Jacob Meyer leaves people in awe with a lot of what he does on the basketball court.
The 6-foot-2-inch 18-year-old point guard for the Holy Cross Indians boys basketball team has been hard at it, preparing for his senior season. Holy Cross finished 21-10 last season, losing to eventual state semifinalist Covington Catholic in the 35th District championship game at home and then in the 9th Region semifinals, 65-57 to Dixie Heights.
But the season had its highlights. The Indians won the All A 9th Region title for the first time since 2012, when Holy Cross won the All A state title.
Meyer scored an astounding 1,109 points last year for an average of 38.2 per game. National high school sports web site MaxPreps reported that Meyer led the United States in scoring average last season. Those points are a 9th Region record for most points in a season.
“It’s a big team honor. During the season, my teammates trusted me to score,” Meyer said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do any of that.”
Meyer is the all-time leading scorer in Holy Cross history with 2,213 career points and has 409 career rebounds. He’s averaging 27.3 points and just more than five rebounds over a span of 81 career varsity games.
“I’ve been around high school basketball for a long time as a player, as a fan, as a coach. I’ve been a part of three regional championship teams, a state championship team,” Holy Cross Head Coach Casey Sorrell, who enters his second season leading the program afetr serving as an assistant to Scott Ruthsatz at Covington Catholic. “I’ve seen basketball at its best in the state of Kentucky and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a player better than Jacob Meyer. He’s the most explosive player I’ve ever seen with my own two eyes. I’m very blessed to coach him and I really look forward to watching him grow as a player from here.”
Meyer has played on the varsity team since he enrolled as a student at Holy Cross High School. His numbers have gone up each season and the Indians have advanced further into the postseason each year. His points per game average rose from 17.8 as a freshman to 25.2 as a sophomore. The rebounds per game average went from 3.3 as a freshman to 4.6 as a sophomore.
Sorrell said he wants to see Meyer improve his overall skill level improve and expand his game to the next level. Sorrell also wants to see Meyer improve his three-point shooting to 40 percent. Meyer made 410 of 779 shots for 53 percent overall including 78 of 231 from three-point land for 34 percent.
“He also needs to learn to play with pace going from 100 miles an hour to zero miles back to 100 miles per hour,” Sorrell said. “We’re preparing him for his future.”
In November, Meyer committed to play for Western Kentucky. He said he’s also been working on becoming a better floor general, talking a lot and locking down defensively.
“I feel my jump shot has gotten better over the years,” Meyer said. “I keep on trying to expand my reach.”
The Indians also hope to see the returning players around Meyer improve. Teams had success against the Indians if they limited Meyer to jump shots and what his teammates did. Guard Javier Ward and 7-foot-even center Sam Gibson will also be seniors this winter.
“I think he’s going to have a good arsenal of players around him,” Sorrell said. “(Javier) is capable of going off on people and a great guy to play around Jake. (Sam) is really working to improve his body. Now he’s working to add on muscle. We think he’s going to emerge in a big way by the winter.”
Ward finished second on the team scoring 523 points for an average of 17.4 per game and Gibson scored 126 for an average of 4.2 per game. Gibson finished second on the team with 208 rebounds for an average of just under seven per game.
“All of us are coming along well. We’re all working hard, getting better and getting ready for the season,” Meyer said. “I feel with Javier and Sam getting better, I think it’s going to open it up for everybody. Everyone will be able to get points.”
Meyer can’t say enough about the atmosphere at Holy Cross home games. The Indians play at the Thomas B. Finn Activity Center. The Kentucky High School Athletic Association lists the gym’s capacity at 900.
“It’s crazy. It’s super loud. It’s a fun place to play at,” Meyer said. “Many people there went to Holy Cross.”
Meyer said he’s also doing well in the classroom. He said his grade-point average is between a 3.2 and 3.5 on a four-point scale.
“My mom always told me school comes first,” Meyer said. “As soon as I get home, my mom wants me to get to the academics and finish my stuff then I can go to basketball. After basketball is when I have time to socialize with friends and loved ones.”