By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter
The correct term is “elite scorer.”
Ask big Sam Gibson, Holy Cross’ 7-foot senior center on the night of his first high school triple-double, what it’s like to play with Jacob Meyer, and after telling you Jacob is his “best friend,” Sam says how much he enjoys watching Jacob do his thing.
“He’s an elite scorer,” Sam says after his own 13-point, 14-rebound, 10-block performance. “It’s really fun to play with him.”
“I’ve never coached an ‘elite scorer’,” says the Indians’ young coach, Casey Sorrell. “I’ve never been around someone who scored 50 points and he’s done it multiple times. And he’s scored 40 points (or more) at least 30 times.” As Meyer did Wednesday in a 95-80 win at Newport Central Catholic.
But if there’s any question about Jacob being an “elite scorer,” here’s all the proof anyone needs. He was 57 points away from breaking the all-time Northern Kentucky Ninth Region career scoring record heading into Wednesday’s game and there were a number of fans in the large crowd who showed up just in case.
In case he scored 57 . . . on the road . . . against an athletic NewCath team.
That’s an elite scorer.
\And no, that’s not all that crazy considering in his last game Saturday, at the historic Knightstown (Ind.) court featured in the 1986 movie “Hoosiers,” Jacob dropped a cool 58 points on Walton-Verona in a 98-81 win for a now 19-6 Holy Cross team.
“I could have played a little better,” said Meyer, who was shadowed by NewCath’s three-sport athlete, Luke Runyon, while hitting on 14 of his 24 field goal attempts and all 12 of his free throw attempts. “He’s a great defender,” Meyer said of the NewCath senior.
Although he really wanted to talk about his buddy, Gibson. “Sam works so hard,” Meyer said of Sam’s triple-double and perfect six of six from the field.
But until he gets the record, Meyer remains the story. After passing the 3,041 points of Dixie Height’s Brandon Hatton Saturday and now with his 41 at NewCath, Meyer has a four-year total of 3,113. That’s 15 away from the 3,128 of record-holder Scotty Draud of Beechwood.
The moment could, should come Saturday at Senior Night at home in Latonia against Dixie Heights. The ceremonies will begin at 6, Sorrell says, with players who have reached special milestones like Gibson, with his 500 career rebounds, and Javier Ward, who had 28 points against NewCath in a dazzling display of his football speed, for his 1,000 career points.
And then there’s Meyer. “I don’t think about it when I get out there,” he says of the record. But he is thinking about Senior Night. And his October decision to return home from his Atlanta, Georgia, basketball prep school.
“I was home for the weekend,” Jacob said, “and Sam and I were hanging out and I told him . . . then we went to Skyline.”
“I was really excited,” Gibson said, “he’s a great teammate . . . and my best friend.”
Sorrell says he can’t remember exactly what he said when Jacob told him he was coming back, just a week before basketball got going in the fall.
“We have a really good vibe,” Sorrell said, and he knew what he was thinking. “Let’s get to work,” he told Jacob.
As for Saturday, he’s pretty sure this is the way it’s going to go.
“Jake’s mindset is all about winning,” Sorrell said. “He’ll get his points and we’ll all celebrate . . . and I’ve had a front row seat to watch it all.”
Jacob Meyer (File photos)
And then Meyer will put it behind him and head to the postseason and figure out this whole college thing after de-commiting from Western Kentucky. Schools like Miami (Ohio), Bowling Green, Northern Kentucky, Marshall, Eastern Kentucky, Indiana State, James Madison, Ball State, Manhattan (with a coach at the game Wednesday), Liberty and Rick Pitino’s Iona.
“It’s really important to get the right fit,” Sorrell says. The athletic Meyer will need a team that gets up and down the court and plays as fast as the 6-foot-1 ambidextrous nation’s leading scorer a year ago can play.
He’s averaging 8.8 rebounds and an even 36.0 points a game to lead the KHSAA for the second straight year.
For NewCath, against a different team, this might have been a winning effort. The 10-15 Breds got strong offense from senior Coby Kramer’s 28 points, sophomore Ian Mann’s 20 and junior Jase Iles’ 15.
But with Gibson batting away 10 NewCath shots, the Breds had to score from long range, knocking down a dozen three-pointers. Hard to win that way.
BOX SCORE
HOLY CROSS (19-6): Meyer 41, Ward 28, Gibson 13, McElheney 10, Ambrocio 3, Dreas 0, White 0, Arlinghaus 0, TOTALS: 29-7-16-95.
NEWCATH (10-15): Kramer 28, Mann 20, Iles 15, Luhn 9, Rouse 4, Lyons 3, Runyon 1, TOTALS: 16-12-12-80.
