to "Batman" when Bosse had its most successful teams. It averaged between 70 and 80 points during those tournament runs.

That’s not to say there wasn’t potential with this group. Chris Glover, Elijah Wagner and Tizhaun Tomlinson have each grown into contributing scorers. But it was also the first meaningful varsity minutes of their career. Howell was the only known quantity in the backcourt in November.

At times, it’s been volume or need. He’s still putting up numbers and keeping Bosse in positions to succeed.

“It proves this isn’t a fluke,” said Burkhart. “We didn’t play bad competition. He keeps us in those games when we struggle. If we can find a way to fix some things defensively, I don’t think there’s anybody that can beat us around here. That’s with him being as good as what he is.”

Such a season or career was also foreshadowed. He didn’t play junior varsity as a freshman and even started several varsity games. Howell was thrust into the lineup last year and averaged 11.4 points on 45% shooting from behind the arc for the regional runner-up.

He is also the younger brother of Lairy. He was in sixth grade when Lairy ended his prolific high school career as the Indiana Mr. Basketball runner-up and the all-time leading scorer in SIAC history. Lairy is now one of the top guards in the Mid-American Conference at Miami (Ohio).

Watching him pushed Howell to prepare himself to be ready.

“I felt like I was going to have to work for my spot,” said Howell. “I stood up to the challenge and took it. I took away a lot from (Lairy). Just watching him play my whole life to most of the things I know.”

Burkhart occasionally catches himself calling Howell by his brother’s name. That’s his own admitted mistake. They are different players. Howell is an elite shooter who needs to be more efficient at times. Lairy had a pull-up jumper that was “out of this world.”

It would also have been difficult following one of the more successful high school players in Evansville history. Howell never let that roadblock happen because he doesn’t compare himself. He’s letting his own career stand apart.

“By the end, there’s nobody that could argue Taray didn’t have an amazing career here either,” said Burkhart. “He continues to build the legacy while maintaining the name and brotherhood he has with his actual brother. He’s going to make one of those that win a big basketball game for us in a meaningful time. I have all the confidence in the world in him.”

The next step is team success. Bosse closes with difficult tests against Harrison and Reitz before starting its sectional defense next month. The Bulldogs ranked 12th in Indiana at 69.3 points per game. The issue is they’re giving up 66.3 points which would be the most ever under Burkhart.

Bosse believes it has a chance in any game with Howell. He has confidence in his teammates to also make the bigger goals happen.

“We just need to stay together and stay composed,” said Howell. “Start combining more on the defensive end. I know we can play with anybody going fast. Just stay calm. I believe in my teammates.”

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA boys basketball: Taray Howell's hot hand leads Bosse Bulldogs