Houck primed for big senior season

It’s never too early to start looking ahead.
But first, let’s take a step back.
On March 1, Jay County High School junior Jay Houck exploded for 35 points in the boys basketball team’s sectional opener against Fort Wayne South Side at Huntington North.
He obliterated his previous career high of 24 — he set it Dec. 19 against Fort Recovery — and finished tied with Rod Ashman for the fourth-highest single-game scoring total in the history of the program.
“I had no idea how many points I had,” he said. “I was playing in the moment, doing what I thought I had to do.”
For a team that turned the ball over 40 times, there weren’t many shining moments in the 72-69 overtime loss to the Archers.
In a game marred by negatives, Houck was one of the few positives.
“Jay was in his own little world that night and we should have done a better job of getting the ball in his hands every time down the floor,” JCHS coach Chris Krieg said. “I was really impressed with his play. It might be one of the best performances on the offensive end that I’ve seen a Jay County kid have in years.”
He was 13-of-15 from the field, 5-of-6 from behind the 3-point line and made four of his six free throw attempts.
“I was hitting, that helped open up driving lanes,” he added. “It all came together.”
Was it a sign of things to come for the 6-foot, 5-inch forward?
“I’d like to think so,” he said. “My 3-point shooting has not been what I was expecting throughout the year.”
From long range, Houck was 22-of-56 (39 percent) on the season, second on the team behind Adam Dirksen (43 percent) for players who took more than 20 attempts.
“In (the sectional) game I started hitting some consistently. I’m not going to do that every game, but if I can hit two or three a game it opens up a lot more.”
Houck led the team in scoring this season, totaling 370 points, or 15.4 per game. Last season, he was at 10.8 per game after averaging 5.9 as a freshman.
If he continues the trend, Houck would average more than 20 points per game as a senior.
Krieg, and the rest of the Patriots, will need him to do that.
“For us to be successful Jay is going to have to shoot the ball 15 to 18 times a game,” he said. “That has to happen.”
Here’s a hypothetical situation to look at next season.
Assuming Houck continues to shoot 60 percent from the field like he did this year, if he shoots 18 times per game he should make 10 of those attempts.
It will give him at least 20 points per game.
Tack on the number of free throws he will likely shoot because of his aggressiveness attacking the basket, he’s bound to add to that total. Houck was 80 percent from the charity stripe as a junior.
But there’s more.
Houck began the season with 394 career points, well outside the top 40 on the school’s career scoring list. As the season progressed, however, he started to pick them off.
On Jan. 7, he scored 10 points against Adams Central to pass his dad, Jack, for 30th all-time. With another 10 points Jan. 30 against Blackford, he passed Doug Arbuckle (class of 1982) for 19th. His 35-point effort against the Archers moved him up three spots to where he currently sits, 12th, with 764 career points.
“It’s pretty cool to know where my game has gotten to pass that many people,” he said. “I’ve had a great team that has been able to get me the ball in situations for me to score.
“Been a lot of fun for me to play and score the basketball.”
There are two more goals he’s chasing, that he will have to wait eight months for another shot to reach.
In the 41-year history of Jay County basketball, only two players have eclipsed 1,000 points. Dan Ferrell, a 1993 graduate, was the first. He finished his career with 1,155 points.
Brock McFarland, a 2013 grad, was the second. He later passed Ferrell to become the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,177.
Both the 1,000-point plateau and McFarland’s scoring record are attainable.
Houck is 236 points shy of reaching quadruple digits and 414 away from eclipsing McFarland.
“That would be cool,” Houck said. “That is something that if you told me that freshman year … I didn’t think that would be something that I could be able to do.
“To be that close now, that is something I am aiming for.”
Krieg is hoping he can reach them as well.
“As a coach you always want to coach a 1,000-point player,” Krieg said. “He is on track for that really easily.”
Back to hypotheticals.
If Houck can indeed average 20 points per game, it will take him 12 contests to reach 1,000 points. Nine games after that, and McFarland would be in his rearview, just like every other player in Jay County history.
That includes names like Mark McEwen, Trent Bailey, Tony Overton, Wayne Poole, Corey and Kegan Comer, Scott Schwieterman, Scott Hardwick, Chris and Christopher Snow and Ric Fuller.
Just listening to him talk about it, it’s exciting to know Houck has a shot.
“(It’s) not going to be easy, but it can be done,” he said.