Chesterton’s Nick Furmanek has turned the act of taking charges into something of an art form.
The 6-foot-5 senior forward drew eight in the Trojans’ first four games this season.
“There’s guys who don’t take eight in their entire lifetime,” Chesterton coach Marc Urban said. “It’s impressive. He just has a knack for seeing it, and he’s able to get over there and lay his body out and take one.
“It’s just unbelievable. He’s really good at anticipating them, and he’s willing to do it. They’re game-changers.”
Furmanek quipped that the first few hurt. But he said he has learned how to absorb the contact. He takes pride in his ability.
“As a junior, taking a charge was kind of like my dunk or big play,” Furmanek said. “No one really takes charges, so that was my way to get more minutes.
“After that, I took a couple, and the feeling of when you’re on the ground and all of your teammates are all excited to pick you up and the whole crowd’s cheering, it’s so nice.”
Indeed, Furmanek also was adept at taking charges last season. He drew two offensive fouls against Kokomo star big man Flory Bidunga in Chesterton’s Class 4A semistate victory.
Furmanek was a role player for that team, which lost to Indianapolis Cathedral in the state championship game. He’s a starter for the retooled Trojans (4-1) this season, one of an array of players with “a new seat at the table,” in the words of Urban, after the graduation of such players as Mr. Basketball finalist Travis Grayson and Chris Mullen.
Furmanek averaged 1.6 points and 2.0 rebounds last season. Before Chesterton’s win against East Chicago Central on Tuesday, he was averaging 7.8 points — behind only standout juniors Tyler Parrish and Justin Sims — and 4.5 rebounds, which was tied for second on the team.
“Furm’s done a really good job from the spring to the summer to the fall to now of really doing everything he can to put himself in a position to have a successful season,” Urban said. “He’s a very crafty basketball player, which he always has been. But now he’s had to produce in heavier minutes than he got last year.
“His leadership comes from just his anticipation on both ends of the floor, the way he approaches every practice because that makes everyone have to go at that pace. I’m proud of the progress he’s made just because he’s taken what we’ve said and worked really hard to become really good and to become a player for us.”
Furmanek worked on his shot, resulting in the first 3-pointer of his career this season. He also gained 10 pounds.
“Peanut butter and jellies,” Furmanek said. “Every day, I just pounded peanut butter and jellies. And lifting, of course. Lifting hard and eating a lot more.
“I knew my role was going to be a lot bigger this year, so my motivation going into lifting was a lot bigger. I knew I had to get stronger to perform in the minutes I’d be playing. I put on a lot of weight, and that’s made me stronger and more confident as a player.”
Urban has seen that attitude.
“When you feel good and you feel strong, it’s really helped with his confidence,” he said. “And we have a lot of confidence in him. It’s a two-way street.”
Furmanek wants to keep driving forward.
“I’ve just been doing my job,” he said. “I like to do a lot of the little things that stats don’t show, the little details that make the offense go and cutting off drives on defense.
“This year, starting, you have to know right off the bat what to do. You have to set the pace, set the tone.”
