JAMIE MEYER
Q: How did you get started playing basketball when you were younger?
A: I started playing in 7th grade. I had a hoop in my driveway that I would shoot on, but 7th grade was the year I came to Bear Creek, and my two best friends then, Kyle (Blankenbeckler) and Michael (Davisson) were playing that year, so I decided to join them and play competitively. I had never done anything in a competitive situation before, so it was something that really stuck with me. It gave me a lot of joy to be a part of a team and push myself in that way. I played on an AAU team or two, but the focus was always on summer basketball at Bear Creek. Coach Moe came to the program the year before I hit high school, and part of turning the entire program around was adding a rigorous schedule in the summer so we would be getting all the experience we needed to come together as a team.
Q: Talk a little about the state tournament – you guys get upset in the first round, then you suffer a head injury and get really sick that night. How were you able to fight through all that and still contribute in a big way like you did?
A: That was such a whirlwind, four of the most hectic days of my life. I was surprised that I was able to do anything at all. The morning before we played the third game (against Life Christian), I woke up 20 minutes before game time and rolled into the stadium with about 10 minutes to go in warm-ups. I changed into my jersey in the car. I can’t say that the strength I got was any of my own. A lot of it came from my teammates and my parents… but my faith was able to push me through. It had been a tough week already, and I feel like God delivered me from that. It was pretty incredible.
Q: Are you planning to play college ball somewhere?
A: I’m going to Whitworth University next year in Spokane (studying Biophysics and Philosophy), and I’ve decided not to play in my freshman year. I’m taking a fairly rigorous academic load, so I want to make sure I adjust to that first. But the possibility is definitely there, and I’m interested in it.
Q: Had you played tennis at all when Jake Imam asked you to team up for doubles?
A: I played tennis with him once or twice during the summer, more of a “let’s go hit the ball and see what happens.” Basketball was still going at that point, so I couldn’t effectively train. I started a couple days after basketball ended. I wasn’t a tennis player and he knew that… but he thought we could play great together and win a lot of matches. I have to say we did end up doing that, and there’s no secret to the success in that formula.
Q: What advice would you give to any up-and-coming prep athlete on how to be successful and achieve their goals like you have?
A: You will always have coaches that push you, and you have to first of all realize why they’re doing that–because they see potential in you. You have to be grateful for that if you really want to succeed. Secondly, you have to be able to put in the time and same effort level when your coaches aren’t there. When it’s just you, depending on how motivated you are to be really excellent at something, there’s always more you can do and a lot of that will have to happen.
SCOTT MOE
Q: What is the one trait or characteristic about Jamie Meyer that you will remember the most?
A: Besides the fact that he could shoot, he is a great competitor. He loved to compete, and as a coach you love those types of kids, whether it’s practice, a preseason game or postseason game, he just loved to compete.
Q: What’s the most memorable Jamie Meyer moment from this season?
A: The Friday night state game against Life Christian. He had gotten hit the day before and had to go to the hospital to get stitches, and then got sick, so he was up all night puking. In that game, not only did he have 24 points, but he hit the big three-ball in overtime that won the game for us, with his head wrapped up. He hadn’t eaten anything in 24 hours. That will be something I won’t forget. I think it was because he was a great competitor, and that he was a senior and he did not want the season to end. He mustered up everything he had, and went to work.
Q: Although the program has come a long way in the last four years and you guys are pretty deep, especially in your league, how do you go about replacing an athlete of his caliber?
A: Pray. (laughs) I don’t think you can ever replace a kid like that. Besides the fact he scored so many points and did so many other things, we just try to take whatever comes our way and make those kids the best. We don’t pigeonhole and say, ‘you have to be the next Jamie Meyer.’ We just want to help every kid that comes through our program be the best they can be, and hopefully it turns out that one can score for us, one can pass, one can rebound, and a couple can play defense.
