Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
For four years he’s been in the gym nearly every day, putting up 500 shots a session.
What led him to the next chapter in his basketball career happened at home during lunch.
In March, Colton junior point guard Jake Straughan was at his house during the noon hour when a voicemail showed up on his phone. It was the first eligible day for NCAA coaches to contact basketball recruits. The message was from University of Idaho assistant Kirk Earlywine.
Straughan already had stacks of letters in his closet from schools across the country.
Earlywine was his first voice contact and in the end, the only one that mattered as Straughan made a verbal commitment last week to play for Idaho.
“It’s a very hard decision. It’s a huge commitment in life,” said Straughan. “But I love the coaches and players at Idaho and feel it’s the right place for me. I’m very excited to play for the University of Idaho. It wouldn’t matter if it was 2,000 miles away.”
He first became acquainted with Idaho players and staff this spring in three or four informal spring workouts on campus.
Straughan said the program is on the rise, citing winning seasons in two of the last three years and an entrance into the Big Sky Conference next year.
His commitment will become official on national signing day in November.
Colton High School coach Seth Paine said that more than 20 Division I college coaches have called him regarding his junior leader.
Clemson, Maryland and Georgia Tech offered Straughan a preferred walk-on spot.
“What sets Jake apart is his ability to score as a point guard,” said Paine. “He prides himself on being a scoring point guard who can get to the rim, shoot the three-pointer and then execute his mid-range game. He can score against any level of competition and has done so against the best.”
Straughan’s decision is a culmination of three years of a standout high school athletic career in which basketball has always been what he liked most.
“It’s been my favorite sport forever,” he said.
Straughan, a starter in basketball, football and baseball for Colton since his freshman year, was named the unanimous District 9 1B league player of the year last year, averaging 26 points per game, with seven assists, six rebounds and three steals.
Since he was 14, he has played on a Tri-Cities-based AAU team competing in tournaments each summer, including the Super 64 event in Las Vegas. The team will be there again in two weeks as a 17-under entry, looking to add to their previous round of 32, sweet 16 and third-place finishes.
This week, Straughan will participate in a football mini-camp for Colton and then play in a tournament with his secondary AAU team, based in Clarkston.
Looking ahead to his senior year, Straughan indicated he will be ready.
“I’m very glad I made the decision,” he said. “It’s relieved stress. I’m just playing for fun now.”
All the while, he’ll be in the gym just as much, except for a little less during football season.
“It’s not easy not to think about basketball, but I love football, I’m focused, while I’ll also be getting into the gym,” he said. “That’s the most important for me.”
“His work ethic is obsolete,” said Paine. “For a kid his age, it’s unbelievable. His workout is very intense for a high school kid.”
While Straughan dreams of future nights in arenas across the Big Sky and beyond, he has one more season of games for which veteran pro athletes have said they remember more than any other level.
For Straughan, high school basketball in the District 9 his senior year carries a certain motive.
Colton finished as co-league champions last winter before their season ended in upset playoff losses to Pomeroy and Rosalia.
“It was so disappointing,” Straughan said. “It drives me today.”
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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