Morgan Township senior Hayden Grieger doesn’t need to be the reason that fans come to their feet.
But the 6-foot-2 forward still does everything he can to make it happen.
“To me, it’s not as big of a deal for the fans to notice what I do,” he said. “It’s just me doing my part so we can win as much as we can.”
Well, the Porter County Conference regular-season champion Cherokees (17-5, 7-0) are winning a lot this season, and Grieger is the “glue” holding it all together, according to coach Kevin Krieger. Grieger, who is averaging 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds, has embraced a multifaceted role and contributes in ways that don’t always end up in the score sheet.
For instance, Grieger gives senior guards Keagen Holder, who is averaging a team-high 19.7 points, and Jack Wheeler, who ranks second with 12.3 points per game, more opportunities to flourish.
“He’s a good all-around offensive player,” Krieger said of Grieger. “He does a lot of the dirty work, getting offensive rebounds, and he often sets the ball screens that get us into our actions. And he’s important to our philosophies that keep the ball moving, making us harder to defend.”
If Morgan Township needs Grieger to score, though, he’s capable of doing that. Consider the conference game against Washington Township on Feb. 10, when Krieger was looking for a spark in the second half.
“He told me at halftime that I had to go out and score,” Grieger said. “Being able to switch what I can do is something important I bring.”
Grieger scored a team-high 15 points in that game as Morgan Township won 52-45. Krieger said that isn’t the only time Grieger delivered in key moments.
“He’s improved his 3-point shooting this year, so he’s hit some big shots for us,” Krieger said. “He hit the game-winning shot against Hanover Central. He had another go-ahead shot late in the season in a conference game. He’s come through in the clutch for us a couple of times.”
Grieger’s family, which has a long history in the program, prepared him for this. His brother Logan and his cousin Ian played for Morgan Township and graduated in 2022; his father, Timothy, and his uncle Kevin played for Morgan Township in the 1990s; and his grandfather Jerry played for Morgan Township in the 1970s alongside Willie Spratley, senior guard Jaiden Spratley’s great-uncle.
When Hayden Grieger was growing up, he often played against Logan and Ian.
“It was like a bully session because they were always bigger,” Hayden Grieger said. “But that’s what gave me the competitive drive I have now.”
Ian Grieger said he and Logan never took it easy on Hayden.
“We’d beat him and let him know about it for sure,” Ian Grieger said with a laugh. “There were many times when it ended with him walking back up to the house, not wanting to hang out with us anymore that day.”
But Ian Grieger said that changed as Hayden got to high school and continued on the path that has made him a key player for the Cherokees, who will try to win their first sectional title since 2011. Morgan Township has a first-round bye in the Class 1A Kouts Sectional and will play either Washington Township or Kouts in the semifinals on March 1.
To advance, Hayden Grieger said he and his teammates will need to avoid the kinds of mistakes they made during a turnover-filled 67-53 loss to East Chicago Central on Saturday.
“It’s decision-making,” he said. “That’s what everyone on the team needs to focus on now. We’ve been taking some bad shots and making some bad passes. If we fix those little things, we should be fine.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
