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West Jordan High School's Jordan Loveridge was that rare basketball specimen last year, chiseled and engineered to stalk the paint and crash the boards.

As the boys' basketball season begins, the specter of Loveridge and the talent he brings to the Jaguars looms large over 5A's Region 3.

But the memory that opposing coaches and players have of Loveridge, at 6-foot-6-inches, 180-pounds last year, may be softer than reality.

In the offseason, Loveridge, who turned 17 the day after Thanksgiving, grew an inch and a half, and now tips the scales at 190 pounds (10 pounds of extra muscle, he said).

"There's a lot of really good players out there," said Head Coach Scott Briggs, "but it will be nice to not have to come up with a defensive strategy to defend Jordan Loveridge."

Regarding Loveridge, Bingham Head Coach Mark Dubach said, "He'll be the toughest guy to defend in our region."

Through the first three games of last season, Loveridge had racked up 38 points and 23 rebounds.

Loveridge's quick accent to upper echelon of prep basketball couldn't have come at a better time for the Jaguars.

West Jordan won the state championship in 2009 with a squad stacked entirely with seniors. That left Briggs with the usually daunting task of cobbling together a starting lineup of players who had never started a varsity game.

"There were a lot of question marks playing last year," Briggs said, noting that he wasn't entirely sure how his young squad would react. "The surprise to that was no question Jordan Loveridge. For a sophomore to do the kinds of things he did last year surprised even us."

Loveridge's supporting cast of stars includes Jordan Pryor, an all-region selection, and Jaxon Knighton, both of whom return this season.

By the time West Jordan players stood on the court in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs against Davis, it was expected that Loveridge would put up big numbers.

Loveridge had a great game, scoring 20 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and snagging two steals.

Yet West Jordan lost 59-52, finishing the season with a 15-8 record.

Though it was a disappointing end to a surprising season, the game, for Briggs, illustrated just how high the expectations for Loveridge had risen.

Briggs, his coaches and the team came from the Davis game feeling like everyone, including Loveridge, could have played better, Briggs said.

A couple of weeks later, when Briggs got around to breaking down the X's and O's of the game, he said an assistant coach pointed out how strong Loveridge's numbers were.

"It just shows where our expectations are going for Jordan," Briggs said. "Here's a sophomore who's having that kind of game on that stage and we're not looking [at it like it's a great game.]"

"Every week that goes by, we simply are focused on trying to get a little bit better," Briggs said. "I think we've got a good mindset."

In this vein, Briggs noted that his star player is cut from an unselfish mold. "It's not like he's going crazy thinking he's got to shoot all the time," Briggs said. "I think he's more concerned about our team winning than he is about putting up big numbers."

The soft-spoken Loveridge has adopted his coach's sharp focus on improvement. "If I just keep working hard and getting better," he said, "I shouldn't have any problem with my focus or anything like that." —

West Jordan basketball

Jordan Loveridge, who was listed at 6 feet 6 inches tall and 180 pounds last year, grew an inch and a half in the offseason and gained 10 pounds.

Asked about Loveridge, Bingham Head Coach Mark Dubach said, "He'll be the toughest guy to defend in our region."

Loveridge averaged 13 points and just under seven rebounds per game last year. He will lead the Jaguars in the team's effort to win the school's second state championship in three years.