Let it fly
Chesterton forward Jake Wadding intends to find the 3-point line and let it fly
Junior forward Jake Wadding has retooled his game to include a 3-point shot after averaging 13.5 points for the Chesterton boys basketball team last season.
Jake Wadding is going to shoot 3-pointers this season.
“I don’t think I ever shot a 3-pointer in middle school,” the Chesterton junior said. “I want to add to my game.”
Wadding is like a pair of Chuck Taylor sneakers.
His game is old school.
In an era when high school coaches talk about five-tool players and often refuse to define positions, the 6-foot-4 Wadding was a true power forward/center.
He attempted one 3-pointer as a freshman and 11 last season.
Wadding was so crafty around the basket that a 3point shot wasn’t necessary. The Trojans had other players, like Ky Palombizio and Austin Peterson, who took those shots.
Besides, he was unselfish and an excellent passer. The team could clear out for him and Wadding could score driving to the basketball.
His post moves run in the family.
His father, Jody Wadding, a 1985 Lake Station graduate, was a 6-foot power forward when Gary Hayes coached the Eagles.
It was a different time.
Jody said he might’ve had to play against someone who was 6-5 or 6-6, but most of the guys he guarded weren’t that big.
It’s the same concept, though.
Jody Wadding learned the game in his neighborhood against older, bigger guys. They taught him how to play inside. It never changed.
“I passed some of those post moves onto Jake,” he said. “I’m nowhere as good or as athletic as he is.”
Jake Wadding played inside through elementary and middle school because he was always the biggest kid.
But he has only grown an inch since his freshman season.
The move to add the extra element to his game is necessary for a couple of reasons.
Palombizio and Peterson are gone. The Trojans need shooters.
And there aren’t a lot of 6-4 power forwards playing Division I college basketball.
Jake Wadding has the athleticism to make a move to college. At what level is still to be determined.
Wadding is an excellent ball handler. He was a matchup nightmare for most teams because it was hard to stay in front of him and he was so active around the basket.
Chesterton coach Marc Urban said Wadding, who averaged 13.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists, is good “because he always made the right decisions.” Wadding shot 61 percent from the field.
Urban believes, in terms of college interest, that Wadding is “flying under the radar. The problem is he a one (point guard) or a five (center).”
That’s what makes the 3point shooting experiment interesting.
Whatever happens, it won’t be worse than the end of last season.
Wadding severely sprained his ankle in the last Duneland Athletic Conference game against Portage and the Trojans lost after he left. He returned against Merrillville in the sectional semifinal, but wasn’t close to healthy.
The Pirates won easily. Ending a great season at
21-4, with your best player hobbled, is hard.
Wadding said he took a few days to “process the loss” and then he moved on.
“It definitely hurt,” he said. “It was just something I had no control over.”
According to Urban, Wadding had a great June and then July arrived. That wasn’t so good. Wadding contracted a virus that caused him to lose 20 pounds. He weighed 170 when school started. He’s gained 10 pounds back.
Jake Wadding acknowledged that his shooting form was pretty mediocre. He worked this summer to add trajectory to his shot, according to Jody.
Jake said he has put up a lot of shots. He’s comfortable with his form.
It should be interesting.
It’s not easy to retool your game if you’ve played one way for years.
But for Wadding, the challenge is real and he’s looking forward to letting it fly.