Marian Catholic junior Tyler Ulis is the Tribune/WGN-Ch. 9 Preps Plus Athlete of the Month for December.

Marian Catholic junior Tyler Ulis is the Tribune/WGN-Ch. 9 Preps Plus Athlete of the Month for December. (Scott Strazzante/Chicago Tribune / January 12, 2013)

By Bob Narang, Special to the Tribune Chicago Tribune

5:33 p.m. EST, January 12, 2013

"He can play at high Division I level in college," Walton said. "He's small, but he's like a Dee Brown with his leadership. He can do it all and he makes the players around him better. This year, he's added the scoring. I used to always tell him, 'Tyler, shoot the ball.' "

Tyler Ulis file

High school: Marian Catholic.

Class: Junior.

College: Undecided.

December numbers: 22.2 points, 5.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 steals in nine games.

FYI: Another one of Ulis' cousins, Shareese Ulis, played point guard for Cincinnati from 2009-2011. She was a two-time Toledo Blade Player of the Year after scoring 1,211 career points at Toledo Waite High School.

He said it: "He does something in practice or a game every day that raises your eyebrows. It's a treat to watch him every day. He's a special breed. We design things to his strengths and work from that. The challenge is to give him different ways to manipulate a defense. He's the definition of a point guard. He has great ball skills. — Marian Catholic coach Mike Taylor.

'Instant Replay'

Marian Catholic's Tyler Ulis will be featured during a segment on WGN-Ch. 9's "Instant Replay" at 9:40 p.m. Sunday. If you miss it, watch the video Monday at prepsplus.com.

2012-13 Athletes of the Month

September: Justin Jackson, Glenbard North, football.

October: Chris James, Notre Dame, football.

November: Olivia Smoliga, Glenbrook South, swimming.

December: Tyler Ulis, Marian Catholic, basketball.