Photo by Kyle Parmley.
Mountain Brook's Jack Bakken (24) sizes up a defender during a game between Mountain Brook and Woodlawn on Jan. 14 at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham.
It was obvious the Mountain Brook High School boys basketball team would have a much different look this season.
No starters returned to a team coming off consecutive Class 6A state runner-up finishes, but head coach Tyler Davis had plenty of confidence in a few players, one of them being Jack Bakken. Although not a primary starter on last season’s Spartans team, Bakken had plenty of experience playing in big moments and knows the drill.
Entering his senior year, Bakken set out to become more of a team leader and regular contributor. He has dealt with some injury troubles during his high school career but was determined to get healthy and make the most of his senior year. Bakken has signed to play basketball at the University of the South, commonly known as Sewanee. He said getting his future settled has been a “weight off his shoulders.”
The 6-foot-7 Bakken plays the center position for the Spartans, able to operate on multiple levels of the floor. Through the first couple of months of the season, Bakken registered several double-doubles (at least 10 points and 10 rebounds).
Scoring is what everyone notices and what often captures the headlines, but one of the key aspects of playing near the basket is rebounding — both offensively and defensively. Bakken has excelled in that area this season.
Bakken said rebounding is a “mentality,” requiring desire and effort to go after a loose ball. But he also approaches it analytically.
“It comes with natural ability to see the floor, but also see where the defenders are. It comes down to predicting what’s going to happen,” he said.
He is an effective passer as well and has come close to recording a triple-double (adding 10 assists) on several occasions.
“We put the ball in his hands a little bit at the high post to let him make some plays, because for a big, he passes very well,” Davis said.
When Bakken kicks the ball out to an open shooter, who in turn knocks down a big shot, he loves it.
“It’s almost as good as getting a bucket yourself,” he said.
There is no pressure on Bakken to be the leading scorer every night. Along with key returners like Mac Couvillion and Trey Davis, several other players have led the team in scoring at various points this season.
“We have changed the offense up a little bit; we’ve tweaked it to where we’re playing more through the high post areas in some different things because of the talent Jack has,” Tyler Davis said.
Even at his position, Bakken is able to rely on teammates like Hill McCluney and Rocco Gray to help out at center.
As of press time, the Spartans were in the midst of area play, prepping for a hopeful postseason push. The standard for Mountain Brook basketball is competing for state championships, and just because the starting lineup turned over this year, that standard has not changed.
“It’s just sort of normal, but as a senior, you have that pressure to keep it going. I feel that legacy now more, but it’s just an expectation,” Bakken said.
