‘Full-circle moment’
Pokorney and Ray, together for first time since elementary school, take on supporting roles for Chesterton
There could be moments this season when Chesterton sophomore guard Logan Pokorney flashes back to elementary school.
That was the last time Pokorney was on a basketball court with Tobias Ray, a freshman guard.
“I used to play with him back when I was in fourth grade and he was in third grade,” Pokorney said. “But we hadn’t played together since then because we were always on different teams. It’s exciting to know I can play with him again in high school. It’s a full-circle moment.”
Pokorney and Ray are not only teammates again this season. They’ve also worked their way into significant supporting roles for Chesterton (7-6, 1-2), which returns to Duneland Athletic Conference action Friday against unbeaten Lake Central after a game against Hobart on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-3 Pokorney is averaging 8.1 points, and the 5-10 Ray is averaging 6.4 points. With senior guard Tyler Parrish (team-high 22.3 points) and senior forward Justin Sims (15.2 points) on the roster, Chesterton needed players like Pokorney and Ray, according to coach Marc Urban.
“They’re the type of kids we like to have,” Urban said. “They can shoot it and have high basketball IQs, and they’re just all about Chesterton basketball.”
Ray burst onto the scene this season, hitting five 3-pointers during Chesterton’s first home game, a 90-65 win against Morton on Dec. 1.
“Not many freshmen do that,” Pokorney said.
That game put Ray on radars outside of Chesterton, and he has tried to adapt.
“At that Morton game, not a lot of people knew who I was,” Ray said. “Since I made those threes, now people know that I’m a shooter. So I’m trying to not be just a shooter. I’m trying to create for these guys.”
Ray has been waiting for these moments for several years. His father, Tim, is a Chesterton assistant, so Ray had already been around the program. Urban recalled Ray running with the scout team against Chesterton’s state runner-up two seasons ago.
“I’ve always wanted to play varsity,” Ray said. “With the guys we had — we had a lot of guards — I was just trying to see if I could fit in with them.”
Pokorney’s arrival was different. He missed the first half of his freshman season with a back injury. But he was the first guard off the bench by the end of the season.
“I just tried to fit into my role — shoot a couple of threes, make some good passes, just play my part,” Pokorney said. “I had to get used to the pace of the game, and you need a different mindset. You have to be locked in for every game.”
Pokorney said he’ll strive for consistency for the duration of this season and the rest of his career.
“It’s about slowing down in games, making the right reads on plays so I can make plays for teammates instead of just myself,” he said.
Their roles will continue to evolve. For now, Pokorney and Ray are dangerous 3-point shooters. Pokorney has made a teamhigh 46% (23 of 50) from behind the arc, and Ray is not far behind at 42.9% (24 of 56).
“They both have a good feel for how to play,” Urban said. “They’ve had some ups and downs, just getting thrown into the fire because our schedule’s been really good. They’re figuring it out against good teams.”