This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The first thing a person notices about Olympus star Jake Lindsey is that he is one serious young man.
His life revolves around basketball and school. The numbers reflect that single-mindedness.
On the basketball floor, he averages about 27 points, 11 rebounds and six assists per game. He plays point guard, though, at 6-foot-5, he is one of Olympus' tallest players. He recently joined former Olympus stars Marc Jackson, Jon Hille and Shaun Green as the only Titans to score more than 1,000 points in their careers. The Titans have won the league championship the past two seasons.
As a student, Lindsey has earned a 4.0 grade point average while taking classes such as AP calculus, statistics and government. His 33 score on the ACT, coupled with his grades, landed him an offer from Harvard, though he plans to play basketball and major in business at Baylor next year.
"Jake's a great kid," said Titans coach Matt Barnes. "He is determined, hard-working and very competitive. He is a motivated kid. Nobody works as hard before and after as he does. He works several hours, taking hundreds and hundreds of shots every day."
If the name Lindsey sounds familiar to basketball fans, it's because Utah Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey is the father of both Jake and Olympus sophomore Matt Lindsey.
Jake Lindsey grew up in Texas, making the difficult move between his freshman and sophomore seasons, when Dennis Lindsey took the Jazz position. He decided as a sixth-grader to concentrate on basketball.
"It was tough," he said about starting in a new high school as a sophomore. "I grew up in Houston and San Antonio. Utah has been great to me. It's very different, and there was some culture shock. But I've enjoyed it. Everyone treated me great."
He said he started trying to make new friends.
"I'm not great at making connections," he said. "Coach Barnes loosened me up. I am a lot more uptight. He helped me grow my social skills as much as being my basketball coach."
Lindsey has noticed a difference between Texas and Utah sports.
"The athleticism is superior in Texas," he said. "They have the sheer numbers, and there is the diversity of areas you play in. I am surprised at the level of play. Guys are skilled here. Coaches pattern themselves after [former Utah coach Rick] Majerus. He has had such a big influence. Utah plays a different style of basketball than other areas. It definitely can hang with some of the best I've seen."
Lindsey started some games as a sophomore and feels it an honor to be among the last varsity players to have played in both Olympus' classic old gym and the sparkling new facility the Titans moved into two years ago.
Having a dad famous in Utah basketball circles and a younger brother playing on the team might cause problems for some, but Jake seems to view both as assets.
"It's been interesting," he said. "I've grown up around basketball my whole life. … I put a lot of pressure on myself. With my dad's job, I hear some taunting, but I get after it. I expect a lot of myself. It's never been a huge concern to me."
Lindsey loves playing for Barnes.
"In my opinion, he is the best coach in the state," he said. "He is definitely the best guy in the state. You don't find many people who run into Barnes who have a bad thing to say about him. He's endearing on top of the basketball."
Barnes said having the Lindsey brothers on his team has been unique. He has nothing but praise for Dennis Lindsey, who he says has been supportive. The Olympus coach said having the Lindseys' affiliation with the Jazz has been a great thing for the community.
Jake Lindsey said spending time on the floor with his brother Matt has been interesting. Jake Lindsey describes his younger brother as more of a free spirit than he is.
"Growing up, we played together on the driveway and sometimes in leagues," Jake Lindsey said. "He always played older. We never played in a serious environment, other than one on one. When you've been playing together your whole life, when you finally get the chance to do it [play together], it's a cool experience."
Jake Lindsey now finds himself battling an injury and working hard to get the Titans into the state tournament while playing in a tough Class 4A region.
He hasn't had the best of luck with injuries. As a sophomore, he was injured right before the state tournament and did not play at full strength. Last year, he broke his hand the day before the tournament. This year, after starting the season averaging almost 30 points a game, he hurt his hip in a game against Granger. He missed five games, and it's obvious the injury still bothers him.
"It's getting better," Lindsey said. "All it needs is time. There is no sense complaining about it. You just have to get out there and play."
Now, as his high school career winds down, Lindsey spends a lot of time thinking about basketball.
"I go out and have a good time when I can," he said. "But during basketball, outside of my family and girlfriend, my social life shuts down. I am tired and beat up all of the time."
Indeed, Jake Lindsey is a serious student of not only basketball, but, it seems, of life itself.
Twitter: @tribtomwharton —
About Jake Lindsey
Height • 6-foot-5
2014-15 stats • 27 ppg, 11 rpg, 6 apg
Notable • Has a 4.0 GPA and scored a 33 (out of 36) on the ACT. … Plans to play basketball and major in business at Baylor University next year. … Son of Utah Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey.