SEQUIM — Jayson Brocklesby’s goal for his senior season was simple: get better.
His coach, Greg Glasser, said Sequim sets goals for the team prior to the season, but not individual players.
The Wolves’ goals, obviously, centered around winning.
Sequim (22-6) earned a share of the Olympic League title by going 15-1 in league play, finished second in the West Central District tournament, and placed sixth at the 2A state tournament — one of the best state showings in school history, and its best-ever 2A finish.
And Brocklesby, who is this year’s All-Peninsula boys basketball MVP, played a key role in the Wolves achieving their goals.
After four games, the Wolves had a 2-2 record. Brocklesby was playing well, averaging more than 12 points per game, but he decided his team needed more offense from him.
“I was passing a lot more, and we were losing, so I thought, ‘I have to score more,’” Brocklesby said.
From that point on, the senior scored at least 13 points in each of Sequim’s remaining games, not counting the three games the Wolves played at a tournament in Nevada in early January, in which Brocklesby followed two seven-point games with a 35-point performance.
The only teams from the state of Washington to beat eighth-ranked Sequim during that span were No. 4 Clover Park (twice) and No. 3 Renton (on a miraculous steal and half-court shot in the opening round of the state tournament).
“He had a very special year,” Glasser said.
“He’s one of the few players to do what he did in the history of Sequim.”
School record
Brocklesby broke Ryan Kaps’ school record by scoring 30 or more points six times this season.
With 1,231 career points, Brocklesby concludes his career as Sequim’s second all-time leading scorer.
He averaged 20.4 points (572 points), 4.9 rebounds and two steals per game.
He was named All-State Second Team by The Associated Press, Olympic League First Team, 2A State Tournament Second Team, and was chosen to play in the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association All-State game.
Brocklesby had a tendency to score a lot of points in a short span of time, including 18 points in six minutes against Klahowya.
Glasser said it often surprised him to look at the stat sheet after a game and see Brocklesby’s point total.
“I would be in disbelief,” Glasser said.
“He gets points so quickly; he would score in bunches.”
He also created his own opportunities.
Brocklesby’s athleticism — during track and field season, he is one of the best sprinters and high jumpers on the North Olympic Peninsula — allowed him to turn steals and rebounds into easy points.
“It’s way easier to get down court when you can out-run everybody,” Brocklesby said.
“I can jump high, so the basket is lower for me than most people.”
Glasser said it is rare for a basketball player with Brocklesby’s speed to be as tall as he is (6-foot-3) and able to jump as high as he can.
But Glasser is quick to point out that Brocklesby possesses many basketball skills, too. He is an athletic basketball player, not merely an athlete playing basketball.
One area that Brocklesby showed significant improvement as a senior was his 3-point shooting.
He spent a lot of time working on it last offseason, and it became an important weapon in his arsenal.
He could light up the scoreboard from beyond the arc or at the free-throw line as much as he could on fast-break lay-ups.
Another thing Glasser pointed out many times during the season is that Brocklesby’s points weren’t selfish points. He was still a good teammate, and wasn’t taking bad shots, as evidenced by his 57 percent field-goal percentage.
Glasser said Brocklesby’s personality and leadership were also important ingredients in Sequim’s season. He could be both fiery and loose.
“He is very competitive, but he joked around with everyone and made everyone comfortable,” Glasser said.
“He is definitely going to be missed, on the court and off the court.”