Captains leading High Point basketball

SUSSEX BOROUGH — When a high school coach decides to allow his or her team to select the captains it’s a bold move. It shows that the coach has confidence and indeed values the judgment of the student-athletes on the roster.

But, at the same time, a coach may keep their fingers crossed, hoping that the right choices are made in terms of who will be picked to lead the program.

This season, members of the High Point High School boy’s basketball program choose Brad Smolen, Jon Nelson and Jack DeGroot to be the captains and head coach Jesse Strehl couldn’t be happier with the selections.

Smolen is a senior guard, Nelson is a senior forward and DeGroot is a junior guard.

“The players on the team vote for captains," Strehl said. “Brad and Jon were voted captains last year and did a great job, so it's nice to have them back. Jack was voted a captain this year by his teammates. All three of these players set a great example on the court and off. They do the right thing, work hard and are well respected by everyone in the High Point community.’’

Through January, Smolen was averaging 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals per game, Nelson was averaging eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game and DeGroot was averaging 18 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal per game.

“They have all improved their skills tremendously, both from last season and since the start of this season," Strehl said. “Brad worked very hard on his free throws and has improved his percentage greatly. Jon is really working on his post moves and finishing. Jack has worked on becoming a better defender. They all work very hard in practice and all year round to improve. For each of them, team success is much more important than individual stats or accolades."

All three captains get the job done well where it counts the most-in the classroom.

“Brad is a High Honor Roll student, taking challenging AP level courses this year, he’s considering Purdue University or West Virginia University," Strehl said. “He’s planning to study Aerospace Engineering. Jon is a high honor student, taking challenging AP courses. He’s planning to attend SCCC in the fall. Jack is an honor roll student every marking period since beginning high school. He’s taking challenging AP and Honors courses.’’

NOTES: On Feb. 6, the Wildcats were defeated by Phillipsburg in the second round of the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament. Through 19 regular season games, High Point had a strong record of 13-6.