CHICAGO — Khalil Small's college commute is much easier — and shorter — than his high school one.
It's a five-minute walk to the NCAA tournament-bound Green Bay's practice facility. Games at the school's main arena are about 15 minutes away.
It's a blip in the radar compared to the Chicago native's three-hour round-trip journey to and from the South Side to West Side every school day when Small lived in South Shore and attended Providence St. Mel.
For years, Small and his younger sister, Bryonne, would hop on two buses — first taking the 79th Street bus to Jeffrey, then the Jeffrey Express bus to Madison and Wabash Downtown — before riding the Green Line to the Garfield Park Conservatory stop about a half-mile from Providence St. Mel.
Small and Bryonne would leave their South Shore home at 6:15 a.m. and many nights not return until 9:30 p.m. Fights on the bus and train were common, Small said.
"It was tough getting up that early, but we got used to it," said Small, a sophomore guard for the Phoenix, winners of the Horizon League tournament title and a 14 seed that will play 3 seed Texas A&M in the round of 64. "And when I look back at it now, it was definitely worth it."
Small attended Providence St. Mel from second grade until fifth grade, transferred to an elementary school on the South Side in sixth grade, but returned for seventh grade through high school graduation. He wanted to play football at Mount Carmel or De La Salle, but chose to stay at Providence St. Mel — which doesn't have a football program — because he was used to the private school and its disciplined environment.
In elementary years, Small would be dropped off at school by his parents, but he took the CTA throughout most of high school. Providence St. Mel athletic director Teresa Cullen said she "never" heard Small "whine or complain" about the hours-long commute.
"Khalil took it all in stride and continued to work hard in order to realize his dream to play basketball in college," she said.
Small was a first-team all-state player as a junior and senior at Providence St. Mel, averaging 18 points a game as a 12th grader and leading his team to a 25-6 record. Looking to boost his college stock, after graduation Small went to a prep school in Florida for a year and then signed with Green Bay, a perennial power in the Horizon League. He played limited minutes as a Green Bay freshman, but has blossomed this season with 27 starts and a 9.8 points-per-game average for the Phoenix (23-12).
Providence St. Mel coach Tim Ervin said Small is a product of hard work.
"He has worked tirelessly to become the player he is today and it has truly paid off," Ervin said. "His work ethic inspires me. I am so very blessed to have coached him, but I am more blessed to have been a part of his development into a young man who is intelligent, respectable and responsible."
Small, 20, feels fortunate to have earned a full scholarship and play Division I hoops. He said while life is a lot quieter in the north of Wisconsin, he doesn't mind being away from the city.
"A lot of kids in Chicago don't make it to 20," Small said. "I'm blessed for that."
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