Athlete of the Week - Jaden Shones, Lake City Boys Basketball

LAKE CITY, Minn. (KTTC) – All eyes were on Jaden Shones.

“People from the other game that just got over they were crowding our area so there was like four people deep around the area,” Shones said.

As the Lake City junior stepped to the free throw line his team down one with 2.7 seconds left.

“I felt total confidence in Jaden. You could just tell he was calm; tell he was composed,” Lake City Head Coach Greg Berge said.

“People say I looked calm, but I wasn’t very calm on the inside that was kind of a crazy environment,” Shones said.

Whatever he felt on the inside though didn’t matter cause like free throws in practice he nailed both.

“Like my grandma always said they’re free points so you should be able to make them.”

It was the cherry on top of a great game from Shones. As he set new career-highs with 22 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Minneapolis North.

“They kept giving me baseline, so I just kept taking what they gave me and I’m a good finisher around the hoop. So, just do what I do good,” Shones said.

But he’s more than just a good finisher.

Jaden’s the glue that binds everything together because like I said he’s so good defensively, he’s a great passer, he can create for his teammates as well as himself and he’s unselfish,” Berge said.

Combine that with an unmatched drive.

“One of the biggest competitors I’ve ever coached. He’s a gamer, he loves those situations, and he just competes at a level that a lot of kids don’t compete at,” Berge said.

Then you got something that makes him and this team special.

“A lot of people put dedication in, and a lot of people like to work hard for this season, and I think that’s shown in the tough season. Coach told us he was going to give us a hard schedule and he’s shown that I think we’ve put up with it so far,” Shones said.

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