The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
PEOPLES POWERING RESURGENT FAIRPORT
Senior has five triple-doubles in 10 games this season
Triple-doubles are hard to come by in basketball, no matter the level.
To have double figures across three categories in a 32-minute high school game is a rare feat. Well, unless you’re Chris Peoples of Fairport.
In 10 games this season, Peoples, a senior, has five triple-doubles. He is averaging 19.7 points per game, an area-best 15.1 rebounds per game and an areabest 8.5 assists per game.
While he has been lighting up the scoreboard, Peoples couldn’t play in a handful of games due to credits not fully transferring over from East Tech to Fairport. Peoples didn’t like that he was forced to sit out for a portion of the season.
“It was very frustrating just sitting and watching,” said Peoples. “I knew my teammates needed me, and I knew the games that we lost, I could have made a huge impact on those.”
When he takes the floor, his play is lights-out. In his first game this season for the Skippers, he scored 18 points. His first triple-double came in the next game against Maplewood on Jan. 21, when he had 21 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists.
Peoples describes his performance on the court as unselfish and credits his vision to how he is able to perform like he does.
“What helps me play like I do is I’m very unselfish with the ball,” said Peoples.
“It means a lot to bring a winning culture to this school. Everybody in the community deserves it. It’s been a long time. It’s going to get better after this year.” — Fairport’s Chris Peoples
“I believe in my teammates and I also can see the floor and see passes that some people can’t see. I know that basketball is a team game and in order to win a lot of games and go deep in the tournament, I need help from my teammates.”
Peoples’ other four triple-doubles came against Brooklyn (Jan. 22), Cornerstone Christian (Feb. 1), Pymatuning Valley (Feb. 3) and Edgewood (Feb. 16).
A player of Peoples’ caliber makes a coach’s job a lot simpler, as explained by Fairport coach Anton Vrebac.
“Chris and I spend a lot of time together before and after practices and days off so he knows what my expectations are for him,” said Vrebac. “During practices and games it is like having an extra coach on the floor to help make the other players get better every day.”
Fairport’s 2013 and ‘14 teams advanced to district semifinal game behind the play of Tyson Lautanen and Joe Moore. But the Skippers were 17-93 the next six seasons.
That has changed this season, with Fairport sitting at 13-7. The Skippers have clinched their first winning season since the 2012-13, and the play of Peoples is a big part of breaking through.
Vrebac and Peoples know how much this means not just to the school, but the village as well.
“It has helped the team out tremendously,” said Vrebac. “We are a team that likes to get out and run almost like a fast-break offense and with Chris knowing what I expect from him, it was easy to implement that type of offense with him which made all the other players jobs a lot easier.”
Peoples adds: “It means a lot to bring a winning culture to this school. Everybody in the community deserves it. It’s been a long time. It’s going to get better after this year. Then again, having great teammates and coaches makes it a lot easier to help this basketball program thrive for the school.”
While Peoples has been earning triple-doubles at an impressive pace, his teammates have also been playing well. Sam Honkala, Dominic Trusty and Joey Tanker are all averaging more than 10 points a game, with Honkala leading the area in made 3-pointers and Trusty in the top 15 in the area in rebounds.
With his teammates thriving, Peoples said it makes teams have a harder time preparing to face Fairport. Vrebac said Peoples could lead the area in scoring if he wanted to, but his unselfishness is what makes him a great player.
“It helps me a lot because teams just can’t focus on me,” said Peoples, who will look to possibly added to his triple-double count against Bristol Feb. 18. “We have players like Sam, Joey and Dom know that I expect a lot out of them and I challenge them every day to get better. They never back down from the challenge. They want to win and change the culture in Fairport just as much as I do.”