Lambert continues family’s legacy with 1,000 points
FOUNTAIN LAKE — Senior Colby Lambert has solidified his name in the Fountain Lake history books by passing the 1,000-point milestone in his career.
“It feels good to break 1,000 points,” Lambert said. “All the hard work paying off it feels good. I kind of figured I was getting there because sophomore year I was one of the leading scorers. With all those points building up I just kind of knew it was coming.”
A fraternity of very few, Fountain Lake head coach Jake Dettmering has only had the privilege of coaching three players hitting the 1,000 mark in his 17 years with the Cobras.
“I come in the gym and put extra shots up,” Lambert said. “I am usually the only one here or I stay after practice.”
Lambert broke 1,000 points in the Cobras’ 50-39 victory on Dec. 30 over the Arkadelphia Badgers in The Berryville Christmas Tournament.
His point total has risen to 1,136 through the games that followed.
“He has had a few games since he broke 1,000 over Christmas break,” Dettmering said. “I knew he was probably going to break it this year. I had looked at his season stats the last two years and I knew at some point in the year that he would get it. As it was nearing we kind of had an idea it was going to happen at the Christmas tournament.”
In his highlight night against the Badgers, Lambert scored 19 points, four rebounds and four assists, playing 33 minutes.
“I broke 1,000 against Arkadelphia,” Lambert said. “We won by 11 points. I played well; it started off slow. I missed my first two shots and then I got going on a 3-point shot. In the second half I picked it up.”
“Arkadelphia was the third-place game in the tournament,” Dettmering said. “We have had a little rivalry the last couple of years. I think the first shot he made that game would have broken 1,000, but he went on and had 19 points. He shot a high percentage.”
The 6-foot, 2-inch guard was 8/16 from the field and scored 3/5 shots from trey leading the Cobras to win 11 on the season.
“He is a gym rat,” Dettmering said. “Colby spends countless hours in the gym. There is no secret in why he can score and hit shots. He plays all year and he plays travel ball in the summer. A lot of times he is first one in, last one to leave and lock him in the gym.”
Since passing the 1,000-point mark, the Cobras as a team have improved to 18-5, 11-3 in the 4A Region 4.
“He is the center of what we do offensively,” Dettmering said. “Even when he is not taking the shot the actions and play calls are designed to get him some looks. Probably what a lot of people may not know is how good of a defender he is. He is a very good on-ball defender. We put him on the other team’s best guard. He hardly ever gets beat off the ball. He is just a good all-around player.”
“It feels good to be in the record book here,” Lambert said. “It kind of leaves me known here for something.”
“Colby is a pleasure to have, hard worker and he loves basketball,” DettDOUG
mering said. “I think the thing that makes him scoring 1,000 points most impressive, is he is a very unselfish player. There are times I want him to be more aggressive than what he is. The fact that he is a true team player, shares the ball and not afraid to pass it I think that makes the 1,000 points more impressive.”
The Lambert name is familiar to Fountain Lake fans, as the court he calls home is named after his grandfather and longtime Cobras basketball coach Sammy Lambert.
“It is a neat story,” Dettmering said. “Coach Lambert is still very respected in the community. I do not know if I have ever heard anybody say a bad word about him. He is kind of a Fountain Lake legend and was here a long time. He won a lot of games. Just to have coach Lambert’s grandson playing for me is a cool story.”
“The court is named after my grandfather who coached here,” Lambert said. “It feels good having my family’s legacy. A lot of little kids look up to me and I can kind of just rub off on them. If I work hard maybe they will work hard.”
Colby’s father, Bryan Lambert, was also known to Cobra fans as a great player. He joked about his father playing for Fountain Lake, noting, “My dad played here. He was all right, but he was not better than me.”
“It is great to have a family like theirs,” Dettmering said. “It is a legacy thing that keeps getting passed down. Hopefully, what is next for Colby is to make a run at postseason and I am sure he will be working hard and training to land somewhere in college.”
Lambert is a shoot-first player and, he says, if defenses press him, he will dribble and drive.
“When I get in the gym ill make shots from certain spots,” Lambert said. “I do drills where I am running into my shots. I like to practice moving off of the ball. Sometimes I will get on the shooting gun and just shoot.”
“He is a great kid,” Dettmering said. “He is fun to have around. He is a funny kid when you get him to talk. He is a good teammate, the younger kids like him and look up to him. He has been a joy to have the last three years.”
Fountain Lake averages 53 points per game with Lambert as their leading scorer.
“Colby is a leader, for sure,” Dettmering said. “You could see that as a sophomore once he got more comfortable and started talking a little bit more. He gets people in the right spots and you see it increase every year. He does a pretty good job with leadership.”
“Hopefully I can make it to college,” Lambert said. “I have an offer from Central Baptist right now. I have some interest from others. I am going to visit College of the Ozarks Feb. 15. and I have Henderson looking at me, too.”
“He has got some college interest for sure,” Dettmering said. “He will be playing somewhere and he will have some options. With transfers … now it might be a waiting game. He is getting some looks and he is going to continue to get more interest. I personally have been in contact with a handful of coaches and I know there have been more coaches in direct contact with him.”
“My favorite part about playing basketball is coming out here with a big crowd,” Lambert said. “I like playing as hard as I can.”