Player Profile: Jake Justesen (2018)
Playing at a small school in eastern Oregon with less than 100 students, garnering attention from college coaches and scouts isn’t the easiest thing to do, but 5’11 point guard Jake Justesen has made a name for himself by leading Sherman County to the last two 1A state titles. We caught up with the Huskies’ floor leader to talk about coming back from a knee injury, going to a small school, and what he’d like to see in a college program.
“My high school season was a lot of ups and downs. We were the heavy favorites to repeat as state champs since we had everyone back from our title team. However I got hurt late in the football season and had to miss a little over the first half of the season. I was able to work hard to rehab my knee and my teammates and coaches did a good job of working me back in to the line up.” Sherman County dominated upon his return and cruised to their 2nd straight state title with Justesen earning all state honors for the second consecutive year. “Next year should be a great challenge, we lost 4 talented seniors and will have a new coach, but are excited about competing for the three peat.”
Justesen spent the spring playing for Team Jones on the aau circuit, which is regularly made up of some of the best small school players in the state. They played in a variety of tournaments throughout the northwest, and playing against better players on a regular basis was a good experience for Justesen. “I really enjoyed playing with and against some of the best players in the northwest. You have to be focused and on your game at all times or you will get exposed.” Justesen hasn’t been able to play yet on the July aau circuit, but is still hearing from some of the smaller colleges in the northwest such as Pacific, Multnomah, and others. When asked what he was looking for in a future college program he replied, “I want to have a connection to the players and coaches and it also has to be somewhere that I will enjoy living because I’m going to be there for a few years. I’m hoping to study business, so a school with a good program in that area will be important too.”
When asked to evaluate his own game, Justesen had this analysis: “I think that my biggest strength is that I have great court vision, I love to pass and get my teammates involved. Areas that I need to continue working on are my perimeter shooting and finishing at the rim against bigger players.”
Prep Hoops Oregon Evaluation:
Jacob Justesen is an explosive athlete that is coming back from a knee injury suffered in the fall. This summer he looked to be close to 100% healthy and was cutting and moving well on the knee. An elite level passer with tremendous floor vision, he thrives in the transition game. Athletic enough to guard quicker guards on the perimeter. Still adjusting to playing regularly against high level players, but is a competitor and will get there. Must improve his perimeter shooting (a little flat) and ability to handle with his weak hand to reach his potential. Is a player that all juco, D3, and NAIA schools should take a serious look at.