Oglethorpe County senior Jake Turner is a four-sport athlete.
He’s a running back/linebacker for football in the fall, a center/power forward for basketball in the winter, he runs track and field in the spring and enjoys rounds of golf with his friends and dad in the summer.
If he had to pick a favorite though, it would be football.
“I’m a little bit better at football,” he said, laughing.
The transition between football and basketball season is tough, Turner admitted, tougher than some might think. This year, the Patriots football team went to the first round of GHSA state playoffs where they fell to Elbert County on Nov. 11.
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That same weekend, basketball tipped off across the state for the 2023-24 campaign.
Of course, Turner was playing in the postseason, still fully in football mode. When the time came to make the switch from shoulder pads to sneakers, he wasn’t anywhere near ready.
“While in football season, I spend all my time practicing football, I never practice basketball,” Turner explained. “Vice versa when it’s basketball season, I don’t really think too much about football. It’s time to lock in and be there for my team and do what they need to do. I don’t usually practice sports out of season.”
Football shape and basketball shape are two very different things, something he and head coach Larry Brown agreed on wholeheartedly.
“For football, you kind of run for six seconds and then you get a 30 second to a minute long break while you’re waiting to call the next play,” Turner said. “For basketball, it’s always go, go, go and I can tell that at the beginning of the season I was not in basketball shape, I was in football shape. As the season has progressed, and now we’re well over the halfway point, I feel like I’m there. I can keep up with everybody and not get so winded during games.”
He strapped in knowing the work would be hard and has made it through just by “being Jake,” as Brown put it.
“Jake’s a phenomenal athlete, it doesn’t take a lot for him,” Brown said.
“He’s someone that every team needs,” Oglethorpe County senior Javaun Pittard said. “He’s always played hard, he’s going to always hustle and be helpful for the team, no matter how much playing time he gets. Jake, he brings a lot to the game.”
Turner is averaging around five to six points and seven to eight rebounds, Brown estimated. But he knows he doesn’t have to put up big numbers or be the best player on the team to be considered elite. Leadership is in his DNA, and it’s going to carry him a lot further along in life’s journey.
When Turner was in 10th grade, he tore his labrum in his shoulder. He wasn’t able to play the remainder of the football season or any of the basketball season that year. But that didn’t stop him from showing up.
“Jake came to me and said, ‘Coach, is it OK if I come to practice?’” Brown said. “I said, ‘Of course Jake, you’re part of the team.’ And he came to every practice, every game. Didn’t miss anything. I mean, 6 a.m. practices, as if he was playing 32 minutes on the court. That showed me his dedication, that showed me his commitment and ever since, he’s been a big part of me wanting to come to work every day.”
Turner flourishes in this lifestyle, constantly having something to do and somewhere to be. It’s like fuel to his engine and when he goes away to college next year, he’s hoping it doesn’t change too much. Turner has been recruited by several Division II and III schools to play football, his favorite being Berry College in Rome. He’ll be making his decision soon for the annual, regular signing period on Wednesday, Feb. 7.
“Once it’s all over, I’m sure I’ll miss it,” Turner said. “I would not be the person, young man or player I am today without my two parents and my grandparents helping me and encouraging me to do my best always. … I also wouldn’t be the player I am today without my teammates. Every sport I play, other than golf, is a team game and there’s definitely so much to thank (them for).”