Martin Ledbetter’s game is definitely on point.
Question is, which game are we talking about for the 6-foot-5, 240-pound junior from Hinckley-Big Rock?
It depends upon the season.
With subzero temperatures still maintaining their firm grip Tuesday night on northern Illinois, that meant basketball as the Royals hosted Newark in the Little Ten Conference.
Come spring or summer, the talk will turn to baseball.
“I don’t play travel basketball,” Ledbetter said. “Mostly baseball.”
So which is his No. 1 sport?
“Baseball,” Ledbetter said. “I think I like basketball better, but I’m better at baseball.”
The future, which will likely feature a college career and maybe more for a right-handed pitcher whose fastball topped out at 93 mph last summer and keeps inching upward, can wait.
That’s because Ledbetter, a forward who has emerged as a double-double machine this season, was busy putting up 21 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Royals to a 64-54 victory.
He averages 18.2 points and 12.3 rebounds as well as 2.8 assists and 2.4 blocked shots for Hinckley-Big Rock (10-8, 4-1). Senior guards Landon Roop and Tyler Smith added 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Senior guard Lance Pasakarnis had 20 points and four steals and junior guard Dylan Long contributed 12 points to pace the Norsemen (4-13, 1-4).
Newark coach Kyle Anderson, an alum who finished in 2011 with a program-record 2,279 career points before leading Delaware to an NCAA Tournament berth as a senior, was asked about Ledbetter the basketball player before the game.
“He may not know yet how good he can be,” Anderson said. “Last year, he had 20 against us in the first half in one game, then went outside more and we were able to come back some. I wouldn’t mind if he stays outside.
“I saw him at one of our baseball games last spring. He was pretty good there, too.”
Last spring, Ledbetter struck out 61 in 28.2 inning. Batting cleanup, he hit a program-record 12 home runs with 43 RBIs.
Hinckley-Big Rock basketball coach Seth Sanderson is more than happy to share Ledbetter with Matt Olsen, who coaches varsity baseball and sophomore basketball.
“Martin has the ability to put runs and bursts together all by himself, whether it’s a score or a rebound or an outlet,” Sanderson said. “In the NBA, they talk about gravity, guys drawing attention and drawing people close.
“Martin has a lot of gravity on the court.”
That was evident last month in a second-round game against Kaneland at the Plano Christmas Classic, where Ledbetter made the all-tournament team.
He had 19 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots while often being double-teamed down low in a 58-43 loss to the Knights. It’s why Sanderson had him handle the ball more to help break Kaneland’s pressure.
“Sometimes, he plays a little too much point, but he does a good job,” Sanderson said. “He’s grown a ton from last year when we didn’t ask him to make a lot of decisions. There was a lot of, ‘Throw him the ball and let him go finish.’
“We’ve put more on his plate this year in terms of ball handling and decision-making. I think point forward describes him well.”
Two fouls in the first quarter against Newark stymied Ledbetter in the first half.
“Definitely a slow start,” Ledbetter said. “After halftime, it felt like my body started getting a lot more warm. That always ticks you off, two early fouls like that.”
He had eight rebounds in the third quarter, then cranked up the heat for the home crowd 2:30 into the fourth with a steal and drive to the basket covering three quarters of the court for a thunderous dunk.
“One of my favorites of my high school career,” he said. “I’ve been looking for one of those. Finally got my hard dunk and maybe have 10 or more dunks now.”
The thought of it brought a smile from Sanderson.
“We put a lot of things on the clipboard, but you can’t put that,” he said of the play. “I don’t want to take that for granted the next two years, either.
“He’s a special player. Great kid, too.”
