Colton High School | Courtesy
Idaho basketball signee Jake Straughan of Colton High School (Colton, Wash.), was nominated as a McDonald’s All-American nominee Jan. 8.
Despite not playing a single game all season, Idaho basketball signee Jake Straughan received a prestigious nomination on Jan. 8. The Colton, Wash., basketball star was selected as one of the 45 male and female nominees from the state of Washington for the annual McDonald’s All-American basketball game.
Unfortunately for Straughan, a broken leg from the final game of football season has sidelined him for his senior year of basketball and will probably hurt his chances moving forward through the selection process.
The future Vandal has recently been cleared to practice and hopes his return is within the next couple of weeks. He said a target-date hasn’t been chosen for his return, he’ll go off how his body feels and make sure he’s as close to 100 percent as he can be before hitting the court again.
“Not going to lie, this is the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do. Watching my teammates play without me,” Straughan said. “I’m trying to take the positives out of it, just have to move on.”
Straughan signed his letter of intent with Idaho in November, before he suffered his leg injury. He said Idaho basketball coach Don Verlin and the coaching staff have been supportive of him during the injury. He’s been to five games at Memorial Gym and the Cowan Spectrum this season to watch his future team.
At the time of his signing, it was a huge relief he was able to attain his dream of playing Division I basketball and go into his senior season knowing where he was going to be in a year, Straughan said. Now, it’s been especially big for him, because not being able to play most of his senior season without having signed a letter of intent could have complicated his recruiting process.
“It tells me I have to be ready for the next level, I’m real excited to get to Idaho and start playing,” Straughan said.
Not being on the court may have hurt his chances at being a finalist for the All-American game. By now, the wheels are already turning toward Sports America, INC. selecting the final 30 players for the game.
Still, it’s an honor just to be nominated, he said. There are more male nominees across the country for the honor than there are people living in Colton (just over 400), although it helps his case to hit the court.
“I think it’s big, because a lot of people can’t see what I can do live, they don’t know if I’m going to get ready by that point,” Straughan said. “I think it’s going to hurt my chances but, you never know. If not, I’ll just move on and be ready for Idaho.”
Sean Kramer can be reached at [email protected]