To many players, defense is just a part of the game they have to deal with when their team doesn't have the ball.
It means much more than that to Jake Wright.
"It's just always been something that's gotten me that much more into the game, when I'm given that challenge," the Boone Grove senior said. "I'll take my (scoring) opportunities when I get them, but we've got so many guys on the team who can score on a given night, I'm not really worrying about offense. I have my defense."
So while Michael Eleftheri and Ryan Reynolds are putting up big points for the Wolves, Wright has become the go-to guy on the other end, the player assigned to the opponent's top outside threat.
"We've always had Jake tapped as a kid who's kind of a shut-down defender," coach Matt McKay said. "He's always had the perfect mentality for it. He's a hard-nosed kid. It just took a few years to break him of not going over the line and being too aggressive. He's been able to step up and do it."
At 6-foot-4, Wright holds a height advantage over most players he guards. At the same time, he has the quickness to stay with them. Zoe Bauer found that out Saturday when Culver's leading scorer was muzzled by Wright, managing just 10 points in the sectional final after scoring 30 the night before.
"That's probably something I'll never forget," Wright said. "Doing that and us getting the championship, it was awesome."
The role dates back to Wright's sophomore year, when he was assigned to face guard Morgan Twp. senior Troy Turner.
"After the game, he shook my hand and said, 'that was some great defense,'" Wright said. "Since then, that's pushed me to strive to be a great defender."
It wasn't until this season, McKay believes, that Wright completely embraced being a defensive specialist.
"Defense is hard work with not a whole lot of reward other than a pat on the back from the coaches and the inward satisfaction of knowing you did a good job," McKay said. "I think Jake still saw himself being a big scorer. It's been a maturation process for him. Over the summer, with guys like Mike, Ryan and Wayland (Roach), I think he realized he could be something special in his own right."
There's no big secret to Wright's success. He just keeps his arms and legs moving, and his head up to be alert for screens.
"I've been slammed a few times," he said. "Practice by practice, game by game, you learn to read which way the guard's going to go off it, to slip (the pick) or fight your way through it."
Wright's certainly not afraid of a little contact. He literally took one for the team in the Culver game, absorbing a hard Bauer inbounds pass from close range right below the belt.
"He got right back up on his feet," McKay said. "The crowd got into it. It did more for the morale of the team. If he gets 10 (points) and he holds a kid like (Bauer) to 10, in effect, it's like he scored 18, 20. Ultimately, he was the deciding factor in the game."
BOYS BASKETBALL
CLASS 2A North Judson Regional
Saturday
Boone Grove (19-4) vs. Fairfield (15-9), 10 a.m.
Eastside (13-9) vs. No. 2 Wheeler (23-1), noon
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
The Jake Wright file
School: Boone Grove.
Year: Senior.
Background: Wright averages 3.8 steals per game for the sectional-champion Wolves as the team's defensive specialist. The third-year varsity player averages 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
