PROFILE IN COURAGE LFO’S Jacob King a finalist for national award
The honors are continuing to roll in for LFO senior Jacob King and not just at the local level.
Following All-region (6-AAA) campaigns on the gridiron and the hardwood, King recently discovered that he was named as a national finalist for the Naismith High School Basketball Courage Award.
“It was a blessing to get that call, saying I was a national finalist,” King said as a grin crossed his face. “I just started smiling.”
As a junior, King had turned in an outstanding season to help the Warriors to the region championship game and the state playoffs in football and he was in the middle of a excellent season on the basketball court when a medical issue was discovered that brought his season to a screeching halt.
“It was tough, (going) a whole year and not playing sports,” he explained. “Sitting out the whole summer, not getting to work out or anything...i felt like I was never going to get to play again.”
But through it all, King did what he does best, stay positive.
“I never put my head down,” he added. “I just cheered people on and felt good about myself and I was finally able to come back. I was so excited when they said I was cleared to play. I just jumped up out of my seat and couldn’t stop smiling.”
It was right before the kickoff of the 2019 football season when King found out he was able to return to action. He responded by earning second team All-region honors as a defensive back and then helped lead LFO to the state playoffs in basketball, along with the Warriors’ first region title in nearly a quarter-century, once again collecting second team All-region honors.
“After the (basketball) season finished up, (LFO Athletic Director) Coach Eaves shot me an e-mail about the award and asked if we had any players in mind and Jacob’s name was the first to come up,” LFO basketball coach Josh Laney said. “I’m so thankful that Coach Eaves thought about us. Then on top of that, he typed a lot of the stuff up on Jacob. I just gave him a few details and he did all the work (on the nomination and submission) and sent it off.
“Jacob’s a great kid. He’s a great teammate and he’s just a great kid in the community. He helps out locally at Kids Kastle (a day care center) and he’s always just a good-hearted person. For him to be able to overcome the things that he has and to be a finalist for this award, there’s not a kid in our area that I think is more deserving.”
“He was actually at a point where he thought he might never get to play football or basketball again,” Eaves said. “But he was patient enough and persevered through it all to get back and help produce a winning team. He’s quiet and he’s humble, but I can’t think of a better leader within our athletic program.”
Laney said King proved his leadership all season long, but especially in the 6-AAA championship game when he went for 18 points, played stellar defense and was the team’s emotional spark plug.
“My assistants and I were talking after that game about how Jacob just wasn’t going to let us lose,” the coach added. “He was really like that throughout much of the season. We had some injuries (to some starters) and he just stepped
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