Jake Morales voted “North Jersey Boys Basketball Player of the Week”

Daniel Albert, School News Editor|February 27, 2020

After Pascack Hills quarter-final loss to Bergen Catholic, Pascack Hills junior, Jake Morales, was named North Jersey Boys Basketball Player of the week on. Morales was named this award after he had a great tournament averaging 21.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in three games for the Cowboys.

“To win this award means a lot to me because it makes me happy to represent this school positively while playing the game I love,” Morales said.

Morales spoke a lot about how much his teammates meant to him throughout the season and how they all developed a great chemistry together.

“This season our team has formed a brotherhood that will last forever. Our whole team has the attitude that its the name on the front of the jersey, before the name on the back, and this shows in our play. We lose together and we win together. Without this mindset, It’s hard to have team success, and with the team, success comes individual success,” Morales said.

Morales is a bit modest about his successes but he admits to putting in a lot of work in the off-season. At the end of last season, Morales decided he would make changes to his game to elevate him to the next level.

“ I think the thing that improved my game the most was my conditioning. During my sophomore year, I realized the speed of the game on the Varsity level is much faster than anything I had experienced before. I realized I had to get in much better shape during the off-season,” Morales said.

So he did, and his commitment during the off-season helped lead the Cowboys to a 17-3 record in the regular season. Morales was able to lead the Cowboys in scoring as a junior and still has another year to get even better. Morales ended up winning the award with help from people in the Pascack Hills community.

“I thought I would get the vote to win because I knew I had the support of my friends, family, coaches, and teammates. I am very grateful for the support I received,” Morales said.