Jayce Lee soars into leadership role for South Bend Saint Joseph boys basketball

SOUTH BEND — When Jayce Lee dunks the ball, everyone feels it.

His teammates. His coaches. The crowd. The opposing team.

It lifts the South Bend Saint Joseph boys basketball team up — even those who maybe should stay sitting.

“We even had a kid who just had his ACL repaired, and he’s jumping,” Saint Joseph coach Eric Gaff said.

Lee put his leaping ability on full display last week, throwing down four dunks in a 53-38 IHSAA regional championship win over John Glenn. It advanced the Huskies to this Saturday’s Class 3A semistate round at Logansport High School.

“It’s an energy giver to the team,” Lee said. “Whenever I get a big dunk, you see the next couple of shots fall for the guys. It’s definitely a big part of our game and a big part of our energy on the court. I’m just happy I’m able to lift the squad up.”

More: How Saint Joseph took care of business to win 3A regional title over John Glenn

Of the four power slams, three came in the fourth quarter. One was a breakaway one-handed jam, and another was a “posterization” of a Glenn player.

“There’s a reason why they’re called highlights,” Gaff said. “Guys feed off that, and they get excited off that. I thought each one of those dunks was another nail in the coffin for John Glenn. It helped propel us into that win.”

Growing into a better basketball player

Lee has always been a solid basketball player for the Huskies, but his game has taken another step up this year. He’s seen improvements in his points (15.3), rebounds (5), assists (1.6) and steals (3) per game as the Huskies are two wins away from a trip to Indianapolis.

“Being able to get downhill and getting to the rim,” said Lee on what he worked on the most in the offseason. “My strength has been able to get me more downhill. Obviously, I’ve been able to jump higher and be a little more explosive above the rim. Those are probably my biggest attributes this year.”

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Gaff has noticed Lee step up in other ways as well.

“I think he’s improved his leadership qualities,” Gaff said. “He’s always been an energy guy for us, but now he requires the energy from other guys. As the season’s progressed, he’s settled into his role and settled into the fact that he can be a lethal defender.”

Baseball on the back burner for now

This is the farthest Saint Joseph has gone into the basketball tournament since Lee’s been a varsity player, which means he’s missing out on the sport he’s committed to college currently.

Baseball practices officially began in Indiana Monday. Lee is one of the state’s top college prospects, having already signed with Notre Dame. The centerfielder has a career batting average of .372 with 13 home runs, 69 RBIs and 70 runs scored going into his senior campaign.

Lee won’t play on the diamond until he’s done on the court.

“I would say it’s a little bit weird, but I’ve been having a lot of fun with the basketball team,” said Lee of not playing baseball right now. “We’ve been making some good strides, so I’m just focusing on basketball right now.”

As for Saturday, Saint Joseph (18-9) plays Peru (16-10) in a semifinal game at 10 a.m. at Logansport. Fairfield (20-6) takes on Delta (22-6) at noon, with the two winners coming back to play in the championship game at 8 p.m.

“We have a big opportunity ahead of us going into the semistate, having a chance still at a state championship,” Lee said. “I’m excited and blessed that we’re able to be here.”

When basketball season finishes, Lee will be joining a baseball team with high expectations. Saint Joseph was ranked No. 8 in the Class 3A preseason poll by the Indiana Baseball Coaches Association, tops amongst 3A teams in the area.

“Being here for my senior year, having an opportunity to be on a state-caliber team for the two sports I play is nice,” Lee said. “I’m excited to be part of those two groups.”

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Jayce Lee soars into leadership role for Saint Joseph boys basketball