Senior guard Erik Kingery’s perseverance, effort and decision-making are paying dividends for Hobart.
The 6-foot-3 Kingery has been instrumental in the Brickies’ most successful season in years.
“This year feels rewarding in a sense,” he said.
Consider those just desserts delayed, not denied.
Healthy after a series of injuries in football and basketball, Kingery is averaging 9.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals for the Brickies (13-9, 4-2), who finished a solid third in the Northwest Crossroads Conference behind Munster and Andrean and will open the Class 4A Chesterton Sectional with a semifinal against Valparaiso on March 6.
Hobart defeated the Vikings 65-54 on Feb. 10, ending a 16-game losing streak in the series. It was the Brickies’ first win against Valparaiso since a 2008 sectional game and first regular-season win since 1997.
Hobart is guaranteed its first above-.500 record since going 12-11 in 2019-20, has matched its most victories since going 13-9 in 2008-09 and needs one more victory to equal its 14-9 mark in 2007-08.
“It means everything,” Kingery said. “We’ve been talking about it for as long as we could. Since freshman year, it’s been embedded in my head to bring everyone to the standard that it needs to be to be the team we are now.”
Kingery, who was 5-6 as a freshman and grew 3 inches since last season, took over a starting role two games into his sophomore season. Having gained momentum, he decided to stop playing football and golf after his sophomore year.
“I went full in with basketball,” Kingery said. “It just felt like it was the right thing to do. I was like, ‘I’m all in.’”
But the summer before his junior year, Kingery began suffering repeated sprains of both ankles. It first happened during the AAU season. It happened again during the Brickies’ team activities in June. Then it happened during the regular season.
Kingery, who also suffered a broken left collarbone early in his freshman football season, estimated he missed a total of 10 weeks with sprained ankles, including three last season.
“My ankles were real bad,” he said. “It was awful. It was repetitive. It just kept happening. I even had ankle braces on and it kept happening. It was a big setback physically and mentally, very challenging. I always rushed back into it. I hate sitting out. I always want to be playing.
“It was just rough because summer is the biggest thing. That’s when the real work’s put in. That definitely set me back a lot when junior year was supposed to be that breakout season. Injuries didn’t help at all.”
Kingery wound up averaging 2.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists. But then he turned the tide in his favor.
“I started taking better care of my body, rehabbing better, doing mobility stuff,” he said. “My hips, I’ve been opening up my hips a lot, which helps a lot. It’s not as much stress on my knees, which leads to my ankles. Everything works together. Everything’s connected. I use bands to strengthen my ankles too.”
Kingery has increased his strength in general, having added 10 pounds since last season to reach 170.
“I’ve been in the weight room a lot more, which was needed big time,” he said. “It’s helped me physically and confidence-wise.”
Standout senior guard Ryan Basham, the team’s top scorer and captain, has noticed the difference with Kingery.
“Some of the things he did this offseason really helped him,” Basham said. “He got a lot stronger, getting in the weight room. All of his numbers improved — bench, squats, all of it. He’s just had a huge impact on our team.
“He’s seriously taken a big jump with scoring and really everything. He’s one of the hardest workers we have. He brings the energy every day. He’s one of our most profound leaders.”
Hobart coach Devon Key also emphasized that last point.
“When they were younger, he was always the leader of the group,” Key said of Kingery. “Then he kind of got out of that mix because he got moved up and they all stayed down on JV, and then Ryan became the alpha just based on his work ethic. But this year, Erik has been the voice that we needed. His voice, the way he communicates, he talks every day in practice. He just leads and knows what’s going on. He’s an extension of me on the floor. He tells everybody what’s going on, and he takes that role.
“Him and Ryan are that perfect balance with each other now. Ryan does it with his play. Erik does it with his play, too, but he’s also going to be vocal about what’s going on and make sure everybody’s held accountable and held to the standard. Erik demands the locker room because of his voice. His voice means a lot to everybody.”
Kingery also believes he has made strides with his game.
“I’ve been attacking,” he said. “Last year compared to this year, I definitely didn’t get to the rim as much as I do now. I’ve been able to score at all three levels this year compared to the prior years. I was only shooting before.”
Kingery has retained that perimeter ability.
“He can shoot it from three,” Key said. “He pushes the tempo. He can get to the basket. He makes others better. He’s really good at facilitating. He makes us go, just pushing the pace. But his best attribute is the way that he leads.”
Such qualities have put Kingery in position to have opportunities to play in college. But he’s not ready for his high school career to end.
“It’s home here,” he said. “It really is family. People say it, but that’s really what it is here. We’ve been playing together, these seniors, for like forever.”
