By Kyle LoJacono
It usually takes an entire career for a high school basketball player to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Academy at the Lakes boys basketball player Ethan Haslam hit the milestone midway through his sophomore season.
“Now I don’t have to wait until my senior year and have it wait until my final game,” Haslam said. “It’s crazy because I’m following in my older brother’s (Jake) footsteps. He hit 1,000 points (with Tampa Prep). It’s been motivation for me to do the same thing as him.”
The 6-foot-3 guard reached 1,000 by sinking one of his three 3-pointers in a 55-50 win at Seffner Christian Jan. 12. He sank the milestone points in the fourth quarter after receiving a pass from Abaz Igwe down the right wing with about three minutes left in the contest.
Haslam, who currently has 1,026 points in his career, said he had no idea he was so close to 1,000.
“Coming into the game I thought I was about 50 points away,” said Haslam, who picked up basketball at age 6. “I didn’t find out I’d hit it until after the game. I was just playing it like it was any other game. … It was a moment of shock because coaches just kind of said it as we were all going over the game in the locker room. It all kind of sank in, and I was proud of myself.”
It is appropriate that the milestone came on a 3-pointer as the shot has been a big weapon for Haslam.
He has hit 46 of 97 3-point attempts this year, 47 percent from behind the arc. Haslam said Jake was the one who taught him his shot.
“In my family, 3-pointers is what we love to do,” Haslam said.
Haslam is averaging a team-high 17.7 points while adding 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals for the 12-7 Wildcats. He said having the milestone out of the way is a relief.
“Now we just have to play academy basketball and continue to do what we do,” Haslam said.
The academy plays at River Ridge Jan. 23 and at Brooks-DeBartolo Jan. 24. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.
—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker
