Mike Lundy adapts to help Tiger hoops squad

Mike Lundy has learned at least one thing playing basketball: flexibility.

The Lewis and Clark High School swingman has been called upon to play everything from center to guard in his career with the Tigers.

While others have claimed the offensive glory, Lundy has quietly done his job, doing all the dirty work that doesn’t show up in the box score.

“I don’t think it’s been real frustrating for him because he really is an adaptable kid,” said Tiger head coach Terry Reed. “He understands about kids having roles on teams.

“He’s a tenacious defender and goes hard all the time. He’s knows if he can do that and he can help the team, he’s not going to take as many shots.

“He’s truly a good team player because he’s unselfish.”

Lundy has not only been called upon to play anywhere from the post to a small forward, to a guard spot, but also to lead a Tiger team that lost most of its offense from last season.

“We’re a really young team and only have two seniors,” said Lundy, who is one of those seniors. “Actually the seniors aren’t even the real veterans.

“We have a sophomore and a junior who are the returning varsity guys. The newspapers ranked us second to last, and it’s probably because we don’t have any returning seniors.

“We lost Greg Spurgetis, Carl Shaw and Nick Cantlon and those big guys. We’re out to prove we’re better than what everyone says we are.”

Proving people wrong could be Lundy’s mantra. The 5-foot-10 senior grew up playing center for most of his early career, only to find himself being outgrown by several classmates entering high school. Lundy suddenly found himself having to overhaul his game.

“When he was younger, he was bigger than the other kids, so they always played him inside,” said Reed. “It wasn’t until he got to high school, because of the size difference, that he began to play on the perimeter.

“He’s worked on improving that area of his game, and it’s better now than what it was. It’s an area he’s had to work at because he’s never had to work at it before because he’d always played with his back to the basket.”

“This summer I was working on my jumper,” Lundy said. “When I was playing at Chase (Middle School), I couldn’t shoot the ball at all. I was terrible.

“Coaches told me they didn’t want me to shoot the ball. I was just down there to pound and grind and shoot lay-ups. The jump shot’s been one of my weaker aspects, and I’ve been trying to work on that.”

Despite his not being the biggest offensive weapon, his teammates and coaches understand Lundy’s importance.

“He was on JV the past two years,” Reed said. “As we were approaching our first game of the year, I talked to the kids about voting for captains. I asked the kids what they were looking for in a captain … you look for leadership and dedication, and working hard all the time.

“When they went to vote for who they wanted for captains, he was one of the three guys they picked. I think that says a lot about his leadership skills in relation to his basketball abilities.”

Lundy’s leadership abilities have been honed off the court as well as on it, too.

“I’m a Boy Scout, and every year I do a leadership camp called Brownsea,” said Lundy. “Scouts from all over the Spokane area come in, and they’re taught to be better leaders in their troop.

“The first year I went as a participant, and through the whole experience, I had a great time. I learned to be a more respectable leader, how to be organized, and how to control a group of people.

“They asked me to come back and be on staff at that camp. Coming back, I’ve learned a lot more at that camp than as just a participant. In teaching, I’ve learned a lot more.

“It’s given me a greater appreciation of who I am and what I do.”

Lundy has also developed maturity in an unorthodox manner for most high school male athletes.

“I baby-sat for a couple of kids for three years,” he said. “It’s taught me a lot of responsibility.

“When I’m there, I’m the adult. I have to be careful what I do because the kids are impressionable. I have to make sure I set a good example. I can’t be careless or reckless around them.

“I’ve talked to them about not drinking or smoking and just making sure they remain good kids. It’s helped me when I have kids, on how I want to raise them.”

It seems a pretty good bet the Tiger senior is also fulfilling his coaches’ goals for the upcoming LC season.

“Just to be a leader, someone the kids can look up to – this is how things are to be done, making your best effort on the floor and having no regrets about what you’ve done,” Reed said.

“He does that every day.”