For The Tribune
Jack Harweger said that, because his parents played basketball in college, it was natural for him to make it his favorite sports while attending Trinity Lutheran.
“I grew up in a basketball family, and my cousins all play, and it’s just kind of built into me,” he said.
Harweger played on the junior varsity his freshman and sophomore years.
“I played JV and varsity my junior year. I was getting a lot of varsity time, and then I got mono and that held me back,” Harweger said.
This season he is contributing as the first or second player off the bench.
“I came in off the bench, sixth or seventh man depending on who is in foul trouble or who he needs to take out,” he said.
Harweger comes in either at point guard or shooting guard.
“As soon as we get the ball, I either bring the ball up the court as fast as I can, or I get on the wing looking for the ball, and I either look to attack or shoot the ball,” Harweger said. “Every team I’ve been on, we’ve always played transition game. We really haven’t found what we really need to do this year quite yet, so we’re still trying to identify ourselves with the game plan.
“Practice is a huge thing because you play like how you practice. We have practice where our chemistry is being developed, and we’re just trying to work on that.”
Harweger, a left-hander, said he feels comfortable shooting 3-pointers as well as taking the ball to the basket.
He said it doesn’t matter to him if the Cougars are facing a man-to-man or zone defense.
On defense, Harweger follows the direction of coach.
“Whatever the coach needs me to do, I’ll do it,” Harweger said. “ I’m not the best defender, but I’ll play my heart out, try my hardest.
“We have different presses for different things. Sometimes it’s a calm press or a trap, or we have ‘on the ball’ pressure. It just depends on the situation.”
Harweger said the key to success is adjusting to opponents and attacking their weaknesses.
“You see that in high school ball and college ball, taking out the opponent’s strong points and attack their weaknesses,” he said.
This season, Harweger said that if the Cougars want to finish the season strong, they are going to step up their defense.
“We’ve got to pick up our defense,” Harweger said. “Our defense was good (against Austin), and we’ve got to be able to hit our shots. A definite goal of ours is to win sectional.”
Harweger said he enjoyed playing travel ball with Seymour teams and with an AAU team in Columbus during the summers.
“It was a very good experience,” he said. “Playing teams on our high school schedule now are not intimidating because you saw some real good teams and players. It definitely prepares you mentally.”
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Parents: Ty and Gail Harwager
Sibling: Savannah
Sports: Basketball 4 years, golf 1 year
Organizations: Student ambassador, National Honor Society, light crew for musical
Plans after high school: Attend Purdue University for agribusiness
Favorite TV show: “NCIS”
Favorite movie: “Hoosiers”
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Q: Have you enjoyed your time at Trinity Lutheran?
A: “I’m glad I came to Trinity. I can only thank the Lord and my teammates for everything. Most of my friends came here. I’m glad I’ve been able to stay close to them. I have a lot of good memories here.”
Q: What’s your favorite part of the basketball schedule?
A: “I enjoy home games. They are spread out, but I enjoy them.”
Q: Where are your favorite away gyms?
A: “Springs Valley had a nice gym, and I like Brownstown. The thing about Springs Valley is it’s an old gym, but they really modernized it. That’s what I like about it.”
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