Owensboro’s Greathouse named OT Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year

March 24, 2020 | 12:01 am

Updated March 24, 2020 | 12:01 am

Owensboro High School senior Jaiden Greathouse has been named the 2020 Owensboro Times Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year.

Greathouse wasn’t a starter for the Red Devils, but he was certainly a finisher — and he was unquestionably an emotional leader for OHS.

He brought an extra level of grit and grind that set the tone any time he stepped on the court.

“In order to be a leader, you have to be the guy that is getting rebounds, getting on the floor,” said head coach Rod Drake, who is Greathouse’s grandfather. “You have to lead by example, and I think the kids picked up on it. It’s not hard for him to say something to a kid because they see what he does. That’s a key element to his game.”

Despite being the first man off the bench, Greathouse still led the team with 7.2 rebounds per game. He was also the leading scorer for the Red Devils for most of the season, eventually finishing second with 12.4 points per game.

Stats didn’t mean much to Greathouse, though, as he said team success always came first.

“For my senior year I just wanted to give it all I had,” he said. “At OHS all we want to do is win. We don’t care who scores points or anything like that. We just all want to come together and win, and we put each other in the best position we can.”

That’s why Greathouse didn’t mind a seat on the sidelines for the first few minutes of the game.

“My role is get in there, get rebounds, scrap a little bit,” he said. “If points come to me then they come to me, but I really look to go in there and get after it. I like coming off the bench because that’s the best seat in the house. You get to see the spots you need to be at and when to be there.”

Drake said it shows a lot of patience and maturity for Greathouse to understand his role, and it helps the underclassmen understand what it means to be a Red Devil.

“It’s an eye-opener for the kids coming up,” Drake said. “You don’t have to start the ball game. It’s who’s in there at the end of the game. That’s what I preach to these guys.”

Greathouse is a two-sport athlete, but he didn’t let an extended postseason run with the football team slow him down on the court. In fact, he said playing both sports is a benefit.

“Football is more rowdy and rough, basketball is more up and down,” he said. “I think playing football is great for a basketball player physically and mentally.”

Despite spending several months on the gridiron, he still improved his basketball game in the offseason.

“Last year he’d just throw it up and go get it,” Drake said. “This year he concentrated more on letting the game come to him. Overall he’s improved in all the areas — passing, shooting, rebounding.”

And even though he’s a bit undersized as a post player, Drake said Greathouse is a smart player that finds a way to be successful.

“He does a lot of things that don’t show up in the stats,” Drake said. “One of the things he does is if he wants the ball, he goes and gets it. He beats you to the spot. He anticipates very well. Jaiden is quick off his feet. He doesn’t jump high, but he can get from lane to lane. And he knows how to use his body.”

Greathouse said it’s been really special to compete for the Red Devils, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“I wouldn’t play anywhere else in the state or in the world,” he said. “If I had to be at one school, it would be Owensboro High School.”

March 24, 2020 | 12:01 am

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