| BataviasBest.org
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Throughout the years ever since he was a young kid at Jr Blue Devils Basketball Camp (I briefly moonlighted as a volunteer referee), bearing witness to the strides that Jeff has taken in order to become the incredible player he is today has been nothing short of remarkable. Although his incredible size certainly has helped his efforts scoring the basketball for Batavia’s Varsity team, his vicious work ethic and his strong will to compete are what have carried him to such great heights during his time spent in the Blue and White. Throughout his efforts, on several occasions I have witnessed his impressive drive and competitiveness first-hand, whether it be competing against him in open gyms (I stink) where our team had no choice but to foul him every time he stepped foot inside the three-point line, or the treatment he gave my team during the Batavia Spring League when we went up against his team in the finals when he was a 9th grader. In said game, we played box-and-one on Jeff (yes I played box-and-one in a Spring League), yet he was still able to drop about 25 points to go with a double-digit rebounding effort, which propelled his team to a win. These two examples are just from my own personal experience, though there are many more out there to draw from (including a 51-point night against Irondequoit last Friday). In closing, I would not be surprised if we see Jeff at the Division I level in the near future and expect him to not only succeed in basketball, but all of his future off-the-court endeavors as well. Here is his profile:
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#41 Jeff Redband – Point Guard/Off-Guard/Forward/Center – Batavia Boys Basketball
‘The 51st Point’
Height: 6’7″
Class: Senior
Favorite thing about high school sports: “The fun that comes with competing.”
Most memorable moments of high school sports career: “Winning Sectionals and going to Glens Falls for the State Tournament, also hitting a buzzer-beater against Olean my Sophomore year.”
Future plans after high school: “Go to a four-year college and play basketball.”
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AB: Who were your role models as a young athlete?
JR: Derek Jeter, but lately it’s definitely been Kevin Durant.
AB: What challenges have you faced during your HS sports career, and how have they helped define who you have become on the court?
JR: I was always a tall kid, but I never weighed very much and I would struggle to score inside at a young age so I developed guard skills which has shaped how I play the game today, and I’m better off now than I would have been if I hadn’t decided to be a perimeter player. Now, I use that and I have also developed a post-up game.
AB: Who have you built relationships with while playing sports for all these years? What have those relationships meant to your athletic career?
JR: I have built relationships with dozens of people playing basketball. I got to know my teammates at BHS, the coaches, and the fans who support us. Playing in offseason tournaments has also helped me make connections in Buffalo and Rochester with other good players and coaches.
AB: What do you do on a daily basis in order to get better as a basketball player?
JR: I try to put in as much work as I can, and that involves trying to go to all of the organized shooting practices that are organized by my coach, going to the YMCA, open gyms, Rochester, or my driveway. I always try to shoot with the purpose of making myself better, and not just messing around – that helps me maximize my time and get better. In the offseason especially, I try to lift three or four times a week to try and get sport-specific stronger.
AB: Last question. When you are finished playing ball, and you look back on your athletic career, what do you hope to have accomplished?
JR: I want to have the number ’15 on the banner in the BHS gym under Divisional, Sectional, and Regional Champions.
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As motivated as they come, Jeff is certain to lead the Blue Devils as they put their best foot forward in hopes of capturing a Sectional Title. Will he put forth another 51-point performance? Probably not. However, don’t be surprised if Jeff hovers around 25-30 points per contest for the remainder of the season en route to a 1 or 2 seed in the Section V Class A2 Boys Basketball Tournament taking place later this month. He has already led all of Monroe County in terms of PPG for much of the season, and I expect him to finish as the league-leader when the regular season comes to a close. Also, I’m sure Jeff will be in the running for a first-team All-State selection, and will likely receive AGR honors as well. Good luck to Jeff and the entire Batavia Boys Basketball team as they approach the final few weeks of the regular season.
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