Grant’s Helmich plunders away

Beware the Helmich Hook.

Although it’s not quite like what it sounds, like a horror movie or some kind of gory Halloween costume accessory, it can be just as scary.

Basketball coaches around Lake County who have to game-plan for Grant are likely to be kept up at nights with horrible visions of the Helmich Hook. They’ve heard the horror stories about how it can destroy defenses, and slice through them like a ... well, a sharp, nasty pirate’s hook.

The Helmich Hook is the go-to shot of Grant forward Jared Helmich. And it makes him as unstoppable as the 6-foot-8 center he often comes across as, even though he’s really operating in a 6-foot-2 frame.

“It’s not really a fade-away hook, but more like a bump and jump-back hook,” Helmich said. “The biggest thing is that I’m able to use my body to create some separation and that’s how I’m able to get my shot up over defenders, even taller defenders.”

The Helmich Hook, dubbed as such by Helmich’s coach Wayne Bosworth, is Helmich’s great equalizer.

He may have a post player’s mentality, but in today’s game, he doesn’t really have a post player’s body. At least not in the height department.

“For a 6-foot-2 post player to do the things he does, it takes a lot of heart and it takes some great moves,” Bosworth said of his gritty senior. “Jared has a really great move with his baby jump hook. Everyone knows it’s coming, but no one can really stop it.

“Even our guys in practice, they go against it every day. They know it’s coming. They still haven’t figured out a way to stop it. They just can’t guard Helmich.”

Helmich often seemed unguardable as he put together one of the best individual performances in the area over the holidays.

He was named the most valuable player of Grant’s holiday tournament as he scored 29 points on 14-of-17 field goals in a second-round game against Johnsburg and was awe-inspiring while pouring in 27 points in the championship game against Lakes.

Helmich scored 16 of those 27 points in the fourth quarter as he almost single-handedly willed Grant back from a crushing deficit that reached as many as 22 points with just a minute left in the third quarter.

“I was not going to let us lose that game,” Helmich said intently.

Not only was it the infamous Helmich Hook that Helmich used in the fourth quarter to get his Bulldogs the most improbable of victories, he also used that heart that Bosworth spoke of, the same heart that has prompted many opposing coaches such as Chris Snyder of Lakes to use words such as “blue-collar,” “hard-worker” and “throw-back type” to describe the overachieving Helmich.

“He’s tough, he’s a load,” Snyder said of Helmich after the title game last Friday. “He’s there scrapping for everything.”

Helmich consistently fought off 6-foot-8 Lakes center Justin Schneider for position deep in the paint so that he could provide the Bulldogs with one high percentage shot after another. He also relentlessly chased down offensive rebounds to give Grant extra chances at the basket.

By the end of the night, Helmich had 16 rebounds to go along with his 27 points, another double-double for the player who was known for them last year largely because of his hustle.

“It’s good to hear people say things like that about me. I like being known as a blue-collar player. I see it as a huge compliment,” said Helmich, who had 9 double-doubles last year and already has 4 double-doubles this season. He is averaging 14 points and 8 rebounds. “I work so hard to prepare myself for games. In practice, I go all out in the sprints. I go all out (in scrimmages). I never give up on a play. It’s good to know that other people are seeing my hard work.”

Two of the first people to see Helmich’s hard work were his older brothers John, 24 and Justin, 21.

Helmich says he never felt content around them.

“Growing up, I was trying to one-up them all the time,” said Helmich, also a gifted baseball player. “Having older brothers just brings that out of you.

“We all played iceless hockey when we were younger and I remember playing really well and saying that I did the best that day because I did all these things and they would say that they did this and that and it was always better. I think having that in front of me all the time helped me to be hungry.”

Growing up trying to constantly prove something to his brothers is perhaps the reason Helmich plays as if he is trying to prove something on every possession.

His dogged determination has been as potent as his Helmich Hook in helping him take on defenders who are sometimes a half-foot taller than him.

“I don’t know if Jared will play basketball in college because he may want to play baseball. But I hope he at least gets the chance to play basketball in college if he wants to,” Bosworth said. “I know he’s 6-foot-2. I know he’s undersized, but I would say to any college basketball coach, ‘You’ve got to take a chance on this kid.’ He’s able to do unbelievable things because he’s one of the most competitive kids I’ve ever been around. He plays with so much heart.”

Sounds warm and fuzzy.

But still … beware the Helmich Hook.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com