If you squint real hard, sophomore Gabe Jensen sure bears a resemblance to Mick Lawrence, the point guard he’s replacing this season for Geneva.
Lawrence was a three-year starter at a position that has become a sort of right of passage for the Vikings. Jensen, the latest in that line, is even wearing the same No. 2 as Lawrence.
“He played with my brother (Max), so I watched him a lot and I get a lot from him,” Jensen said. “Going to his games a lot, it’s just something that I learned from.”
The transition has gone smoothly so far.
It continued Tuesday night as Jensen contributed 10 points and three assists for Geneva in a 59-51 nonconference victory over Bartlett. The Vikings built a comfortable 24-point lead.
Elliot Kroeyr led Geneva (4-1) in scoring with 11 points off the bench. Brendan Campbell produced a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds for Bartlett (0-5).
Brandon Pelz scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to help rally the Hawks and pull them back into the game. But the Vikings had developed more than enough cushion to win.
Geneva coach Scott Hennig, meanwhile, is pleased with how his latest floor general has made the jump from the freshman team to being a full-fledged varsity starter.
“We’ve been blessed,” Hennig said. “We go from a senior point guard (Nathan Valentine), then Mick was a sophomore, and it was a three-year thing.
“Now, we’re back to having a sophomore point guard. Hopefully, there’s a sixth or seventh grader out there who can play.”
Jensen came up through Geneva’s feeder program and was around the program often when his brother played for the Vikings.
He also ran the point over the summer, but Hennig has seen some added elements to his game.
“He’s growing,” Hennig said of Jensen. “He’s learning the game. He’s surprised me with his shooting. I know he can handle the ball. I know he has a good feel for the game.
“But he’s really started out the season shooting the ball well. He’s a good basketball player.”
It was a close game early until Jensen drilled a 3-pointer and fed Jack Hatton for a 3-pointer with 2:15 left in the second quarter as Geneva opened a 26-15 lead.
“I thought our start was the key,” Hennig said. “We talked about that as a staff in terms of getting off to a good start. It helps when you’re making shots. Our defense was very good.”
The lead was 49-25 before Bartlett put it together. The Hawks more than doubled their point total the rest of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to single digits.
“The kids did a good job in the fourth quarter playing hard,” Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said. “We finally started attacking the middle and getting buckets and fouls.
“You have to follow the game plan. The game plan was not to just pass it around and jack threes.”
Campbell was a big part of the comeback attempt, continuing to battle despite the lopsided score.
“Great job by Soup Campbell inside,” Wolfsmith said. “He had a great game down low, fighting for shots. He’s a Division II baseball guy, so he doesn’t know quit. He played his butt off.”
Geneva begins DuKane Conference play Friday against Wheaton Warrenville South. Jensen plans on taking lessons he’s learned from his predecessors to keep a strong start going.
“I think it’s just taking things from the past, watching them, learning what they do and having them help you out,” Jensen said.
So far, the plan is working.
“It feels nice to get off to a good start to the season,” Jensen said.
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
