Daniel Tillo looks to his dad for inspiration, instruction

"My dad, Vince Tillo," he says.

Vince Tillo graduated from North High in 1982. The Stars of that memorable boys basketball season finished second in the state tournament, bowing out to Davenport Assumption, 58-45, in the Class 3A title contest.

Daniel Tillo, who graduates this month from North High, made the state tournament in March, capping another memorable winter campaign for the Stars. Despite a first-round setback to top-ranked Iowa City West, the three-time Class 4A defending champion at the time, the younger Tillo earned all-tournament laurels for a 30-point effort that pushed his career scoring mark to a Sioux City best 2,016 points.

Tillo capped the season with the "Mr. Basketbal" award, presented annually by the Iowa Newspaper Association to Iowa's top prep basketball player.

Daniel Tillo credits his father with helping him reach this basketball summit.

"My dad has been a really good role model," Daniel says, just days before a visit to Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa. "Dad's a hardworking guy."

The elder Tillo works for the Internal Revenue Service. He and wife, Susan Tillo, a 1984 North High grad, are the parents of sons Mike, Nick, Daniel and Alex.

"My dad coached me since I played my first basketball games, probably when I was in first grade," Daniel Tillo says. "When I was in third grade, I played up on a fourth-grade team he coached. He coached that time until I was in seventh grade."

What was it like playing for his dad?

"I remember my dad being really calm," Daniel says. "He wouldn't get overly mad and he wouldn't go over the top. He taught me the right way to play. He could have been meaner when I was younger and forced me to play, but he allowed me to choose. He always let us play and taught us without taking it too far."

Daniel Tillo averaged 24.5 points as a senior and 21 points throughout a four-year career marked by three berths in the state tournament. In his final game, Tillo became just the second Class 4A player to top the 2,000-point plateau.

"My dad probably worked on my shooting more than anything," Daniel says. "He'd make me start by shooting from the inside and then gradually moving away from the basket. The name of the game is putting the ball in the basket."

The Tillos, who worked to hone Daniel's shooting touch, often set up shop on their off-days at Four Seasons Health Club in Sioux City. Father and son played one-on-one through the years, finally reaching a point where the boy could beat his dad at least half the time.

"I honestly have no idea how many shots my dad chased down while rebounding for me," Tillo says.

Behind most prolific scorers and great shooters, there is often a somewhat silent partner, the person who gives selflessly to pass made shots back to a shooter while also corralling the misses.

"He also drove me all over the place to play basketball," the current North Star says. "A couple of years ago he drove me to Louisville, Ky., for a camp."

"Mr. Basketball" says his work on the court is a family affair, going beyond father and son to include the whole Tillo tribe. Daniel remembers his parents setting up games among the boys.

"Mike and Nick are older than me, while Alex, is 16 and a sophomore at North," Daniel says. "When I was at the gym, my older brothers toughened me up. They were quick and physical and got me ready to play high school basketball when I was a freshman."

It wasn't just basketball, either. Daniel Tillo has been a force on the football field and the baseball diamond at North High. Again, he remembers his father as being his best influence, no matter what ball he had in his hands.

Vince Tillo's best instruction? According to Daniel, it was this: "Dad taught me leadership."