Resiliency pays off for Gendron
Illustrations by Bryce McKinnis / photography by Clare Reynolds. Bishop Kelley coach Jordan Nagel said that Jake Gendron Jake Gendron 6'5" | SF Bishop Kelley | 2021 State OK ’s name was one of the first he heard upon his arrival…
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Continue ReadingIllustrations by Bryce McKinnis / photography by Clare Reynolds.
Bishop Kelley coach Jordan Nagel said that Jake Gendron Jake Gendron 6'5" | SF Bishop Kelley | 2021 State OK ’s name was one of the first he heard upon his arrival in April 2019.
“The first day you get a job, people say ’o.k., here’s your best player, your best shooter,’ whatever it is,” Nagel said, “and the name that kept coming up out of everybody’s mouth when I got to Kelley was Jake Gendron Jake Gendron 6'5" | SF Bishop Kelley | 2021 State OK , Jake Gendron Jake Gendron 6'5" | SF Bishop Kelley | 2021 State OK .”
And how could you stop talking about him?
The 6-foot-6-ish swingman has the athleticism, speed and skill to match his pedigree.
His father, Jonnie, who had an illustrious career at Kelley himself, spent a year in the Pittsburg Pirates’ system after high school before turning in his cleats-for-converse as a four-year guard at Tulsa.
His mother, Desiree, was a three-time Division-II National-Champion gymnast at Texas Woman’s University.
“Both of my parents played at the level I want to play at,” Gendron said.
And his brother, Ryan, plays basketball at Tulsa after transferring from Oklahoma State, where he played baseball, in 2019.
“[His dad] is a B.K hall-of-famer, and I’m sure Ryan will be in the hall of fame some day,” Nagel said, “but then it’s like hey, I’m the younger brother, I want to go make a name for myself.”
Gendron’s ladder to success, however clear-cut it may have been before, faced a disheartening obstacle during the Port City Classic in Catoosa on Jan. 25.
“I went up for a rebound, got pushed in the back, and then fell on my knee wrong,” Gendron said, “so I played through that entire game then was like ’okay, this kinda hurts,’ so I went to the doctor.”
After contributing 12 points and 6 boards-per-night during his junior year, Gendron was sidelined with a sprained ACL, hyperextended knee and a bone contusion — just before the start of the playoffs.
The injury left him to feel ambiguity, if not doubt, about a path that destined him to play college basketball.
“There’s always been, I think, in the back of my head, oh, I’m going to play D-I,” Gendron said, “but there’s been downs and low-points, like oh, I’m just an alright player.”
Nagel said the experience was humbling for Gendron.
“I think sitting on the sidelines bothered him mentally,” Nagel said. “You could tell he was frustrated, but it was more of a I’ve worked so hard, why is this happening to me?“
The process of returning to his former self was a lengthy one.
“It was probably eight-to-10 weeks I was fully out, and then it was two-to-three weeks of recovery, like little jogging and stuff.
“And then, after that, I just went full steam,” Gendron said.
Drake said he recalled a message he received form Gendron.
“I didn’t reach out to him, he reached out to me,” Drake said. “He hit me up and was like “coach, can we start getting work in?’”
“If you want to talk about a switch, you could tell when his body really started to get healthy, Nagel said. “When he finally wasn’t in pain anymore, it’s like he improved drastically within a month.”
Gendron recalled working out thrice daily and shooting over 500 shots during his post-injury recovery. He said he took the sport less-for-granted.
“Whenever you’re playing, and you’re really just in like a routine,” Gendron said, “you don’t really think about how much it is a blessing to be able to play and be healthy.
“When you’re injured, you look at the game differently, like I could give 100 percent on that particular play,” Gendron said.
And if you have had a chance to see Gendron with the Tulsa Hawks this summer, you know what he means by 100 percent.
Despite the atypicality of the grassroots season due to Coronavirus, Gendron’s drive has led him to be one of few winners of the 2020 summer.
Gendron officially broke the D-I threshold July 21 with an offer from the U.S. Naval Academy, making him the 11th Player in the Oklahoma class of ‘21 to receive a D-I bid.
Now boasting eight offers — Navy, Rogers State, Northeastern State, Oklahoma Baptist, Northwestern Oklahoma State, Northern Arkansas, Missouri Southern State and Central Oklahoma — Gendron is one of the most touted prospects in the state.
“I think this is what really, really fuels Jake, he always heard about how good his brother was,” Drake said, “and I think hearing that all the time really lit a fire under Jake.
“When [Jake] comes off the court, it’s like he’s looking over at his brother for approval,” Drake said.
Drake said that Gendron’s desire to eclipse those expectations has played a role in his improvement.
“He’s way more aggressive, now, like he’s comfortable and confident,” Drake said, “and just way more diligent about what he does.”
Nagel said Gendron’s newfound confidence will not only translate to his recruiting but also how he will be utilized at Bishop Kelley next season.
“Jake’s always been a shooter, everyone knows that,” Nagel said, “but I think now with more athleticism, we can use him as a stretch-four, I can post him. . . use him a lot like [Kevin] Durant is used at that high post.
“He has developed a penetration game that, a year ago, he may have had it but he wouldn’t do it as much,” Nagel said.
For Gendron himself, it was his injury, he said, that provided the perspective he needed to transform his game.
“You’ve got to play every possession like it’s going to be your last,” Gendron said.