The varsity boys basketball team is steadily working its way into the season, holding a solid 3-3 record and staying in every game until the final buzzer. Aside from players who were key contributors last season, the Longhorns have a new pool of talent to draw from for this season. That talent is junior Jake Socha.

Last year, the Longhorns had a dismal record of 6-18. Socha, who at the time was a sophomore, didn’t see the court much with only 35 points throughout the entire season.

“I’ve been playing basketball for 12 years, but I didn’t start to get serious about it until last year, when I knew I could make a difference on our team,” Socha said.

With the help of dedicated off-season preparation, Socha has put up 101 points in 6 games.

“I played for Martin Brothers Basketball over the summer and practiced shooting 500-700 baskets almost every day,” Socha said.

Martin Brothers Basketball is an Iowa based basketball club that competes on a national level. They play the best teams across the country, which offers plenty of experience for players.

A few weeks ago, stlhighschoolsports.com, a website that operates under the St. Louis Post Dispatch, named Socha one of the Athletes of the Week. This was coming off of back-to-back 26-point performances against Parkway North and Parkway South.

“It was really cool being named the Athlete of the week. I wasn’t expecting it at all. Out of all of the players in all of the schools around here, they chose me,” Socha said.

This is a classic display of somebody going above and beyond to work towards greatness. Socha is just starting to make his name as a basketball player, and if his dedication to the sport keeps him practicing and playing, basketball could be a legitimate future for him.