At 6-foot-2, Bryce Hogue looks a lot like a guard. In the paint, where he spends much of his time for the Indian Creek boys basketball team, he’s often giving up several inches to whomever he’s matched up against.
It hasn’t held him back.
He’s not a conventional post presence, but Hogue has been a pretty good one for the Braves, who are 8-5Â heading into Saturday’s Western Indiana Conference game against Cascade.
“He’s really not even a true post player,” Indian Creek coach Derek Perry said. “He’s just a guy that can catch it in the high post. He’s a face-up guy; he’s quick, he’s athletic, and anytime we get it in the middle, he makes things happen, whether it’s a score or if it’s a kick for a shot. That’s what he’s good at.”
The senior is averaging a team-best 17.8Â points, having reached double figures in all but one game for the Braves. He’s shooting 67.4Â percent from the field and 79.3Â percent from the foul line, both team highs.
Hogue also leads the team in rebounding at 6.6Â per game, and he ranks second on the Braves in steals (21) and third in assists (23).
“Our offense, it goes through him, pivots through him,” Perry said. “Not just for him to score, but for him to get it to our scorers.”
Indian Creek relies heavily on its top three scorers — Hogue, senior Tim Abel and junior Jared DeHart, who pour in a combined 49.5 of the team’s 67.3 points a night. But while Abel and DeHart do the bulk of their damage from outside, having connected on 64 of 135 3-point attempts, Hogue does almost all of his work down low. He hasn’t taken one shot from behind the arc all season.
Hogue’s success in the post against bigger opposition is largely due to his combination of toughness and athleticism — the same recipe he used to earn All-County honors on the football field, where he led all area players with 46 pass receptions.
“He’s got a really quick first step and he can elevate a little bit getting to the rim,” Perry said. “Being very athletic and quick makes up for some size, most definitely.”
Hogue has a slightly different explanation for why he’s been able to become such a matchup nightmare for opposing big men.
“I just work my butt off,” he said. “I get to the open spots, I get open and I just try my best in there.”
So far, that simple formula has served him, and the Braves, well.
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A look at Bryce Hogue ranks statistically for Indian Creek this season:
Points: 17.8 ppg (first)
Rebounds: 6.6 rpg (first)
Assists: 23 (third)
Steals: 21 (second)
Field goal %: .674 (first)
Free throw %: .793 (first)
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