Deerfield’s Jake Pollack knows what he can do on the court, whether the results show that or not.
But when the season — and his high school basketball career — are on the line and the results matter most, the 6-foot-8 senior forward won’t settle for anything less than a top-notch effort.
“I’ve had more games than I would have liked in this last half of the season where I haven’t been myself,” Pollack said. “Right now, it’s life or death, kill or be killed.
“My coach said to me before the game, ‘Believe in yourself because I do.’ So as soon as I go out there, I just have to go right at everybody. We win when I’m aggressive.”
Pollack was aggressive indeed on Wednesday night, and the Dartmouth recruit shined brightest down the stretch as the second-seeded Warriors pulled out a 65-56 win over third-seeded Wauconda in a Class 3A Deerfield Sectional semifinal game on their home court.
Pollack scored nine of his 23 points points in the fourth quarter, including seven during a game-ending 14-5 run, to push the Warriors (22-11) into the sectional championship game against seventh-seeded Lake Forest (16-16) at 7 p.m. Friday. He also had nine rebounds.
Among Pollack’s baskets in the fourth was a turnaround jumper with 2:49 left that extended the Warriors’ lead to 58-54.
“I found myself in a good spot, and those are things I work on every day,” he said. “I trust myself to make plays, and my teammates trust me.”
That trust has been built over three years and couldn’t be any higher as Deerfield gets closer to its third-ever sectional title and first since 1997. On a talented and experienced team, Pollack is the biggest reason for it. He is always front and center, both in how the Warriors approach the game and how opponents deal with him.
The two most recent games, including the regional final in which Pollack scored only six points against Carmel, have been vastly different in that regard.
“Friday night was difficult because Carmel did a really good job of trying to not let him get any touches, so he was a little frustrated,” Deerfield coach Dan McKendrick said. “He responded really well today. He didn’t go crazy and take a bunch of bad shots. He let the game come to him.
“It’s cliche for a reason — you win big games if your best players are your best players.”
Pollack knew early against the Northern Lake County Conference champion Bulldogs (26-8) that he’d have a good chance to back up McKendrick’s premise. He scored the Warriors’ first seven points after noticing that the hard collapses downward weren’t as prevalent as they were against Carmel.
“I found that they were digging to stop my dribble early in the game instead of sending two or three guys in a full trap,” Pollack said. “So I had to keep the ball high and keep it away and be strong with the ball. As the game went on, I got better at that.”
Doing that over three seasons in the starting lineup has been instrumental in Pollack’s development. He also has grown physically, adding nearly 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason.
“My whole career has been like a stairway in how I’ve each year taken a step mentally, and when the physicality comes with it, it helps me be more aggressive,” he said. “I know what I’m capable of now more than I did when I was a freshman or sophomore, and that’s why I feel confident when they go to me in big moments that I can make the play.”
Pollack has become much more efficient as he has gained a feel for how he wants to attack each possession.
“No matter who’s on me, I’m a great player, and I trust myself to get to my spots,” Pollack said. “I have to score when I’m open. If I’m drawing three guys, I’ve got to kick. But I have to get downhill first to get aggressive. When I’m going one-on-one, it’s a lot easier to score.”
Pollack’s self-confidence is the ultimate security blanket for the Warriors. But with senior guard Evan Nagler and ascending junior guard Tommy Donahue, who combined for 34 points against Wauconda, Pollack by no means has to carry the team each game. That’s fine with him.
“We call him the ‘unselfish superstar,’” Nagler said. “He’s a superstar on this team, but he’s not treated any differently and is the most unselfish guy we have. He’s constantly looking for his teammates, and the way defenses focus on him, he makes the game so much easier for everyone else.”
Not that anything is easy at this point in the season. But Pollack and his teammates are ready.
“We knew what we were capable of going into the year and that this is where we’re supposed to be right now,” he said. “We’re hosting the sectional final because we’re supposed to be in the sectional final, and the goal is to get over that hump this year.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
