Grayslake Central senior Chris Jaimes is tough to overlook throughout basketball video games this season.
Extra assertive than he was a yr in the past, the 6-foot-6 heart usually punctuates his presence above the rim.
“It simply feels totally different this yr,” Jaimes mentioned. “Final yr, it was partly a confidence factor, and I wasn’t capable of present all of what I’m capable of do. This yr, I knew I used to be some of the athletic guys on the group, so I needed to make my final yr a very good one.”
There’s little question Jaimes is fulfilling that goal. He has been entrance and heart because the Rams (13-6, 5-1) pursue their fourth straight 20-win season and third straight Northern Lake County Convention title. He started the week averaging 16.0 factors, 8.0 rebounds and a pair of.0 blocks, all group highs.
Exterior observers won’t have envisioned this from Jaimes, however he hasn’t shocked folks in this system.
“All of us noticed his improvement within the offseason, so we have been totally anticipating any such season from him,” Grayslake Central coach Brian Centella mentioned. “What’s superior about Chris is that typically you’ll be able to overvalue a participant based mostly on factors — and scoring is a vital a part of the sport — however he can impression a sport in so some ways, whether or not it’s grabbing a rebound, enjoying laborious or being athletic.”
Certainly, Jaimes does all of these issues that coaches love, however the factors are coming. He scored a career-high 27 factors through the Rams’ 51-39 nonconference win towards Carmel on Dec. 10 and tallied 25 factors with 9 rebounds through the Rams’ 65-49 convention win towards Wauconda on Jan. 15.
Jaimes dunked 4 instances towards Wauconda.
“Dunks change the power of a sport,” he mentioned. “My variety of dunks have gone up quite a bit this yr. It’s my method of claiming, ‘Let’s get loud. Let’s change the ambiance’. They’ll get our part hyped.”
Jaimes’ top isn’t the one purpose he can dunk so simply. He’s a two-time state qualifier within the excessive bounce.
“Within the strategy for prime bounce, you must be working quick,” he mentioned. “Relying on my ft, I can calculate the quantity of bounce I would like. It’s the identical factor with basketball. If I get my ft down, I can get some loopy air time.”
Jaimes additionally makes use of his hops in different methods. He has turn out to be significantly adept at chase-down blocks, seemingly popping out of nowhere to swat an opponents’ shot. Considered one of Jaimes’ favorites got here through the Rams’ 43-40 nonconference win towards Libertyville on Friday, when he turned again a dunk try by Stevan Gavric, a 6-foot-4 Illinois State soccer recruit.
“If I didn’t get to that, it may have utterly modified the momentum of the sport,” Jaimes mentioned. “I’ve a fairly large wing span, and I’ve gotten actually good at timing these when somebody goes up.”
Jaimes’ aerial work on protection bought the eye of a faculty coach who talked about it after a latest sport. However his teammates have turn out to be accustomed to that form of factor.
“I don’t understand how he can get that top, however I attempt to have fun with him after his dunks,” Grayslake Central junior guard Alex Granville mentioned. “After the primary couple video games of the yr, it’s one thing we count on from him. Not a whole lot of groups have good huge males, so when the opposite group is apprehensive about him, it makes it simpler for all of us to attain.”
Jaimes has all however assured he’ll have a possibility to play basketball in school. He might also have choices in monitor and discipline, however basketball is his true athletic ardour.
Jaimes remembers attempting to earn minutes on Grayslake Central’s freshman B group.
“It sounds primary, however I actually love basketball, and I used to be motivated to maintain engaged on my sport,” he mentioned. “I all the time envisioned being a top-level highschool athlete.
“Now there are lots of people who have been higher than me who I’m higher than. If my youthful self noticed me now, he’d be proud.”
Steve Reaven is a contract reporter.
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