Lake Station guard Areion Head knew he had to do more this season.
As a senior with a new coach and a lot of new teammates, Head understood his role for the Eagles.
“I’m trying to lead my team,” Head said. “Our team is really young right now, and I’m trying to be a good role model. We’re trying to keep them motivated, and I’m just trying to lead them to something before I get on up out of here.
“I was told at the beginning of the season that I’m a great scorer. But I’ve also been trying to get my teammates open and get them looks. Last year, I had a ton of looks. The ball was in my hands most of the time. But now I’m trying to get them going, as well as get myself going. I’m trying to play defense too.”
The 5-foot-8 Head is averaging a team-high 14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and a team-high 3.2 steals for Lake Station (5-17), which snapped a 12-game losing streak with a victory against Morgan Township in the regular-season finale on Saturday.
Junior guard Anthony Glenn, who is in his first season at Lake Station after transferring from Merrillville, agreed Head has been versatile.
“He’s a great player, great teammate,” Glenn said. “He can score. He can play defense. He’s really an all-around player. My favorite thing about him is that he does everything.”
Head spent his first two seasons at Lighthouse. He played sparingly at the varsity level as a sophomore after he was a junior varsity player during his freshman year, when the Lions won a sectional title.
But it didn’t take long for Head to make an impact at Lake Station. He averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.4 steals last season, pacing the team in each category.
“It went smooth,” he said. “The first two games, I played JV because of the situation transferring schools. But I got approved and found my groove. It went pretty good.”
After the Eagles broke through in 2023 by winning their first sectional title since 1941 and going 22-4, they went 2-21 last season under Bob Burke, who moved to the girls team at Hebron. Jared Jones, a 2019 Lake Station graduate who was a four-year starting guard, took over after four seasons as an assistant.
“Our record was expected to be a little bit better this year, but I have to remember we’re all new — me, a lot of the coaches, the players, are new into the program,” Jones said. “It’s a lot of new roles, and it’s hard.
“We have a lot of new guys, so him (Head) and everybody just have been trying to get to know each other. We’re not like every other school with guys coming through the middle school level and growing together. We’re all thrown into one team and trying to figure it out.”
Still, Head has been a constant in his two seasons.
“He’s relentless,” Jones said. “He’s fearless. He’s hardworking. He’s very coachable. When he gets going, he’s a great scorer.
“He plays with his heart. That’s one thing that we have from him that we don’t always have from everyone else. No matter what, he’s still playing with his heart and effort.”
In his heart, Head feels the Eagles can boost their fortunes in the postseason. They open Class 2A Hebron Sectional play against the host Hawks on Wednesday. Lake Station lost at Hebron 67-57 on Jan. 18.
“The season hasn’t gone as good as we wanted it to,” Head said. “But we can always make some noise in sectionals.
“Our team, we have a lot of pieces that can implement into a winning team. We have to put it together. The past couple of weeks, I’ve really seen it come together. I really believe we can make some noise.”
