Harrison Blackledge turned and charged through the lane with the power and grace that defines his Hope College basketball career.
An uncontested, right-handed layup followed. It was a milestone-reaching basket, too.
The senior forward from Canton, Ohio (Hoover HS) became the Flying Dutchmen’s 39th 1,000-point scorer with his second-half basket during Tuesday’s 100-75 win against Johnson & Wales, Rhode Island in the Russ DeVette/Holland Sentinel Classic at DeVos Fieldhouse.
With a game-high 23 points on Tuesday, Blackledge upped his total to 1,002 points after 90 games — with many more games to come this season.
Blackledge shared the credit for his noteworthy achievement.
“I’ve just been incredibly blessed with the best teammates,” he said. “Getting to 1,000 points is a great personal milestone, but I would not get anywhere near that if not for the people I’ve been surrounded with. I am totally thankful and honored to be in that 1,000-point scoring club. I owe guys like Dante (Hawkins) and Cody (Stuive) and guys who played with before a thank you.”
Head coach Greg Mitchell praised Blackledge’s accomplishment and unselfishness.
“He’s the definition of humility. I give him credit for giving credit to his teammates,” Mitchell said, “but he put the ball in the hoop may times. He’s a tough player. He’s a load. This could not have happened to a nice guy. He’s put a lot of time and energy into this thing.
“There’s a reason he got to that club. It’s his work ethic and trust in his teammates. It’s well deserved.”
Photo by Tom Renner