A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Former Scott HS basketball standout Ohmer off to great start with Western Kentucky University


By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter

As a senior at Scott High School last season, Jake Ohmer forged a legacy on the basketball court that made him a legendary figure during the Eagles’ remarkable run to the Sweet 16 in March.

Now a freshman at Western Kentucky University, Ohmer has started his college career in impressive fashion.

Ohmer averages 10.0 points per game for the Hilltoppers, who are 2-2 after dropping a 66-58 decision to No. 5 Villanova on Wednesday in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. The 6-foot-1 Ohmer leads WKU in free-throw shooting, having converted 14 of 15 attempts (.933). He has scored in double figures twice, including a career-high 14 points against Nicholls State.

WKU’s Jake Ohmer

In addition, Ohmer poured in 18 points — including a trio of 3-pointers — during an exhibition victory against Campbellsville and earned the praise of WKU head coach Rick Stansbury.

“Jake came in and got in a little rhythm, hit a couple of early shots and probably thought he was still at Scott High School,” Stansbury said in the postgame press conference. “If the defenses loses track of him, Jake can make those shots.”

His early success at WKU is not surprising to those who watched Scott High School captured the 10th Region championship last season, when Ohmer hit an off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Eagles the victory in the championship game.

Ohmer averaged 27.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game as a senior and broke school record with 2,705 career points. He shot 52.7 percent from the field as a senior, 41.6 percent from 3-point range and 86 percent from the free-throw line.

Ohmer became a crowd favorite at the Sweet 16 in Lexington, scoring 106 points during three games – the 13th-most ever scored in a single Kentucky state tournament – while leading Scott to the semifinals in Rupp Arena.

COVCATH GRAD STARTING AT FSU: Fairmont State University freshman guard Cole VonHandorf, who ended his high school career as Covington Catholic’s all-time leading scorer, is averaging 7.0 points per game early in the season.

Cole VonHandorf

VonHandorf has started all four games for Fairmont State, which is 3-1. The Falcons are NCAA Division II and advanced to the national championship game last season. The 6-foot-2 VonHandorf scored 14 points and dished out three assists last Saturday as Fairmont State pulled out a 105-104 overtime win at Charleston (W.Va.).

As a four-year starter at CovCath, VonHandorf poured in 2,244 career points to become the Colonels all-time leading scorer. He averaged 17.6 points per game as a senior at CovCath and was earned all-state honors three times. As a freshman at CovCath, VonHandorf led the Colonels to the 2014 state championship.

BOLDEN STARS AT WVU: Former Holmes High School standout James Bolden is averaging 12.8 points per game for West Virginia University and leads the Mountaineers in 3-pointers made with 11.

Bolden, a 6-foot sophomore guard, averages 21.5 minutes per game and is 11 for 23 (.478) from 3-point range. He scored 16 points off the bench in West Virginia’s 98-64 win over American on Nov. 15. Bolden is shooting 50 percent from the field and has nine assists for West Virginia, which is 3-1 and ranked No. 23 nationally.

During his career at Holmes, Bolden scored 2,024 points and grabbed 464 rebounds. He also dished out 402 career assists and finished with 227 steals for the Bulldogs.

Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com


Related Posts

Leave a Comment