Student Athlete of the Week: Jerek Funkhouser

It was only game No. 1, but when Jerek Funkhouser scored 27 points in Niwot High School's season opener on Dec. 1, it was a great omen for the Cougar boys basketball team. The senior's career-best output, part of a 73-13 home blowout of Regis Groff, was aided by an all-in team effort on offense.

"It was just awesome to see that our offense is playing for each other this year," Funkhouser said. "Most of our buckets were off just easy cuts to the basket and within the offense. It's awesome to see that we're all on the same page this year."

Niwot boasts a veteran roster, including Funkhouser, that brings with it high expectations and high energy.

"Everyone's hyped for this year," Funkhouser said. "It's a lot of our last years (playing together). The locker room energy was just fantastic after the game, we were all going crazy. Even during halftime, we were all clapping each other up."

Last season, the 6-foot-5 forward averaged over 10 points a game for a three-win Niwot team, and in the year prior, he averaged 4.6 ppg during a similarly disappointing campaign. Winning hasn't exactly been common during his career, but the Cougars' pieces appear to be lining up better for Funkhouser's final run. Fellow senior Mateusz Swat scored 10 points in the season opener, junior Jackson Carano put up 15 and last year's second-leading scorer, sophomore Jack Jarvis, had four assists.

Niwot continued its strong start with an 86-84 overtime win against Denver North High School on Dec. 3, and Funkhauser came through in the clutch, this time scoring 32 points, another career high.

With 14 seconds to go and the Cougars down by three, Funkhauser took a shot from behind the 3-point line, but the shot was off the mark. When the ball went out of bounds, it was last touched by North, and Niwot had another chance with nine seconds on the clock. This time, Funkauser didn't miss from behind the arc, tying the game at 77-77. In overtime, Funkhauser hit another 3-pointer to tie the game at 82-82, and the Cougars were never behind again.

"We all just have fun whether that's on or off the court," Funkhouser said. "It has definitely helped the team chemistry get better."

As a scoring big man, Funkhouser said that being more aggressive in putting up shots has been key to his personal development, and he's now focusing on doing more damage beyond the arc.

"Last year, the main confidence booster was I was just taking more shots," he said. "But this year, I've definitely been working on my 3-point shot. Just to see a couple of them go down early in the season is just a big confidence booster for me."

However, Funkhouser made it clear that Niwot's improved performance on defense has been the most encouraging development of the young season.

"Our defensive energy is much better," he said. "I think we're playing to win this year and not just for ourselves, which is awesome."

After graduating in May, Funkhouser hopes to continue his basketball career in college. His dream school is currently Metro State University in Denver but if that doesn't work out, he hopes to play for Division II hoops elsewhere in Colorado.

"Basketball is kind of my life," he said. "I've put lots of work into it and to see it go to the next level would be huge."