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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hoover Elevates His Game Lake City Foes Face Improved Weapon

Lake City High School senior basketball standout Brian Russell was inarguably the most valuable player of the Inland Empire League this season, and the coach’s selection in two weeks should confirm it.

It’s very doubtful the Timberwolves would be headed to the State A-1 Tournament next week had the 6-foot-3 Russell not put up dominating numbers this season.

It’s very doubtful, too, that the Timberwolves would be statebound without 6-5 junior Scott Hoover, easily the league’s rookie of the year.

And he’s the putative front-runner as next year’s MVP. In the last two weeks, Hoover has played at an MVP level.

“He’s the best player in the league right now,” Lewiston coach Dick Richel said as he watched Lake City trample Post Falls 79-63 in the Region I championship game Saturday.

Hoover scored a season-high 17 points to complement Russell’s 22 in the state-qualifying victory.

The left-handed wing shoots the 3-pointer effectively and scores or draws fouls when he drives to the basket. But he admits he’s a little limited physically: “I’m very, very left-handed,” he said, smiling. “I’m not ambidextrous.”

The ability to dribble with his right hand to keep opponents from shutting down his drives to his left is one of the few things Hoover, who comes from a non-athletic family, needs to develop.

Early in the season, though, opponents didn’t pay much attention to Hoover.

He was mired in a scoring slump. If he didn’t make some shots during the opening moments of games, he disappeared offensively. When teammates passed Hoover the ball, he handled it like a hot potato, quickly dishing off to another teammate.

“I was really frustrated, too,” he said. “I was rebounding and playing defense, but I wasn’t scoring. I was playing nervous; I was still adjusting to varsity basketball.”

LC coach Jim Winger prodded Hoover to “become more aggressive offensively, to look to shoot more,” Hoover said. “He told me Russell couldn’t do it all the time. He told me to square up, take a look and, if the shot is there, to take it or to drive if it was there.”

Hoover’s growth has been immeasurable since.

He’s become a player capable of dominating games.

“You see players that go up a big notch during the season and never look back,” Winger said. “Scott has jumped up more levels, both mentally and physically, than any player I’ve seen in my seven years coaching in Coeur d’Alene.”

His season numbers are modest - 9.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game - but his statistics have far surpassed the average in recent games.

“It’s boosted my confidence greatly,” said Hoover, who sports a 4.0 grade-point average. “I know I can score and I want to score.”

“Since Christmas, he’s been our most consistent player,” Winger added. “He wasn’t playing poorly in December. It was just a case of Scott needing to believe in himself.”

Hoover’s personal highlight of the season came Saturday against Post Falls, where he attended school briefly when his family moved from California three years ago.

Hoover broke free on a fastbreak and got his first slam dunk of the year. It was a key basket that put LC ahead 34-24 with 1:21 remaining before halftime and quieted the partisan Post Falls crowd.

It silenced some petty Trojans fans, too, who had been chanting “Traitor, traitor,” whenever Hoover touched the ball.

“That was for all my buddies at Post Falls,” said Hoover, whose use of the term `buddies’ is loose, if not appropriate. “We didn’t live there long enough for me to make any friends.”

Though he played basketball in the eighth and ninth grades at Post Falls, he attended school barely a year there before his family bought a house in Coeur d’Alene.

He’s thankful his family moved. He knows he wouldn’t have made Post Falls’ deep varsity team this year, and he’s doubtful he’d be starting on the junior varsity.

Hoover is particularly pleased to be playing under Winger, who, whether it’s fair or not, has a reputation for being hard on players.

“He’s really competitive and hates to lose,” Hoover said of his coach. “But he brings the best out of me. Sure I get frustrated and upset when he makes me mad. But I play better when he makes me mad.

“I have the highest respect for him. He’s coached three years and he’s taken three teams to state. He’s doing something right.”

Hoover went to state last year on Winger’s final team at Coeur d’Alene when he and teammates Regan Wilson, Chad Beadell and Bryan Kelly were brought up from the junior varsity for postseason play.

He was along for the ride last year. That won’t be the case when the Timberwolves head to Pocatello next week.

“There’s no reason why we can’t bring a trophy home,” Hoover said. “I’m not going to make a bold statement like we should win state. But we should get some serious heavy metal.”

A name that puts a grin on Winger’s face is Hoover.

“The thing that makes me smile is he’s a junior,” Winger said. “I see nothing but improvement down the road, too. I don’t say this about many players, but if he keeps improving I think with his size (6-5) and ability to play guard, he’s a legitimate college prospect.”

The prospect of which could put a smile on the face of a college coach or two.